University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What to know about Georgia’s dual enrollment bill
By Eric Stirgus
How proposed changes would impact current students
Georgia House Bill 444 would significantly change the state’s popular dual enrollment program that allows high school students to take state-funded college courses. Supporters say the costs have skyrocketed in recent years and changes are necessary to make it sustainable. About 52,000 students are currently in the program. Critics say the changes will limit education opportunities for many low-income and rural students. Here are five things to know about the legislation, according to information in the bill and its sponsor, state Rep. Bert Reeves, R-McDonough:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Follow Up: Harsh words launch work on Georgia budget
By Jim Denery
The Capitol Recap during the Georgia legislative session
Legislators begin work on cuts with cutting remarks
With the opening budget hearings behind them, it’s now Georgia legislators’ turn to rewrite Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan for spending cuts. Judging by what they’re saying, the governor isn’t going to be happy. “It’s pretty obvious we’re not excited about these cuts,” state Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro, told the head of one state agency during testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee on health funding. House Appropriations Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, said “the brunt of the cuts” appear targeted at some of the General Assembly’s most recent work, such as efforts over several years to alleviate the shortage of health care workers in rural Georgia.
AP News
Kemp’s anti-gang push includes expanded prosecutor powers
By JEFF AMY
As part of his anti-gang push, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday said he wants prosecutors to be able to charge crimes across multiple counties and to be able to seek the death penalty for murders committed during gang activity. “Criminal street gangs are plaguing our communities with violence, drugs, weapons and fear,” Kemp told reporters, with more than two dozen lawmakers standing behind him. “They’re responsible for the most violent crime in our state.” …The second bill would also extend the power of campus police officers 880 yards beyond the boundaries of school property, a move the Kemp administration says would allow schools including Georgia State University and Georgia Tech do more to combat crime at the edges of their campuses.
The Red & Black
UGA President details five year strategic plan in 2020 State of the University Address
Samantha Perez | Staff Writer
University of Georgia President Jere Morehead gave his annual State of the University Address on Jan. 29 in the Chapel on North Campus and detailed his five year strategic plan. Morehead said a committee worked over the past year to develop three points of emphasis: promoting excellence in teaching and learning; growing research, innovation and entrepreneurship; and strengthening partnerships with communities across Georgia and around the world. To promote teaching and learning, Morehead wants to expand experiential learning opportunities for students while also supporting instructors by modernizing classrooms and laboratories.
Markets Financial
ServiceVote Fellows Begin Work to Engage Young Voters in 2020 Election
Fellows Will Work in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin
As the first voting of the 2020 election takes place, 8 YSA ServiceVote Fellows are beginning their work to register, educate, and turn out young voters this year. …Jamar Gross – Georgia
Jamar is a senior at Georgia Southwestern State University majoring in Business Management. Currently the City Manager and Human Resources Intern for the City of Americus, Jamar is a leader in the Census 2020 Complete Count Committee.
WALB
Georgia Southern expanding STEM lending library to help local students
By Blair Caldwell | January 30, 2020 at 3:31 PM EST – Updated January 30 at 4:44 PM
Georgia Southern University is expanding its STEM lending library to serve 16 counties. It’s a program that helps bring teaching materials directly to students. Michelle Thompson teaches Scientific Research at Effingham College and Career Academy. She loves teaching STEM and knows it would be difficult without the right tools. “It’s about starting with a problem and looking at the relevance. It answers that question that you and I sat in the seats and said, ‘why are we learning this? Why do I need to know this?’ Students, now with STEM education, they know why they are having to learn this so putting these tools in their hands is helping them understand why they need to learn what they are learning,” Thompson said. To help her students get more out of class, she’s partnered with Georgia Southern University’s STEM lending library. Schools pay a yearly fee and can get kits delivered right to the classroom.
Beckers Hospital Review
228 hospitals with a 1 star rating from CMS
Gabrielle Masson
CMS updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings Jan. 28, recognizing 228 hospitals with one star.
Below is a listing of CMS’ one-star hospitals, broken down by state, as listed on the Hospital Compare website. To view a list of CMS’ five-star hospitals, click here.
Georgia
Augusta University Medical Center (Augusta)
Markets Insider
Augusta University committed to better health for Georgia’s rural communities
A health care crisis is spreading throughout Georgia’s rural communities. Georgia ranks among the 10 worst states for most health measures, with some of the highest incidents of stroke, heart disease and cancer in the nation. To make matters worse, much of the state lacks access to primary care services, making Georgia worse than the national average for areas short of primary care doctors. …To combat this problem, the Medical College of Georgia has developed a 3+ Primary Care Pathway that will help place doctors where they are needed most in the state. This pathway shortens the traditional MD curriculum to three years instead of four and, if funded, will provide free tuition or student loan forgiveness to students who commit to a primary care residency and agree to serve in an underserved area for six years.
WGAU
UGA gets $5 million from Delta Foundation
By: Clarke Schwabe
The University of Georgia will take a major step forward in its Innovation District initiative and enhance the College of Engineering, thanks to a $5 million gift from The Delta Air Lines Foundation. The Innovation District initiative brings together people, programs and places to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and experiential learning at UGA. The first step of the initiative established Studio 225, the home of UGA’s thriving Student Center for Entrepreneurship, and The Delta Foundation’s gift catalyzes the next step to grow research commercialization and university-industry collaboration.
Emanuel County Live
Emanuel County Schools name this year’s STAR Students, STAR Teachers
by Whitley Clifton
Emanuel County Schools is pleased to announce the STAR Student and STAR Teacher for Swainsboro High School and Emanuel County Institute for 2019-2020. The STAR Student is a high school senior with the highest score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and is in the top 10 percent of the class, based on his or her cumulative high school grade average. The STAR Teacher is selected by the STAR Student for having made the most significant contribution to their scholastic development. … Swainsboro High School STAR Student — Josie Peebles
Josie Peebles is the daughter of Jimmy and Denise Peebles of Swainsboro. She is 17-years-old and attends Swainsboro High School. She has already been granted early admission to the University of Georgia, where she will attend in the fall. She is majoring in biology with a focus in pre-med. After she graduates from UGA, she then aspires to attend medical school at Augusta University to get her degree in emergency medicine. … Emanuel County Institute STAR Student — Kristin Smoyer
Kristin Smoyer, daughter of John and Alison Smoyer, has been named Emanuel County Institute’s STAR Student. Kristin plans to attend the University of Georgia and major in communication sciences and disorders in order to become a speech language pathologist. She also plans to minor in Spanish. … Emanuel County Institute STAR Teacher — Mary Lucy Rowland
Mary Lucy Rowland graduated magna cum laude from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages in 2009. She continued her education, receiving the Master of Arts in Teaching from Georgia Southern University in 2010.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta finishes year with rousing job growth
By Michael E. Kanell
Metro Atlanta’s economy added 11,800 jobs last month, the strongest December in more than five years, despite weakness in several key sectors that could presage a tougher 2020. The net gain for all of 2019 was 66,700, the most since 2016, even as the jobs expansion stalled in other parts of Georgia, according to preliminary data. Growth was solid in white-collar corporate and tech jobs, as well as in blue-collar warehouse work, although there were cutbacks in temp jobs and manufacturing, the state’s labor department reported Thursday. The unemployment rate ticked up to 2.7% from 2.6% in November, mostly because the labor force surged by more than 20,000 people, not all of whom found work, the department said. Last week, officials reported the state’s unemployment rate falling to a record-low 3.2% for December, despite modest growth of 3,900 jobs statewide last month. …The labor force in the region has grown very slowly, so workers with good skills are in demand after a decade-long economic expansion has pushed the employment rate to record lows. Jeffrey Dorfman, the state fiscal economist for Georgia and a professor at the University of Georgia, recently warned that the shortage of workers could threaten the expansion.
The Gainesville Times
One of the Central Park 5 will speak at UNG Gainesville for Black History Month
Kelsey Podo
One wrongful conviction left Yusef Salaam serving nearly seven years in a juvenile detention facility. He was one of five teenagers, four black and one Latino, who became known as the Central Park Five. Salaam will share his story and answer questions as the keynote speaker during Black History Month at the University of North Georgia. He will visit from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Robinson Ballroom at UNG’s Gainesville campus. The event is open to the public.
Tifton CEO
ABAC School of Agriculture and Natural Resources Unveils Mural
Staff Report
Students, alumni, faculty and staff members, and supporters of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College recently gathered at the Agricultural Sciences building to witness the unveiling of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) Mural, “South Georgia Roots.” For the past seven months, artist Jill Whitley has been tirelessly painting the mural and working with Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of the SANR, to make the dream of the painting come to life. …Thirteen other prints were sold which raised over $7,300 for SANR student scholarships and professional development opportunities for ABAC students.
WTOC
SCCPSS sends out notice on Coronavirus, local physician says nothing to worry about yet
By Bria Bolden
The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System sent out notices Wednesday warning students and parents to look out for symptoms of Coronavirus. The Georgia Department of Public Health says it has not found any cases of Coronavirus in the state. However, that’s not keeping the school district from taking precautionary measures. Both Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and Georgia Southern University sent out notices to students and parents advising them to look for symptoms of the virus. Local physicians say they’re keeping an eye on possible symptoms but aren’t on high alert.
Health News Digest
New Coronavirus Could Lead to Pandemic
By Staff Editor
With news that the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV is capable of spreading from human to human, many are concerned about the possibility of a new pandemic, and that is not outside the realm of possibility, according to Jeff Hogan, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Georgia, who studied the SARS coronavirus extensively. Below, he shares some of his thoughts on the current outbreak, how people can protect themselves and what the future may hold for 2019-nCoV.
Forbes
Georgia Tech Has An Undercover Cheating Bot
Derek Newton, Contributor
Considering how much we collectively invest in higher education in America, and the outsized returns our colleges and universities generate, it’s appalling how little we—they—invest in protecting it. Every school in the country has a cheating problem, from Harvard and Stanford on to You Name It State. Of all the ways to cheat, contract cheating—paying someone to do academic work for you—is both particularly pernicious and comically common. …Then, a few months ago, some smart folks at Georgia Tech (GT) launched their own weapon in the war on contract cheating—a bot named Jack Watson. First and foremost, good for Georgia Tech. It’s a notable and noble thing when an American university takes action to combat fraud, especially action that’s unilateral, creative and effective, which Jack Watson seems to be. The GT bot infiltrates cheating sites—of which there are hundreds—and poses as a for-hire writer and homework cheater, bidding on work offered up by Georgia Tech students who want to pay for their work to be done by someone else.
Graphic Arts
Ricoh Clickable-Paper-enabled book adoptions on the rise in print-education environments
In August of 2018, The School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) at Toronto’s Ryerson University included, as required reading, an updated edition of Introduction to Graphic Communication in its Fall curriculum for first-year GCM students. Ryerson contract lecturer and Graphic Arts Magazine columnist Diana Varma cited several reasons for the selection. “The book pairs really well with our first-year curriculum for our Graphic Communications Management students. …Now, two leading U.S. universities (Georgia Southern University and Illinois State University) have become the latest adopters of the textbook. They join a growing number of leading universities offering degrees in graphic arts and related areas.
sciencesprings
The Georgia Institute of Technology has announced its agreement to join the IBM Q Hub at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to help advance the fundamental research and use of quantum computing in building software infrastructure and developing specialized error mitigation techniques. Georgia Tech will have cloud access, via the Oak Ridge Hub, to the world’s largest fleet of universal quantum computing systems for commercial use case exploration and fundamental research.
BizEd
Why Accounting Research Must Change
The Future Of Accounting Programs Depends On Whether They Design More Flexible Doctoral Programs And Adopt More Realistic Standards For Promotion And Tenure.
By Mark C. Dawkins and Michael T. Dugan
Michael T. Dugan is the Peter S. Knox III Distinguished Chair of Accounting at Augusta University’s Knox School of Accountancy in Georgia.
MANY OF TODAY’S JUNIOR accounting faculty are being set up for failure. To earn tenure, they typically must publish three to five articles in a limited number of elite academic journals over a five-year probationary period—journals with incredibly low acceptance rates. This standard isn’t just unrealistic—it promotes an unproductive environment for faculty and an unsustainable economic model for the accounting programs themselves. We believe the current standards for accounting faculty also have serious implications for the future of accounting doctoral education. By focusing on only a handful of academic journals, programs encourage scholarship with little relevance to accounting practice, which in turn feeds the perception among practitioners that accounting research has little relevance. This view discourages many talented candidates from pursuing accounting doctoral degrees, and it exacerbates the growing shortage of doctoral accounting faculty.
Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern Announces 2020 Alumni Award Winners
Staff Report
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) will honor eight of its most “outstanding” alumni Saturday, Feb. 22 during its annual Outstanding Alumni Awards Dinner in the Thomas O. Marshall, Jr. Pavilion of the Marshall Student Center. At the event, notable GSW alumni will be recognized for their professional and personal achievements as well as their contributions to the University.
kake.com
SOC Telemed Neurology Council Highlights Accomplishments In Inaugural Year
SOC Telemed (SOC), the leader in acute care telemedicine, today commemorates accomplishments from the SOC Neurology Leadership Council’s inaugural year. Created for the advancement of remote neurology care, the council includes a group of renowned board-certified neurologists who aim to set standards for industry leadership, patient care, outcome measurement and overall quality. Partnering with hospitals that serve as primary or comprehensive stroke centers, the council leads the largest teleNeurology practice in the U.S., providing acute and routine neurological care, including stroke and thrombolytic treatments, across the country on a daily basis. …Furthermore, the council welcomes the addition of Drs. Tom Faber, M.D. and Martin Fowler, D.O. to the team. Drs. Faber and Fowler will join a team with a combined 80+ years of clinical experience. The Leadership Council counts among its members: …Theodore T. Faber, M.D., FAAN – Member at Large/Service Line Excellence
Dr. Faber received his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia in 1985 before completing his Neurology residency at Boston City Hospital in 1989. He is board-certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry.
Cision
Dr. Jones has gained the attention of Find Local Doctors for his consistent exceptional reviews from patients. Find Local Doctors is an easy-to-navigate online directory that helps consumers connect with local physicians who are qualified and reputable. Dr. Mark Mitchell Jones of Atlanta Plastic Surgery Specialists P.C. is a well-respected pioneer in his field, with 20+ years of experience. He is widely known for his ability to perform procedures with a skilled and artistic hand, offering a variety of premier plastic and reconstructive services, aesthetic procedures and the correction of complex genetic deformities. …Dr. Mark Mitchell Jones is an internationally educated, world-class trained and double board certified (plastic surgery and ENT) surgeon. He received his medical degree from The Medical College of Georgia
Cision
NDA Partners Chairman Carl Peck, MD, announced today that Dr. Linda McKibben, a former Pediatric Medical Officer/Clinical Reviewer in the Division of Vaccines and Related Products at the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), has joined the firm as an Expert Consultant. Dr. McKibben’s expertise includes pediatric therapies, pediatric trials, preventative medicine, public health, health policy, and clinical regulatory strategy. …Dr. McKibben earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, Doctor of Public Health degree in Health Policy from the University of Michigan, Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University, School of Public Health, and bachelor’s degree in microbiology/pre-medicine from the University of Georgia.
Augusta CEO
MCG Joins Anesthesiology Continuing Medical Education Network
Staff Report
The Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University is now part of the continuing medical education network for the country’s largest physician-led group of anesthesiologists. The department, along with the AU Interdisciplinary Simulation Center, has been approved as part of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Simulation Education Network. As part of the network, the simulation center, the first to be approved in Georgia, will be a site for part of the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) training program — a requirement of the American Board of Anesthesiology.
The Macon Telegraph
Meet the Georgia family fighting to strengthen state’s organ transplant laws
BY NICK WOOTEN
Gracie Joy Nobles likes to play with toys. The smiley, almost-11-month-old sat among a pile of shiny, loud objects, but her favorite is a rattle she got during a lengthy stay at a children’s hospital in Augusta. …Doctors told the Nobles family that Gracie was a miracle child. She was born in March 2019 with Down syndrome and a heart defect so serious that it required her to have open-heart surgery before she was four months old. …If their daughter had needed a new heart, the couple said, she might not have gotten one. Georgia doesn’t have a law in effect that prevents medical professionals from denying people organ transplants because of their disability. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act prevents this sort of discrimination, but transplant centers and medical professionals nationwide are often unaware, according to a federal agency that offers recommendations to lawmakers. The Nobles family, along with Georgia state Rep. Rick Williams, R-Milledgeville, and other disability advocacy groups, are working to get those protections passed here. The bill, entitled Gracie’s law, could be passed this year by the Georgia Legislature. …David and Erin Nobles, who met as freshmen at Milledgeville’s Georgia College & State University on Sept. 11, 2001, married in September 2008.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DeKalb County extends temporary ban on dollar stores
By J.D. Capelouto,
DeKalb County on Tuesday extended its temporary ban on new dollar stores amid residents’ complaints that they are “dragging down” neighborhoods. The county commission unanimously passed a 180-day extension to its moratorium on “small box discount stores,” following concerns from officials and residents over what they see as a proliferation of dollar stores. …Commissioners said the extension will give researchers from Georgia State University time to conduct an in-depth study on the impact of dollar stores in DeKalb.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s coronavirus guidance to schools: No need for drastic measures
By Ty Tagami
The threat of a global outbreak is enough to alarm anyone, especially parents, which explains why they’ve been “bombarding” schools with concerns about students they fear are infected with the new coronavirus spreading from China. That nation has responded to the global health emergency by locking down a city of millions, but with no known cases in Georgia, health officials here are advocating moderate measures. Trying to address the panic, they sent an advisory to schools Thursday that said students shouldn’t be forced to miss class time just because they or a member of their family had traveled there. Until further notice, the Georgia Department of Public Health says, the best way to prevent infection is to follow the age-old advice for the common cold and flu: wash hands regularly with warm water and soap, cough or sneeze into a handkerchief rather than on people, and stay home when feeling ill. And get the flu shot.
accessWDUN
US advises no travel to China, where virus deaths top 200
BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. advised against all travel to China as the number of cases of a worrying new virus spiked more than tenfold in a week, including the highest death toll in a 24-hour period reported Friday. The virus has infected almost 10,000 people globally in just two months, a troublesome sign of its spread that prompted the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global emergency. The State Department’s level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, the highest grade of warning, told Americans in China to consider departing using commercial means. “Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,” the advisory said.
WSB
WHO declares coronavirus a global public health emergency
By: Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared coronavirus to be a global public health emergency as more than a dozen countries deal with confirmed cases of the deadly virus. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Help Low-Income Students Hold Their Own on the Job Market
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Imagine you’re a college student trying to network for a first job or an internship when you don’t know a single person in the field you’re interested in, or even that “networking” is a thing that other students regularly do to land an interview or learn about a career. Many middle- and upper-income students acquire the knowledge and gumption to become good career networkers naturally, through their family connections or through programs offered by their colleges. (This Treks program at the University of Chicago, for example, seems like a pretty sweet opportunity.) I’m more intrigued by programs that help lower-income and first-generation college students.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
How Colleges Are Making Work-Study Programs More Equitable
by Sara Weissman
A lot of students work to pay for college – more than 80% of part-time students and over 40% of full-time students, according to U.S. government data. A popular option is work-study programs, that is, jobs on campus offered as part of a financial aid package. The problem is work-study jobs often involve little professional development to help students prepare for careers. Unpaid internships frequently do, but they don’t pay the bills. What if work-study wasn’t just about paying for college? What if it was a more intentional part of a student’s education? Colleges and universities are increasingly asking themselves these questions. And as a result, they have developed some innovative models to make on-campus employment a path to post-graduation jobs.