University System News:
www.albanyherald.com
ABAC at Bainbridge: 100 percent passing rate for nursing licensure exam
All 22 program graduates passed NCLEX-RN exam on first attempt
From Staff Reports
BAINBRIDGE — All 22 ABAC at Bainbridge May 2018 associate’s degree in nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-RN licensure exam on their first attempt and can now practice as registered nurses. This marks the second consecutive year that the program has achieved this milestone. ABAC at Bainbridge also holds a three-year average pass rate of 97.98 percent. According to Jeffrey Ross, associate professor of nursing at the college, the percentage exceeds both the state and national averages. “The faculty and staff are thrilled by this year’s NCLEX result,” Ross said. “We are so very proud of the graduates and their determination. This milestone would not be possible without the help of many individuals. The dedicated nursing faculty and staff work tirelessly to ensure students are prepared for entry into the nursing profession as well as successful performance on the NCLEX-RN exam.
www.athensceo.com
First Class of UGA Doctors Graduate from Residency Program
Staff Report From Athens CEO
Georgia needs more doctors. In fact, the entire country does. The University of Georgia and Augusta University are working to address this need. In June, 10 residents from the initial class of the Medical College of Georgia at the Augusta University/ University of Georgia Medical Partnership Internal Residency Program marched in recognition of finishing their three-year residency program. Each was surrounded by their family members, mentors and other physicians who guided them along the way. Several graduates accepted positions in the state. According to a 2017 study by the American Association of Medical Colleges, the U.S. is expected to face a shortage of between 40,800–104,900 doctors by 2030. This is fueled by a growing population, and an increase in the amount of aging Americans and retiring physicians. And in order to meet the national average of 36.6 physicians per 100,000 people, Georgia needs an additional 1,456 graduate medical education positions in various specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine and general surgery.
www.ajc.com
Georgia college campus speech court ruling flawed, group says in appeal
By Eric Stirgus
The attorneys who represented two students who sued Georgia Gwinnett College over its campus speech guidelines filed an appeal Monday of a judge’s ruling in the case, saying the decision didn’t consider whether the college’s rules violated the students’ constitutionally-protected freedoms. The Alliance Defending Freedom sued the college in 2016, arguing student free speech rights were violated. One student, Chike Uzuegbunam said a college official told him he couldn’t distribute fliers sharing his Christian faith where he was standing on campus. The college had two “free speech expression areas,” which his attorneys described as “tiny.” Another student, Joseph Bradford, who also wanted to preach on campus, joined the case as a plaintiff. U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross last month ruled in favor of Georgia Gwinnett College’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the college had adequately resolved the main issues in the case by revising its policy concerning the process of how and where students and groups can speak on its campus. The Alliance Defending Freedom disputed the decision.
www.bizjournals.com
State agency partnership with Amazon Business saving money, improving fraud detection
By Dave Williams – Staff Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle
While Georgia works to attract Amazon’s HQ2 to Atlanta, the state Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) is using Amazon Business to save money and gain greater efficiencies in the shipment of state agency purchases. Amazon Business first came to DOAS’ attention last year when other state agencies began making purchases through Amazon Business on their own, DOAS Commissioner Shawn Ryan said. “It was difficult for us to track what was happening,” he said. “We wanted to try to get our hands around it.” To do that, the DOAS set up an account with Amazon Business, making DOAS the first state government purchasing agency in the country to do so. …”They offer the same products at a lower cost than other outlets.” …Ryan said working with Amazon Business also adds controls that make it easier to root out fraud in purchasing. …“When users get set up in the [Amazon Business] system, because they’re using their state login, they’re immediately identified by agency,” he said. “If they are buying for an agency or [University System of Georgia] college, that product can only be shipped to the address Amazon has.
www.kpvi.com
College scandals put sports doctors under new scrutiny
By COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
Allegations of sexual abuse carried out over decades by team physicians at Michigan State and Ohio State are sending ripples through university athletics departments, with some schools exploring whether more oversight is needed for figures in such powerful positions. The scandals involving former Michigan State team doctor Larry Nassar, who was also a physician for USA Gymnastics, and Richard Strauss, a former Ohio State doctor, reveal how the trust and intimacy granted to team physicians can also provide cover for sexual predators. …Groups that represent team doctors say it’s hardly the only profession shaken by sex scandals, and they largely blame the recent cases on a couple bad seeds. Still, the fallout has left some doctors and colleges scrutinizing their practices. Some are ramping up the use of exam chaperones — medical staff who are brought into the room to monitor the doctor’s work. Purdue University says it’s crafting a new policy requiring chaperones for team doctors, even if students don’t request one. Michigan State updated a similar policy last year. Physicians, too, are increasingly bringing in chaperones for their own protection, said Dr. Chad Asplund, president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. In his work at Georgia Southern University, Asplund said, he has become more diligent about calling for a chaperone any time he examines a female athlete or asks a patient to remove clothing.
www.saportareport.com
Photo Pick: Herbarium University of North Georgia by Peggy Cozart
https://saportareport.com/72801-2/?mc_cid=d803484b63&mc_eid=7b18ac3bf1
Herbariums are cool! If you haven’t heard of one yet, you are likely to soon. University of North Georgia seniors Samantha Shea, left, and Katie Horton are working together on creating a herbarium at UNG. A herbarium is a core collection of dried plant specimens mounted, labeled and filed in an organized way. Horton is tasked with organizing and identifying the plants.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Campus Lawyers’ Deepest Fear: the Protest or Tweet That Spins Into a Free-Speech Crisis
By Sarah Brown
Every college — public or private, large or small, residential four-year or not — is one tweet, email, or protest away from a First Amendment tussle. That’s the message many higher-education lawyers are sharing with their colleagues here at the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Campus general counsels, especially at public universities, are still on edge after a chaotic 2017 filled with high-profile protests and tensions surrounding visits by speakers who espouse views that are either hateful or offensive or are perceived that way.
www.diverseeducation.com
New Platform Makes It Easier to Donate to Colleges
by Sarah Wood
GiveCampus, a website that allows academic institutions to raise funds digitally, has announced that donations can now be made through Apple Pay, allowing the platform to become more accessible to potential school donors. When Kestrel Linder, co-founder of GiveCampus, graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2005, he found that he was receiving a lot of mail and phone calls from his alma mater about giving back. “Letters in the mail and phone calls were not the right way to reach me in the same way they are not the right way to reach most people in their 20’s, 30’s and maybe beyond,” Linder said. “I found their messages to be impersonal and it was all very transactional. It felt very much like paying a utility bill.” Linder grew frustrated because he wanted to financially support his alma mater but did not like the methods being used. Thus, he and his college friend, Michael Kong, created GiveCampus three and a half years ago. …More than 450 schools that are GiveCampus partners now accept Apple Pay donations at no additional cost to them. This includes one in 10 United States colleges and hundreds of K-12 schools, according to GiveCampus officials.