University System News:
Leominster Champion
Breakfast to feature Mall at Whitney Field’s new owner
The next edition of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber’s popular Good Morning North Central breakfast series is scheduled for Thursday, March 12 from 6:45-8:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster. The March edition is sponsored by the DoubleTree by Hilton. The Good Morning North Central series is a high-profile, fast-paced and educational breakfast program geared towards executives, senior managers, professionals and business owners. Each of the programs has a business-oriented focus and features popular speakers to present on topics of interest to local businesses. The featured speakers for the month of March are Carolyn Kirk, executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and Jim Hull, owner and managing principal of the Hull Property Group. …Hull is a lifelong resident of Augusta, Georgia, and is an active communicant of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. He is also on the boards of the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, Board of Visitors of Augusta University, AU Health System, State of Georgia’s REACH Scholarship Program, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Community Foundation of the CSRA and America’s Warrior Partnership. He is the past chair of the University System of Georgia Foundation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Dual enrollment changes; coronavirus impacts colleges
By Eric Stirgus
College administrators have spent a lot of time in recent weeks determining how to deal with the coronavirus as federal officials urge against travel to some nations with study abroad programs. Here’s the latest on this and other news in the latest edition of AJC On Campus.
Georgia colleges grapple with coronavirus …About those Spring Break plans Georgia Tech sent a message Tuesday to student families asking them to ensure their children act cautiously concerning Spring Break travel plans. …Dual enrollment changes Georgia’s House of Representatives on Tuesday passed House Bill 444, which would limit state-funded college courses for high school students to 30 credit hours. …In other legislative news…A personal fight against campus hazing …The HBCU “paradox” …UGA student named to state boardCollege students often complain elected officials don’t seek their input. Well, there’s one University of Georgia student who will be heard. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday announced he’s named UGA student Ethan Pender to the Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism.
WRBL
by: Jemeisha Lyde
Columbus State University says it has canceled its spring and summer international study programs in China, South Korea, and Italy due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. Citing worries after two cases of coronavirus COVID-19 infections in Georgia, university officials say campus leaders and emergency management personnel are keeping a close eye on updates, and potential effects to campus. The university also says they have advised faculty to cancel any travel commitments to China, South Korea, or Italy and that other international travel should be considered only after Center for Disease Control and Prevention warnings and guidelines are reviewed.
MSN
AUMC takes precautions on coronavirus as untrue rumors swell
Jeremy Turnage, Ciara Cummings
After rumors of a potential case of coronavirus swirled, Augusta University Health moved to stop the rumors in their tracks. In a statement, AU’s chief medical officer, Dr. Phillip Coule, said there had been no positive cases of the virus and no one under investigation. Officials believe the rumor came from concern about several particular cases that turned out to be nothing more than flu-like illnesses. Coule says they’re hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. Previous flu pandemics and disaster training have prepared them with resources and experience. The hospital’s infectious disease team and laboratory staff is working around the clock.
ArchyWorld
Check if you are at risk based on your symptoms
NY: Researchers, including one of Indian origin, are developing a coronavirus application that would soon allow people to obtain a home risk assessment based on how they feel and where they have been in about a minute, and direct the which are considered at risk to the nearest final test facility. Researchers believe that the application should be available in a few weeks and will be free because it addresses a public health problem. It will also help provide local and public health officials with real-time information about the emerging demographics of those at higher risk for coronavirus so they can better focus on prevention and treatment initiatives, according to a study published in the journal Infection Control & Epidemiology hospital. “We wanted to help identify people who are at high risk of contracting coronavirus, help accelerate their access to detection and medical care and reduce the spread of this infectious disease,” said one of the study authors Arni S.R. Srinivasa Rao of the Medical College of Georgia at the University of Augusta in the United States.
Albany Herald
ASU’s Marion Fedrick delivers lecture at UGA ceremony
From staff reports
Albany State University President Marion Fedrick delivered the lecture at the University of Georgia’s College of Education Naming Ceremony. The ceremony honored Mary Frances Early, who was UGA’s first African American graduate and a pioneering educator. The lecture was the 20th annual Mary Frances Early lecture held at UGA. “As a fellow educator and UGA alumna, President Fedrick is the ideal choice to honor Mary Frances Early’s life and legacy,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said. “Her leadership of one of the state’s outstanding HBCUs, as well as her successful tenure as a vice chancellor of the University System of Georgia, demonstrates her accomplishments as a senior administrator and her strong commitment to creating opportunities through access to higher education.” Fedrick began her lecture by thanking Early for having the “courage, foresight and love to run into the storm for all of us.” Fedrick spoke about what it means to be a superhero, and noted Early surely is one. In addition to being UGA’s first African American graduate, she was valedictorian at both her high school and Clark College (Clark Atlanta University), a leader in her 37 years of service in public schools and a role model for many.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Georgia State Honors the Black Students Who Sued the University to Force Racial Integration
Georgia State University recently honored three women who sued for their right to attend the university in the 1950s in a groundbreaking court case that eventually led to the integration of Georgia State and other universities in the South. …The three women won the case in a 1959 court decision but were still prevented from enrolling at the institution through laws enacted by the state legislature and policies set forth by the board of regents. The case was the NAACP’s first federal court victory against segregated education in Georgia. Georgia State would not integrate until 1962. At the recent ceremony at Georgia State, the three women’s story was presented in a new mini-documentary from the university’s School of Film, Media & Theatre. The story is also told in the new book Ground Crew: The Fight to End Segregation at Georgia State (University of Georgia Press, 2019) authored by Maurice C. Daniels, dean emeritus and professor emeritus at the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia.
Griffin Daily News
Counselors help students apply for aid, manage debt
Affording college is a concern for many students and parents. More than one-half of Gordon State College students borrow money to pay tuition and other expenses, University System of Georgia data shows. Student loan debt accounts for nearly $1.5 trillion in federal and private loans, according to data from the Department of Education. Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA, can create concerns and a need for professional help. Gordon State College’s Financial Aid counselors are offering free assistance and answering questions in a dedicated night for this cause, FAFSA Night, scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 with sessions set for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Gordon’s new award-winning Student Services Center, 419 College Drive, Barnesville. Reservations are suggested and dinner will be served.
Tifton CEO
ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame Announces 2020 Inductees
Staff Report
Eight individuals and one team will be honored with their induction into the Class of 2020 of the Athletics Hall of Fame on April 3 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC Athletics Director Alan Kramer said the 2020 class includes the 2002 women’s state championship basketball team, tennis player German Dalmagro, three-sport letterman Clayt Hurst, softball player Lee Davis Watson, soccer standout Nikita Morris, tennis player, coach, and contributor Margaret Treadway, contributor and volunteer assistant softball coach James Winfred “Vic” Vickers, contributor and volunteer assistant softball coach Jimmy Spurlin, and Director of Public Relations Emeritus Michael D. Chason. “This is our largest group of inductees, and they cover a lot of ground,” Kramer said “From all the way back to the ABAC football team to the soccer field and even the broadcast booth, we’ve got it covered this year. It’s going to be a fun night.”
WSAV
Former NFL athlete talks to Georgia Southern students about sustainability in sports
by: Ashley Williams
For retired NFL athlete turned environmental advocate Ovie Mughelli, becoming concerned about the fate and health of the planet was a no-brainer. “For me, it’s easy,” he told Georgia Southern University students on Tuesday at the Statesboro campus. “My babies, my kids.” The former Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens fullback was there to speak to the students as part of the university’s Sustainability Seminar Series.
Athens CEO
Gov. Kemp Names Nine Appointments to the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism
Staff Report
David Hamilton is the owner of The Hamilton Agency, an independent insurance agency in Athens. … Hamilton earned his bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Georgia in 1998.
Ethan Pender is a student at the University of Georgia, where he studies political science and Spanish. At the university, he has been involved in the Student Government Association, where he serves as attorney general, administering all student elections. …Mr. Pender also holds a Public Affairs Professional Certificate in Applies Politics from UGA.
Kristie Sharp serves as the manager of the Program Development Unit at the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Area Agency on Aging. …She is an Atlanta native and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
Matt Campbell serves as the Georgia Legislative Director for SMART Transportation Division. In 2016, he was named a Rising Star by Progressive Railroading Magazine, and he is a proud graduate of Kennesaw State University
Michael Smith is the executive director for the Greater Valdosta United Way, which covers five counties and partners with twenty nonprofits. …he graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in business.
Rosla G. Plant graduated from Columbus State University with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science. …She presently serves as the chair for the Meriwether County Industrial Development Board, and she continues to support civic duties through various opportunities.
The Gainesville Sun
UF names Sabyasachi Mitra business school dean
A senior associate dean from Georgia Tech has been appointed dean of the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Sabyasachi “Saby” Mitra, who is also a professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business, starts Aug. 1. Mitra will be responsible for Warrington’s strategy and vision, leading fundraising efforts and managing budget and personnel, according to a UF news release Tuesday.
Savannah Business Journal
Tax Commissioner Appoints New Chief Deputy
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
Julia Rodgers, CPA has been appointed as the new Chief Deputy Tax Commissioner by Tax Commissioner Danny Powers. “With her 20 years in government accounting, 15 years in the Tax Commissioner’s office, and vast knowledge of the operations and finances of the office, Julia is a natural fit to be promoted to this position,” Powers says of his choice for Chief Deputy. …She is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of Georgia Southern University where she earned both her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Accounting degrees.
Griffin Daily News
Georgia Archives tour to focus on textile mills
The Georgia Archives is hosting a “Stories of Southern Mills and Mill Villages” tour Saturday, March 14 from 10 to 11 a.m. The tour will begin with a short presentation on the evolution of textile mills beginning with water-powered mills in Rhode Island whose success was due to utilizing secret designs of textile factory machinery which were memorized and brought to Rhode Island from England by the “Father of the American Factory System” Samuel Slater. Cotton mills functioned in Georgia early on and increased in number and size after the Civil War. After 1880, as many Georgia mills became profitable, northern business interests began investing in Georgia mills. By 1900, textile manufacturing was a major industry in Georgia. …The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow. No registration is required.
Bluffton Today
Herb garden serves as living library on Georgia Southern’s Armstrong campus
By Steven Alford, For Savannah Morning News
Throughout history, herbs and plants have been cultivated not only as tasty fare, but for their medicinal purposes. Greek and Roman scholars as early as 300 B.C. created volumes of works about these healing plants that inspired centuries of European physicians and apothecaries. A new garden at the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus serves as a physical tribute to these eras of herbalism, featuring dozens of medicinal herbs, trees and shrubs. Called the Physic Garden, it serves as a living library for students to learn more about the plants’ healing properties, many of which are still used today. It is part of the arboretum on the Armstrong campus.
Jackson Progress-Argus
Gordon hosting Regional Workforce Pipeline Summit March 25
From Staff Reports
The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, Gordon State College and the Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial Development Authority will host a Regional Workforce Pipeline Summit, in an effort to tackle the challenges of improving the education and workforce pipeline. The goal for the day is for community leaders in a five-county region to see and hear region-specific education and economic data, and how it relates to strategies to strengthen the workforce pipeline. Educators, elected officials, community leaders and business owners are encouraged to attend.
Insurance News
Medicare program will allow Gold Cross more options for patients
Autumn Stalvey and Terry Wright see it frequently as they pull up in their Gold Cross EMS ambulance: a 911 call that is not a true emergency that would need hospital treatment. “We have a lot of cold and flu-type symptoms,” said Stalvey, a paramedic. “Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,” said Wright, an emergency medical technician. Those less acute patients, and the crew that transports them, then wait a long time in the ER waiting for a room, Stalvey said, “and then they are just passing germs back and forth waiting to be seen.” But soon, Gold Cross crews will have more options for Medicare patients. The ambulance service was one of seven in Georgia, and the only one in the Augusta area, to qualify for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services new program called Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport Model. That now will give ambulance crews three options, said Steven Vincent, vice presidnet for Gold Cross. …In addition to getting AU Medical Center, Doctors Hospital of Augusta, and University Hospital on board, Gold Cross also has agreements with University Prompt and Primary Cares, MedNow Urgent Care, and Perfect Health/AU Health System clinics to provide services and transport to those sites, he said. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is also on board for some of its patients as well as its Medicare Advantage patients, Vincent said, “which is huge because that just opens the door to so many more patients.”
Savannah Morning News
Visit Savannah honored with Travelblazer Award
The Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus honored Visit Savannah and its partners with the first-ever Travelblazer Award at its 2020 Winter Conference recently, the organization announced this week. The honor was conferred for the group’s work to bring a Savannah Landing Point exhibit to the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience museum in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. The Savannah Landing Point exhibit opened at the Dunbrody museum late last year. …The Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience is a walk-through living history museum demonstrating what the long and arduous journey across the Atlantic would have been like for those escaping the mid-19th century potato famine in Ireland. The Savannah portion of the attraction depicts what Irish immigrants would have experienced when they arrived in Savannah in the 1840s and 1850s. Data compiled by the Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern University indicates that as much as 60% of Savannah’s Irish community traces its ancestry to County Wexford.
Coastal Courier
Leadership Southeast Georgia launches 2020 program
The 28 members of Leadership Southeast Georgia’s (LSEGA) class of 2020 launched their first session with a close look at the coastal region’s natural resources in Brunswick, Ga. and on Little St. Simons Island. The leadership program draws together business and civic influencers from throughout Georgia’s 10-county coastal region to offer an in-depth look at the region’s challenges and assets. Members of the class also benefit from networking opportunities designed to boost collaboration and cooperation throughout the region. …This session was supported by sponsorships from Coastal Outdoor Adventures, Galis/Stewart Insurance, J H Parker Company, Inc. and Pinova. The 2020 program is proudly sponsored by Evans General Contractors; Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation; FPC of Savannah; Georgia Power; Georgia Southern University;
Tifton Gazette
Herbs and plants have medicinal use
By Maria M. Lameiras CAES News
Although you may not have the kind of backyard garden that University of Georgia horticulture Professor Jim Affolter has, you might find many natural and traditional remedies hiding in plain sight in your ornamental garden. “You’d be surprised at how many medicinal plants you may already have in your home landscape,” said Affolter, the Larry R. Beuchat Professor for Annual and Perennial Ornamental Plants Research, during his presentation, “Hidden Pharmacopeia: Your Ornamental Garden is a Medicine Chest,” given at the recent Georgia Green Industry Association Wintergreen 2020 conference. Using a slideshow to walk participants through Affolter’s own Athens home garden, he pointed out common landscape plants, bushes and trees that can be used for home remedies. “Nearly every culinary herb is a medicinal plant,” said Affolter who is the director of research at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at UGA and a researcher in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In one study, he said, extracts from 30 culinary herbs and spices were tested against bacterial cultures and all of the compounds either inhibited or killed at least 25% of the bacterial species tested.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3 charged, accused of dumping animal carcasses on UGA fraternity’s porch
By Zachary Hansen and Chelsea Prince
Police have charged three University of Georgia fraternity members after a skinned coyote carcass, several raccoon heads and other grisly animal remains were left on the front porch of a rival fraternity house last month. Brothers Carson Smith, 19, and Jackson Smith, 20, were arrested on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and cited for improper disposal of a carcass. Conner Dunahoo, 19, was cited for improper disposal.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Earnings Gains From Master’s Degrees
By Paul Fain
A newly released survey of employers found substantial wage premiums for graduates with master’s degrees compared to holders of bachelor’s degrees in the same majors. For example, the new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers found a projected annual starting salary of $58,166 for students who graduate this year with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The projected starting salary for graduates of a master’s program in business administration is $79,043, almost $21,000 more than graduates in the four-year equivalent.
Inside Higher Ed
Pentagon Proposes Cuts to Social Science Research
Trump administration proposes cutting Department of Defense program that funds social science research on topics of national security interest.
By Elizabeth Redden
The Trump administration has proposed cutting a Department of Defense program that funds unclassified, university-based social science research relating to topics of national security. Supporters of the Minerva Research Initiative say the program plays a critical role not only in funding important, policy-relevant research but also in building connections between social scientists and the military. Critics of the program raise concerns about the role Pentagon funding has played in shaping U.S. social science work in certain areas.
Inside Higher Ed
Health-Care Students on the Front Lines
Nursing programs emphasize infection-control strategies and adherence to protocols as new coronavirus spreads.
By Elizabeth Redden
A group of students studying and training in health-care disciplines at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, a public institution in Kirkland, Wash., which has been hard hit by the coronavirus, has been self-quarantined at home for 14 days after possible exposure to the virus in health-care settings. Four students at Los Rios Community College District, in California, were directed by public health authorities to self-quarantine after being exposed to the virus in the course of their professional medical duties. As the virus continues to spread to other parts of the country, public health officials and college administrators in allied health departments are urging special precautions for students studying for careers in the health professions and working along with or training under those on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.
AP News
Lawmakers urged to act now to save state university system
By MARC LEVY
The leader of Pennsylvania’s system of 14 state-owned universities told lawmakers Tuesday that it is urgent they act to help the schools in the face of sinking enrollment, rising student debt and a lagging commitment of public tax dollars to higher education. The system’s chancellor, Dan Greenstein, urged the House Appropriations Committee to approve legislation that would deliver cash and greater authority to the system over how it spends money and administers the schools. Greenstein, in office since 2018, has rejected calls to close struggling schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Inside Higher Ed
Coronavirus Looms Over March Madness
Two colleges have canceled basketball games with teams on the West Coast two weeks before the tip-off of intercollegiate basketball’s most profitable event, the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.
By Greta Anderson
College athletics officials are considering the impact of COVID-19, or the coronavirus, on upcoming intercollegiate conference and tournament play, with some colleges even canceling scheduled basketball games on the West Coast. The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced it had convened a panel of health experts on March 3 to advise the association’s decision making during a week when the virus led to the cancellation of large national meetings and events. Conference tournaments for men’s and women’s basketball teams loom in the next two weeks. And the NCAA’s March Madness Tournament, which will involve competition between 68 Division I men’s basketball teams from across the country at arenas in 12 different states, begins March 17. The women’s tournament begins March 20 and will involve 64 Division I teams competing first at various campuses, then at arenas in five states.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Coronavirus Threatens to Upend Higher Ed. Here Are the Latest Developments.
Last updated (3/4/2020, 5:38 p.m.) with news of more suspensions of international travel, new guidelines from a campus health association, and reverberations in college athletics, among other things.
The novel coronavirus and Covid-19, the disease it causes, are becoming a public-health threat across the world, fueling fears of a possible pandemic. As more cases are reported, colleges are re-evaluating their study-abroad programs, moving courses online, and taking other preventive measures. Meanwhile, some academic associations are canceling their conferences. We’ve compiled what you need to know — to be updated regularly — on the virus’s spread and its implications for higher ed.
Which American campuses have reported cases? …How has Covid-19 affected study-abroad programs and travel? …How else are campuses preparing for a possible pandemic? …Have academic associations canceled conferences? …How has Covid-19 affected college athletics? …What will be the long-term effects on higher education? For American colleges at the height of the admissions season, the virus is forcing them to work on parallel tracks for international students. On one, it’s business as usual. On the other, they are planning for a myriad of contingencies. Will the students be able to come to the United States for the fall term? Will they want to? “We can only base our decisions on the information we have, so the coronavirus just can’t come into play,” one admission officer told The Chronicle. Still, in the back of her mind, she is thinking about “Plan B, Plan C, Plan D.” Meanwhile, the coronavirus’s swift spread has exposed the vulnerabilities of a globally interconnected world, and it could prompt some families to keep their children close to home. Colleges have also confronted an unwelcome side effect of the paranoia surrounding the virus: discrimination. Leaders on several campuses, including Penn State, Syracuse, and Northwestern, have taken pains to emphasize not targeting people of Asian descent, after reports of anti-Asian discrimination on campuses. …Where can I find reliable information about Covid-19 and the novel coronavirus?
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Enrollment Headaches From Coronavirus Are Many. They Won’t Be Relieved Soon.
By Karin Fischer
…For American colleges at the height of the admissions season, the outbreak of the contagious respiratory illness is forcing them to work on parallel tracks. On one, it’s business as usual. On the other, they are planning for contingencies, including the possibility that Covid-19, the coronavirus’s formal name, could prevent large groups of international students from enrolling next fall. A sudden decline, even a temporary one, in overseas enrollments could deprive colleges of the academic, cultural, and social benefits they bring. It could also be an enormous financial blow to many institutions, which have come to rely on international students and their tuition dollars. The 1.1 million international students in the United States contribute $41 billion annually to the American economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. “This to me is already more significant than anything I’ve had to deal with in my career.” That unprecedented level of internationalization — along with the global nature of the disease outbreak — means colleges can consult no past playbook to prepare for the coronavirus, said Ronald B. Cushing, director of international services at the University of Cincinnati and a veteran international educator. “This to me is already more significant than anything I’ve had to deal with in my career.” … Advance Planning
For admissions officers, one of the most immediate issues is how to make decisions without materials that may be missing from student applications because of the shutdown of schools or universities in a number of countries, including China, Italy, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Lindsay Ellis
A law-school scandal at Texas Southern University last year involved accusations that a staff member hoarded thousands of university dollars, took an alleged admissions bribe, and helped falsify a transfer student’s application, according to an internal report obtained on Wednesday by The Chronicle. The scandal appeared to touch off Texas Southern University’s recent leadership crisis — culminating in a vacated presidency, protests against the board, and accreditor questions. This week the president of Dillard University urged prospective presidents not to take the job unless the entire Texas Southern board turned over. Regents first announced admissions improprieties in November. Then, earlier this year, they accused Austin A. Lane, then the university’s president, of failing to report promptly to the board the allegations against the former assistant dean of law-school admissions. Lane and the board settled last month, ending the president’s contract with no admission of wrongdoing. The scandal has also caught the eye of the university’s accreditor