Barnesville Dispatch
Gordon State College Commemorates Fall 2023 Graduates
On Friday, December 15th, Gordon State College held an in-person commencement ceremony on the Barnesville campus to celebrate its Fall 2023 graduates at the Student Activity and Recreation Center (SARC). The ceremony honored the accomplishments of the graduates from The School of Business, Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences (BLASS); the School of Nursing, Health, and Natural Sciences (NHNS); and the School of Education, Mathematics, and Applied Sciences (EMAS). A total of 210 graduates and 216 total degrees were recognized.
Jackson Herald Today
For the fall 2023 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded 989 degrees and certificates to graduates. Many of the graduates participated in the fall 2023 commencement ceremonies held Dec. 16 at the Convocation Center at UNG’s Dahlonega Campus.
The Tifton Gazette
From Staff Reports
It was another busy year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 2023, including a substantial increase in enrollment in the fall, a slew of successful on-campus events, and several visits from leaders around the state. Some of the highlights were:
January • University System of Georgia Regent Tom Bradbury visited ABAC and spent several hours with administration, faculty, and students. … February • The college celebrated its 115th birthday on February 20. In that time, ABAC grew from just 27 students to nearly 4,000 students. … July • University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue toured ABAC’s Bainbridge campus after a facility transfer ceremony where a facility that formerly served as ABAC’s Blakely campus to the Early County School System. …December • Fall commencement exercises saw 267 graduates earn their degrees on Dec. 14. Cathy Cox, President of Georgia College and State University and ABAC alumna, was the commencement speaker at both ceremonies.
Grice Connect
Georgia Southern graduate earns dual degrees in anthropology and Chinese
Austin Gasiecki has a passion for ancient languages and for the study of people and cultures around the world. When he crossed the stage at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro on Dec. 14, Gasiecki received bachelor’s degrees in both anthropology and Mandarin. The new Georgia Southern University graduate dates his love for both subjects to his childhood as a home-schooled student. …Gasiecki, who grew up in Statesboro and neighboring Metter, Georgia, enrolled at Georgia Southern University as a dual-enrollment student to earn college credits while still in high school.
WJCL
Beyond the Beak : Georgia Southern’s beloved mascot graduates
Daniel Flood has served as GUS for four years
Frank Sulkowski, Anchor/Reporter
After four years, Daniel Flood, who has served at Georgia Southern University’s beloved mascot GUS has graduated from college. The Effingham County native getting the chance to reveal his true identity during Fall Commencement in Statesboro. “It gave me one last walk in the shoes,” said Flood. Flood wore GUS’s signature yellow feet during the December ceremony at Paulson Stadium. “I was excited to take part in this new tradition and look forward to seeing others get to do it in the future. “Balancing being a full-time student and the feathered friend to thousands wasn’t always easy, but Flood says he had the time of his life.
Albany Herald
UGA Extension offers disaster support throughout the state
By Emily Cabrera UGA/CAES
Georgia’s geographic diversity — from beaches and swamps to mountains and flatlands — makes the state an attractive place to live, but each region is vulnerable to weather-related emergencies year-round. For farmers, these events can be truly catastrophic. When disasters strike, navigating the milieu of steps to recover and rebuild can be difficult. With a presence in all 159 Georgia counties, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is uniquely positioned to help communities prepare for and rebound from calamity.
Daily Wire
By Virginia Kruta
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson is taking backlash for his recent comments about the brand’s adoption of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies — which he said led to the use of “unhealthy,” “sickly,” and “not inspirational” models to promote the brand. Wilson, who left the company in 2015, but remains its largest individual shareholder, complained that with the move to include models he deemed “unhealthy,” the company was moving toward promoting diversity over health and fitness. “They’re trying to become like the Gap, everything to everybody. And I think the definition of a brand is that you’re not everything to everybody,” he explained during an interview with Forbes. “You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.” Joanna Schwartz, a marketing professor at Georgia College & State University, told Newsweek that the brand’s success was in part derived from its refusal to be “everything to everybody,” explaining that instead, they worked hard to “super-serve their core” — wealthy, fit, and usually younger women.
FOX Business
The characters of Pluto, Donald Duck, Superman and James Bond will also enter public domain within the next decade
By Nikolas Lanum FOXBusiness
An early iteration of Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain alongside Winnie-the-Pooh, Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood, signaling potential legal action by companies like Disney and Warner Bros. and a swathe of new creations based on the iconic characters. …On January 1, the day after Disney’s copyright for the earliest version of Mickey Mouse expired in the United States, the trailer for a horror film featuring a masked murderer dressed as the iconic children’s character was released. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that other classic characters entering the public domain will also receive the slasher treatment, including “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare” and “Bambi: The Reckoning.” …Nicholas Creel, an assistant professor of business law at Georgia College & State University, said various incarnations of famous characters have their own copyright set to expire at different times.
WSB-TV
This cannibal tree frog, which can get as big as a human hand, has been spotted in Georgia
By WSBTV.com News Staff
They may look kind of cute, but the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says an invasive species of frogs has made their way into the state and there is nothing cute about them. “Cuban tree frogs are an invasive species originating in Cuba, the Caymans, and the Bahamas,” and have recently made their way into Georgia, the University of Georgia said. Daniel Sollenberger, senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, told the Augusta Chronicle that the Cuban tree frog is the biggest thing to be concerned about next to the Argentine black and white tegus, which has also recently been spotted in the Peach State.
The Brunswick News
IN SERVICE OF OTHERS: Georgia Southern’s Caleb Cook makes visit to Roosevelt Harris Senior Center
By Derrick Davis
The holiday season is in the rearview mirror, but the giving spirit is still lingering in the crisp winter air.
On Wednesday, Georgia Southern offensive lineman, and Brunswick native, Caleb Cook stopped by Roosevelt Harris Senior Citizens Center to spread some joy to the clients.
Times-Georgian
No. 24 Wolves dominate Tigers at home for 10th win
By Darrell Redden UWG Sports
The University of West Georgia Men’s Basketball team got back in the win column on Tuesday night after a dominating 91-65 win over the West Alabama Tigers. UWG (10-2, 6-2 GSC) was stout on the defensive end, holding West Alabama (9-3, 6-2 GSC) to a season-low 29.3% from the field and 28% from three, and then used an explosive offensive second half to propel themselves over UWA for their 10th win of the season and first victory over the Tigers in over five years.
Other News:
KUNM
Several state capitols evacuated after bomb threats
By NPR Washington Desk
State capitols in Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi and several other states were evacuated Wednesday after bomb threats in each state, officials said. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s top elections official, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the opening of the Georgia State Capitol was delayed Wednesday morning until an all-clear was given. “There have been multiple bomb threats to state capitols around the nation,” he wrote. “So far Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan & Montana. Do not jump to conclusions as to who is responsible. There will be chaos agents sowing discord for 2024. They want to increase tensions. Don’t let them.”
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Free workshop on federal student aid application preps parents, students
By H.M. Cauley – For the AJC
It won’t be long before college acceptance letters start showing up in the mail. Along with the anticipation is another question weighing heavily on the minds of many applicants: How are the tuition, books and board bills going to get paid? Chris Summers, the financial aid director at Oglethorpe University, has a toolbox of suggestions he’ll share during a free workshop on Jan. 11. The event is open to anyone with questions, regardless of their interest in attending the Brookhaven school. This isn’t the first time the university’s aid experts have encouraged students and families to bring their questions, especially around filling out the free application for federal student aid. But it might be one of the most meaningful. “This year is different because FAFSA is different,” said Summers, who has been in Oglethorpe’s financial aid office for 11 years. “The changes are part of a two-year effort by the Department of Education to simplify the process. So the form was redone, and they’ve taken out some questions to make it as short as possible.”
Higher Ed Dive
Bill would fund AI training through schools, nonprofits
The proposed legislation would open grant eligibility for colleges, K-12 schools, nonprofits and libraries to support AI literacy.
By Carolyn Crist
A bill introduced in Congress — the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act — aims to build AI skills and workforce preparedness as the emerging technology continues to change workplace dynamics. The legislation, introduced Dec. 15, 2023, has drawn bipartisan support and endorsements from major universities, education associations and workforce partners, including the Society for Human Resource Management. …The legislation would also highlight the importance of AI literacy for national competitiveness, workforce preparedness and the well-being and digital safety of Americans. In addition, it would open grant eligibility for K-12 schools, colleges, nonprofits and libraries to support AI literacy.
Higher Ed Dive
Education Department unveils policy proposals for accreditation, state authorization
The proposed changes are intended to ensure accreditors and state agencies are adequately monitoring colleges under their purview, the department said.
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
The U.S. Department of Education unveiled several regulatory proposals Tuesday around accreditation, distance education and state authorization ahead of policy negotiations next week. The proposals are in part intended to ensure that accreditors and state authorizing agencies are adequately monitoring the colleges under their purview, the Education Department said in an announcement. They’re also meant to make it easier for students to access federal financial aid.
Inside Higher Ed
Strange Bedfellows on Accreditation
Jennifer Blum and Robert Shireman write that bipartisan consensus around improving accreditation is possible.
By Jennifer Blum and Robert Shireman
Whether on student loan policy or oversight of for-profit colleges, federal higher education policy over the past decade has resembled a ping-pong match, with rules adopted by one administration reversed or revised by the next. With college accreditation now on the Biden administration’s agenda with rule-making meetings starting this month, are we in for a wholesale reversal of the Trump administration’s 2020 rule changes?
Inside Higher Ed
MIT President Takes Steps to Improve Campus Climate
By Susan H. Greenberg
Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Sally Kornbluth announced Wednesday she would implement four “New steps for a new year” to address the challenges facing the campus amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The measures are designed to evaluate and improve systems on campus regarding student disciplinary processes, free expression and DEI programs and will include a quality-of-life survey for students and employees.
Inside Higher Ed
University of North Dakota Plans to Return Tribal Remains
By Sara Weissman
The University of North Dakota plans to begin returning Native American ancestral remains to their tribes starting this year, The Grand Forks Herald reported. The university has spent about two years cataloging the remains in its possession in collaboration with affected tribes to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a federal law passed in 1990.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Report: Adult Community College Students Make Strides
Arrman Kyaw
Adult community college students in degree-progressing English and math courses are nearing parity with their traditional-age student counterparts when it comes to course completion, according to a new report from California Competes. The brief, “Redrawing the Starting Line: Advancing Equity in Adult Learners’ Developmental Education Outcomes”, compared transfer-level English and math course completion rates between adult community college students – those age 25 or older – and their younger, traditional-age student peers.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Home of Slain University of Idaho Students Being Demolished
Johnny Jackson
Demolition has begun on the house where four University of Idaho students were killed in 2022. Students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves were fatally stabbed in the home in November 2022. The rental house stood near the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, Idaho, a rural farming community and college town of about 26,000 nestled in the rolling hills of north-central Idaho southeast of Spokane, Washington. The house owner donated the property to the university in 2023. … “That is an area that is dense with students, and many students have to look at it and live with it every day and have expressed to us how much it will help with the healing process to have that house removed,” said university spokesperson Jodi Walker in a statement.
Inside Higher Ed
Former Harvard President Defends, Explains Herself in Op-Ed
By Marjorie Valbrun
Claudine Gay, who resigned as president of Harvard University Tuesday, defended herself and condemned the attacks against her and the university in an opinion article in The New York Times Wednesday. Gay, whose resignation was part of the fallout from the controversy over her testimony at a congressional hearing last month about antisemitism on American college campuses related to the war between Israel and Hamas and allegations that she plagiarized portions of her academic writings, said in the article that what happened to her was part of a larger effort to “undermine” Harvard’s values and erode public trust in higher ed and other “trusted institutions.”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Blog
Harvard Let Itself and Gay Be Bullied
Emil Guillermo
It’s telling that the most damning comments during the saga of the fallen ex-Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay come from rabid fans of the twice-impeached, four-time criminally indicted man who wants to be a president again. That would be Donald Trump. One of the league of former Trump lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, a former Harvard Law professor, was one of those on cable TV leading the chorus calling Gay a DEI hire. For the uninitiated, DEI is “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the now established catchall phrase for race matters in the academic and corporate worlds. It is the focus of the second coming of the affirmative action battle, which despite the SCOTUS ruling last year, isn’t quite dead enough for some. But then, the anti-civil rights folks never give up trying to stop the arc of justice. And so right-wing opponents of DEI saw Gay, beginning with those her less than fiery Congressional hearing comments, as a gift.
See also:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Views
Inside Higher Ed
What’s Next for Ed Tech in 2024
Coming soon: advances in VR and high-tech classrooms, plus even more AI.
By Lauren Coffey
After a 2023 filled with “metaversities,” robots rolling across campuses and artificial intelligence tools spurring both anxiety and excitement, what could this coming year have in store for higher ed technology? Inside Higher Ed spoke with experts who predicted what might be next for classrooms and institutions in the months ahead.
Cybersecurity Dive
Xerox discloses a subsidiary’s breach following ransomware claim of data theft
Inc, a relatively new threat group, previously claimed to have stolen company data.
David Jones, Reporter
Dive Brief:
Xerox on Saturday disclosed a cyber intrusion at its Xerox Business Solutions subsidiary, which resulted in a limited amount of personal data being accessed. Xerox said company personnel detected and contained the attack. The company confirmed the recent incident after the Inc ransomware group claimed it stole Xerox data. Xerox did not provide specific details on when the attack took place. Xerox said there was no impact on its corporate systems, operations or data. Operations at Xerox Business Solutions were also not impacted, the company said.