ABC News
Video
UGA students save a family from a car accident
ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim sits down with the five University of Georgia students who rescued a mother and her two young sons after their car went off a bridge and into a creek.
Albany Herald
UGA graduate programs among nation’s best in new rankings
By Mike Wooten
ATHENS – The University of Georgia’s graduate and professional programs are among the nation’s best, according to the 2024 edition of “Best Graduate Schools” from U.S. News and World Report. In this year’s rankings, several UGA schools, programs and specialties earned places in the top 10. “UGA’s graduate and professional students enjoy a world-class experience thanks to our renowned faculty, innovative career development programs and next-generation research and instructional facilities,” S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, said. “This year’s exceptional rankings reflect the university’s continuing investments in these and other strategic areas of graduate and professional education across all disciplines on our campus.”
WGAU Radio
UNG scholarships funded by Sawnee EMC Foundation
By Tim Bryant
The Sawnee EMC Foundation has donated $10 thousand for scholarships for students attending the University of North Georgia. The scholarships will be used by those taking classes at the UNG campus in Cumming.
From Clark Leonard, UNG
The Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation Foundation has donated $10,000 for scholarships for students at the University of North Georgia’s Cumming Campus. Students can apply for the scholarship on the UNG scholarship application website. UNG received the funds through the Sawnee EMC Foundation Operation Round Up program.
WGAU Radio
Former Chancellor, former Congressman speak today at UGA
By Tim Bryant
A former University of Georgia vice president who served as University System Chancellor is back on campus today: Steve Wrigley will be joined by former Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus in an open to the public conversation set for 6 o’clock this evening at the Richard Russell Library. The event is part of UGA’s Congress Week activities.
From the UGA master calendar…
Former U.S. Representative Steve Driehaus (D-OH) and former USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley will engage in a lively discussion about empowering citizens and government in the areas of democracy, political engagement, and institutional resiliency. Light reception to follow. The event is free and open to the public. Event parking is available in the Hull Street Parking Deck.
Atlanta Civic Circle
Meet the Gen-Z candidates running for the Georgia Legislature
by Claire Becknell
A new generation of leaders is stepping up in Georgia, determined to bring progressive change to the state. At least four Gen Zers have officially qualified for legislative races on the general primary ballot on May 21 – all with a plan to address concerns they’re hearing in their communities, including education reform, affordable housing, and gun safety. These state house candidates, Joshua Anthony, Bryce Berry, Ashwin Ramaswami, and Madeline Ryan Smith, are all Democrats under age 27 (the Gen Z cutoff) and most are challenging entrenched incumbents. (In Georgia, candidates for the state House of Representatives must be at least 21, while Senate candidates must be at least 25.) …Joshua Anthony started getting involved in community issues early on. By age 19, he’d crafted model legislation for preventing gun violence – an 80-page bill that he worked on with another Gen Z candidate, Bryce Berry. Two years later, Anthony is hoping to unseat first-term Rep. David Sampson (D-Albany), while taking online classes remotely at Georgia State University. …Madeline Ryan Smith …At Georgia Southern University, she was a member of the Students With Disabilities advocacy group, and in 2023, she was elected as the Disability Caucus Chair for the state Democratic Party.
Barrow News-Journal
Horton and UNG peers compete at sports medicine event
Thirteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students, including Kaitlin Horton from Bethlehem, attended the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM) Annual Meeting held in Greenville, South Carolina, from Feb. 22-24. While there, some students participated in the Quiz Bowl competition and others shared poster presentations.
Forbes
Solar Eclipses Are More Common Than You Think
Marshall Shepherd, Senior Contributor (leading international expert in weather and climate, was the 2013 President of American Meteorological Society (AMS) and is Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program)
The total solar eclipse was an event. The reactions from across the path of totality affirmed its sheer “awesomeness.” The total solar eclipse also did something else. It brought out all of the hyperbole related to the fate of humanity, unsubstantiated links to climate change and more. Here in the U.S., extra emphasis was likely due to the path of totality covering such accessible populated areas. I get it. There is, however, a teachable moment from this week’s “science in the spotlight” because eclipses actually happen more frequently than you may realize.
WSB-TV
UGA researchers working to limit ‘forever chemicals’ in water as EPA announces new restrictions
By Sophia Choi, WSB-TV
Your tap water could be filled with a major health hazard called forever chemicals, of PFAS. The Environmental Protection Agency announced for the first time Wednesday that it is setting limits on them in our drinking water. Like a lot of metro Atlantans, Natasha Dixie buys her water instead of using what comes out of her tap. “Because it has the chemicals in it, and I don’t want to give it to my family,” Dixie said. Chemicals, like PFAS, which are manmade, forever chemicals, are used in hundreds of products like stain and water-resistant fabrics, nonstick pots and pans, food containers and even makeup. What’s happening in a University of Georgia lab in Griffin could save lives, by cleaning the PFAS out of the water we drink and use. “They are robust they don’t easily degrade,” said Jack Huang with the University of Georgia. “These chemicals can be harmful to human health.”
Everyday Health
Colon Cancer Versus Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): What Are the Symptoms?
Colon cancer and IBS symptoms can overlap, but IBS does not increase the risk of colon cancer.
By Aisha Langford, PhD, MPH
Colon cancer and IBS are common health problems that share some symptoms, such as excessive gas, constipation, and abdominal pain. Because there is often overlap in symptoms, it can be hard to know whether you’re dealing with colon cancer or IBS. …“In people with IBS, the gut receptors become sensitized — so sensitive that they feel things that most normal people don’t feel,” says Satish Rao, MD, PhD, the J. Harold Harrison, MD, Distinguished University Chair in Gastroenterology at Augusta University in Georgia. “Signals from the gut are constantly being sent to the brain, but the signaling is distorted such that patients with IBS have much more intense [digestive] symptoms.” This gut hypersensitivity is a sign of IBS. …To help determine whether a patient has colon cancer or IBS, a gastroenterologist will take an excellent health history and listen to the patient’s main complaints. Depending on the patient’s age and symptoms, a colonoscopy and a physical exam of the rectum may be done to assess colon or rectal cancer. If IBS is suspected based on the person’s symptoms and health history, blood and stool tests may be used to make a diagnosis. Notably, a colonoscopy is very helpful for diagnosing colon cancer, but not always necessary for diagnosing IBS.
Golfweek
Georgia golf courses (even those not named Augusta National) are enhancing wildlife habitats
Erica Van Buren, Athens Banner-Herald
In spring of 2023, the University of Georgia Golf Course was designated as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. Extra care is taken into account for upkeep in an effort to run in an environmentally friendly way. “It takes a lot to maintain golf courses,” said Scott Griffith, associate director of agronomy at the University of Georgia golf course. “And we have to maintain them on a daily basis. There are a lot of misconceptions regarding fertilizers. If the grass is growing too fast, that creates more work for us. It creates a negative situation not only on our staff and our customers but also our budgets. Slow-release fertilizers are used judiciously.”
Savannah CEO
Georgia Growers Hopeful 2024 Peach Season will Rebound From Disastrous 2023
Emily Cabrera
Georgia’s late winter and early spring are consistently inconsistent in terms of weather. As temperatures warm, daylight hours increase, and rainfall seeps deep into the soil, plants begin to burst into bloom, signaling the arrival of spring. It’s also the time of year when fruit growers, especially those producing peaches, hold their breath hoping a late freeze won’t kill those vulnerable new blossoms and decimate their season. With more than 90% crop loss throughout Georgia, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties.
HBCU News
FVSU Announces Spring 2024 Commencement Speaker
by Shaun White
Daniel K. Wims, Ph.D., President of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), Fort Valley State University (FVSU) alum and former faculty member will be the featured speaker for Fort Valley State University’s Spring 2024 Commencement, scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 2024.
WGAU Radio
UNG alum retires as deputy commanding general for Army Forces Command
By Tim Bryant
A University of North Georgia alum announces his retirement from the US Army: Lieutenant General Paul Calvert, UNG’s Class of 1988, will retire as deputy commanding general for Army Forces Command, an assignment he took in 2021.
From Clark Leonard, UNG…
Lt. Gen. Paul Calvert, ‘88, retired from the Army this spring. His final assignment came as deputy commanding general for U.S. Army Forces Command, which he started in December 2021. Before that role, he served as the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational coalition of military forces with the mission to defeat the Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria. He was the third UNG alumnus to command Operation Inherent Resolve, joining retired Gen. Stephen Townsend, ‘82, and retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, ‘78. Calvert said UNG’s military science staff and faculty laid the foundation for his approach of seeing the potential in others during his time as an Army leader.
Emanuel County Live
Woods named Vice President for Information Technology at East Georgia State College
East Georgia State College (EGSC) recently named Ashley Woods Vice President for Information Technology after a full, open search for the next leader of the department. Woods has been serving as the Interim Vice President for Information Technology since November. “Ashley Woods has proven in his time as Interim Vice President that he cares deeply for our students and the institution. He’s just the kind of leader we need right now to oversee the I.T. Department and help us move the College forward,” said Dr. David Schecter, President of EGSC. Ashley Woods is a native and proud resident of Swainsboro, Georgia, whose dedication to Information Technology has been instrumental in the success of EGSC.
Morrow County Sentinel
Nelson sworn in as new EMA director
By Staff Reports
Morrow County’s new Emergency Management Director (EMA) Michael Nelson was sworn in at the April 1 Board of Commissioners meeting. Nelson’s position in the county follows five years as EMA director at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia.
The Union-Recorder
10th annual ArtHealthy set for Saturday
Gil Pound
Around 2,000 people are expected to gather Saturday on Georgia College & State University’s front campus for the 10th installment of the ArtHealthy Festival. Slated for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the free annual event boasts 186 vendors representing businesses and organizations around the Central Georgia region. As the name suggests, many come from the fields of art and wellness while others are small businesses and craftspeople selling their wares. ArtHealthy is co-sponsored by GCSU and local nonprofit CREATE Inc., an organization founded by Milledgeville residents Greg and Toyia Barnes. CREATE was established in 2010 with the mission to provide holistic support and transformative opportunities to in-school youth who are facing adversity. …The ArtHealthy Festival was born in 2013 and has stood the test of time and a global pandemic to reach its 10th year.
Happening Next
Saturday, April 27 Georgia College & State University’s Music Department and Allied Arts will hold the 35th Annual JazzFest from 1:20 to 8:30 p.m. on Front Campus. The evening features live performances from local middle and high school bands and Georgia College Alumni Band, as well as a performance by the Georgia College Jazz Band featuring renowned trumpeter and vocalist, Joe Gransden. JazzFest offers local schools an opportunity to showcase their student bands in a 30-minute performance and receive feedback from guest clinicians.
The Tifton Gazette
Annual ABAC Jazz Festival scheduled for April 18
Staff Reports
The annual Jazz Festival at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is scheduled for April 18. High school bands from across the state will gather to perform mini-concerts on ABAC’s campus from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The community is invited to attend at no charge. Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts and the ABAC Arts Connection, the festival promotes jazz and jazz education in South Georgia. The bands will perform in The Meadows in the center of the ABAC campus. …The concert is part of the ABAC Presents! Series, and tickets for the event are $20 for adults and $10 for youth.
Times-Georgian
Birden named GSC field athlete of the week
By Jared Boggus UWG SPORTS
As the legacy of T’oni Birden continues to grow for UWG women’s track and field, the sophomore continues to garner conference awards and attention as she was named today the Gulf South Conference Field Athlete of the Week. It comes after a fantastic performance at the UWG Legends Invitational this past weekend in which she set school records in both the triple jump and long jump, vaulting herself to 11th in the Division II rankings in both categories.
BVM Sports
FVSU’s Leonard Hits Way to SIAC Softball Player of the Week
The young Wildcats have claimed victory in their last 13 times taking the diamond and one of them received recognition for it. Fort Valley State’s Leah Leonard hit her way to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week award.
The Union-Recorder
Bobcats takes two from Panthers to sweep series
Georgia College & State University posted 48 runs as they swept a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from Claflin University Saturday afternoon at John Kurtz Field. The Bobcats took game one 25-0 and followed that up with a 23-4 decision in game two to sweep the PBC series from the Panthers. Both games ended after seven innings. GCSU improved to 23-13 overall and remained on top of the PBC standings with a 14-4 ledger, while Claflin falls to 1-33 and 0-18. The Bobcats will travel to Albany, Georgia, for a 4 p.m. contest against Albany State University Wednesday.
AOL
Columbus golfer honors late father as he qualifies for U.S. Open and Masters
Mark Rice, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Former Columbus High School golfer Ben Carr has qualified for the U.S. Open and Masters by finishing second in the U.S. Amateur. Carr, a fifth-year senior at Georgia Southern University, was the runner-up in the 122nd U.S. Amateur at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. Texas A&M fifth-year senior Sam Bennett won the championship with a 1-up victory over Carr in match play.
The Moultrie Observer
Packers soccer senior players honored before Tift game
By Jessi Flowers
As the 2024 regular season draws toward its conclusion, the varsity soccer Packer players during Tuesday’s game against Tift County. Of the 25 athletes on the roster, 12 of them will be graduating from Colquitt County High School at the end of this academic year. …No. 17, Hudson Glenn was escorted by Caroline and Sonny Glenn. With plans to major in business, Glenn will continue his academic career at the University of West Georgia. …Also in the program for six years has been Dierick Espinoza, who was escorted by Aracely Gomez. Sporting jersey No. 25, Espinoza plans to attend Valdosta State University to major in health science. …No. 12, Luis Mejia, was another Packer who has been in the program for six years. …Looking to the future, Luis plans to major in Business at Valdosta State University. …Thomas Preza, who was escorted by Thomas Preza and Diana Vasques, also has six years experience as Packer. Preza will attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with the goal to obtain a business degree.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
‘Game-Changing Crisis’: Lawmakers, Experts Vent FAFSA Frustrations
While one House committee probed the FAFSA mess Wednesday, another grilled Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about the disastrous rollout of the student-aid form.
By Katherine Knott
“Disaster.” “Mess.” “Crisis.” Those were a few terms used by Republicans and Democrats to describe the launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) during a Wednesday hearing of the House higher education subcommittee that revealed their deep frustrations with the Biden administration’s handling of the project, which has run months behind schedule and been riddled with issues. “We’ve had 32 years of a functioning system that served hundreds of millions of students and thousands of institutions,” said Utah representative Burgess Owens, the Republican chair of the higher education subcommittee. “Within three years, Biden’s Department of Education has managed to bring the education industry a possible game-changing crisis.” After the hearing, some Republicans wanted heads to roll. The House Education and Workforce Committee said on social media that “it’s time for Richard Cordray to GO.” Cordray is the chief operating office of the Office of Federal Student Aid, which has overseen the FAFSA overhaul.
Inside Higher Ed
Views
We Should Rethink Performance-Based Funding
States should provide upfront funding for colleges to invest in proven strategies to meet completion goals, Charles Ansell writes.
By Charles Ansell
Higher education research has long demonstrated that increased state appropriations to public colleges and universities usually improve graduation rates. The reason is simple: Colleges and universities with more generous state support can keep tuition affordable and can invest in people and programs that improve learning and keep students on track to graduate. More recently, researchers have found that higher state appropriations lead to “modest but meaningful” increases in the graduation rates of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. That’s an encouraging finding for those who are concerned with the widening disparities in college outcomes—and who seek to ensure that all students, regardless of background, have equitable opportunities to get into and finish college. But simply increasing state appropriations isn’t a lever large enough to drive the change our nation needs. According to Lumina Foundation’s latest data on college attainment, the number of American adults with a college degree continues to inch up. But that pace is far too slow. Just 54.3 percent of Americans between ages 25 and 64 hold a postsecondary credential.
Inside Higher Ed
Degrees Earned Fall Again, Certificates Rise
Fewer people are earning degrees for the second year in a row, but certificates are having a moment, according to a new report.
By Sara Weissman
The number of students earning college degrees fell for two consecutive years after at least seven years of slight increases, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Also, fewer learners who held a prior credential went on to earn another one. Certificate earners, however, are growing. The latest “Undergraduate Degree Earners” report, released Thursday, showed that almost 100,000 fewer people earned bachelor’s and associate degrees or certificates during the 2022–23 academic year, a 2.8 percent decrease. The number of first-time credential earners fell by the same percentage. Meanwhile, fewer students earned an associate degree than in the past decade and the number of bachelor’s degree earners hasn’t been this low since the 2015–16 academic year. Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said in a media briefing Wednesday that the decline in new undergraduate credential earners is “the steepest that we’ve ever recorded.”
Inside Higher Ed
Full-time Faculty Raises Finally Beat Inflation … Just Barely
With the dollar’s declining value taken into account, new data shows that real wages grew by half a percent. But pay remains well below pre-pandemic levels, and full-time women and part-timers continue to receive less than others.
By Ryan Quinn
For the first time since the pandemic began, the average salary has risen for full-time U.S. faculty members after adjusting for inflation, according to the American Association of University Professors’ annual pay survey. But while that’s welcome news, the raise was small—only about a half-percent uptick from fall 2022 to this past fall. The tiny pay bump comes after years of COVID-19–era inflation eating away at faculty compensation, including entirely consuming institutions’ significant efforts in 2022 to raise wages. But at the same time, the AAUP found that inflation still outpaced salary increases at more than half of the 870 colleges and universities that reported full-time faculty pay information for the survey. And the news is worse for part-time faculty members, whose per-course-section pay actually declined in the new survey when adjusted for inflation. The organization published the study’s preliminary results online Tuesday. It includes data from over 375,000 full-time and 92,000 part-time faculty members. Institutions must admit first-time undergraduate students to be included, so standalone graduate schools are excluded.
Inside Higher Ed
Proposal to Accredit Fully Online Law Schools Prompts Pushback
By Kathryn Palmer
A group of law school deans are pushing back against a proposal from the American Bar Association’s accrediting arm that would allow fully online law schools to apply for accreditation, the ABA Journal reported last week. The deans say they want more information about bar passage and employment rates before the proposal moves forward, while supporters of the proposal say it would expand access to and reduce the price of legal education. Fully online law degree programs can currently only become accredited if the law school also has a physical campus. Graduates from online-only law schools aren’t permitted to take the bar exam.
Inside Higher Ed
Army Eyes Cuts to Popular Education Benefits
By Jessica Blake
The U.S. Army is considering cuts to two of its education benefit programs, a decision that could impact up to 100,000 student soldiers who take advantage of the funds each year, Military.com reported. Word broke last week that trims to the Army’s Credentialing Assistance Program were on the table, but news of possible additional slashes to the Tuition Assistance Program were announced Monday. “The Army recognizes the value of both to support our soldiers’ professional development and readiness levels,” service spokesperson Andrea Kelly said in a statement to Military.com. “However, in order to ensure their long-term sustainability, the Army is conducting a thorough review of both programs.”
Inside Higher Ed
UT Dallas to Close Former DEI Office
By Johanna Alonso
The University of Texas at Dallas has followed the system’s flagship campus in shuttering its Office of Campus Resources and Support—formerly the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which was closed in response to Texas’s anti-DEI law, SB 17, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The closure will go into effect at the end of the month. Twenty jobs will be eliminated as a result of the closure. Some of the office’s functions, such as accessibility services, will be moved elsewhere on campus. In announcing the closure, UT Dallas president Richard Benson said that the decision arose from the university’s reevaluation of its response to SB 17 in the months since the law went into effect Jan. 1.
Inside Higher Ed
Analysis Finds Colleges Fumbled Oct. 7 Statements
By Josh Moody
New analysis on university statements following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the retaliatory war that has since killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians found that multiple universities backtracked, apologized for and deleted original communications about the conflict. Looking at formal statements from 100 universities collected as a part of Stanford University’s Berman Archive, researchers found that 49 percent of institutions released additional statements after blowback over their initial remarks. Of those, about half were released within a week of the first statements. Some institutions, such as the University of Rochester, issued public apologies for their initial statements and deleted those remarks from their website. (While Rochester’s first statement denounced “violence, hatred, and prejudice,” it was criticized for not condemning Hamas as terrorists.)
Cybersecurity Dive
Microsoft embraces common weakness enumeration standard for vulnerability disclosure
The policy change is part of the company’s wider effort to improve security practices and become more transparent following years of scrutiny.
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
Microsoft said it will publish root cause data for its security vulnerabilities using the Common Weakness Enumeration industry standard, in a blog post released Monday. For decades, Microsoft has used its unique taxonomy to describe the causes for vulnerabilities. The change is part of a larger effort by the company to make its products and services more secure and boost transparency. “This standard will facilitate more effective community discussions about finding and mitigating these weaknesses in existing software and hardware, while also minimizing them in future updates and releases,” said Lisa Olson, senior program manager, security release at Microsoft, in the blog post.