University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia Tech president updates campus on changes to improve ethics
By Eric Stirgus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson in his annual address to students, staff and faculty on Thursday talked about creating a “culture of ethics” on campus in the wake of several recent reports that some high-ranking employees committed ethics violations. Peterson said administrators have revised some internal policies and are reviewing others to ensure they’re consistent within the institute and with policies of the University System of Georgia. He said some of the changes will continue throughout the year and perhaps longer. Peterson also encouraged employees to complete an upcoming survey by the University of North Georgia’s BB&T Center for Ethical Leadership that will be used to determine additional improvements.
www.benzinga.com
OnlineMasters.com’s recognizes the nation’s top Master of Science in Nursing Programs.
OnlineMasters.com, an industry-leading educational research organization, announces the release of their Best Online MSN Programs for 2018. They have identified the top 50 programs in the nation that are the best in the areas of curriculum quality, program flexibility, affordability, and graduate outcomes.
2018 Best Online MSN Degree Programs (in alphabetical order):
Augusta University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southwestern State University
www.barnesville.com
AAMI making strides at Gordon
http://www.barnesville.com/archives/11160-AAMI-making-strides-at-Gordon.html
Posted by Walter Geiger
Jordan and James English are excited to think that they might be two of the newest members of the Gordon State College African American Male Initiative (AMMI.) “We think it will be a great networking opportunity and a chance to meet people and make new friends,” said James. “We’re both interested in becoming computer engineers and having a mentor help us achieve our goals will really help.” AAMI is a university system initiative designed to increase the number of African-American males who complete their postsecondary education from any of its 26 institutions. Its mission is to provide an integrated program model of academic and social tools that support students in adopting a positive mindset to successfully complete classes, elevate their cumulative GPAs, matriculate through each academic level and graduate. Jordan and James, who are twins from Clayton County, joined 50 other AAMI hopefuls in a kick-off celebration last week. The young men heard from many who pledged their support including GSC president Dr. Kirk A. Nooks; Bob Wise, USG AAMI assistant project director and the Rev. Craig Ogletree of Barnesville, an Auburn University alumnus, a former member of the Tigers football team, former Cincinnati Bengal and the evening’s keynote speaker.
www.wsbtv.com
Student ‘testing’ pepper spray causes evacuation at local college
A student “testing” her pepper spray prompted an evacuation at a local college. Police at Georgia Gwinnett College say the female student’s pepper spray went off on other students inside Building H. The students reacted and she ran from the building out of fear. The college then evacuated the entire building, tweeting that an unknown chemical had been sprayed and urging everyone to “stay away.” Channel 2’s Tony Thomas spoke with a spokesperson at the college who told him there was never any danger and no one was injured. The school said the evacuation was “out of an abundance of caution.”
www.onlineathens.com
UGA to help guide development of norovirus vaccine
By Lauren Baggett
Researchers from Emory University and the University of Georgia recently received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help guide norovirus vaccine decision-making. …Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, and it can spread quickly when people are in close quarters. Three out of four outbreaks occur in long-term care facilities like nursing homes. Norovirus is the most common culprit for hospitalizing children with vomiting and diarrhea in the United States. …Like influenza, norovirus is genetically diverse and strains evolve rapidly, said Lopman, “and we don’t yet have the richness of data or depth of understanding about norovirus biology or epidemiology.” The grant will support multiscale, mathematical modeling studies, which aim to understand the dynamics of norovirus at the human host, viral and epidemiological levels. The research team plans to conduct a series of studies to address questions like how many strains of norovirus does a vaccine need to protect against, and for how long might protection last.