Latest news with #UniversitySystemofGeorgia
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Georgia Board of Regents approve $70M renovation plan for Bobby Dodd Stadium
A $70 million renovation project was approved for Bobby Dodd Stadium at Thursday's meeting for the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents Now, the Georgia Tech Athletic Association will have to secure funding and financing for it. Advertisement According to the agenda item for the project, the Georgia Institute of Technology will upgrade the stadium, with a stated goal of 'determining the best approaches to addressing deficiencies in the current structure,' while also giving more value and a better experience to football fans, alumni and students. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The project proposes adding a variety of features, including premium seating areas on the west sideline, as well as chairback seating to the entire east and west sidelines 'to elevate the game day experience.' TRENDING STORIES: The west sideline would also get eight new founder's suites, eight new elevated suites and the 16 existing suites. Press operations and food services locations would be renovated as well. Advertisement The proposal also mentions plans for changes to the east sideline, including renovations for 15 suites, an updated Field Club lounge and a new Speakeasy Club, taking up 20,000 square feet and 3,250 square feet, respectively. Ten suites in the north end zone would also be uploaded and officials want to perform renovations on the upper level of the Wardlaw building on the south end zone, including renovating three suites, relocating the press operations area and adding booths for security, radio, statistics and flexible use. General seating would get new chairbacks throughout the bowl, except in student areas, and changes would be made to address Americans with Disabilities Act access needs. Handrails would be added on various sections of the stadium and new videoboards would be put in the south end of the stadium and northwest corner. Advertisement The Georgia Tech Athletic Association would secure bonds or private financing to cover the project's costs, with construction overall expected to cost $39.6 million and $18 million for equipment. The total project budget would be funded by the athletic association, according to the proposal text. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kennesaw State students protest at regents offices over the end of Black studies, philosophy majors
KSU students and others protest outside the University System of Georgia offices in Atlanta over the end to majors including Black studies and philosophy. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Dozens of Kennesaw State University students and others gathered outside University System of Georgia offices in Atlanta Wednesday to ask the Board of Regents not to eliminate majors in Black studies, philosophy and technical communication. The university announced last month that it plans to eliminate the three majors, citing low enrollment numbers. Kennesaw State University spokeswoman Tammy DeMel said the programs did not meet the graduation standards required by all majors. 'Undergraduate programs are expected to maintain a three-year rolling average of at least 10 graduates per year. The Black Studies major has a three-year graduation average of 5.7 degrees per year, while Philosophy averages 6.3 and Technical Communications 7.7,' DeMel said. 'The programs underwent a multi-year remediation process, which included annual improvement plans focused on increasing enrollment,' she added. 'As the required benchmarks were not met, the University deactivated these programs.' DeMel said the school will ensure current students majoring in those subjects will have the opportunity to complete their degrees, and courses from those subjects will continue to be offered as minors or electives. That wasn't much comfort for students outside the offices Wednesday, some of whom disputed the university's numbers. Students characterized the move as preemptively folding to pressure from the state and federal governments. President Donald Trump's administration has threatened to investigate and withhold federal funding from universities that promote 'diversity, equity and inclusion.' Kennesaw State has been moving forward with plans to shut down resource centers for groups like LGBTQ students and students of color. The Georgia Senate passed a bill this year that would have banned DEI programs and policies from all state public schools and universities, but the measure did not get a vote in the House. Simran Mohanty, a third-year KSU student majoring in sociology on the pre-law track, said philosophy classes have prepared her to study law. 'Philosophy helps a lot with critical and analytical thinking,' she said. 'You typically have a lot of readings to do, so you have to be able to critically analyze the readings, which is really good for pre-law students who need to read legal briefs or long case documents such as that, and it also helps to have analytical thinking of being able to analyze those readings and apply it to real-world context, practical context. So philosophy has been monumental in my studies.' KSU student Jacob Waller, who is seeking a double major in philosophy and psychology, said he fears doing away with the majors would prevent students who want to dip their toes in the field from doing so. 'You're cutting institutional support to the major so that all of the rigor and the quality of the classes as it is currently – which is very incredible due to our four professors, we only have four people in the department but they're all incredible and work very hard to make sure that the sanctity of the space is preserved – the quality of those classes is going to diminish significantly by getting rid of the major because you're cutting most of the systemic support for it.' Stephan Sellers, a third-year mechatronics major who has taken philosophy and Black studies courses, said they have been some of the most important of his college career. 'Those courses teach us not only who we are, but the history of our diaspora from the African continent,' he said. 'And those studies also teach us that we have a voice, we have power, and so with these studies being taken away, I can see that some of the students coming in will miss out on very vital parts of their education.' The Georgia Board of Regents is set to meet Thursday, but a vote on the majors is not scheduled on the agenda. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former GA governor, USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue pushes for Okefenokee Swamp preservation
University System of Georgia Chancellor and former Gov. Sonny Perdue added his voice to a list of supporters working to preserve the Okefenokee Swamp. On April 17, Perdue sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Sec. Doug Burgum urging him, and President Donald Trump, to preserve the 'national treasure' that is the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] "Since his first term, President Trump has been a champion for protecting our air, water and the environment, and as a successful businessperson, he also understands the need to support our local and rural economies," Perdue said in the letter. 'This designation truly is the best of both worlds and will support our environment and local economy in Southeast Georgia for generations to come.' TRENDING STORIES: Lawmakers reintroduce bills to protect Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge from mining Could titanium dioxide mining impact the Okefenokee Swamp? Here's what we've learned Georgia senator backs federal expansion of Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge US Department of Interior to nominate Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp as UNESCO World Heritage Site Perdue's letter places him on a growing list of advocates and officials across the political spectrum working to preserve the Okefenokee Swamp, which sits just above the Georgia-Florida border. The swamp is the largest blackwater wetland in North America and is home to more than 1,000 unique species, a status Perdue highlighted in the letter to Burgum. The university system chancellor said he was supporting the nomination of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and said earning the designation would be a big boost to the local economy in the region. "The economic benefits would be substantial. A recent impact study commissioned by The Conservation Fund found that this increased visitation would generate up to 750 long-term jobs and $60 million in additional annual economic output in Ware, Charlton, and Clinch Counties. Additionally, the planned Okefenokee Experience projects that would complement the World Heritage Site bid—a state-of-the-art nature center, a cultural history center, and a dark sky observatory—would create 362 construction jobs and $46 million in economic output during development," Perdue wrote. 'These projects would also sustain nearly 50 permanent jobs and generate over $430,000 annually in tax revenue." If the site is approved for the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, it would be the first in the Southeast United States in decades, according to Perdue. Responding to a request for comment from Channel 2 Action News, a Dept. of Interior spokesperson said they remained committed to Okefenokee being a World Heritage Site. Their statement reads: 'While we do not comment on specific correspondence through the media, the Department of the Interior takes all correspondence seriously and carefully reviews each matter. The Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remains committed to supporting the pursuit of World Heritage Site recognition for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We continue to work closely with our partners to advance this effort and highlight the refuge's outstanding natural and cultural value on the global stage.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Rep. introduces bill to require an HBCU graduate serve on Board of Regents
A Georgia lawmaker introduced new legislation to require that the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents has an at-large member who is a graduate of a Historically Black College or University. The legislation, put forward by Rep. Floyd Griffin of Milledgeville, would have the state put at least one HBCU graduate on the Board by Jan. 1, 2028 and would increase it to at least two at-large members by 2031. Griffin released a statement on his proposal, saying that the goal was to make the state's university system represent its students more fully. 'Under HB 203, we commit to accurately representing our state's university system by guaranteeing that a position of the Board of Regents is held by a member of a HBCU,' Griffin said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Georgia republishes list of low-performing schools eligible for voucher program South Fulton mayor can get back into his office, but not his car Georgia researchers say Southern accents are changing More specifically, House Bill 203 would require that the at-large member is from an HBCU within the University System of Georgia. Currently, the state has 10 such institutions, seven of which are in the City of Atlanta. Those institutions are: Albany State University Clark Atlanta University Fort Valley State University Interdenominational Theological Center Morehouse College Morehouse School of Medicine Morris Brown College Paine College Savannah State University Spelman College For a college or university to qualify for the purposes of this legislation, the institution must be eligible under the requirements of current federal law as of Jan. 1, 2025. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Associated Press
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
New leader selected for Savannah State after years of enrollment and funding problems
ATLANTA (AP) — After an interim president led Georgia's oldest historically Black university for a year and a half, Georgia's Board of Regents named Jermaine Whirl the sole finalist to lead the school on Tuesday. Whirl could leave the mostly Black Augusta Technical College, where he currently serves as president, for Savannah State University. The coastal Georgia school has been struggling for years with declining enrollment and funding problems. It has also undergone layoffs, tensions between faculty and an administrator and program cuts. Being named a sole finalist is typically a prelude to being named president of a public college or university in Georgia. Under state law, regents must wait at least five days before confirming Whirl's appointment. Whirl specializes in workforce education and revamped Augusta Tech with new academic schools, funding and programs. The school saw record enrollment this past fall. 'We prioritized finding a leader who values Savannah State's historic legacy and embraces its modern role in moving this state and the region's workforce forward,' University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said in a statement. Interim president and longtime lawyer for the University System of Georgia Kimberly Ballard-Washington stepped down in May 2023, citing 'personal issues.' In the months leading up to her resignation, a campus reorganization plan eliminated majors in English, history, environmental science and Africana studies to cut costs. Cynthia Robinson Alexander, who was the system's associated vice chancellor for finance, replaced her. 'Savannah State has a rich history of producing world class artists, educators, scientists, military leaders, corporate executives and public policy advocates,' Whirl said in a statement. 'I look forward to working with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Savannah community to continue the legacy of the state's first public HBCU.'
