University System News:
Gainesville Times
‘Here and available’ – UNG clinics remain in service for health, mental needs
Nathan Berg
The University of North Georgia switched to all online classes on March 30, but the school’s health and counseling services have remained open and readily available to students in need.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Here and elsewhere, obesity a major factor in severe COVID-19 illness
By Andy Miller Georgia Health News
Obesity has emerged as a major predictor of severe COVID-19 illness, according to new research. That linkage is demonstrated in Albany, where dozens of patients have died of COVID-19 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Phoebe’s chief medical officer, Dr. Steven Kitchen, said the hospital has not yet gathered precise data on obesity rates of coronavirus patients. But he told GHN on Thursday that “a disproportionate percentage of our critically ill patients in our ICUs are morbidly obese.’’ …And Dougherty County has a higher obesity rate than the Georgia average, Kitchen said. The hospital is doing epidemiological studies on its COVID-19 patients with state public health officials and the CDC, as well as with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Phoebe Putney reported nine more COVID-19 patient deaths Thursday, bringing the hospital’s total to 64.
Middle Georgia CEO
Sheron Smith
Middle Georgia State University’s Center for Software Innovation is using high-end 3D printers to help create as many as 4,000 medical face shields for distribution to healthcare professionals at Robins Air Force Base, Houston Healthcare Center, and other facilities. “The shortfall of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical issue that needs an ‘all hands on deck’ response,” said Dr. Alex Koohang, dean of Middle Georgia State’s (MGA) School of Computing. “The Center for Software Innovation on our Warner Robins Campus is using its 3D printing capabilities to help meet this need.”
Atlanta Magazine
Georgia State University uncovers a promising treatment for COVID-19
By Michele Cohen Marill
The fastest way to find a new drug for COVID-19 is to try an old one. With that maxim in mind, Georgia State University virologist Mukesh Kumar ramped up a testing protocol in February just after reports emerged of the first U.S. cases of COVID-19, and on April 15, he released his findings about a promising candidate called auranofin. Auranofin is a compound that contains gold and has been used since 1985 to treat rheumatoid arthritis (although it has been largely replaced by newer drugs). In tests in his high-level biosafety lab, Kumar and his colleagues found auranofin reduced the amount of coronavirus in infected cells by 95 percent just 48 hours after they were treated with one dose. The drug also dramatically lowered the release of cytokines, proteins that send signals to the body’s immune system, summoning a response to an infection. When cytokines become overactive, COVID-19 patients sometimes suffer from severe lung damage caused by a “cytokine storm.”
WRDW
University Hospital starts producing isolation gowns in-house
By Brady Trapnell
Many hospitals have been accepting donations of PPE for their medical staff. With the ongoing pandemic and no clear end in sight, hospitals are having to stretch equipment. But, some hospitals are getting creative with keeping their stocks supplied. At University Hospital, it’s a production line for those on the frontlines. “PPE is lifesaving,” Laurie Ott, president of University Health Care Foundation, said. “We have to have it. And we just didn’t want to be in a position where we were reliant on an unreliable supply chain.” University Hospital is still accepting donations, but this week, they started solving equipment shortages on their own — by making isolation gowns right inside the hospital.
41NBC
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA UPGRADES ACCESS TO ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS
By Rashaad Vann
As part of schools moving to online learning, The University System of Georgia has launched a newly redesigned Georgia On My Line website that makes it easier for Georgians to explore online degree programs. Georgia On My Line website includes a searchable catalog of 585 online programs that features everything from certificates to doctoral degrees. The website offers a more user-friendly experience for visitors and the online catalog can be filtered by the institution, area of study, degree level and more. Users can specify searches for programs with special features such as Credit for Prior Learning opportunities or specialized program accreditation’s.
WGXA
Local university student and professor share challenges with online learning
by Nick Gibson
Students and faculty members are transitioning to online learning platforms that are causing new challenges in the education world. A professor at Middle Georgia State University(MGSU) says that one of the biggest issues is the lack of student engagement. Andre Nicholson says that the online format can make it difficult for teachers to know if students are focusing on the material properly. MGSU moved all of their classes online on March 30th due to COVID-19. Now students are required to turn work into their professors online for the remainder of the semester.
Albany Herald
By Jill Martin and Alicia Lee, CNN
Jeremy Klawsky, a video coordinator with the University of Georgia football program, was discharged Thursday afternoon from a hospital where he had been hospitalized for the past six weeks with Covid-19, the university’s athletics department announced. Klawsky, a 32-year-old from Plantation, Florida, was given a “Hero’s Walk” at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, where staff lined the hallways to bid him farewell. “This is what victory looks like. This is what hope looks like,” a Piedmont Healthcare tweet said.
WMAZ
MGSU adjusts academic calendar and deadlines following COVID-19 closings
VIDEO Jennifer Stenander with the enrollment office says their withdrawal policies and tuition plans will help students make decisions that will cost them the least
Albany Herald
Ag leadership professor receives highest UGA instruction honor
By Carolyn Payton CAES News
Nick Fuhrman, professor of agricultural leadership, education and communication in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the University of Georgia’s highest recognition for excellence in instruction. “The 2020 Meigs Professors draw on their expertise as leading scholars and researchers to engage students with innovative instruction that helps them thrive, both during their time on campus and after graduation,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “The University of Georgia is one of America’s most highly regarded public universities thanks to outstanding faculty members such as these.”
Tifton CEO
Tifton Resident Will Receive Outstanding Young Alumnus Award at ABAC
Staff Report
Alma Young from Tifton has been selected as the 2020 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award recipient by the ABAC Alumni Association at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. This award is normally presented at the Alumni Awards Luncheon at Homecoming each April but was postponed due to the pandemic. The event will be rescheduled, possibly during the fall term. The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award recognizes young alumni, 40 and younger, who have distinguished themselves through professional achievement, community service and service to the College. The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award was initiated in 1981 by a group of former publications editors and staffers in honor of Director of Student Publications Helen Strickland.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU, Chamber to have webinar on April 15
Staff reports
In collaboration with the College of Professional Education at Kennesaw State University, the Cobb Chamber will have a free webinar on April 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The webinar is part of a series modeled after KSU’s award-winning Executive Leadership Program. Dan Stotz, M.S., CPI, assistant dean of Strategic Partnerships at KSU, will help participants take their leadership skills to the next level.
The Chatsworth Times
Dalton State’s tuition and fees will remain the same for the 2020-2021 school year after the Board of Regents approved no increase in tuition at any of the 26 University System of Georgia (USG) institutions, including Dalton State. Residents of Georgia or Tennessee taking 15 credit hours will pay $2,123 a semester, while those outside of Georgia or Tennessee will pay $6,478 for 15 credit hours.
IEEE Spectrum
Mainframes Are Having a Moment
Interest in degree and non-degree training in Cobol and enterprise computing languages was on the rise even before the COVID-19 crisis
By Michelle V. Rafter
If there’s a silver lining to state unemployment insurance systems’ failings caused by the COVID-19 crisis, it’s the attention being paid to the need for people who can program mainframes and work on enterprise-level technology. Institutions of higher education and companies that sell and rely on mainframe tech are using the situation to trumpet the number of well-paid mainframe programmer and system administrator jobs and the need to train people for them. Although many college and university computer science departments have cut back or dropped mainframe programming curriculum to focus on more modern languages and technologies, faculty and staff at others report an uptick in interest in Cobol and related classes. The increase began well before pandemic-related layoffs inundated state unemployment agency computer systems, causing government officials to put out the call for programmers who know Cobol to step in and help. …Not all employers want to talk about their mainframe needs, possibly for fear of sounding dated. “I’ve changed my language for talking about it. I’m not using ‘legacy’ anymore,” said Art Recesso, chief innovation officer for the University of Georgia System board of regents. The 26-school system launched a $20 million financial-technology curriculum initiative two years ago that includes teaching more mainframe programming.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Libraries Brace for Budget Cuts
University librarians are preparing for tough times ahead, even though the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood. Could big deals with publishers be on the chopping block?
By Lindsay McKenzie
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, library budgets were hit hard. Cuts were widespread and ran deep. Staff, collections, equipment and facilities at even the wealthiest institutions were affected. While tough economic times call for all areas of an institution to tighten belts, libraries seemed to be particularly adversely impacted by the recession. Library budgets as a percentage of total institutional spending shrank, and in some places they never fully recovered. Now, librarians are preparing for another wave of cuts, this time prompted by the economic contraction tied to the global pandemic.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: 650 coronavirus deaths reported as Georgia tops 17K cases
By Chelsea Prince
More than 3,500 new coronavirus cases and 150 deaths have been verified across Georgia since the week began. With the Georgia Department of Public Health’s update at noon Friday, the state now has 17,194 verified cases and 650 deaths due to the novel coronavirus. The latest data represents a 26% increase in confirmed infections and 35% increase in deaths since Monday. Health officials acknowledge data is lagging, and those figures do not represent the severity of the crisis in Georgia in real time.
Albany Herald
Phoebe sees one of its worst days for COVID-19 deaths
By Alan Mauldin
While the number of new COVID-19 cases seems to have peaked for the Phoebe Putney Health System, the number of Wednesday deaths matched the highest daily total since the coronavirus crisis began. Phoebe reported on Thursday that nine patients had died in Albany over the previous 24 hours. Mitchell County also has seen a sharp increase in the number of deaths, with the 20 fatalities of residents who tested positive for the coronavirus the sixth-highest total in the state, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Kemp limits legal liability of hospitals, staff during pandemic
By Chris Joyner and Sarah Kallis
Hospitals, nursing homes welcome the protection. Order is a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card,’ says one critic.
Gov. Brian Kemp has used his emergency powers to protect Georgia’s strained hospitals and medical workers from lawsuits related to the care they provide during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospital lobbyists thanked the governor for the executive order, signed Tuesday, but others are questioning whether the governor has gone too far. The order designates hospitals and front-line medical workers “auxiliary emergency management workers” and provides them immunity from personal injury lawsuits during the crisis should a patient be injured or die under their care. Kemp says the order provides necessary protections to healthcare workers in the state.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp devising plan to reopen Georgia for business
By Alan Judd and Greg Bluestein
Gov. Brian Kemp has quietly begun planning to reopen Georgia for business, weeks before the expected peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Aides to the governor acknowledged Thursday that Kemp has consulted with Georgia business and political leaders about how soon he should ease restrictions that have devastated the state’s economy while attempting to curb the virus’ spread. These discussions are in their early stages, the aides said. But they reflect Kemp’s eagerness to move past a public health crisis that has, so far, left hundreds of Georgians dead and thousands more sickened. In a statement released by his office late Thursday, Kemp said Georgia will follow federal guidelines and collaborate with health and emergency management officials to “develop a plan for safely returning to more routine operations.”