News coverage validates the meaningful work being done here. It brings the perspectives of Georgia State people onto the public agenda, and it helps to build recognition of our university regionally, nationally and internationally. This compilation of news clips from the Office of Public Relations and Marketing Communications highlights some of the most prominent recent stories that focus on or include Georgia State.
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Sterilized: What Virginia And Nazi Germany Had In Common
Paul Lombardo, a historian and the Bobby Lee Cook Professor of Law, was interviewed for an article about two Virginia lawmakers pushing a bill that would make the state the second in the U.S. to offer restitution to people who were sterilized under the authority of state law and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that lent constitutional credence to the practice. “The change that occurred in this country that allowed sterilization to go on was really less about understanding how the genetics of heredity works and much more about trying to cut down on the number of people who were on welfare who were having babies,” said Lombardo, who has written extensively on the American eugenics movement. Read More »
THE WASHINGTON POST
Georgia Created The Nation’s First Censorship Board 61 Years Ago Today
Greg Lisby, a professor in the Department of Communications, was mentioned in an article about Georgia’s creation of the nation’s first censorship board 61 years ago. The Georgia State Assembly established the Georgia Literature Commission in 1953. Eventually, then Gov. Jimmy Carter dismissed it as a “mere complaint department,” and it was slowly allowed to die in 1973. The article was based on old newspaper articles and a review of the commission’s history written by Lisby for The Georgia Historical Quarterly in 2000. Read More »
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Risk Management Helps With Strategic Goals
Matthew Morrison, director of enterprise risk management, was quoted in an article about companies placing more emphasis on risk management as a vital part of achieving strategic goals. The process allows companies to understand risks they face and which ones they want to avoid or embrace. “Starting about a decade ago enterprise risk management became more of a field, which moved it out of the solely insurable area and into management across the entire enterprise,” Morrison said.Read More »
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Schools See Spike In Hospitality Degrees
Debby Cannon, director of the School of Hospitality, was interviewed for a story that highlighted the increase in credit hours students have taken in hospitality courses over the last five years. The article also takes a closer look at the one-year master of global hospitality management degree offered through the Robinson College of Business. “Our enrollment has been on a steady trend up for several years,” Cannon said. “Even during the recession years, our enrollment was up.” As the hospitality industry grows and draws on increasing disciplines – such as Big Data analytics – Cannon said her school is attracting double majors and pushing students to broaden their education.Read More »
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Snow Response Comparison Faulty
Dan Deocampo, an associate professor and chairman of the Department of Geosciences, was interviewed for an article about Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James comparing the odds of a snowstorm in Atlanta to the likelihood of an earthquake in Kansas City. “Actually, major snow events in Atlanta occur more frequently than major earthquakes in Kansas City,” Deocampo said. Deocampo said the last major earthquake affecting Kansas City was about 200 years ago in the New Madrid Fault Zone, although there was a magnitude 5.6 quake that shook the city in 2011.. Read More »
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
J. Mack Robinson, Atlanta Business Tycoon, Philanthropist Dies
The article reported on the death of Georgia State alumnus J. Mack Robinson, the legendary Atlanta business leader, philanthropist and namesake of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, who died Friday, Feb. 7 after a long illness. Georgia State named its business school for Robinson in 1998, the same year he gave a $10 million gift to the institution. His connection to the school dates back to 1941, when Robinson attended the Georgia Evening College, now Georgia State University. Read More »
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Off The EDGE Dance Festival To Reach Beyond The Stage
Leslie Gordon, director of the Rialto Center for the Arts, was quoted in an article about Off the EDGE, an international dance festival, which culminated at the Rialto on Feb. 1. Gordon said the idea behind the festival is to connect the Atlanta dance community with the dance world at large and to test-run groups for future bookings. Perhaps the festival’s most pointed charge is to attract and educate new dance audiences. “We want to take the fear out of watching dance,” Gordon said. “People tend to overthink it. They’re often put off by what they see as new.” The Rialto was also highlighted in another AJC story about Atlanta jazz trumpeter and singer Joe Gransden premiering two never-heard Johnny Mercer songs at the Rialto Center for the Arts’ annual tribute to the Georgia songwriter on Feb. 28. The songs were discovered in the Mercer Collection at Georgia State. Read More »
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Health Officials, Community Groups Renew Efforts
To Stop Tobacco Use in Youth
Michael Eriksen, dean of the School of Public Health, was interviewed for an article about initiatives that have been started to raise awareness among young people about the consequences of using tobacco. The School of Public Health and its partners recently received $19 million over five years from the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to establish one of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science. “We’ve seen some messages targeted toward adults contribute to reductions with kids,” Eriksen said. “We think that is due to the fact as fewer adults smoke, fewer kids smoke. But in general, campaigns for adults try to emphasize personal, real life and graphic depictions of the harm caused by smoking. For kids, it’s either to try to stimulate their rebelliousness or anti-tobacco company sentiment, or to focus on health effects that are salient to kids — appearance, wrinkling and performance.” Read More »
WSB-TV
Cass Brewer Discusses NFL’s Non-Profit Status
Cass Brewer, a law professor, was interviewed for a story about why the National Football League is listed as a nonprofit organization. Brewer’s research primarily focuses upon the legal and tax aspects of the intersection of tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations with for-profit enterprises and commercial activity.
THE ANNISTON (ALA.) STAR
Proposed Elimination Of Portion Of Anniston Civil Service System Part Of Growing Trend
Harvey Newman, professor of public management and policy, was quoted in an article about an Anniston, Ala. proposal that would change how the city hires and disciplines city workers. Anniston officials announced their intent to remove about 139 employees from the city’s civil service system through state legislation. Newman said local governments are moving away from civil service systems. “The impression I have is they are in fact on the decline,” Newman said. “Many systems are contracting out a lot of their employees…part of it is a cost-saving measure. The feeling is if they contract out, they can avoid the benefits structure.” Read More »
CHATTANOOGA (TENN.) TIMES FREE PRESS
Walker County Generous With DUI Convictions
Jessica Gabel, a law professor, was interviewed for a story people who drive drunk in Walker County, Tenn. not being convicted of breaking driving laws. A Chattanooga Times Free Press analysis of all 154 cases filed in the county’s state court in 2012 and 2013 shows 68 defendants saw their charges reduced last year from DUI to disorderly conduct, a nondriving charge that doesn’t affect whether a driver gets to keep his or her license. Gabel, who was a public defender in northern California for four years, said attorneys can often cast doubt on a DUI arrest. In general, Gabel said, courts should reduce charges against first-time offenders more often. In addition to the arrest and the suspended license, a DUI conviction can prevent people from getting jobs. She says the punishment is too harsh for the crime. “Being thrown away and locked in prison for a year or two years, it is unlikely that you are going to break them of those bad habits,” she said. “Sometimes there are lost causes. That’s a call a prosecutor has to make, and that’s a hard call.” Read More »
