The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anger grows as Georgia panel further cuts diversity from teacher prep rules
By Vanessa McCray
The latest fight over diversity and equity in Georgia’s schools was waged Thursday in a tense boardroom across the street from the state Capitol. There, more than a dozen teachers and advocates approached the microphone and, one by one, made impassioned pleas against a proposal to remove words such as “diversity,” “equity” and “social justice” from the state’s educator preparation rules. …Commission chairman Brian Sirmans gave a brief explanation about the rule change that was similar to what he offered during last month’s meeting. He said the University System of Georgia asked the commission to “remove or simplify words that in recent years have taken on multiple and unintended meanings.” He said that teachers colleges are still expected to prepare future educators who are “well-equipped to address the learning needs of all students.” But over and over, those opposed to the changes told commissioners that “words matter.”
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WRDW
Georgia gets $2.1M grant to boost state’s Medical Reserve Corps
The federal government on Thursday announced a grant of $2.1 million in American Rescue Plan funds for Georgia to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps network. The Georgia Medical Reserve Corps will use the money to upgrade, advance and recruit new members and sustain existing volunteers. This will be accomplished through training and an expanded mentorship program. The competitive grant was one of 33 awarded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The MRC is a national network of 300,000 volunteers organized into about 750 community-based groups, including one at Augusta University.
Spot on Alabama
UWG awarded $1M to enhance safety and security
The University of West Georgia has been awarded a generous, $1.05 million grant by the state of Georgia to enhance the safety and security of the entire university community, as announced Thursday by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Athens CEO
UGA Students, Faculty, & Alumni Come Together to Breathe New Life into a 149-year-old Newspaper
Jayne Roberts
In an era of instant online news and social media, little attention is paid to the decline of community newspapers and the estimated 3,000 U.S. weeklies that closed in the last 20 years. When Dink NeSmith heard that his friend Ralph Maxwell was shutting down his weekly newspaper, The Oglethorpe Echo, he was determined to prevent the nearly 150-year-old publication from being forgotten. …He immediately urged his friend to think of a new solution. …After leaving the office, NeSmith called Charles Davis, dean of the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. “I’ve got an idea,” NeSmith told him. “I want to turn The Oglethorpe Echo into a real-life experience for aspiring journalists at the Grady College.” Davis loved the idea, and he and NeSmith built a sustainable business model for the future of The Oglethorpe Echo. They developed a capstone course with The Echo as its foundation. Students experience a working newsroom which acts as a springboard into their careers.
Columbus CEO
Staff Report
An expanding partnership between Columbus State University and Columbus Technical College seeks to strengthen the Chattahoochee Valley’s workforce—especially for the skills and degrees in demand by the region’s employers. The partnership is two-fold. First, it maps specific degree pathways for students who want to continue their studies in their chosen fields at Columbus State after they complete their CTC degree. Second, it provides CTC associate degree-holders smoother admission to CSU, as well as reverse transfer for CSU graduates who wish to study at Columbus Tech. Through this partnership, the two institutions’ admissions and academic advising teams will share the advantages of these opportunities with their current and prospective students.
RICentral
Freedom Alliance, one of the nation’s premier military support organizations, has named a Columbus State University undergraduate as its 2023 Scholarship Fund Student Ambassador. Freedom Alliance honors and supports veterans and their families through a variety of resources. Through their Scholarship Fund, Freedom Alliance provides financial backing for children of fallen or wounded heroes to complete their studies at trade schools, community colleges or four-year institutions. Kesauna “Kiki” Patterson was two years old when her father, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Esau G. Patterson, lost his life in Baghdad on April 29, 2004, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was one of eight soldiers killed that day when a vehicle approached his unit, and the driver detonated a bomb. As the child of a servicemember killed in the line of duty, Kiki qualifies for a Freedom Alliance scholarship and is currently earning her degree in psychology from Georgia’s Columbus State University.
Times-Georgian
UWG’s Richards College of Business launches master’s degree in applied business analytics
By Julie Lineback SPECIAL TO THE TIMES-GEORGIAN
Data has become an essential part of modern life, and the ability to analyze it effectively has become increasingly crucial. Ever on the cusp of both emerging trends and advancements in existing fields, the University of West Georgia has addressed this need by launching a new master’s degree in applied business analytics, offered through the Richards College of Business. “There’s a demand to improve businesses across the entire country, and nearly every job requires some sort of data analysis,” said Dr. Christopher Johnson, dean of the Richards College of Business. “We view this new business analytics program as supplying a critical piece in developing a skill set that will be increasingly important for businesses in the future.”
Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Student Affairs staffers take on new duties
From staff reports
Four members of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s staff have been recently added or will be playing expanded roles on the Office of Student Affairs team, according to Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Alan Kramer. In the Residence Life & Housing office, Trent Hester has been named the director, while Sarai Mapp has been promoted to associate director. Also, Jason Pace will take on duties as coordinator of intramurals, open gym, and club sports; while Lydia Tyson will assume additional duties as coordinator of Thrash Wellness Center.
WGAU Radio
UGA names director for School of Computing
By Alan Flurry, UGA Today
The University of Georgia has appointed Gagan Agrawal, professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University, as the director of the UGA School of Computing. Agrawal was selected after a national search and will begin as director July 1. UGA elevated its longstanding department of computer science to a School of Computing in July 2022 in response to rising student enrollment and the growing role of computing in a range of fields. Created within an interdisciplinary framework, the School of Computing is jointly administered by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.
Science Daily
Colorful fresh foods improve athletes’ vision
Visual range is a critical asset for top athletes in almost any sport
Nutrition is an important part of any top athlete’s training program. And now, a new study by researchers from the University of Georgia proposes that supplementing the diet of athletes with colorful fruits and vegetables could improve their visual range. The paper, which was published in Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, examines how a group of plant compounds that build up in the retina, known as macular pigments, work to improve eye health and functional vision.
Tech Transfer
UGA researchers develop foam that could prevent infections from medical implants
By Jesse Schwartz
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a new foam material that could significantly reduce infections caused by implanted medical devices. The porous, three-dimensional foam is water repellent, meaning it also resists blood, microbes and proteins.
Farm Progress
Carefully manage tropical spiderwort in cotton or watch it spread
Tropical spiderwort in cotton has become a problem for farmers, likely due to the adoption of weak dicamba systems, underutilizing effective residual herbicides.
By Stanley Culpepper, UGA Extension Weed Specialist
For three years in a row, tropical spiderwort has regained its status of being a major pest for many Georgia cotton farmers. The main reason for the weed to be on the move once again is likely due to the adoption of “weak” dicamba systems underutilizing effective residual herbicides and the lack of applying conventional chemistry as a layby directed spray. Interestingly for those who hate to slow down and take the time to run a layby rig or hooded sprayer through the field as cotton nears row closure, this weed along with morningglory has the potential to be your kryptonite. …To be successful, one must understand the importance of placing effective residual herbicides strategically throughout the growing season starting at planting. Numerous effective programs exist as long as one understands the concept of overlapping residual herbicides and is timely with those applications.
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Coastal Courier
Regional economy’s slow growth continues; tourism industry leads
Special to the Courier
Slower growth of the Savannah metro economy continues for the sixth consecutive quarter, according to Georgia Southern University’s Q1 2023 Economic Monitor, even as the Hyundai Metaplant provides a positive undercurrent. “The prospects for healthy regional economic growth through 2023 are becoming more dependent on hiring plans for the Hyundai Metaplant and its associated supplier manufacturers,” said Michael Toma, Ph.D., Georgia Southern’s Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics. “The U.S. economy will likely experience a recession in the second half of 2023 and import-export traffic through major ports, including Savannah, has slowed considerably. Nonetheless, continued investment in port infrastructure to expand capacity is spurring additional supporting real estate development and job creation in the logistics ecosystem this year.
WRBL
by: Hannah James, Chuck Williams
The Georgia GOP Convention is set to start Friday and as many as 2,000 delegates and thousands of others are set to check in to downtown Columbus. Mayor Skip Henderson says this event will be the most significant in Columbus since the pandemic. The convention could bring up to $1.5 million dollars to the Fountain City in direct economic impact, according to Dr. Deb Kidder, dean of the Turner College of Business & Technology.
Savannah Morning News
Some Ideas Worth Sharing: TEDx Savannah talks all about connection
Josephine Johnson
TEDx Savannah is on a mission “to stimulate dialog through engaging talks and session breaks designed to give individuals and organizations a platform to meet, share ideas and collaborate.” Which is exactly what happened May 25. Fifteen Savannah-area residents took to the Fine Arts Auditorium stage on the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University to speak about life-changing experiences centered on the theme of connection. More than 500 community members packed the house.
WGAU Radio
Saturday open house at UGA Trial Gardens
By Tim Bryant
Saturday is an open house day at UGA: the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is hosting activities at the University’s Trial Gardens. The open house runs from 9 til tomorrow at the Gardens on West Green Street in Athens.
From the UGA master calendar…
Visit the Trial Gardens during the peak of the season for blooming annuals, perennials, and colorful foliage plants! The Trial Gardens at UGA is part of a network of Trial Gardens around the world.
Savannah CEO
Celebrate World Oceans Day with Georgia Southern University on June 10th
As part of World Ocean Day on June 10th, Georgia Southern University will display sculptures in 16 exhibit tanks at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium in Savannah. The pieces are part of an exhibit at the aquarium titled “SUBMERGED: An Underwater Exhibition of Bioceramic Artwork.”
The sculptures were designed by students and faculty of Georgia Southern’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, and supported by the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.
The bioceramic sculptures range in subject matter from realistic ocean species, such as octopus and sea turtles, to abstract sculptural forms that were created to engage with the aquarium fish in a new and interesting way. The students were encouraged to consider the coastal environments of Georgia but also to interpret the exhibition however they felt inspired by the material. Casey Schachner, assistant professor of art, said working with these materials in this way was an exciting process, and the goal of the exhibit is to raise environmental awareness on coastal Georgia ecosystems.
WRBL
The Columbus Museum on Tour’s ‘Facts and Figures’ Exhibit
by: Leslie Hudgins
The Columbus Museum and Columbus State University Art Department are teaming up for the Columbus Museum on Tours “Facts and Figures Exhibit.” Director of Marketing for the Columbus Museum Kristen Hudson told WRBL the Facts and Figures exhibit is a collection of the very best contemporary realist paintings from the holdings of The Columbus Museum. The exhibit at the Bo Bartlett Center on Columbus State University’s Campus features the work of local artists as well as other talented painters.
WJBF
Augusta University kids golf camp is all fun and games
by: Brendan Robertson
Augusta Golf Camp will take place June 5-8 and July 17-20 at the J. Fleming Norvell Golf House. Each session will be limited to the first 60 golf campers. You may sign up for either or both camps. …Camp costs include all instruction from Augusta University Coaches and Players, range balls, greens fees at Forest Hills Golf Club, snacks, drinks, prizes and golf camp T-shirt.
BVM Sports
Rotary Corporation Commits Record-Tying Gift to Georgia Southern Athletics
Georgia Southern University President Dr. Kyle Marrero and Director of Athletics Jared Benko announced today a large philanthropic gift committed to Georgia Southern Athletics as the Rotary Corporation, run by the Nelson Family, has committed a transformational gift that will help lead the way for two upcoming projects. The arena playing court at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, as well as a future baseball premium area (baseball project pending Board of Regents approval), will be named in honor of this substantial gift. The amount of the gift is tied for the largest in department history.
Dalton Daily Citizen
Dalton High grad Tighe wins Sun Belt Conference leadership award
Dalton High School graduate and Georgia Southern University baseball player JP Tighe was named the recipient of the Inaugural Tony Robichaux Leadership Award by the Sun Belt Conference. This award, named for the late former baseball coach at the University of Louisiana, is given to a player who exemplifies great leadership and sportsmanship on a Sun Belt team.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
22 UGA, 8 Tech players make Georgia High School Football HOF
By Todd Holcomb
Twenty-two former Georgia players and eight from Georgia Tech made the 40-player 2023 induction class for the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame. The class, released Friday morning by Hall of Fame founder Score Atlanta, will be inducted Oct. 21 at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta.
The New York Times
A New Front in Reparations: Seeking the Return of Lost Family Land
Black families lost millions in wealth when their lands were seized through eminent domain. Now some are trying to get it back.
By Audra D. S. Burch
Audra D.S. Burch writes about race and identity.
For much of their lives, the Jones siblings had passed by a parking lot on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville without giving it much thought. Then one day, a relative casually pointed to the spot and said she thought it was once owned by their ancestors, who had farmed the land since the 1870s. The Joneses want it back. …In Georgia, Black families settled near the University of Georgia in Athens in the early 1900s in Linnentown, then a vibrant, close-knit neighborhood with about 50 homeowners. As part of an urban renewal project, the city of Athens and the state Board of Regents displaced the families to make way for three dormitories on campus. By the mid-1960s, the community was gone. Residents were paid as little as $1,450 for their properties. A University of Georgia analysis said homeowners received “only 56 percent of the amount they would have received if their properties had valued similarly to those outside of Linnentown.”
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Higher Education News:
Higher Ed Dive
Over 1,900 colleges not requiring SAT, ACT in admissions for fall 2023
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
More than 1,900 colleges are not mandating that students submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions for fall 2023, continuing a pandemic-era practice that shows no signs of diminishing. The tally comes from FairTest, a group advocating for the limited application of standardized assessments. The organization also found most of the institutions that waived entrance exam requirements for this year extended those policies through fall 2024. FairTest’s executive director, Harry Feder, said in a statement Wednesday that the group believes few institutions will maintain testing mandates should the U.S. Supreme Court restrict race-conscious admissions, as it is expected to do this month.
Inside Higher Ed
Poll Suggests Public Is Skeptical of Affirmative Action
By Scott Jaschik
Anew poll from the Pew Research Center found that more Americans disapprove than approve of colleges considering race in admissions. The poll found that half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. Fewer (33 percent) approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity, while 16 percent are not sure.
Higher Ed Dive
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
About 1 in 5 student loan borrowers could struggle to make monthly payments once they resume in August, as they have certain risk factors on their records, according to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. These risk factors include being delinquent on their student loans before the pandemic, or getting assistance to pay off those debts, the CFPB said in an online post Wednesday. As of March this year, the agency had identified 2.5 million student loan borrowers who were delinquent on other forms of debt, amounting to more than 1 in 13. This is 200,000 more delinquent borrowers than the CFPB found in its last analysis in September 2022.
Higher Ed Dive
COVID-19 made 26% of high school seniors rethink where to go to college, survey finds
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
A quarter of high school seniors, 26%, changed their views about which college to attend because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent research from ACT, the company that administers the standardized test of the same name. Roughly the same share, 27%, rethought what college major they would pursue. Around 2 in 5 surveyed students reevaluated at least one aspect of their post-high school life because of COVID. A third of seniors, 33%, said it affected two or more of their post-school decisions.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
$5 Million from NASA Supports Increasing Retention of Women in STEM
Arrman Kyaw
NASA will be giving over $5 million to seven women’s colleges and universities (WCUs) for research and development of strategies to increase retention of women in STEM programs and careers. Agnes Scott College was among seven schools awarded funds from NASA to help improve the national gender gap and experiences of women in STEM. Agnes Scott College was among seven schools awarded funds from NASA to help improve the national gender gap and experiences of women in STEM. The award – by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) in response to White House Executive Order 14035 – is meant to help improve the national gender gap and experiences of women in STEM in the U.S.
Higher Ed Dive
Inside the deal giving New Jersey college students 24/7 access to mental health services
State officials are working with telehealth platform Uwill on the project they say is the first of its kind in the country.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
In the fall of 2021, the state of New Jersey surveyed thousands of college students in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis to better grasp how it had affected their mental well-being. Polls consistently showed the pandemic taxed student mental health, but the findings of the New Jersey survey still jarred state officials — more than 70% of respondents said their anxiety was higher in fall 2021 than it was a year earlier. The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education wanted to do something. So it crafted a new program, which it cast as first-of-its-kind in the U.S., that provides free around-the-clock online mental health services to college students, such as therapy sessions. It was funded through $10 million in one-time federal pandemic relief dollars given to the state.
Higher Ed Dive
How colleges can make faculty mental health a priority
Two DeVry leaders share how the university promotes well-being for its employees and why it got rid of the term “work-life balance.”
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
College campuses have worked to address students’ mental health challenges for years, especially during the pandemic, and significant efforts are underway to get them the help they need. But faculty and staff have also struggled with mental health, and a recent survey found the problem is worsening. Two top officials at DeVry University — Elise Awwad, chief operating officer, and Dave Barnett, chief human resources and university relations officer — talked to Higher Ed Dive about offering faculty a variety of resources, the misconception that mental health exists in a vacuum, and getting rid of the phrase work-life balance.
Inside Higher Ed
A Battle Over DEI in Central Virginia
Despite their differences, both the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia have defended diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the face of criticism.
By Josh Moody
Separated by fewer than 75 miles, Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia are, in many ways, diametrically opposed. One is a small military college with a rigid honor code, while the other is a large national university known for rigorous academics and cutting-edge research. But both are public institutions that have become targets in the battle against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives playing out at colleges and state legislatures across the U.S. and particularly in Southern states. In that regard, VMI and UVA share a few key commonalities.
Inside Higher Ed
MathFest in Florida? Some LGBTQ+ Mathematicians Aren’t Going
The Mathematical Association of America is facing controversy for deciding to host its big annual conference in Tampa.
By Ryan Quinn
Tampa: right on the water—but also right in the heart of Florida. The Mathematical Association of America is, despite continued public objections from LGBTQ+ mathematicians, holding its main annual conference, MathFest, this August in the sprawling Tampa Convention Center, near Hillsborough Bay. Mike Hill, president of Spectra, a national LGBTQ+ mathematicians’ association named after a common math word that also invokes a rainbow, said his organization isn’t holding any official events at the conference this year, in light of the location.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws and Higher Ed
Jon Edelman
The LGBT Center at the University of Louisville in Kentucky makes its goals clear. “The center is committed to dismantling cis-heteropatriarchy and other systems of oppression,” read the front page of its website. “Empower the LGBTQ+ campus community to reach their full potential; not only survive but THRIVE,” it continued. But this year, that’s been more challenging than ever. The Kentucky state legislature has considered 11 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in this legislative session alone, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). And although most have been defeated, some have passed, including Senate Bill 150, which bans puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries for children under 18.