Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia National Guard opens drive-thru testing site at KSU
Staff Report
Under the direction of Gov. Brian Kemp, the Georgia National Guard has selected Kennesaw State University to host a new drive-thru site to test Georgians for COVID-19, the university announced in a news release. The testing site, located on the university’s Kennesaw campus, will be commanded by the Georgia National Guard, with testing performed by medical personnel from Augusta University.
41 WMGT
MGA Using 3D Printers to Help Create Thousands of Medical Face Shields
By Shelby Coates
Middle Georgia State University’s Center for Software Innovation is using 3D printers to help create thousands of medical face shield components. According to a MGA news release, the printers are creating 4,000 medical face shields for distribution to healthcare professionals at Robins Air Force Base, Houston Healthcare Center and other facilities.
Valdosta Daily Times
Bearing a Burden: VSU employee helps students in need
By Juston Lewis
During times of need, people often lean on the kindness of others. Sometimes that kindness can evolve in unimaginable ways. That’s what occurred when Graham Nguyen, video production coordinator and marketing videographer, decided to donate boxes of food for Valdosta State students unable to return home after most residence halls closed. Nguyen asked a small group of friends for monetary assistance to get supplies for the boxes, but thanks to the help of outside contributors, he gave away more than 120 boxes. “The food boxes are mainly for VSU students that are still here locally,” Nguyen said via phone interview last week. “I knew that there were still going to be some number of students that were still going to be in the dorms. I know that basically campus asked them that if it’s possible for them to go then they need to go but not every student has a place to go back to or a safe place to go back to.”
Coastal Courier
Food grown at GSU campus goes to Second Harvest to help feed those in need during COVID -19 pandemic
Sustainability is at the forefront of the FORAM Sustainable Aquaponics Research Center (SARC) on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah, even during a pandemic. SARC recently donated produce grown at the aquaponics farm on campus to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. Donations like this, as well as other community service projects, are a large part of SARC’s mission.
Tifton CEO
Hawkinsville Resident to Receive Master Farmer Award at ABAC
Staff Report
The ABAC Master Farmer Award is presented by the ABAC Alumni Association in recognition of alumni who have distinguished themselves as outstanding farmers. The award is based upon leadership in the home and community as well as the use of wise and unique ideas in farm management and operations. Service to the college is also taken into consideration. The Master Farmer Award was first presented in 1955, making it the oldest of the awards presented by the Alumni Association.
Same story appeared on WALB
VSU students, faculty making face masks for those in need
By Damon Arnold
With loads of time on their hands, many people are trying to figure out how to stay busy and productive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty and students at Valdosta State University have found a way to help save lives with their quarantine free time. Faculty and staff are creating highly-demanded face masks for healthcare workers, first responders and high-risk individuals. “I hear ambulances and things like that and police sirens all the time and I know that they’re out there and they are on this frontline helping people, they are protecting our streets and it is important to keep them safe,” Chalise Ludlow, VSU assistant professor and costume designer, said.
The George-Anne
Provost says Georgia Southern’s transition to online classes has been going well
· By Abby Fuller
Although the past few weeks have been unexpected and a challenge for many people, Georgia Southern University faculty and staff have come together to assist each other and their students during the transition to online classes. GS Provost Carl Reiber answered some questions about the transition and what students can expect for the remainder of this semester.
UGA Today
Study to analyze pandemic’s impact on teaching
By Mike Wooten
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering have been awarded a National Science Foundation Rapid Response Research grant to study how STEM programs and the social structures around them adapt in times of crisis. The NSF’s RAPID program funds proposals that require quick-response research on disasters and unanticipated events.
WTXL
Valdosta State using Concierge Coaches to assist students during pandemic
By Brian Jackson
The academic age of coronavirus has students quickly adjusting to a new way of learning, many mid-semester when the pandemic took hold. Now completing courses can be more of a challenge. Valdosta State University is using concierge coaches make sure their students needs are being met, beyond the books. The idea started around the time the University was making plans to transition courses on-line. School administrators from the VP of General counsel to even the head football coach, all have a list of students to check on at least once a week. But, this isn’t just an academic check-in. It’s more about the students well being from food, housing, and mental health.
FOX 5 Atlanta
Free 360 college campus tours to students sheltered-in-place
By Claudia Kelly-Bazan
With millions of students now learning at home during COIVD-19, some students are struggling to figure out how to make one of the most important decisions in their lives. We’re talking about college.
Other News:
WSBTV.com
CORONAVIRUS IN GEORGIA: First patients treated at Georgia World Congress Center
By News Staff
· The first COVID-19 patients are being treated at the Georgia World Congress Center. Channel 2′s Richard Elliot confirmed are seven patients at the facility. Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted five patients are from Grady Hospital and two more will join them later. The cases being treated at the GWCC will be mild to moderate cases that do not need a ventilator. Elliot toured the facility last week with Kemp. The goal is to host patients who didn’t have a safe place to stay while freeing up hospital space for the most critical COVID-19 patients.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC)
Georgia prepares to launch new coronavirus tracing program
By Tamar Hallerman and J. Scott Trubey
The state’s public health office is on the brink of launching a new contact tracing program that aims to quickly track down Georgians who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. The effort, which officials say will involve hundreds of trained state employees and volunteers, is one of the cornerstones of Gov. Brian Kemp’s effort to reopen the economy.
AJC
As boards meet in cyberspace, hearing the public becomes a challenge
By Arlinda Smith Broady
The Executive Board Room in the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center lacked its usual buzz at the Gwinnett County Board of Education monthly meeting last week. In the midst of the conronavirus pandemic, there was about a third of the usual attendees — department heads, school administrators and staff set to assist with presentations. And there were no observers because the district conducted the meeting virtually, with the two board members present sitting at computer screens. Three chose to attend from home.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Can Public College Systems Stave Off Closures?
By Emma Whitford
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education forecasts a $52 million loss, even after federal stimulus money is applied. The University of Alaska system projects a $35 to $40 million loss. The University of Maine system is looking at a $20 million short-term loss. Many states have announced, or will announce, budget cuts as a result of the coronavirus, and higher education funding is expected to take a big hit.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Here Are the Covid-19 Legal Risks You Need to Know About Now
By Alexander C. Kafka and Nell Gluckman
Small print is getting enormous attention as the novel-coronavirus crisis triggers what promises to be a tsunami of college litigation and insurance claims. Billions of dollars are at stake, and suits related to the pandemic will last years, according to more than a dozen higher-education lawyers, risk-management consultants, and insurance experts.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
More College Students May Need Remedial Help This Fall. Can They Get It Online?
When classes were forced online amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Pam MacDonald had to scramble along with her students to find a decent internet connection in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.
The New York Times
Expect College Football to Take a Slow Road Back
By The Associated Press
While professional sports leagues can ponder plans to isolate their athletes from the new coronavirus and have them play in unusual, even secluded places, college sports have no such option. Pro sports leagues can get creative with solutions to save their multibillion-dollar businesses. College sports will take a slower road back.
University Business
Helping peers across the nation create tools for effective online learning
By Stefanie B.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces universities across the nation to quickly transition from in-person to online instruction, faculty members are focusing on how to make this change while continuing to maintain quality academic experiences and assess learning outcomes. Sharing insights on creating well-developed online learning experiences that are meaningfully different from mirroring face-to-face instruction in a virtual classroom was the goal of two Virginia Tech faculty members in an article published recently by EDUCAUSE – a nonprofit association that helps higher education elevate the impact of IT.
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education
Policy Brief Suggests Reforms to Address Student Debt Crisis During the Pandemic
By Sarah Wood
As part of coronavirus relief for student loan holders, Congress last month voted to suspend loan payments for six months. Individuals do not have to make student loan payments until October 2020 and there will be no accrual of interest and penalties during that time.
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education
Dr. Virginia Roach Trailblazes Ways for Women in Academia
By Sarah Weissman
Dr. Virginia Roach, dean of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education, started her career with a job as a dishwasher in an on-campus daycare center. There, as an aspiring chemical engineer, she was asked to tutor a child with learning difficulties and came to the realization that “this is for me.”
Tulsa World
Oklahoma higher ed chancellor to lead 16-state task force on COVID-19 pandemic recovery
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson will lead a new 16-state task force on how to address the challenges facing colleges, universities and their students during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. The newly launched Higher Education Recovery Task Force will bring together higher education leaders from Southern Regional Education Board.