Rah’Mere Williams had a rough start as a student at Augusta Technical College, so much so that he had to ask for a second chance to stay in his academic program.
Williams turned things around in a big way. Earlier this week, Williams received the Technical College System of Georgia’s greatest honor: Student of the Year.
Here’s more about Williams, the University of Georgia’s foray into space and other news in the latest version of AJC On Campus:
Student visa changes
U.S. Homeland Security officials announced last week a plan to set limits of up to four years for student visas and change rules for international students who want to extend their stay in the United States to continue their education. Written comments to the department concerning the proposed changes are due by Oct. 26. The Trump administration has consistently tried to enact measures that critics say would make it tougher for international students to take courses in the U.S. Administration officials say the changes are needed to combat immigration fraud.
TCSG’s Student of the Year
Rah’Mere Williams, who’s studying design and media production technology at Augusta Technical College was chosen this week as the Technical College System of Georgia’s Student of the Year.
Williams was in foster care for 13 years and was 17 years when he got released. When he enrolled at Augusta Tech, he was sleeping on the couches of some of his friends. Sherrie Rowe, the instructor who nominated Williams for the award, mentored Williams, who received an associate degree in August. He received a 2021 KIA K5, courtesy of KIA Motors Manufacturing Georgia and delivered by Ed Voyles KIA of Chamblee as part of the award.
“This young man is a rising star in our community, and we know that he will go on to do extraordinary things,” Augusta Technical College interim President Sheila Hill.
Williams now has a full time position with Wier Stewart, a local graphic and marketing company.
Name changes
You may remember the University System of Georgia announced in June it had created a group to study whether it should change the names of buildings on some of its campuses. The group, led by Albany State University President Marion Fedrick, met Wednesday for a progress report. Fedrick said it may take several months before they make any recommendations. Read more about the latest meeting here.
Liftoff!
A team of University of Georgia students and faculty built a satellite that was put in a rocket that was scheduled to go into space Thursday night. The launch was scrubbed less than three minutes before liftoff. NASA plans to try again Friday night. The satellite will record images to look for changes in Georgia’s coastline. It is the first satellite from the university that will be in space. Read more here.
Kennesaw State gets $2 million grants for student success programs
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Kennesaw State University on Tuesday announced it has received $2 million from The Goizueta Foundation for two programs aimed at helping students complete their education at the Cobb County school. One of the programs is Thrive, which is designed to help students transition to the university and maintain their HOPE scholarship, which pays the bulk of tuition costs. The other program is Achieve Atlanta, which assists Atlanta Public Schools students enroll in college and earn their degrees. There are 141 Achieve Atlanta students enrolled at KSU.
ITC gets $1 million for student programs
The Interdenominational Theological Center, which educates leaders for careers in ministry in Black churches, announced this week it has received a $1 million gift from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to support its new strategic direction. The Atlanta-based ITC said it will use this gift to provide student scholarships, support faculty and staff development, and strengthen ITC’s program offerings. The ongoing national conversation about systemic racism has prompted many philanthropic organizations to look inward concerning a longstanding issue in higher education: the lack of major donations to Historically Black Colleges & Universities, like the ITC.
Georgia State pay study
Georgia State University got the results back this week of a study that explored whether there are salary gaps among its 1,617 faculty members. The study, by the consulting firm Mercer, found 21 employees who will receive an adjustment to bring their salary into the range based on title, rank, tenure status and discipline, according to Wendy Hensel, the university’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. The study only compared Georgia State faculty members to other Georgia State faculty members.
Clayton State’s rising enrollment
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Clayton State University shared news earlier this week that it’s enrollment is up to more than 7,000 students this semester, a 2.4% increase from the prior school year. University officials attribute the higher total to a 32% increase in graduate enrollment, a larger freshman class and waivers for college entrance exams.
