Capitol Beat
Lawmakers pass $36.1 billion state budget
by Dave Williams
The General Assembly gave final passage to a $36.1 billion fiscal 2025 state budget Thursday night, including raises for state employees and public school teachers as well as an 11th-hour influx of funding for Georgia’s Pre-Kindergarten program. The spending plan, which passed the state House 175-1 and the Senate 54-1 in the final hours of this year’s legislative session, represents an increase of $3.7 billion over the fiscal 2024 budget lawmakers adopted last spring. It includes $4,000 cost-of-living raises for most state workers, with an additional $3,000 for employees in state agencies suffering large turnover rates, including law enforcement officers and welfare workers. …In a departure from the usual policy of borrowing the funds for building projects, the state’s $16 billion budget surplus allowed the legislature to load up the spending plan with $1.2 billion in cash for a variety of projects. Of that amount, $866 million would go toward buildings at public schools, colleges and universities, and at state agencies.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgians get lower taxes, raises and construction boom from 2024 legislature
Election year always the right time for tax cuts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Olympian to give UGA grad speech; Georgia Tech admit rates
A roundup of news and happenings from Georgia colleges and universities
By Vanessa McCray
An Olympic swimmer, a MacArthur Fellow and a medical school president all walk onto a stage. Nope, it’s not a joke, and we don’t have a punchline. It’s the early lineup of commencement speakers for college graduations in Georgia. In this edition of AJC On Campus, we bring you the latest graduation news. Keep reading to learn why a street near Clark Atlanta University’s campus has been renamed and dig into Georgia Tech’s admission numbers for fall 2024.
Savannah CEO
Georgia: Most Affordable College Education in US
Journo Research
Georgia ranked among the cheapest for students attending college in-state, with an average cost of $20,088 per year
Essay writing experts at Essayservice.com, analyzed the most recent data for tuition fees, additional required fees, and room and board for each state to calculate the average annual cost of public four-year university programs for in-state students starting in the 2022-2023 school year. These results were then ranked from highest to lowest to determine which states were the most expensive.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Don’t write off SAT/ACT. Tests could be making a comeback
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Many high school students felt relief when colleges moved away from ACT and SAT admission requirements during COVID-19 and its aftermath. Now, some influential campuses are rethinking test-optional admissions and reinstating standardized test requirements. In February, Dartmouth College announced it will ask applicants to provide standardized test scores starting next year. In looking at its own enrollment data, Dartmouth discovered test scores didn’t penalize low-income students from gaining admission but enhanced their chances. It also found test scores were a strong predictor of student success. …As the AJC has reported, the Georgia Board of Regents, which oversees the University System of Georgia, is now deciding whether it, too, should reintroduce test requirements for admission in fall 2025.
Americus Times-Recorder
GSAW student groups roll up their sleeves make a difference on Spring Break
Joshua Windus
Two student groups from Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) spent their Spring Break volunteering in Kentucky and Louisiana. Fourteen members from the President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program (PJCLP) travelled to Mayfield, Ky. where they partnered with Go Serv Global and The Fuller Center for Housing to help rebuild homes that were destroyed in a devastating EF3 tornado in 2021. PJCLP students were determined to provide physical assistance while seeking to comprehend the depth of the tragedy and its impact firsthand. … Seven students in GSW’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) travelled to New Orleans, La., where they partnered with the NOLA Baptist Church, who has been meeting in a warehouse. In 2023, they acquired a 140-year-old building several blocks away in need of major renovations. BCM worked hard to clean up debris from previous demolition work, ultimately filling two 30-yard roll-off dumpsters, and continue demolition.
Investing
Chevron opens STEM-focused Fab Labs at HBCUs
Brando Bricchi, Editor
Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (NYSE: CVX), in partnership with the Fab Foundation, has inaugurated Fab Labs at Fort Valley State University and Florida A&M University (FAMU), expanding educational and technological opportunities in the middle Georgia and Tallahassee regions. These labs aim to enhance STEM education and innovation for students and the local community. The new Fab Labs are equipped with advanced technology such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and electronics workstations. Chevron’s initiative is designed to bolster creativity, hands-on learning, and entrepreneurial skills. The Fab Labs will provide a platform for a variety of activities, including prototyping, digital design, coding, and robotics, encouraging participants to develop solutions for real-world problems.
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Grice Connect
Georgia Southern receives national recognition for Eagle Engage from NASPA
The Division of Student Affairs has been leading efforts since 2021 to better engage and track student involvement at Georgia Southern and this award is reflective of a University-wide commitment to exactly that.
Special to Grice Connect
Georgia Southern University has received even more national recognition from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Eagle Engage, the University’s portal for featured student events and involvement opportunities as well as student organizations and service opportunities, was chosen as a 2023-24 Excellence Award winner (Silver Level) in the Assessment, Persistence, Data Analytics category. The Division of Student Affairs has been leading efforts since 2021 to better engage and track student involvement at Georgia Southern and this award is reflective of a University-wide commitment to exactly that.
Albany CEO
Dr. Teresa Teasley of Georgia Southwestern State University, Associate of Science in Nursing
Interim Dean of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Georgia Southwestern State University Dr. Teresa Teasley talks about the Associate of Science in Nursing Program and why GSW decided to bring the ASN degree back.
Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State Wants Students to Speak About Mental Health
By Joe Adgie
This week, students at Kennesaw State University learned the importance of opening up about their problems. The university, along with Active Minds, a nonprofit encouraging people to speak up and not keep their mental health challenges hidden, held an interactive exhibit called “Send Silence Packing” on the university’s campus green demonstrating the importance of getting help. Dozens of backpacks dotted the green, each of which featured a story of someone impacted by suicide. Students could also write messages to those struggling with mental health issues, encouraging them to hang in there.
Middle Georgia CEO
MGA Faculty Member Among Participants Of AASCU Partnership With Glacier National Park
Staff Report From Georgia CEO
More than a dozen members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) have been selected to participate in the association’s Stewardship of Public Lands program, an initiative of AASCU’s American Democracy Project. Twenty-two participants, representing 14 institutions from 12 states and including Dr. Julie Lester of Middle Georgia State University, are taking part in the Stewardship of Public Lands program. That program aims to foster innovative regional collaborations, responsible stewardship practices, and experiential learning by bringing a variety of higher education practitioners to Glacier National Park.
The West Georgian
UWG Honors Minorities For Their Academic Achievements
By Jeff Igbokwe
Last Wednesday the Multicultural Achievement Program (MAP) at the University of West Georgia held the 40th Multicultural Achievement Awards (MAA) ceremony at the Campus Centre. The MAA is given to minority students at West Georgia as a way to celebrate their academic achievements. These awards are a tradition that have been around at the university since the 80’s, and have since evolved to support the growing student population at the university. They were designed to enhance the wellbeing of minority and multicultural students through the support and encouragement of academic success.
The Red & Black
Dawgs Raising Dogs: Athens Area Puppy Raisers advocate for the Guide Dog Foundation
Savannah Scott
The University of Georgia’s love for dogs doesn’t end at the football team. UGA is also home to the largest group of puppy raisers for the Guide Dog Foundation (GDF). These pups, distinguished by their yellow vests, can be seen all around campus. The Athens Area Puppy Raisers (AAPR), as they are called on UGA’s Involvement Network, work with dogs starting at 2 months of age, and raise them until they are about 18 months old. The raisers are responsible for teaching the dogs necessary skills before they go to the GDF headquarters in New York. Like students at UGA, these dogs have a multitude of options for their career tracks. They can become breeders, scent detectors, hearing dogs, veteran aids, seeing-eye dogs and much more.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
How partners are breaking boundaries for Georgia’s life science industry
By Rowen
As Georgia continues to be a hub for a wide variety of industries, it has created an opportunity to refine the way organizations and businesses interact. Instead of silos and stiff competition, cross-industry collaboration and partnerships among organizations, often seen as competitors, are on the rise. The life science sector is a prime example. …Science Square is a multi-phase development offering commercial lab, research and development spaces and residential real estate adjacent to Georgia Tech’s campus. The project is a joint venture between Trammell Crow Company and its residential subsidiary, High Street Residential and Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV). …With Science Square located on the campus of one of the nation’s top-ranked engineering schools and Rowen located in the epicenter of more than 50 research and educational institutions, the two sites are well-positioned to attract recent college graduates who can contribute to life sciences. In fact, the Rowen Foundation heavily relies on insight and wisdom from leaders of five Georgia universities, with board members from Emory University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Spelman College and the University of Georgia.
Middle Georgia CEO
UGA Resilience Workshop Highlights Relationship with Defense Communities
Margaret Blanchard
Leaders convene to learn best practices for nature-based solutions
Military personnel, resilience experts and researchers from across the southeast learned how the University of Georgia is using nature-based solutions to strengthen military installations and their surrounding communities at the Southeastern Defense Communities Workshop March 13-14 in Athens. Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, gave the keynote address. “The University of Georgia’s Defense Community Resilience Program is a model example of the kind of partnership we are looking to build on,” she said. “It will strengthen military readiness, environmental protection and economic development.”
Ex Bulletin
Partnership for Inclusive Innovation Smart City Project Recognized Internationally
Warner Robins’ Civil Safety Digital Twin for Community Resilience and Woodstock’s Smart Master Plan and Smart Corridor Study were awarded the Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart21 Community Award at the 2024 Taipei Smart City Summit and Expo. At the same time, Columbus was named a Smart 20 Award Winner by Smart City Connect for the Digital Twin River Safety Project. That award will be presented in May. These honors are a testament to the vital role that partnerships play in developing, nurturing, operating and funding these projects from conception to successful completion, said Debra Lamb, Director of Partnerships. said. The partnership is comprised of several private and public sector organizations and is supported by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. …The Columbus Project’s goal is to make the world’s longest man-made urban whitewater course safer for swimmers and boaters. …A digital twin created for this river will allow researchers at Georgia Tech and Columbus State University to collaborate to develop technology that can predict changes in water levels, detect people in the water, and alert authorities.
Grice Connect
Ashlea Mask
Spring is upon us! If it has sprung up early this year on you, you are not alone! Joshua Jones, Garden Manager of the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern, chatted with Grice Connect and gave some great tips to help prepare your gardening space for the warmer season.
Grice Connect
Who might BEE moving onto Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus?
Thanks to Georgia Southern junior Sarah Beth Waller and the Armstrong Campus EcoAdvocates Club in collaboration with the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC), the Armstrong campus is welcoming a new hive of honeybees to Eagle Nation.
Special to Grice Connect
There’s some news buzzing around Georgia Southern University – literally! The Armstrong Campus EcoAdvocates Club in collaboration with the Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC) has taken steps toward environmental sustainability by introducing bees to campus. Sarah Beth Waller, a biology junior at Georgia Southern, began beekeeping five years ago while living in suburban Atlanta. Since then, she has become a certified beekeeper through the University of Georgia, has received grants through The Bee Cause Project to build additional beehives and has been featured in Bee Culture Magazine. As part of their ongoing commitment to fostering a greener and more eco-friendly campus, Waller and the Armstrong EcoAdvocates Club have embarked on a new project that’s sure to sweeten the air and promote biodiversity. They’ve recently welcomed a hive of honeybees, and these industrious pollinators are now calling Georgia Southern home.
Alliance Grain Co.
Research, Education and Extension Efforts Improve Livestock Health
Animal agriculture comprises a large portion of U.S. agriculture. Livestock, including poultry, comprise about 48 percent of all U.S. agricultural value according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. …USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has a large livestock program portfolio. …Supported by these programs, Land-grant universities provide critical assistance to the nation’s livestock producers searching for strategies to protect animal health and enhance productivity and profitability. …University of Georgia researchers have used an artificial intelligence learning-based imaging system to automatically monitor chicken pecking behavior. Severe pecking has been estimated to occur in 40% to 50% of cage-free flocks and is one of the primary reasons for increased mortality. This technology provides early detection of pecking behaviors, helping producers identify the cause and prevent further spread. The University of Georgia project is supported by Hatch funds as well as USDA Competitive funds.
Southeast AgNet Radio Network
Survey Says: Cotton Growers Asked to Provide Input on Deer
Deer remain a problem for Georgia cotton farmers. Producers can voice their concerns to the Department of Natural Resources. The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Cotton Team encourage cotton producers to provide public input on the impact of deer in cotton fields. Growers can fill out an online survey. The survey covers deer impacts on agriculture and gauges public perception on the deer population in their respective counties. Cotton farmers who elect to participate in the survey only have to respond to questions that directly affect them. The online survey will be closed at midnight on April 7.
Bryan County News
UGA Extension: Breathing life into your lawn
Richard Evans. Contributor.
Taking care of the soil in your lawn is a lot like greasing a trusty cast iron skillet. :You depend on a good skillet to cook food evenly and to not rust or flake into the food you prepare. In your lawns, grass roots depend on healthy soil to obtain all the necessary nutrients for growth. One factor affecting your soil, that can be a silent killer of lawns, is compaction. Soil compaction can severely restrict turfgrass growth and can arise in lawns from a variety of events. Traffic over a lawn or specific areas of a lawn is probably the leading factor in soil compaction. This traffic includes human activity, pet runs or vehicular movement. Soils can also become compacted during residential or commercial construction process due to movement of heavy equipment of the lawn. Insects, diseases, nematodes, improper watering, lack of fertilizer, and poor turfgrass management are often blamed for a lawn’s decline when the real culprit is soil compaction. If a soil is compacted, the solution is straightforward: aerify.
WAFB
Video
Augusta University students find solutions to city issues
WDAM
Video
Augusta University holds health program for grandparents
The West Georgian
Current Iron Wolf Champion Prepares For Yearly Competition
By Keshawn Allen
Keshawn Allen
The sixth annual Iron Wolf competition this year will be held in the Campus Center on April 6 by the University of West Georgia’s recreation center. This competition is to see who is the strongest person on campus. West Georgia is home to many students and faculty members from athletic backgrounds. The on-campus gym is very popular among most on- and off-campus students committed to staying in shape, maintaining perfect health and gaining muscle mass. “I heard about the Iron Wolf through the workers of the Campus Center gym and Game Room,” said current Iron Wolf Champion Jahari Burns. “So last year was an honor to win the Iron Wolf. I had an amazing time lifting and competing with other strong lifters.” The Iron Wolf is one of the most competitive contests held on campus.
WJBF
Columbia County School District’s “TAP” program to help high schoolers with college credits
by: Bria Smith
Columbia County Students have a chance to earn up to 12 college credits towards a degree in education from Augusta University before graduating high school. It’s all through the school system’s TAP Talks. “People like you are innovative, creative, and you have a desire to help others make a difference,” Columbia County Teacher of the Year Crystal McDowell said. …The program creates an avenue for high school students in education and is open to anyone interested in the education pathway as an elective they choose freshman year. …A total of five seniors in TAP, one from each high school in the School District, will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Georgia’s Own Credit Union.
WRBL
A CLOSER LOOK: Inside identifying unknown soldiers of the Korean War
by: Olivia Yepez, Chuck Williams
Nearly one year after the remains of a Korean War soldier were identified and returned to his family in Georgia, the woman who made it possible visited the National Infantry Museum for the first time. As she approached the showcase dedicated to Cpl. Luther Story, a Buena Vista native and Medal of Honor recipient who spent more than 70 years unidentified after his death at about age 19, tears welled in her eyes. …In a presentation at Columbus State University’s Frank D. Brown Hall on March 27, Berry showed eventgoers photos of soldiers her team has identified. Many of the cases were previously thought of as impossible.
The Tifton Gazette
Akropolis Reed Quintet to perform for ABAC Presents! April 4
Staff Reports
Fans of both classical and jazz music will delight in the April 4 concert by the Akropolis Reed Quintet, performing as part of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s ABAC Presents! Concert series. Detroit-based Akropolis, which is celebrating its 15th year as a group, has performed around the globe, furthering the performers’ passion to “make music that sparks joy and wonder.” …The ABAC Presents! series showcases professional performing artists selected to support ABAC and area students’ study of the arts and to present high-quality arts experiences to the entire community.
Athens Banner-Herald
How this son of a former Georgia football coach tied Athens Academy’s high jump record
Sara Tidwell
Three days. That’s all the time Athens Academy junior Bryan McClendon had to train in high jump before the Spartans meet last Saturday. And yet he came out with the gold medal, the first of his career, after tying the school record mark of 6-foot-8 previously set by now Notre Dame wide receiver Deion Colzie back in 2021. Coach Neville Anderson is still in disbelief, as is McClendon himself. …McClendon, son of former UGA receivers coach Bryan McClendon who has the same position now with Tampa Bay, only stands about 5-foot-9. Jumping nearly an entire foot taller than yourself is remarkable, especially with only three days of practice.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Illinois’s Ambitious Plan for Higher Ed Funding
The complex formula, mirroring K-12 overhauls, prioritizes adequate and equitable funding for historically underfunded regional and minority-serving institutions.
By Jessica Blake
The State of Illinois is exploring a novel funding model for its 12 four-year public colleges and universities that, if executed as proposed, would distribute state funds more equitably in ways that would particularly benefit regional and minority-serving institutions. That’s a big “if,” though. While observers in the state and nationally say Illinois’s proposed approach could provide the sort of adequate, equitable and stable funding many experts have long called for, translating the general philosophical agreement into reality will require educating lawmakers to get them onboard with a complex formula and ironing out disputed details such as how to factor in various graduate programs, endowments and the weight tuition revenue should hold. The complex formula, released in early March by a legislatively created commission of lawmakers, college officials and others, is designed to mimic a growing number of revamped K-12 funding models, most of which were ordered by courts to remediate years of underfunding for schools in less-wealthy areas with less property tax revenue but higher need for student support.
Inside Higher Ed
S.C. House Bill Says Colleges Can’t Request DEI Statements
By Ryan Quinn
The South Carolina House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban public colleges and universities from asking applicants for admission or employment to submit statements that agree or disagree with diversity, equity and inclusion or “any political ideology or movement.” H. 4289 would ban these institutions from requesting such statements from current employees, too. If they were to receive such a statement anyway, they couldn’t take it into consideration in admissions or employment. The legislation would also prohibit public institutions from requiring employees to go through any “training or other educational program” on DEI.
Inside Higher Ed
Citing enrollment and financial challenges, numerous institutions are eliminating jobs while others have announced budget cuts that may lead to future layoffs.
By Josh Moody
With the spring semester halfway over, many institutions are preparing to make cuts before the next academic year. While multiple colleges and universities announced job cuts in March, others noted the need to tackle budget deficits but did not specify whether layoffs were coming. Some are conducting academic portfolio reviews that will likely result in at least some low enrollment programs being shuttered. Click here for our recent coverage of other campus cutbacks.
Higher Ed Dive
Iowa’s community college leaders could soon set their own state funding formula
An advancing bill would give the institutions flexibility amid a shifting higher education landscape, one proponent said.
Laura Spitalniak, Staff Reporter
Dive Brief:
Leaders at Iowa’s community colleges would be responsible for creating the state’s funding distribution model for their institutions under a bill advanced by a House panel Wednesday. Iowa’s unusual method for distributing general funding to community colleges is codified into law, and any changes require legislative intervention. The proposed bill would allow the colleges’ leaders to make updates annually. If two-thirds of the 15 leaders could not reach a consensus in any given year, the Iowa Department of Education would take over the task of creating the funding model.
Inside Higher Ed
Lawmakers Vote to Vacate Tennessee State University Board
By Sara Weissman
Tennessee House Republicans voted to vacate the entire board of Tennessee State University on Thursday, reversing a previous deal reached in committee with House Democrats to keep three of the 10 board members in place for continuity, The Tennessean reported. The bill now awaits Governor Bill Lee’s signature. Lee would be responsible for appointing new board members. Republican lawmakers have been seeking to oust the historically Black university’s board after it received a harsh state audit last year that concluded the institution needed a leadership change. The state comptroller’s report criticized the institution for creating a boom in enrollment by expanding scholarships without having enough student housing to accommodate the influx, among other issues.
Inside Higher Ed
Buffalo State Rescinds Offer to Presidential Hire
By Josh Moody
Buffalo State University has rescinded an offer to presidential hire Chance Glenn amid an apparent controversy over a grant application at another institution, The Buffalo News reported. Glenn had been set to start in July at Buffalo State, which is part of the State University of New York system. But faculty questions at his home institution, the University of Houston-Victoria, where Glenn serves as provost, appear to have raised concerns, the newspaper noted.
Inside Higher Ed
‘A Difficult Time to Be Working in Student Affairs’
Amelia Parnell, who will take over as president of NASPA on July 1, spoke with Inside Higher Ed about AI, mental health, holistic student support and more.
By Johanna Alonso
Amelia Parnell, the incoming president of NASPA, a national association for student affairs administrators, is a self-described optimist—but, she stresses, she’s not naïve. After nine years with the organization, where she is currently vice president for research and policy, she knows student affairs isn’t the easiest profession. But what some see as a harrowing moment of change for higher education, she sees as an opportunity for student affairs professionals—who play a role in everything from diversity, equity and inclusion to mental health—to build partnerships, find solutions and continue to make a difference in students’ lives. She spoke with Inside Higher Ed via phone about her new position, which she begins on July 1.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: Title IX Rule on Trans Athletes Delayed Until After Election
By Katherine Knott
The Biden administration has decided to delay a new rule that would prevent blanket bans barring transgender students from participating in the sport consistent with their gender identity, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. The report comes as the Biden administration is working to finalize sweeping new regulations overhauling the gender equity law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings. The proposed changes would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and alter the way colleges respond to reports of sexual harassment and assault. The final Title IX rules are expected once the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finishes its review of the regulations, which is currently slated to wrap up by April 11.
Inside Higher Ed
CUNY Awarded $5M for Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Graduate Program
By Sara Weissman
The City University of New York system has received $5 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to launch the state’s first graduate degree program in Black, Race and Ethnic Studies, according to a press release from the system. “Amid a nationwide effort to undermine the very concept of diversity and inclusion, the new graduate program in Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) will provide a much-needed resource to drive social change, open new avenues of opportunity for our students, and sustain CUNY’s mission to uplift New York’s most underserved communities,” CUNY system chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said in a press release.