Georgia Southern University to Host Regional Banking Symposium
Georgia Southern University’s Center for Excellence in Financial Services and the Georgia Banker’s Association will host the fourth annual Community Bank Symposium on March 24, 2010 at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro.
The symposium will be an opportunity for bankers from around the southeast region of Georgia to discuss trends, legislation, and economic indicators that could affect the banking industry and the economy during the next year.
“This is a crucial time for everyone in the financial services industry,” said Ed Sibbald, director of Georgia Southern’s Center for Excellence in Financial Services in the College of Business Administration. “This symposium is designed to provide banking executives and directors with information they will need to make sound business decisions and maintain the health and stability of their organizations over the next year.”
Symposium highlights will include a summary of the 2010 economic outlook for the region and a discussion of regulatory issues and pending regulation that could impact banks and their customers. Participating banks will also receive a complimentary analysis of their institution’s performance and how it compares to its competitors. Speakers for the symposium include senior regional representatives from the FDIC and the OCC, as well as Rob Braswell, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, and Joe Brannen, president of the Georgia Banker’s Association.
Banking leaders interested in attending the symposium should register directly online at www.gabankers.com or by contacting Susie McGehee at the Georgia Bankers Association at (404) 420-2010.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Expert Offers Tips for Enjoying a Safe Spring Break
This month, college students from around the country are taking a break from the books and heading to various vacation destinations for spring break.
Spring break is one of the most anticipated times of the year for college students; unfortunately, it also brings potential safety risks. Raymona Lawrence, director of Georgia Southern University’s Wellness Program, offers tips on how to enjoy a safe spring break and come home healthy.
- On the road: Buckle up! Take turns behind the wheel. Whoever sits in the front passenger seat should stay awake to keep the driver company. Make sure everyone has a valid driver’s license and the vehicle registration is in the car before driving off.
- On the beach: Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. If you start feeling faint or light-headed, get shade and water immediately. Don’t be a lobster – use sunscreen of at least SPF 15 and reapply often. And for some environmental wellness, pick up your trash and place it in the proper containers before you leave.
- While swimming: Jumping into the water without a lifeguard is risky. Even the most experienced swimmer can get caught in an undertow. In case you get caught in a rip current, don’t try swimming against it. Instead, swim parallel to shore until the rip passes.
- Going out: Be responsible. If you are of legal drinking age and plan to consume alcohol, drink only in moderation. Make sure you have a designated driver and only take drinks from people you know very well. The cardinal rule of social wellness is this – go out with your friends, go home with your friends. Look out for one another to make sure everyone gets home safely. Also be on the lookout for signs of predatory drugs: extreme wooziness, confusion, difficulty standing and slurring speech.
- For a little spiritual wellness: Just relax! Read a book. Listen to some music. Do a little of nothing!
‘Remember these tips when you’re on break. Live safe, live well, and, most of all, enjoy your spring break journey!” Lawrence said.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Grant Helping Georgia Southern University Reach Out to Rural Communities
Statistics show that rural Georgians suffer higher rates of chronic disease than their urban counterparts and have fewer resources available to manage their disease. Georgia Southern University is lending a hand through a federal grant to help two Southeast Georgia counties prioritize their health problems and take steps to address them.
The $94,050 federal planning grant is funded entirely from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has been designed to help Bulloch and Effingham Counties develop strategic plans to improve public health. The grant was written by professors Stuart Tedders and Russell Toal in Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health.
‘The goal of this project is to empower rural communities and underserved populations to improve public health and eliminate health disparities,” Tedders said. “Rural Georgians are less likely to be healthy than their urban counterparts and are more likely to be under-insured or uninsured. Additionally, rural Georgians are more likely to suffer from any number of chronic diseases including heart disease, obesity, and cancer. Many residents of rural areas are at a significant disadvantage both socially and culturally.”
The project is currently in its first phase, of developing two advisory councils (one for each county) made up of community leaders. The council will involve the public by planning community forums and soliciting participation in focus groups.
With the input from the forums and focus groups, each county’s advisory council will assess the community’s public health needs. The council will then prioritize those identified health issues, develop goals and strategies, provide the information to the community, and share the results of the project with public health practitioners and policymakers around the state.
The goal is that the program will continue after the grant period expires on August 31, 2010. ‘The intent is that this model will loop around and be a continual process,” Tedders said.
Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Center for Wildlife Education Hosts Celebration
Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education will hold a ‘Center After Dark” celebration on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. to kick off National Wildlife Education week. The evening will feature children’s activities and games in addition to the viewing of the film, Life in Cold Blood, with its award-winning cinematographer David Wright. Life in Cold Blood is a nature documentary about strange and exotic cold-blooded animals from around the world. Wright’s work as a natural history photographer and film maker has been featured on the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Channel and the BBC. Wright will be on hand to talk about his adventures shooting the film and the cold blooded creatures he features in it. The film will be shown on a big screen outdoors in the Wetland Preserve area. Admission for the entire event is $2 for adults and $1 for children age 3-11, while children under the age of 3 will be admitted free of charge. Each child that brings a teddy bear to be donated to Prevent Child Abuse Bulloch County will also be admitted free of charge. While baked goods and soft drinks will be available for purchase, families may also bring a picnic to enjoy in the Center’s new Wetland Preserve area. The Center for Wildlife Education is located on the Georgia Southern University campus in Statesboro, just off of Sweetheart Circle.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Hosting International Conference on Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
College professors from six continents will travel to Georgia Southern University next week to discuss ways to engage students in the rapidly-changing 21st-century classroom.
Georgia Southern’s Center for Excellence in Teaching will host the 3rd annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Commons Conference March 10-12 at the Nessmith-Lane Building.
The main purpose of SoTL is to find ways, through investigation and evidence gathering, to improve student learning – thus helping teachers learn how best to teach their particular subjects or disciplines to students. While some in education see teaching and research as separate entities, SoTL researches teaching and learning so that both can steadily improve.
“By researching actual teaching practices in any or all fields of study, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is a key way to transform academic communities,” said Alan Altany, director of Georgia Southern’s Center for Excellence in Teaching. “The SoTL Commons Conference is an annual emphasis that college teaching is intellectual work that is enhanced by such research, and is also an appreciation for all those faculty and administrators who are making SoTL an international momentum.”
The keynote speakers will be Carolin Kreber from the University of Edinburgh, Kathleen McKinney from Illinois State University and Gary Poole from the University of British Columbia. The conference also features numerous workshops related to teaching and learning, including several conducted by Georgia Southern University faculty.
Participants will come to Statesboro from around the world to learn from each other about working better with students and improving teaching in higher education. Presenters will be on hand from Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Malaysia, Taiwan, Serbia, Israel, Japan and the United States.
“SoTL is becoming international as a key way – perhaps the best way across all disciplines, types of institutions and cultures – to improve student learning, thus prepare students for careers, societies and their lives,” Altany said. “That expresses the deep desire of those people to do the best job possible, and their deep care for their students, their work and their role in shaping the future.”
For more information about the SoTL Commons Conference, visit http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/conference.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Undergraduate Game Design Program Ranked One of the Best in the United States and Canada by The Princeton Review
Georgia Southern University’s Undergraduate Game Design Program in its College of Information Technology has been ranked one of the top 50 in the United States and Canada by The Princeton Review.
‘This ranking by The Princeton Review highlights the ground-breaking education our students receive in the College of Information Technology,” said Ron Shiffler, dean of the College of Information Technology. ‘As one of the only colleges of its kind in the Southeast United States, we are preparing students for work in a field that will have global impact and opportunities for decades to come.”
The Princeton Review selected Georgia Southern’s program for its Top 50 after reviewing more than 500 similar programs in the United States and Canada.� The Princeton Review made its selection after interviewing faculty members and assessing factors that include the curriculum, college facilities and infrastructure, financial aid, and career opportunities. The rankings will appear in the April edition of GamePro magazine.
‘Game design professionals are increasingly in demand, but the industry remains a competitive one,” said Shiffler. ‘Pursuing a degree from a University ranked among the best by a publication the caliber of The Princeton Review will be one more way our graduates stand out once they reach the job market.”
In addition to its top-ranked game design program, Georgia Southern’s College of Information Technology also offers one of only ten VMware academies in the world where students can graduate certified in VMware virtualization technology. The college also offers a highly sought-after SAP certification. Both allow students to graduate with more hands-on training than some already working in the industry, and saves future employers thousands of dollars in training costs.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Hosting National Youth-At-Risk Conference Feb. 28 – March 3
Georgia Southern University will host the 21st annual National Youth-At-Risk Conference Feb. 28 – March 3 in Savannah.
The four-day conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel has grown from humble beginnings in 1989 to the leading conference nationwide for professionals who deal with troubled youngsters. About 1,200 people are expected to attend the conference this year.
Hosted by the University’s College of Education and Continuing Education Center, the conference draws Southeastern educators, counselors, social workers, criminal justice professionals and community leaders, along with substantial participation from throughout the nation and internationally. Last year’s Youth-At-Risk Conference attracted participants from more than 30 U.S. states and a dozen other countries.
The conference offers more than a hundred presentations on how to help young people overcome at-risk conditions that may threaten their safety, health, emotional needs or academic achievement. The workshops provide proactive solutions and best practices on a wide range of subjects, including:
– Improving success for children who live in poverty
– The impact of racism, gangs, violence and bullying on adolescent behavior
– Cyber bullying: Bullying in the digital age
– Using today’s media to work with young people
– Reducing childhood obesity
– Motivating difficult students
– The middle ground between ‘hug ’em’ and ‘hang ’em’ classroom management
For more information about the National Youth-At-Risk Conference, contact Georgia Southern University’s Continuing Education Center at 912-478-5551 or visit www.nationalyouthatrisk.com.
Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
HOT 8 BRASS BAND to Perform at Georgia Southern University
Tickets are still available for a concert by New Orleans’ HOT 8 BRASS BAND at the Georgia Southern University Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 13, 2010 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for patrons and $10 for students.
Fresh from the Superbowl celebrations in Miami and gearing up for Mardi Gras, the HOT 8 BRASS BAND epitomizes New Orleans street music. The band plays the traditional Second Line parades in New Orleans each Sunday afternoon, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans’ music loved around the world.
The members of the HOT 8 BRASS BAND were born and raised in New Orleans and many began playing together in high school. The HOT 8 has toured Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England, and Sardinia. The band performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and at world and jazz festivals across the U.S. and Europe. Spike Lee featured them in his documentary film ‘When the Levee Broke”.
For information and tickets call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at 478-7999.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
