University System News:
WJBF
Georgia Governor Kemp taps Augusta University to lead fight against COVID with statewide testing
By Staff Reports
Thousands of Georgians to be screened through Augusta University app and tested with Augusta University swab technology. On Monday afternoon, Governor Kemp announced that Augusta University technology will be used statewide to help combat testing shortfalls throughout the state. He encouraged residents to use the Augusta Expresscares App for screening and then AU’s 3-D printed swab technology will be used to gather specimens for testing statewide. Governor Kemp said, Augusta University officials have built out a streamlined system to help Georgians throughout the state that will be utilized with the help of the Georgia National Guard. By then end of the week, according to Governor Kemp, all residents in the state should be able to access Augusta University’s app if they are feeling ill.
Athens Banner-Herald
AU/UGA Medical Partnership to begin COVID-19 mobile testing for underserved
By Lee Shearer
The Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership will turn its mobile health clinic into a mobile COVID-19 testing lab. Beginning two years ago, faculty and students at the medical partnership have been wheeling the Athens Free Clinic van out to high-poverty areas of Clarke County, where the numbers of uninsured and underinsured people are highest, and where health care access is lowest. Now, at the request of the Athens-Clarke County government, the clinic is partnering with the Northeast Health District, a unit of the Georgia Department of Public Health, in a project “coordinated” by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Savannah Business Journal
Andrea Appleton, Georgia Southern student, named Goldwater Scholar
By Staff Reports
Honors Program biology student Andrea Appleton was named a Goldwater Scholar, the highest national award for undergraduate students in the STEM majors. This is the second year in a row that a Georgia Southern student has been honored with this prestigious scholarship, which is awarded to undergraduates who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of research leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA students involved in effort to share coronavirus help resources
By Eric Stirgus
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a group of college students, many from the University of Georgia, to get involved in an effort to help students and others find resources to stay safe and healthy through the crisis. The students and some recent graduates have created a nationwide map with food banks, medical facilities, COVID-19 testing sites and other resources. As of last week, they identified more than 11,000 sites.
SavannahNow
Georgia Southern senior creates virtual graduation ceremony
By McClain Baxley
A week after Georgia Southern University canceled its spring commencement ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic, senior Becca Hooper started playing Minecraft to pass the time and cope with the loss of a graduation tradition. One day while playing the game on her PlayStation 4, Hooper and fellow senior Blakeley Bartee jokingly decided to build Paulson Stadium. Hooper posted the video of Paulson, decorated for graduation with chairs and banners, on March 20. More than 400 retweets later, Hooper was approached by GS officials, who had a plan to integrate her design with the virtual graduation.
CBS46
Local grading system spurs controversy with students
By CBS46 Staff
Several law school students in Georgia are upset with their school’s decision to maintain the current grading structure amid the pandemic. The schools are receiving backlash and a petition is going around after nearly every other law school around the country changed the grading system to pass/fail.More than 100 law schools across the country have announced moves to mandatory pass/fail grades for the semester, including the majority of the top 14 law schools.
Atlanta Inno
How a Bike Trick and 3D-Printed Pistons Won a Pitch Competition
By Dyllan Furness
Matthew Byron, CEO of InspiRAD Designs and an interdisciplinary studies student at the University of North Georgia, recently created a customizable pneumatic piston designed to fit a rider’s specifications, offering versatility he says can’t be achieved in existing pneumatic pistons. He presented his creation at the 2020 innovateUNG Pitch Challenge in February and won the $2,000 first-place prize and $500 crowd favorite award.
Other News:
Albany Herald
Gov. Brian Kemp says some Georgia businesses can begin reopening — but precautions must be taken
By Beau Evans Staff Writer Capitol Beat News Service
Restaurants, gyms, barbershops and other popular gathering spots in Georgia will be allowed to reopen in the coming days amid signs the spread of coronavirus is slowing down, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday.
However, several businesses hit hard by virus-prompted closures will have to stay shuttered for the foreseeable future including bars, nightclubs, music venues and amusement parks, the governor said.The phased approach follows guidelines from federal officials and President Donald Trump, who has urged states to reopen many businesses following weeks of widespread shutdowns.
Washington Post
Amid bipartisan criticism, Treasury Dept. attorneys review bank seizures of $1,200 stimulus checks
By Jeff Stein and Renae Merle
The Treasury Department is reviewing whether it has the legal authority to prevent banks and private debt collectors from seizing $1,200 government stimulus payments, according to a person familiar with the internal deliberations, as blowback builds over private lenders clawing back parts of the emergency financial relief package. The review is being conducted by legal counsel at the Treasury Department, said the person, who declined to speak on record because the matter had not been finalized. It was unclear when a determination about the payments would be made.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
APS proposes graduation alternatives from drive-in to online ceremonies
By Vanessa McCray
The Atlanta school district has proposed four alternative ways to hold graduation ceremonies — from online programs to drive-in movie theater gatherings. But first, officials want to know how high school seniors prefer to mark the occasion.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Virtual Tours Grow, but Will They Have Same Impact?
By Scott Jaschik
It’s the time of year when students visit the colleges they may attend in the fall. Except this year, students can’t visit. And while many colleges have delayed the date by which students must reply to their offers of admission, students must answer them before campus tours will resume. So colleges are turning to virtual tours. At Agnes Scott College, a women’s college outside Atlanta, students can visit a range of academic and other facilities: the quad, the dining hall, the library, science labs, dormitory rooms and more. It’s a chance to woo students with a beautiful campus — even in videos.
Chronicle of Higher Education
43% of College Fund Raisers Don’t Expect to Meet Goals
By Emily Haynes (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Higher-education fund raisers largely have a bleak outlook for the year ahead, according to a new survey of 415 advancement professionals at 48 colleges and universities. The survey, conducted by the educational advancement firm Washburn & McGoldrick, found that 43 percent of college and university fund raisers do not expect to meet their institution’s fund-raising goals this fiscal year. Just 22 percent do expect to meet those goals.
Chronicle of Higher Education
The Next Casualty of the Coronavirus Crisis May Be the Academic Calendar
By Beth McMurtrie
Should colleges split the semester into smaller parts, as Beloit College did? Beloit is one of the first colleges to lay out a new course schedule for the fall, but every institution will face the same quandary. Even if the coronavirus wanes over the summer, public-health officials say, it is likely to resurface once large groups of people — say, students in lecture halls or dormitories — begin to congregate. The solutions will depend on whether a campus is large or small, residential or commuter, mainly undergraduate or with extensive graduate programs. But all are weighing a collection of options and interlocking scenarios, each of which will force a reconsideration of bedrock assumptions about the academic calendar, and of the shape and trajectory of college life.
Chronicle of Higher Education
How Colleges That Serve More Part-Timers Ended Up With Less Coronavirus-Relief Aid
By Eric Kelderman
Amarillo College and Brown University are very different institutions. The two institutions now have one thing in common: Both are receiving about $4.8 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Cares) Act, meant to help students and colleges weather the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Half of that money must be given to students to help them cover unexpected costs resulting from the disruption of their education. Amarillo and similar institutions, however, must spread that amount over a much larger population of disadvantaged students than do colleges like Brown. The situation is the result of the formula that Congress chose to allocate the more than $12.5 billion that will go specifically to colleges. In the law, Congress specified using the measure of “full-time equivalent” students rather than a simpler head-count figure to allocate the dollars.
Forbes
How Student Authentication For Higher Ed, High-Stakes Exams Can Mitigate Fraud
By Tony Raval
Higher education, especially in the realm of distance learning, is becoming highly sought-after. Many executives, as well as people who are seeking to add credentials, are committing time and money to add value to their resumes. From certificate training to doctorate-level degrees, online distance learning is a hot trend and accessible from virtually any device. This point becomes even more relevant in times when many universities and online programs are forced to conduct courses online due to social distancing. How do institutions establish that the student who registers in the distance learning program is the same student who participates in and completes the program? How will institutions administer high-stakes exams and confidently identify students? These questions become even more scrutinized because institutions need to prove to grant and loan providers that actions are being taken to mitigate the risks associated with distance education and fraud.