Southwest Georgia Education Briefs

Lee County High to host Probe College Fair Tour

LEESBURG — Lee County High School will host a Probe College Fair Tour Thursday. Representatives of colleges and universities are taking part in the tour throughout Georgia over the coming weeks.

The Probe College Fair Tour hosts free events for Georgia high students. The popular fall fairs are conveniently located to allow maximum student participation. For many, Probe is their first and best way to get information about prospective colleges. The annual series of events also gives universities the chance to recruit new students.

To see a full list of participating schools and tour locations, visit www.gaprobe.org or look on the event tab www.facebook.com/GeorgiaProbe.

GSW’s new Chinese center to host international art conference

AMERICUS — Georgia Southwestern State University has many collaborative relationships with institutions all over the globe, particularly with schools in China. In fact, the GSW Department of Visual Arts’ newly-formed Center for Chinese Bie-Modern Studies is hosting its first-ever conference Thursday-Saturday on campus. Each session will be held in Room 127 of the Wheatley Administration Building. The conference theme is “Art: Premodern, Modern, Postmodern, Bie-Modern.”

The conference is a joint effort of the CCBMS and the Institute of Aesthetics and Aesthetic Education at Shanghai Normal University, facilitated by SNU Professor Wang Jianjiang. Scholars and artists from all over China will be on the GSW campus for the conference, which will include three sessions of scholarly paper presentations, panel discussion about contemporary Chinese creative culture, and three separate exhibition venues for contemporary art.

“This is a great way for students to experience an academic conference and learn about the issues facing creative artists, critics and theorists in contemporary China,” said GSW Associate Professor of Art and conference organizer Keaton Wynn. “All students, faculty, staff and the community are invited to participate.”

According to Wynn, “Bie” is a word or character that can mean many things, indicating that some scholars use it to describe what is “pseudo” or “fake.”

“The flexibility of its meaning is useful for creative responses to contemporary Chinese culture,” Wynn said.

VSU to hold open house next week

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University will host an open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 14.

From prospective students on the opposite side of the country to the university’s neighboring residents, everyone is invited to stop by and discover the extensive academic, cultural and social opportunities available at VSU. Space is limited, and registration is required.

“We are expecting students from all over the country to attend Open House and learn about the benefits of a degree from Valdosta State,” Ryan M. Hogan, director of the university’s Office of Admissions, said. “We also want to make sure that members of our local community know that they are invited to come see what a complete university experience offers.”

Hogan emphasized that open house is not just for high school students. The event is open to everyone, including current college or university students considering a transfer to another institution of higher education, working adults who are interested in expanding their career opportunities by earning or finishing a degree, and local residents who want to meet the university community.

“We want students who have been away from high school for some time, and especially military members and their dependents, to know they are invited to open house,” he said.