Georgia Recorder
By: Jill Nolin
A portrait of the late Speaker David Ralston, who died unexpectedly in late 2022 after leading the chamber for more than a decade, will soon greet lawmakers as they enter the House chamber. The painting was formally unveiled Thursday on the House floor during a ceremony that featured two former governors – Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal – and the sitting one, Gov. Brian Kemp.“Speaker Ralston had a generational impact on our state,” said House Speaker Jon Burns. “Now I’ll tell you it’s pretty special today that three gentlemen that have led this state that were friends of Speaker Ralston are here to help us pay tribute.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Metropolitan State College Installs Thompson-Sellers As President
by Staff Report
Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) installed (Feb.16) its fifth and first female president Dr. Ingrid Thompson-Sellers, Ph.D. during an investiture ceremony on the institution’s campus located on Metropolitan Parkway in Atlanta. Sellers was installed by University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue. The program marked Thompson-Sellers first year in office. The Board of Regents named her as president on Feb. 1, 2023. The ceremony was attended by a host of educators, elected officials and community partners from around the region. Special presentations came from the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta City Council. The ceremony also marks the 50th anniversary of the institution which began as the Atlanta Junior College, then Atlanta Metropolitan College to its current status of Atlanta Metropolitan State College.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Marion Ross Fedrick, president of historically Black Albany State University in Georgia, announced she is stepping down from her role as president. Effective July 1, Dr. Fedrick is taking on a new role with Georgia State University as executive vice president and chief of staff to the president. Dr. Fedrick joined Albany State University in 2017 as interim executive vice president and interim president. She was officially appointed president in August 2018. Prior to her presidency with Albany State University, Dr. Fedrick served as vice chancellor for human resources for the University System of Georgia.
WRBL
Free Applications during the month of March at Columbus State University
by: Michelle Jennings
During March, Columbus State University is accepting free applications. The University is working with GA Match, a program launched by the governor’s office and the Georgia Student Finance Commission to help make high school students aware of their college options. This opportunity is open to everyone including incoming freshman, master program applicants, and people in the military and saves students and their families forty dollars.
The Baldwin Bulletin
GCSU graduate nursing programs allow simultaneous doctorate
By News Staff
At Georgia College & State University, those with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can now receive training as an advanced practice nurse while simultaneously obtaining their Doctor of Nursing practice. To take advantage of the new program, students seeking graduate studies in nursing should complete the graduate application process before March 15.
Valdosta Daily Times
New Nursing Technology Enhances Student Success at VSU
Valdosta State University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences recently purchased 11 new state-of-the-art, high-fidelity manikins — three Nursing Annes (scenario-based training simulators), two SimMan Essentials (core skills simulators), a SimMom (full birthing simulator), a SimNewB (newborn simulator), and four SimJuniors (pediatric simulators) — with funding from a Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce Nursing School Grant. The new manikins represent all ages, genders, and skin tones and mimic human anatomy and physiology.
Macon Magazine
Heroes among us: Dr. Veronica L. Womack
Interviewed by Julia Morrison
We caught up with Dr. Veronica Womack at Comfort Farms in Milledgeville. She’s a political science professor and the executive director of the Rural Studies Institute (RSI) at Georgia College & State University and the founder of the Black Farmer’s Network (BFN). She combines research with storytelling to shine a light on policies that will help the rural South, particularly the Black Belt region.
WRDW
With state help, Augusta looks to revitalize Turpin Hill area
By Craig Allison
There is a new push to revitalize one of Augusta’s more blighted corners in the community. Specifically, the Turpin Hill neighborhood, just outside of the medical district and Laney Walker area. Now, thanks to state and University of Georgia partnerships with the city, there’s a plan for change in the historic neighborhood. But the city wants to hear from neighbors in the area.
Southeast AgNet Radio Network
Lime Applications Essential for Georgia Cotton Growers
Georgia cotton growers are on the cusp of another planting season. The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Cotton Team remind producers about the importance of applying lime this time of year. Camp Hand, UGA Extension cotton agronomist, discussed its significance.
Specialty Crop Grower
Whitefly Research: UGA Vegetable Specialist Discusses Management Option for Growers
By Clint Thompson
Whiteflies are almost a guarantee for South Georgia vegetable producers in the fall. Growers need protection against whitefly-transmitted viruses which can devastate cucurbits. Ted McAvoy, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension vegetable specialist, is researching multiple cucurbit crops to see which ones are more tolerant of the different viruses that frequently accompany whitefly pressure.
WGXA
GCSU radio station invites Milledgeville residents to smash it up to unload anger
by Brandon McGouirk
Sometimes, people just need to break something to let go of some stress. That’s why Georgia College & State University’s radio station, WGUR 95.3, hosted a car smash event. Starting at 9:30 Tuesday morning, community members were invited to come alleviate tension, anxiety, and anger by smashing up junk cars with baseball bats, sledgehammers, and, even, their bare fists outside the Ina Dillard Russell Library.
WALB
Ga. DPH and ABAC hosted its second annual Health Equity Summit
By Ty Grant
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s South Health District and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) hosted the second annual Health Equity Summit. The event was held on Monday March 11, at the ABAC Campus. The event’s focus was to increase awareness and understanding of the significance of health equity and the necessity of accessible healthcare for all individuals.
yahoo!news
‘Transeuntis Mundi’ exhibit takes viewers around the world
The Union-Recorder
An award-winning new media exhibit has taken over the Leland Gallery inside Georgia College & State University’s Ennis Hall this month. “Transeuntis Mundi,” a work by Dr. Candida Borges (of Brazil and the United States) and Gabriel Mario Velez (from Colombia), uses technology to capture the sound and visual memory of people’s cultural expressions. With the help of virtual reality, those who attend the exhibit can experience sights and sounds in four countries across four different continents.
Middle Georgia CEO
Sheron Smith
Modern film composer Jongnic Bontemps, also known as JB, headlines the 2024 Arts Festival, hosted by Middle Georgia State University’s School of Arts & Letters and scheduled for March 25-April 15. This year’s festival, the theme of which is “Reel People,” celebrates the filmmakers, composers, creators, and stories that defy the historical homogeneity of Hollywood. Paramount Pictures tapped Bontemps to score the blockbuster, sci-fi action movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. He will screen the film and discuss his score at 6 p.m. Monday, April 8, in the Arts Complex Theater on MGA’s Macon Campus. Like all Arts Festival events, the screening is free and open to the public.
WTOC
Georgia Southern ROTC instructor killed in motorcycle crash
By Anna Stansfield
Many are celebrating the life of a ROTC instructor at Georgia Southern University who passed away after a motorcycle crash. Master Sgt. Chris Decker was a Senior Military Science Instructor for the Eagle Battalion at GSU. Wednesday night, family and friends gathered at the Tailgate Sports Bar and Grill in Savannah.
The Union-Recorder
African American alumni honored at GCSU includes two former Macon police officers
The African American Alumni Council (AAAC) of Georgia College & State University hosted “A Night Under the Stars” Saturday, March 9. This annual event includes the presentation of awards to outstanding alumni and scholarships to current students. Georgia College President Cathy Cox, J.D., welcomed event attendees and the Master of Ceremony and director of Alumni Relations, Nadirah Mayweather, who hosted the program. “It is with great pride and sincere admiration that we extend our heartfelt recognition to these extraordinary individuals, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the communities they serve,” said Seth Walker, vice president for University Advancement.
The Union-Recorder
Baldwin High School Distinguished Alumni: Raymond Tubb, Class of ’85
Special to The U-R
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Saturday, March 16, the Baldwin County School District hosts its Distinguished Alumni Gala at 6 p.m., at the Georgia College Magnolia Ballroom. Selected Distinguished Alumni will be recognized during the event, and in the days leading to it The Union-Recorder will profile those honorees: Raymond Tubb (1985), Dr. Emmett Griswold (1989), Audra Smith (1988), Timothy Thomas (1986), Celena Mondie-Milner (1986), Sammy Hall (1965) and Benjamin Lewis (1961).
Baldwin High School proudly boasts a rich legacy of accomplished alumni, and among the distinguished graduates of the Class of 1985 is none other than Raymond Tubb. A luminary in the realm of journalism and TV news, Tubb attributes his success to the foundational experiences he garnered during his formative years at Baldwin High School. …Post-graduation from Baldwin High School, Tubb pursued higher education at Georgia College and State University. Contrary to his initial concerns about the challenges of college, Tubb discovered that the solid education and foundation he received at Baldwin High School facilitated a seamless transition.
The Union-Recorder
Baldwin High School Distinguished Alumni: Benjamin Lewis
In the heart of Baldwin County, nestled among the stories of distinguished alumni, the tale of Benjamin Lewis shines with a light as captivating as the journalism projects he led at Boddie High School. Graduating in 1961, Lewis’s journey from the classrooms of segregation to the boardrooms of community service is a testament to the power of education, determination, and the indomitable spirit of giving back. …After his graduation in ’61, Lewis joined the armed services before pursuing a higher education at Fort Valley State College, now University, where he majored in social work. His time in the military and at Fort Valley State was underpinned by a philosophy instilled in him at Boddie High: “It was impressed upon us to always do your best in any endeavor that you undertake. Give it your all,” Lewis stated.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College’s Justine Lespes Named NAIA Tennis Player of the Week
From Staff Reports
For the third time in her career, Georgia Gwinnett College junior Justine Lespes has been named the NAIA Women’s Tennis Player of the Week after a week of strong play against two ranked opponents. Lespes recorded a pair of straight-set victories at No. 1 singles and added two more victories for the Grizzlies on the No. 2 doubles court.
BVM Sports
Reeves Tabbed D2CCA Women’s Basketball Southeast Region Second Team
Columbus State University women’s basketball player has been named to the D2CCA Women’s Basketball Southeast Region Second Team on Thursday, March 14. …Reeves ranked second in the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with a 17.0 average. She also places in the top-10 in both field goal (.383) and free-throw percentage (.838) and is first in steals with 2.9 per game. Hailing from Newnan, Ga., Reeves also was honored to the All-Peach Belt Conference First Team and named to the All-PBC Tournament Team. This is her first All-Region award.
WRDW
Augusta University’s women’s basketball prepare for NCAA tournament
Video: Getting Ready; AU’s Team Prepares For Tournament
WCTV
Lady Blazers take GSC championship title and increase win streak to 26 straight
By Sydney Wicker
Valdosta State took down Lee 63-58 in the Gulf South Conference Championship on Sunday. This was VSU’s first GSC championship appearance since 2019. The Lady Blazers now increase their win streak to 26 straight wins. Valdosta State will now look to see who they will play in the D2 NCAA tournament which starts Friday March 15th.
WCTV
By Sydney Wicker
The Lady Blazers continue to make history this season as they get ready to host their first NCAA south regional over the weekend. Valdosta State heads into the regional as the number one seed and they come in riding their national best 26 straight win streak and there is no time to crumble now.
Times-Georgian
UWG advances to NCAA tournament with conference win
By Times-Georgian Staff
For the 20th time in program history, and the third time under head coach Dave Moore, the University of West Georgia men’s basketball team is heading to the NCAA Div. II Tournament and the South Regional. There wasn’t any question whether the Wolves would be in the field after Sunday’s 75-69 victory in the Gulf South Conference title game, but the GSC Champions now know who stands in the way of the next step toward achieving their ultimate goal. The Wolves were awarded the South Region’s number two seed and will take on GSC rival Lee in the opening round on Saturday, March 16 from the campus of Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
WALB
GSW hosts send off for Lady Canes ahead of playing in the Southeast Regional
By Aaron Meaux
The Peach Belt Conference champs are gearing up for a run at the national title. Disappointed after being named the five seed on selection Sunday has turned to focus. Focus on the next task at hand and that starts Friday night. …For GSW that ship is a charter bus tasked with delivering the lady canes to the Southeast regionals at Catawba College. Wednesday morning faculty, students, and supporters gathered outside the storm dome to see off the PBC Champs ahead of their opening round matchup Friday night. The Lady Canes season has surpassed any amount of expectation and the leadership at GSW couldn’t be happier where the program is at and where it’s headed.
Washington Times
Gaines leads 16 female athletes suing NCAA for allowing male-born athletes to compete as women
University System of Georgia also sued for allowing Lia Thomas to use women’s locker room
By Valerie Richardson
Sixteen female athletes led by All-American swimmer Riley Gaines filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing the organization of violating Title IX by allowing male-born athletes to compete in women’s sports based on gender identity. The landmark class-action lawsuit also named the University System of Georgia, which includes Georgia Tech, home of the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships at which transgender swimmer Lia Thomas became the first known male-born competitor to capture a Division I women’s title. …The lawsuit also accused the University System of Georgia and Georgia Tech, an NCAA member, of running afoul of Title IX by changing the women’s locker room designation at the 2022 swimming finals to “unisex.”
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Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Biden Administration Wants Accreditors to Set Benchmarks For Student Outcomes
Advocates have argued for years that accreditors aren’t doing enough to ensure that students get the education they’re paying for.
By Katherine Knott
After years of debate and calls for the watchdogs of higher education to crack down on institutions with poor student outcomes, the nation’s accrediting agencies could be required to set benchmarks for student achievement. Accreditors are charged with monitoring the quality of colleges and universities and serve as gatekeepers to institutions’ access to federal financial aid. Lawmakers, advocates and analysts across the political spectrum have argued for years that accreditors are failing in their quality-assurance role, pointing to low graduation rates at accredited institutions, among other data points. The Biden administration has proposed requiring accreditors to set minimum expectations of performance on a number of standards such as graduation and licensure pass rates.
Higher Ed Dive
Education Department plans to ramp up transmission of FAFSA data to colleges
The agency also announced fixes to issues that prevented some students from completing the form, though it flagged several new glitches.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday that it began transmitting Free Application for Federal Student Aid data to colleges over the weekend. The department said it has started sending larger batches of FAFSA applicant data, with plans to ramp up these transmissions in the coming weeks. Once the agency begins sending data “at full scale,” it said, the backlog of FAFSA applications that have already been submitted will take two weeks to process. It also announced it had fixed a number of glitches preventing applicants from submitting the form, including students without Social Security numbers and those born in 2000. However, the department also flagged new issues with the form.
Inside Higher Ed
Kentucky AG Says DEI Practices Are Unconstitutional
By Johanna Alonso
The Kentucky Attorney General issued an opinion on Thursday stating that some higher education diversity, equity and inclusion practices violate the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Specifically, Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican in his first term, deemed it unconstitutional for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to use the number of degrees conferred to minority students as a metric for evaluating and allocating funding to public universities. In the opinion, Coleman extensively cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision prohibiting affirmative action in admissions.
Higher Ed Dive
Indiana governor signs bill tying tenure to intellectual diversity
The measure, which takes effect in July, has come under fire from groups that say it will stifle academic freedom at the state’s public colleges.
By Lilah Burke
Dive Brief:
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed a bill into law Wednesday that will tie tenure at the state’s public colleges to whether professors promote intellectual diversity and free inquiry. Under the law, faculty members may be denied tenure if they are deemed unlikely to encourage intellectual diversity or expose students to scholarly works from a variety of ideological viewpoints. After receiving tenure, trustee boards will review faculty members along similar criteria every five years. The new law has faced criticism from advocates for academic freedom. The legislation is part of a broader conservative movement to more tightly control how colleges operate.
Inside Higher Ed
Civil Rights Groups Push Back Against Wave of Anti-DEI Bills
So far this year, at least five state legislatures have passed bills seeking to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. This year’s batch may seep more into the classroom.
By Ryan Quinn
Despite vocal opposition from faculty members and racial justice groups, Indiana’s Republican governor signed legislation Wednesday diminishing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and tenure protections in public colleges and universities while simultaneously promoting, as the new law puts it, “intellectual diversity.” In a failed scramble to stop Senate Bill 202, an Indiana coalition called the University Alliance for Racial Justice said that, while it opposed the threatened “loss of tenure” and other ramifications faculty members had decried, “what is most egregious about the bill is the fact that such sanctions would be imposed as a consequence for speaking about discrimination and racism in higher education classes in the state of Indiana [emphasis in original].”
Inside Higher Ed
Move to Vacate Tennessee State Board Advances
By Josh Moody
Tennessee’s Senate Education Committee voted Wednesday to vacate the Tennessee State University Board of Trustees, which would sweep out the current members and replace them with new ones. To go into effect, the bill now must be approved by both the state House and Senate, Nashville Scene reported.
Inside Higher Ed
State Monitor Urges NJCU to Sell Assets, Seek Partner
By Josh Moody
An independent state-appointed monitor issued a series of recommendations for struggling New Jersey City University, including that it sell off assets and seek partnerships, NJ.com reported. The recommendations were included in a report issued by Henry Amoroso, whom the state appointed as a monitor in the wake of a financial collapse at NJCU, which spent millions on various projects despite plunging enrollment in recent years. The university declared a fiscal emergency in 2022 and has enacted cost-cutting measures under new leadership.
Inside Higher Ed
Lacking Big Endowment, Prestigious Mitchell Scholarship Paused
By Kathryn Palmer
The US-Ireland Alliance is pausing its long-running George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program due to a lack in commitments from big donors, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization said in a news release Wednesday. For 25 years, the organization’s nationally competitive post-graduate scholarship has funded up to 12 scholars a year to study any discipline at higher education institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Generation Hope Kicks Off First National Conference
Watson Headshot
Jamal Watson
Designed to spark new ideas and connections about how to best support student parents nationwide, hundreds of educators, students and community partners gathered in The Crescent City this week for the first national conference of Generation Hope—the nonprofit that provides direct support to teen parents in college as well as their children through holistic, two-generation programming.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Higher Ed Leaders Convene at Thurgood Marshall College Fund HBCU Fly-In
Johnny Jackson
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) 2024 Presidents and Chancellors HBCU Fly-In brought together presidents and chancellors of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), historically Black community colleges and predominantly Black institutions with members of Congress and key government and corporate officials to discuss policy issues affecting TMCF member schools.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Partnership Seeks Revival of Black, Jewish Alliance in Higher Education
Johnny Jackson
The Academic Engagement Network is partnering with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in a new project to reignite the historic alliance between the Black and Jewish communities in combating rising antisemitism and find ways to counter prejudice and hate facing Blacks and Jews.
Cybersecurity Dive
Change Healthcare locates ransomware attack vector
Though the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary’s recovery efforts are ongoing, a forensic analysis identified a safe system restoration point.
Matt Kapko, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
UnitedHealth Group said it identified the source of the intrusion into Change Healthcare’s system, which remains partially non-operational following a cyberattack that’s impaired services nationwide. “A thorough forensic analysis is well underway,” the company said in a Wednesday update. “Through this analysis, we have identified the source of the intrusion and, with high confidence, have established a safe restore point. This point allows us to move forward safely and securely in restoring our data and systems.” A spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group declined to identify the attack vector. Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks continue to assist with the forensic analysis into the attack, and UnitedHealth Group said it will share more details in the coming days.
Cybersecurity Dive
HHS opens investigation into Change Healthcare cyberattack
The Office for Civil Rights will focus on whether protected health information was breached and if UnitedHealth complied with privacy and security requirements.
Emily Olsen, Reporter
Dive Brief:
The federal government opened an investigation into the Change Healthcare cyberattack, the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights said Wednesday. OCR, which enforces the HIPAA privacy and security rule, will probe technology firm Change and parent company UnitedHealth Group on whether protected health information was breached and if UnitedHealth complied with the law’s requirements. The amount of data exposed could be significant: Change is one of the nation’s largest insurance claims processing centers and touches one in every three patient records.
Cybersecurity Dive
Threat actors are turning to novel malware as malicious attacks rise
BlackBerry identified 5,300 unique malware samples targeting its customers per day from September through December.
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
Critical infrastructure providers were heavily targeted in 2023, accounting for 62% of all industry-related cyberattacks tracked from September through December of last year, BlackBerry said in a report released Thursday. The report showed a 27% increase in the use of novel malware, indicating threat actors were actively working to evade traditional defenses. BlackBerry said more than 5,300 unique malware samples targeted its customers per day during the period. Threat groups increasingly exploited critical vulnerabilities in various products, including Citrix Netscaler, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance and JetBrains TeamCity, to help gain entry into targeted organizations, according to the report. The report also noted that VPN appliances will remain highly attractive targets for state-linked threat actors.