The student organization Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA) received a grant to help pay for 16 students to attend the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) 46thAnnual Conference in Nashville this November.

Juniors Madison England, Morgan Harris, and Emily Nicoletti applied for the grant and will present at the conference. Other students have also applied to present.

“The $2,500 grant that we received will go straight towards our travels to Nashville,” said England. “It took our individual costs from $495 to $138 each, which makes it a lot easier for all of us to get there.”

This marks the third time the organization has received this grant. Students will also receive recognition at the AMLE conference in the fall.

“We are extremely eager to share the knowledge that we have gained here at Georgia College and cannot wait to represent our school proudly in Nashville,” said England. 

The AMLE conference brings thousands of middle grades educators together each year for professional development and networking.

“As a cohort, these 16 middle grades teacher candidates established a goal to attend the national conference and have sought and are seeking ways to fund their travel,” said Dr. Joanne Previts, chapter advisor and professor. “Madi has taken the responsibility to serve as the chairwoman of this committee. She is overseeing the budget, working with colleagues who are pursuing other funding options and overseeing several other details in order to support the efforts of the cohort.”

Our fourth candidate for the position of Associate Provost for Transformative Learning Experiences will be on campus Thursday, April 25th. We invite you to attend the open forum for the fourth candidate from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room. The vita for the candidate is attached.

Two Georgia College faculty members attended a three-day “Climate Reality Leadership Corps” training in Atlanta recently to update their knowledge about sustainability and become climate leaders on campus.

Georgia College Physics Professor Dr. Hasitha Mahabaduge and Philosophy, Religion and Liberal Studies Lecturer Dr. Mark Causey attended the Climate Reality Project, started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in 2011. Gore spoke at the session about giving urgency to communications about the climate crisis. He also gave a slide show, like he does in his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." 

During the event, participants learned to combine science and solutions when engaging audiences.

“I wanted to attend this training,” Causey said, “because I truly believe that climate change is the greatest existential threat humanity has ever faced, yet so many of us carry on as if its business as usual.”

When reflecting about the training and putting it into academic context, Mahabaduge said it felt like a large group project.

“We were from all age groups, different education levels, different nationalities and occupations—yet trying to understand the impacts of climate change first and then learning how to convey this message to others,” he said.

Mahabaduge offers a course in renewable energy and is a board member of Georgia College’s “Shades of Green” program, which creates awareness for environmental challenges. Causey helps coordinate Georgia College’s sustainability certificate program and is a member of the sustainability council.

Causey was excited to hear the Rev. Dr. William Barber II speak at the conference. Barber leads the Poor People's Campaign in North Carolina. Because of the Atlanta setting, Causey said the training was intertwined with the rich history of Civil Rights. There was a particular focus on climate justice and environmental racism, he said, and how climate change and environmental challenges disproportionately affect people of color and the socially and economically disadvantaged.

One of Causey’s favorite events was a multi-faith service held at historic Ebeneezer Baptist Church with leaders from Native American, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian faiths. The service was called “A Moral Call to Action on the Climate Crisis.” Causey intends to use new materials and what he learned in his classes on environmental ethics and sustainability. 

Mahabaduge also plans to utilize what he learned at climate training.

“With my educational training in solar energy,” he said, “it is important for me to learn how to share these important ideas with my students and the general public. As educators, we always need to brush up and update ourselves on what’s happening to this earth.”

Getting access to carefully-prepared PowerPoint slides will help Mahabaduge when teaching renewable energy courses. This fall, he plans to offer “Physical Principles of Renewable Energy” and host a renewable energy day for Baldwin County elementary students. He’s also offering a science cafe at Blackbird’s this week on “Solar as a weapon in the war against climate change.” 

The time to act is now, Causey said. He repeated the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warning that the Earth has about 12 years to avert the worst effects of climate change and keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“I will continue to bring awareness of these issues to our campus and community,” Causey said. “At Georgia College, we pride ourselves in preparing students for the world of the future. But unless we prepare them for the new realities they will face due to climate change, we are doing them a disservice.”

The  VALIC Representative will be on campus for Individual Financial Counseling Sessions on May 13th.

Please sign up using the link below: 

Click to Meet with VALIC Financial Advisor

Reminder that Individual Appointments with a financial counselor can earn you $25 towards your $100 Well-being Credit anytime between now and September 30, 2019.