James July-August 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 4
P U B L I S H E R ’ S M ES SAG E
RANDOM THOUGHTS ON CAMPUS BIGOTRY & EDUCATION
ince the October 7th Hamas
terror attack in Israel, Jewish
students at many American
universities report being harassed, discriminated against and assaulted on
campus. The behavior of supporters of
the radical Islamists who committed
these atrocities is beyond reprehensible. Those who urge harm to any American college student are pure evil.
Some Ivy League college presidents
have studiously ignored the anti-Semitism (as well as anti-white and anti-Asian
bigotry) that has been percolating on
their campuses. Yet the heightened
challenges students are facing on some
college campuses due to our nation’s polarized politics aren’t that recent. Threatening or even dangerous climates have
been present on all too many college
campuses for the past three decades or
so. Ask any conservative student group
or student ROTC cadets.
It is gratifying, however, that Gov.
Brian Kemp and the taxpayer-supported University System of Georgia
(USG)— while supporting free speech
and peaceful assembly— have stood
strong for campus safety and against
lawbreaking and violence. Emory President Gregory Fenves is also to be commended for calling law enforcement
to arrest radicals before protests could
spiral out of control. USG Chancellor
Sonny Perdue, in an exclusive interview, addresses this vital issue along
with other important education topics.
S
course, there are many fine public and
private schools and universities that
Georgia’s students can choose from. But
make no mistake. Even after consulting
with experts and researching national
surveys of universities, it’s tough for us
to select a “number one” college or university. (While the University of Georgia
is ranked highest this year, Georgia Tech
was first last year while Emory University was tops the year before. And all
three, along with Augusta University,
are prominent research institutions.)
Different institutions obviously excel in different areas, so it’s hard to measure and compare them. But that’s why
we selected categories in such a way as
to further provide an overview of how
Georgia’s colleges and universities rate.
In almost every James issue we feature columns, articles or interviews on
some specific Peach State college and
their president. In this issue they are
Clayton State University, PCOM Georgia, Savannah College of Art & Design
and Ogeechee Tech. We want readers
to learn of the success achieved at
these schools.
Ogeechee Technical College is one
of 22 colleges in the Technical College
System of Georgia— one of the best in
the nation with Commissioner Greg
Dozier at the helm. We recommend to
readers his column where, among other successes, he writes that 91 percent
of TCSG students are placed in jobs in
their fields of study, while TCSG has a
99 percent job placement rate overall.
Our Focus on Georgia’s
Colleges & Universities
A Unique Museum,
Law Enforcement Officers & AI
As we do every year in our Education Issue, we feature rankings of GeorOur state’s musical scene and hisgia’s top colleges and universities. Of tory is diverse and substantial. In this
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JAMES
JULY/AU GU ST 2024
context, I report on an interesting slice
of Georgia’s musical history: That Great
Gretsch Sound! Museum in Savannah.
It involves one of the music industry’s
most influential instrument manufacturers. If you visit this beautiful interactive museum and especially see all the
guitars on display, you’ll find it’s a great
addition to Savannah’s popular Plant
Riverside District.
Law enforcement officers have one
of the toughest, most dangerous jobs
around, and author/attorney Lance
LoRusso represents Georgia officers
involved in shootings and other critical court cases. He’s well-equipped to
give readers a perspective of what it’s
like to be in their shoes when it comes
to their split-second, life-or-death decision making.
Finally, we are all witnessing a new
age in the course of human events:
The Age of Artifical Intelligence. AI
is infiltrating more and more areas of
our lives. It is already changing things
that will alter the way we all work and
eventually end a lot of jobs. It is already
enhancing various endeavors, as in
healthcare. And it is testing our understanding of facts. We are beginning to
see the truth of every claim subject to
questioning and investigation— ranging from historical events to election
results. All this is to say that we should
reflect on attorney Brittany Bennett’s
piece on the pros and cons of AI. It is
certainly thought-provoking.
PHI L KENT CEO & P UB LI S HER
