Tens of thousands of Georgians who have been repaying their student loans for years will receive debt relief, despite the defeat of President Joe Biden’s sprawling student loan forgiveness plan.
In this edition of AJC on Campus, we tell you about a new study that examines how student loan debt may impact borrowers’ mental health, a new hire at Morehouse College and the philanthropic support that’s flowing to the University of Georgia.
Student loan relief
Some Georgia student loan borrowers will see their federal loans discharged, even though the U.S. Supreme Court in late June blocked a much broader forgiveness plan.
The U.S. Department of Education said last week that 38,590 Georgia borrowers who have long-participated in income-driven repayment programs will receive help with their loans in the coming weeks.
Under those repayment plans, borrowers make monthly payments based on their income and family size. Any remaining loan balance is to be forgiven after borrowers make qualifying payments for 20 or 25 years, depending on the specific plan.
But the education department said “historical failures” in administering the programs led to some qualifying payments not counting toward forgiveness.
Nationwide, the administration said it will discharge a total of $39 billion in federal student loans for more than 800,000 borrowers with its latest action. Eligible borrowers are currently being notified about the plan to discharge their debt.
Across Georgia, more than 1.6 million people have student loans, with an average debt of $41,639, according to the Education Data Initiative.
Biden’s blocked plan would have erased up to $20,000 in federal student loans for those who make less than $125,000.
Feeling down about debt
Depressed and stressed.
That’s what researchers found when they reviewed more than 85,000 posts by social media users about their student loans.
The new study, whose lead author is from the University of Georgia, examined loan-related posts published on Twitter and Reddit between 2009 and 2020. It found student loan debt may worsen mental health issues.
“People shared their doubts over whether they can pay back their loans, and others mentioned worrying thoughts including self-harm,” said Gaurav Sinha, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at UGA, in a written statement. “Many users had too much money to pay back, they didn’t get those dream jobs they thought they would with their degree and now they don’t know what to do. They feel trapped.”
The study found that many posters wished they knew more about student loans and repayment.
“We need to provide information in a way that people actually understand how student loans work,” said Sinha’s statement. “Users said they should’ve learned about budgeting or basic financial management early in their lives or that they shouldn’t have taken on the level of debt they had. These are important considerations many users felt that they should have known.”
National award for Georgia official
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
The University System of Georgia’s chief fiscal officer won a big honor from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
Tracey Cook received the David L. Wright Memorial Award from the organization. The award is given to a staff member of a statewide higher education agency who makes outstanding contributions and displays integrity, work ethic and commitment.
Cook provides guidance to the University System regarding its more than $10 billion annual budget. This year, the budgeting process made headlines after state lawmakers decreased state funding by $66 million. The Georgia Board of Regents voted in May to hold tuition steady at all but one of the system’s 26 schools, though officials acknowledged the state cut would put pressure on those schools.
“Tracey is always the first to credit her team for any success, but I don’t think anyone is more deserving of this award,” said Chancellor Sonny Perdue, in a written statement.
The award is named in honor of the late David Wright, who held leadership roles with SHEEO, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Florida Governing Board.
Donations soar at UGA
Big money is pouring into Athens.
The University of Georgia reported $242.8 million in private gifts for the fiscal year that ended in June, the second-highest tally in the school’s history.
More than 71,000 donors gave money to the state’s flagship university during the last fiscal year. They endowed 16 faculty positions in the last year, funded scholarships and supported the construction of a poultry science building, among other targeted gifts.
“UGA would be a vastly different place without the generous support of our alumni, friends and the UGA Foundation,” said President Jere W. Morehead, in a written statement. “Private giving helps faculty members raise the bar in their fields, helps connect communities across Georgia to university resources, and helps students achieve things they never thought possible.”
New programs at Georgia State University
Georgia State University will introduce two graduate certificate programs this fall.
The graduate certificate in policy analytics and the certificate in public management and leadership can be completed online. Both are offered through the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
The public management program is intended to prepare students to lead government entities or nonprofit groups. The policy analytics certificate teaches students data analytics skills useful in nonprofit and public sector jobs.
Remote learning study
Researchers at Georgia State University will examine the academic impacts of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A $1.85 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences will give academics a chance to study how online classes affected K-12 students.
Professor Tim Sass, who previously studied Atlanta Public Schools’ efforts to assist victims of the district’s test-cheating scandal, will serve as the study’s principal investigator. He’s also the faculty director of the Metro Atlanta Policy Lab for Education, which works with metro Atlanta school districts to evaluate existing education programs and test ideas.
The pandemic-era research will try to figure out why some students did better with remote learning than others and the impact of academic recovery programs instituted by school districts.
Morehouse hires
Morehouse College has made two major recent hires.
The historically Black college for men on Friday announced it has named Robbie Morganfield as the executive director of its Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Journalism.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Morganfield worked for the last three years as a professor and chair of journalism and mass communication at North Carolina A&T State University, the nation’s largest historically Black university, where he specialized in higher education, public affairs, and media.
“This is a pivotal time for our young organization, and having someone like Dr. Morganfield at the helm will ensure we live up to our ambitions and continue to expand the groundbreaking work we have begun to do,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, the society’s co-founder, said in a statement.
Morehouse also hired a new administrator to oversee fundraising efforts, including a $500 million campaign that the school launched last year.
Hodan Hassan has been named the vice president of the Office of Institutional Advancement and the college’s chief advancement officer.
Hassan will support a major, ongoing push to raise money for scholarships, faculty research and recruitment, academic programs, campus buildings and other initiatives. The campaign has pulled in nearly $232 million so far, according to Morehouse.
Credit: Morehouse College
Credit: Morehouse College
Hassan previously raised funds for the University of Washington, Arizona State University and Long Island University. She also worked on UNICEF’s “Schools in Africa” campaign. Most recently, she worked at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook.
She started the Morehouse job last month.
Flying high
LaGrange College is starting an aviation minor program this fall.
The college held a celebration last week to announce the program. Classes will be offered through Paragon Flight Training, a flight academy based at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida. Paragon will be maintaining an office at the local airport.
The college’s program will provide training for Commercial Pilot Licensing through the use of a flight simulator on campus and up to four Cessna Skyhawks with digital avionics at LaGrange-Callaway Airport.
LaGrange officials noted a commercial pilot shortage is a concern in the aviation industry. Recent reports note that over the next 15 years, more than half of current U.S. pilots will have reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Rural health care
Georgia College & State University will receive $2.6 million over four years to train rural health providers.
The federal grant will pay for scholarships for Georgia nurses to continue their studies in advanced areas such as midwifery.
The school said that recipients must agree to serve at least two years in an underserved area in Georgia to apply.
The funding “will enable Georgia College to train graduate-level nurse practitioners in several specialties to help improve health outcomes in rural Georgia,” said Will Evans, dean of the College of Health Sciences.
The school first received funding through the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant program in 2017.
Support for Spelman students
A $200,000 grant from the Deloitte Foundation will fund scholarships for Spelman College students majoring in economics, computer science and mathematics.
The Atlanta school said 20 incoming juniors will receive $10,000 during the upcoming academic year. Applicants must have a 3.0 or higher grade point average, exhibit leadership skills and participate in community service.
If you have any higher education tips or thoughts, email reporter Vanessa McCray at vanessa.mccray@ajc.com.
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