University System News:
Athens Banner-Herald
Regents set to eliminate most fees this summer, freeze tuition
By Lee Shearer
Pending state Board of Regents approval, the University System of Georgia will eliminate most mandatory fees for students this summer and reset the system’s in-state tuition charges for distance learning courses to match undergraduate in-state tuition rates. Chancellor Steve Wrigley also is asking Regents for no tuition increase for the 2020-21 academic year as the Regents meet Tuesday.
Savannah Morning News
Opinion
Dink NeSmith: South Georgia ‘Hill’ becomes a ‘mountain’
If you’re looking for a mountain along the flat South Georgia landscape, stop. But wait a minute. A Tattnall County “Hill” is rising from the sweet-onion region’s sandy soil to become a very notable “mountain.” How’s that? A “hill” can become a “mountain” if it’s named for the late Jack Hill. Sen. Hill’s death on April 6 was a thunderbolt to all who knew him. Tributes to the humble Reidsville grocer turned legendary state-budget guru are stacking mountain-high. If you know anything about Gold Dome matters, you know Sen. Hill was one of the most-respected authorities on Georgia’s multibillion-dollar budget. Gov. Brian Kemp called his colleague a “gentle giant.” Jack proved—through servant leadership—that you don’t have to be 10 feet tall to be a giant.
Middle Georgia CEO
Gordon Signs Transfer Admission Guarantee With FVSU
Staff Report
Gordon State College recently signed a Transfer Admission Guarantee with Fort Valley State University that will be in effect starting Fall Semester 2020. The program will be called the Highlander to Wildcat Program and program participants will be identified as H2W students at Gordon State College. “It was of the utmost importance to renew this long-standing partnership and model of collaboration,” Gordon State College President Kirk A. Nooks said. “Students will benefit from having an affiliation with two incredible institutions and complete this program with two degrees to highlight their work. This is another example of the Power of WE.” The provosts of Fort Valley State University and Gordon State College will work with the deans and faculty to create collaborative academic experiences for students in the program, such as undergraduate research.
Savannah Business Journal
Georgia Southern’s RiteCare Center receives $10K donation from Savannah Scottish Rite Masons
Savannah Business Journal Staff Report
The RiteCare Center on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus has received $10,000 from the Savannah Scottish Rite masons, a gift that will help fund the learning experience of students and support the success of speech therapy clients. The RiteCare Center is a teaching communication disorders center for students in the graduate Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) program. Under the supervision of experienced licensed and certified speech-language pathologists, graduate students in the CSD program provide low-cost services for children and adults with communication delays or disorders. “The gift provided by the Scottish Rite allows for the continuation of much-needed community support for those impacted by speech and language difficulties,” said Tory Candea, coordinator for the RiteCare Center.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s why most college students reportedly do not qualify for a stimulus check
By Lane Elder
If you’re 17 and older but can be claimed, you won’t get a check, Forbes says
As stimulus checks from the IRS start to enter bank accounts, a surprising group of the United States population will not qualify: college students. According to Forbes, the answer to whether you will receive money during the government payout during the coronavirus pandemic is whether someone claims you as a dependent on their federal tax return.
KSU The Sentinel
University temporarily removes SAT/ACT score requirements for admission
KSU is one of many schools in the University System of Georgia that has changed the SAT and ACT admission requirements for Summer and Fall 2020. Photo credit: Photo Courtesy of pixabay.com On Monday, March 23, Kennesaw State announced that SAT and ACT score requirements will not be necessary for those seeking admission to KSU for the upcoming Summer and Fall 2020 semesters. “This is a time for implementing flexible solutions to ensure that incoming college students are not harmed by the inability to take SAT/ACT tests,” KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten said. All other requirements such as completed high school curriculum and documentation, however, are still needed to gain admittance, according to KSU News. KSU took this measure based on policy from the University System of Georgia regarding the outbreak of COVID-19.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU senior art students go virtual with exhibition
Staff reports
Kennesaw State University School of Art and Design seniors usually have a capstone art exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery, complete with an opening reception catered by the students themselves. This spring, because of COVID-19 and the move to online learning, the students are instead hosting virtual exhibitions online. While they may miss the in-person adulation and the accompanying finger foods, the students are optimistic that they may actually reach more people via the internet. One of the classes, ART 4990: Senior Art Seminar and Exhibition, is a graduating senior capstone course that focuses on the development of a professional graduation exhibition, resume and professional portfolios and the exhibition pieces demonstrate work that represents both an individual style and a high level of conceptual ability and professionalism.
The Brunswick News
Kings Bay adds economic stability to county
By Gordon Jackson
Many business leaders across the nation are concerned about the ability of their communities to recover once the COVID-19 social distancing and shelter in place restrictions are lifted. James Coughlin, director of the Camden County Joint Development Authority, is not among them. What makes Coughlin so confident is the economic impact Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay has on the county and region. A Georgia Southern University and Camden Partnership study taken several years ago estimates the base has an overall annual economic impact of $1.142 billion to the local economy. A breakdown showed direct spending by the base of $855 million, with spending by other sectors generating another $287 million to local economies. A Georgia Southern University and Camden Partnership study taken several years ago estimates the base has an overall annual economic impact of $1.142 billion to the local economy. A breakdown showed direct spending by the base of $855 million, with spending by other sectors generating another $287 million to local economies. “Kings Bay makes up as much as 70 percent of our county’s economy,” he said. “It’s an enormous impact.”
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Pandemic Unsettles Hiring Cycle for College Presidents
The pandemic has thrown a wrench into searches for new college presidents. Some who’d planned to retire are staying a little longer, while colleges that need to hire new presidents are taking meetings online.
By Emma Whitford
Asked when he decided to delay his retirement, the California State University system’s chancellor laughed. “Oh, about 4 a.m.,” he joked. Timothy White had been thinking about postponing his retirement from leading the Cal State system for a while. He’d originally planned to exit on July 4, dubbing it his own independence day. Then, university system trips to Asia were canceled early in the year as the new coronavirus outbreak raged in China. In February, shortly after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Washington State, he knew the virus had the potential to spread throughout the United States and to the California State universities he oversees. “The pandemic was on my mind, and as I watched it come … I thought about why I had thought it was a good time to retire,” White said. He is proud of rising student success metrics over the eight years he’s led Cal State. With the university system headed in the right direction, he thought it was time to turn it over to a successor. But as colleges across the country began to close their campuses, White decided it was the wrong time for a leadership change.
Inside Higher Ed
Researchers say their results finding high levels of interconnectedness by virtue of students’ course enrollments suggest caution is warranted when it comes to resuming in-person instruction.
By Elizabeth Redden
As colleges grapple with the question of whether and when it will be safe to resume in-person instruction, a newly published working paper analyzing course enrollment patterns at Cornell University found that nearly all students are connected via a shared classmate. “Over a typical week, the average student will share classes with more than 500 different students,” one of the paper’s authors, Kim Weeden, said in a summary of the results on Twitter. “This number is higher for lower-division students, because they tend to take more large introductory courses. The average student can ‘reach’ only about 4 percent of other students by virtue of sharing a course together, but 87 percent of students can reach each other in two steps, via a shared classmate. By three steps, it’s 98 percent.”
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: Coronavirus claims the lives of more than 500 Georgians
By Chelsea Prince
Georgia’s coronavirus infections now number more than 14,000 as the state recorded its 500th death Tuesday. The latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health shows 14,223 confirmed cases statewide. Since Monday night, 21 more Georgians have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, bringing the state’s toll to 501. The worst may be yet to come. The number of critically ill patients is expected to surge in coming days, reaching the peak demand on health care resources by May 1. By May 3, projections show deaths in Georgia will reach their peak.
The Brunswick News
Kemp announces expanded virus testing criteria
By Lauren Mcdonald
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday that COVID-19 testing criteria in Georgia has been expanded to address lagging testing in the state. Testing criteria now includes workers in critical infrastructure and asymptomatic people who have had direct contact with coronavirus patients, Kemp said during a briefing in Atlanta. Testing will also continue to be prioritized for people showing symptoms and for first responders, health care workers, law enforcement and long-term care facility residents and staff regardless of symptoms, Kemp said.
Forsyth County News
Georgia’s projected COVID-19 peak is a moving target
May 1 latest projection according to model
Brian Paglia
Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, will peak April 26 in Georgia, even as the model the governor cited projected a peak date of May 1, underscoring the fluidity of the situation. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Georgia will reach its peak “hospital resource use,” which projects the number of hospital beds, ICU beds and invasive ventilators needed for COVID-19 patients, on May 1. That projection has repeatedly changed, Kemp said, from April 24 to April 20 and most recently April 26. That’s the date Kemp cited during his press briefing April 13 at Liberty Plaza in Atlanta. Just before Kemp spoke, the IHME’s website showed Georgia’s greatest need for resources is expected to be May 1, when the state is projected to need 807 ICU beds at hospitals, 218 more than its current capacity.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Race is on to prepare Georgia hospitals for COVID-19 peak
By Alan Judd
One month after Georgia reported its first death from the novel coronavirus, state officials are racing to ensure hospitals can handle a surge in critically ill patients — now expected in about two weeks. Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday that hundreds of beds for noncritical coronavirus patients could be quickly set up at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. This would free up space in hospitals for sicker patients by May 1, the expected peak of statewide demand on health care resources. With computer models projecting Georgia’s death toll to exceed 3,700 by summer, Kemp also relaxed protocols for who may be tested for the virus.
WSB-TV
New pictures show progress of turning GWCC into temporary hospital for coronavirus patients
By Michael Seiden
Channel 2 Action News is getting an inside look as crews transform the Georgia World Congress Center in a makeshift hospital for Georgians diagnosed with the coronavirus. Gov. Brian Kemp said he expects Georgia to hit its peak for the virus on May 1. Over the Easter weekend, crews began construction on the makeshift hospital inside the massive convention center in downtown Atlanta.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle
Marcus Foundation gives $2.1M to Grady Healthcare System to prepare for surge of COVID-19 patients
By Grace Donnelly – Reporter
The Marcus Foundation, the philanthropic organization of Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, has made a $2.1 million grant to the Grady Healthcare System in order to fast-track Grady’s surge capacity plan. The money will help to stand up patient beds, which are currently down by 220 due to the flooding experienced by the hospital in late 2019. “We have to do all we can to slow the spread of the virus and make sure our hospitals in our communities are prepared. Grady is an important part of that preparation and we salute those on the frontlines saving lives every day,” Marcus said. The grant will provide for 52 additional patient beds in preparation for a potential surge of COVID-19 admissions. Grady says this bed expansion is a priority as they continue preparations for the peak of COVID-19 cases in Atlanta. The hospital system is also securing personal protective equipment along with other supplies needed for the safety of patients and employees.