Turner Business

There has been much frustration in the Turner College concerning the lack of support from CSU's central administration when it comes to replacing faculty who either retire or depart for another institution. Several current Turner College faculty members have warned that this failure could be disastrous in the very near future, as a number of faculty are expected to retire. Turner Business recently took a look at the demographics of the Turner College's faculty. Here is part of what we learned. Turner College The table above provides information on the percentage of Turner College faculty at each of several individual ages (e.g., 60, 61, etc.) and, at the upper end, at or beyond the age of 64. Starting at the top of the table, fully 13% of Turner College faculty are beyond 64 years of age. Another 10% of Turner College faculty are exactly 64 years old. Thus, a striking 23% (almost 1.2 in 5) of Turner College faculty are 64 years old or older. Backing up just four additional yea...

Columbus State University and Columbus-based Aflac launched an innovative corporate-academic partnership last summer that provides students with an immersive, multiyear professional pathway and supports regional workforce development. The new Aflac Claims Co-op program is helping students build career-ready skills relevant to their degrees by integrating professional industry experience early in their undergraduate studies. The inaugural co-op cohort consists of 20 Columbus State sophomores majoring in business and data analytics, computer science, health sciences and kinesiology. By aligning the Columbus-based Fortune 500 company’s operational needs with Columbus State’s academic programs, this co-op provides students with the opportunity to work for Aflac for three years while finishing their degree—with the potential to extend beyond graduation into their professional careers.  “What attracted me to the co-op is being able to get real work experience in a corporate environment,...

The Turner College Awards & Scholarships Committee has been working with CSU Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Kimberly Gill in an effort reinstate the annual Turner College Faculty Awards before the 2027 awards season begins. Just this week committee chair Mark James delivered a sizable spreadsheet to Gill containing all of the information CSU, and ultimately the University System of Georgia, should need to approve the Turner College's years-long practice of providing faculty award winners with a $500 stipend to go along with a certificate. Gill has since forwarded the spreadsheet to CSU Human Resources Director Tamara Wade, who is expected to create a streamlined process for including the stipend as a salary supplement in the winners' May paychecks. Earlier this month, the  Turner College Awards & Scholarships Committee voted unanimously to suspend its awards process until the stipends are distributed to the 2026 winners and reinstated for all future wi...

New research by TSYS School faculty Jianhua Yang , Linqiang Ge and Christopher Lovelock states that in order to increase the diversity of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce, teaching cybersecurity knowledge and skills to middle school girls is a promising approach. Despite most middle school students lacking basic computer science knowledge, their study, which appears in the current issue of Athens Journal of Technology & Engineering , proposes a broadening of cybersecurity awareness through outreach activities, educational games and storytelling. The curriculum they designed aims at providing interactive learning, exposure, and ongoing support to every student, encouraging engagement through accessible methods. For some background,  CSU has held a summer camp titled,  “Broadening Cybersecurity Awareness for Middle School Students via GenCyber  Outreach, Games, and Storytelling,” four times under the support of the National  Sec...

The new CSU Presidential Fellows group was formed this year as a way for CSU students and faculty to meet  with CSU President Stuart Rayfield each month to discuss how to improve CSU's culture and promote an environment of trust, inclusion and well-being for all. During the October 2026 meeting on October 19th, the Presidential Fellows discussed low CSU faculty morale and the prevailing climate of distrust, anxiety, and uncertainty on campus. Two solutions emerged from that discussion. First, although  it may be infeasible to address every single issue openly with the faculty, Rayfield noted that she and CSU Provost Dustin Anderson are happy to visit any departmental or college meeting in order to listen to the pressing issues facing that department or college. Rayfield also indicated to the group that she  would like to know which issues the faculty want her to address in a town hall setting. The Presidential Fellows decided to collect data from the faculty before their ...

As we await official enrollment numbers to be released, we recently asked Google AI to provide some of the enrollment trends and changes for fall 2026 at the University System of Georgia's institutions. That query indicated that Georgia State University 's enrollment increased by 1.24% from last fall, reaching an institution record enrollment of 54,320 students. At the University of Georgia , more than 51,600 student applications were processed for entry in fall 2026, a record for the institution. UGA projected an incoming class of 6,250 students. Georgia College & State University received more than 10,000 student applications for the first time in its history. At Fort Valley State University , 3,310 new students were welcomed this fall, representing an enrollment increase of 27% overall. Next, South Georgia State College  reported strong early-semester numbers with 2,086 students, an 8.25% year-over-year increase fueled by an 18.64% surge in new student enrollment.   Ge...