University System News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Some Colleges Plan to Open in the Fall. Will Students Show Up?
By Audrey Williams June
As an unprecedented spring semester in the coronavirus pandemic comes to a close, colleges and universities have begun to announce their plans for the fall. For a growing number of institutions — the University of Alabama system, the University of Vermont, Baylor University, and Nicholls State University among them — the plan is to resume in-person teaching. What that will actually mean in practice remains undetermined. The University System of Georgia, for example, recently said it plans to start a “phased, gradual reopening” over the summer, though plans remain “fluid,” according to The Red & Black, the student newspaper for the flagship campus in Athens. Despite colleges’ pronouncements, a key question remains: Will students show up?
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College preparing to offer new bachelor’s degree in health science
By Curt Yeomans
Georgia Gwinnett College is expected to soon begin offering a new bachelor’s degree in health science in an effort to help meet a need for skilled health professionals, school officials recently announced. The new bachelor of science degree is still pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, but if approved it will provide students with both classroom instruction and real world experience in local hospitals, clinics and health departments. The degree would be offered through GGC’s School of Health Sciences, which already has an accredited nursing program.
Middle Georgia CEO
MGA Direct Energizes Middle Georgia State’s Fully Online Degree Options
When Christina McDaniel enrolled at Middle Georgia State University (MGA) in 2013, her love of literature drew her to the bachelor’s degree program in English. The Warner Robins native and Houston County High School graduate said she enjoyed her studies, but a nagging thought lingered: what would she do with her degree? …One day, in my Spanish class, I was talking to another student about it, and she said, ‘Have you heard of technical writing?’” …As she finished up her English degree in 2017, McDaniel began applying for technical writing jobs. She landed a position at Robins Air Force Base and now puts her English skills to good use proofing and editing technical manuals related to C-130 military transport aircraft. …With a goal of advancing in the field, she’s now enrolled in Middle Georgia State’s fully online Master of Arts in Technical and Professional Writing. Where her undergraduate degree mostly consisted of traditional classes, the online master’s program means McDaniel never has to go to an MGA campus. …In the U.S., the online degree market was once dominated by for-profit institutions. Their enrollments began to fall as many traditional public and private institutions expanded online offerings to compete for the growing numbers of non-traditional-college-age students – many of whom are already in the workforce – that prioritize convenience and cost over customary university experiences. Middle Georgia State is part of that shift, with the percentage of students considered fully online growing significantly over the last four years. In fall 2015, just under 11 percent of the University’s students took all of their classes online. In fall 2019, it was 25.62 percent.
Athens CEO
UGA Offers 10 Free Continuing Education Courses through June 30th
Sue Myers Smith
Free, self-paced online courses are now available to the public from the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. These courses cover a variety of hard and soft skills that apply to workers across a wide range of industries and fields, and will be available at no cost through June 30. “Developing the right skills — technical as well as people skills — is vital for both job seekers and those who are currently employed,” said Stacy Jones, interim director of the Georgia Center. “We all are living in difficult times, and these courses on effective communication and customer service are useful in every work setting.” The courses include topics covering website coding skills, marketing, personal finance, communication, supervision and management, customer service and searching for jobs.
WRDW
Augusta University to give students a week off during rescheduled Masters
Augusta University will add a weeklong fall break Nov. 9-13 to coincide with the recently rescheduled Masters golf tournament. The move follows similar ones by local school districts. To accommodate the additional days in November, fall classes will start Aug. 10, two days earlier than originally scheduled. Those extra days will be combined with the two-day “fall pause” students normally receive in October and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to create a fall break without harming students academically. The legendary local golf tournament – a keystone of the region’s economy – was postponed from April due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When Augusta National Golf Club announced the Masters Tournament would be held in November, we started to receive questions from students, faculty and staff about how Augusta University would operate,” AU Provost Gretchen Caughman said in a virtual town hall meeting for the AU community.
The Red & Black
Samantha Perez | Staff Writer
…Fourteen other students joined Jones in relaying their hardships to the state representatives to support their call to implement a pass/fail system for the spring semester. The students argued that limited and varying access to resources left them on unequal footing and that students could lose scholarships if their grades drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five of the state representatives present explicitly vowed to discuss implementing a pass/fail system with the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. The deadline to submit final grades at UGA is May 11 at noon. A spokesperson for USG announced that it would not implement a pass/fail system on March 30. “In times of adversity, we should reach higher, not lower,” the statement read.
Ledger-Enquirer
Meriwether coach’s inspirational story to become Hollywood movie filmed in Columbus
By Mark Rice
The inspiring story of Jeremy Williams, the former Kendrick High School football star and Greenville coach diagnosed with ALS in 2008, will be told in a faith-based movie by Hollywood producers — and it will be filmed in the Columbus area. Steven Camp, executive producer of “The Jeremy Williams Story,” told the Ledger-Enquirer that the feature film is scheduled to have 11 weeks of preproduction work in Columbus this summer and start five weeks of shooting in September. …“We intend to use people from Columbus as much as possible actually in the movie, not just from the (Georgia Film) Academy,” he said. The GFA includes students from Columbus State University who work on movie sets in the region to gain experience in the industry. Columbus also is home to the Springer Theatre Academy, the Springer Film Institute, and the Georgia Repertory Theatre, which have provided talent and resources for productions shot in the area.
Growing Georgia
Tifton Resident Will Receive Outstanding Educator Award at ABAC
By: ABAC
Dr. Frank Flanders from Tifton has been selected as the 2020 Outstanding Educator Award recipient by the ABAC Alumni Association at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. This award is normally presented at the Alumni Awards Luncheon at Homecoming in April, but the luncheon was postponed due to the pandemic. The event will be rescheduled, possibly during the fall term. The Outstanding Educator Award recognizes alumni involved in the education field, ranging from elementary school to college. Open to both active and retired educators, the Alumni Association began presentation of the award in 1995.
Athens CEO
Two CAES Faculty Members Named Distinguished Research Professors
Josh Paine
Two faculty members in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Katrien Devos and Ignazy Misztal, were recently named Distinguished Research Professors during the University of Georgia’s Honors Week celebration. The title of Distinguished Research Professor is awarded to faculty who are internationally recognized for their original contributions to knowledge and whose work promises to foster continued creativity in their discipline. The Research Awards Program is sponsored by the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF).
Tifton CEO
Lyons Resident Selected for J. Lamar Branch Award at ABAC
Staff Report
Brent Galloway from Lyons has been selected as the 2020 J. Lamar Branch 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 J. Lamar Branch Award for Outstanding Leadership in Agriculture is presented by the ABAC Alumni Association in recognition of alumni who have distinguished themselves through community service, professional achievement, and service to the College. The award was first presented in 1987. It is named in memory of the late J. Lamar Branch, a dedicated alumnus and statewide agricultural leader. A 1992 ABAC graduate, Galloway received an Associate of Science degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Animal Husbandry.
The Red & Black
UGA assistant professor receives grant from NSF
Sophy Macartney | Contributor
A University of Georgia assistant professor has received a $342,000 grant to study the success behind diversity in graduate engineering research labs. Her research will be conducted in a three-phase plan, according to a news release by UGA Today. Cheryl Gomillion was awarded the two-year grant by the National Science Foundation. Gomillion has an eight person team in the Riverbend Research Lab South building, according to the release. Five are female, two are African American, one is from Nigeria and another is from China. Gomillion will first learn research methods and analytical techniques from mentors, such as UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute Directors Joachim Walther and Nicola Sochacka. She will then apply these techniques by investigating research lab examples where underrepresented students do well, according to the release. The final phase is to aim future STEM research towards expanding minority participation in graduate engineering programs.
Yale Climate Connections
A leading scientist’s transition from climate science to solutions
How did Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb transition from a principal focus on coral reef studies to being ‘all in’ in pursuit of climate ‘solutions’?
By Dana Nuccitelli
Dr. Kim Cobb is an award-winning climate scientist at Georgia Tech and a lead author of the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. However, over the past several years, the very climate changes she has researched have conspired to change the course of her career. 2016 was the turning point. That year, global warming combined with a monster El Niño event to shatter the previous record for Earth’s hottest year and devastate the coral reefs she had studied for nearly two decades. In 2017 and 2018, flooding events along the Georgia coast brought the impacts of climate change even closer to home. “I decided to go ‘all in’ on climate solutions, personally and professionally,” Dr. Cobb said in a phone interview from her home office. She began changing her lifestyle to lower her personal carbon footprint, slashing her flights to scientific conferences despite that decision’s professional costs, and shifting her focus in the direction of climate solutions.
The George-Anne
Professor joins 2020 Southern Producers Lab
By Davis Cobb
Alongside nine other producers, Georgia Southern University’s Assistant Professor of Multimedia Film and Production Abbey Hoekzema has been selected as a fellow for the 2020 Southern Producers Lab. Presented by the New Orleans Film Society and focused on uniting producers across the South for a variety of projects and events, including discussion panels mentoring sessions, the program provides each fellow with travel support to New Orleans and New York, as well as a $2,000 support grant for any of their projects. Fellows are also expected to meet with industry leaders and more established producers to discuss topics such as festival strategy, funding, and story development.
Phoebe Health
Phoebe Prepares to Discontinue Coronavirus Testing Site As the State Takes Over COVID-19 Testing
With the new state-run coronavirus testing site in Albany, Phoebe will wind down operation of its coronavirus hotline and drive-through testing site. Phoebe became the first health system in the region to institute a coronavirus hotline on March 10 to answer questions about the virus and screen patients for potential coronavirus testing. Phoebe began operating a drive-through testing site on March 16. “Our hotline and drive-through testing sites have been a tremendous benefit to the people of southwest Georgia and have helped our region lead the way in COVID-19 testing in the state. Phoebe nurses have fielded more than 15,500 calls to our hotline, and our personnel have collected around 3,000 swabs at our drive-through sites in Albany and Americus. We appreciate the efforts of Gov. Kemp and other state leaders to open a testing site in Albany to handle this important function for our area,” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System Chief Executive Officer.
The Augusta Chronicle
Plasma therapy might be ‘promising’ for COVID-19 patients
By Tom Corwin
More than a dozen Augusta patients have received plasma from those recovered from COVID-19 and while it is early the results appear promising with no other proven treatment. Cathy Carter’s voice is raspy but strong. “When I first came in I was so sick,” she said from her room at AU Medical Center, where she is recovering from COVID-19. “But I’m much, much better. I breathe much better.” Carter, 78, was one of the latest Augusta patients to receive plasma from someone recovered from COVID-19 as part of a national study to see if it can help severely ill patients like her when there is no other proven therapy for the disease. AU Health System is one of around 2,000 sites in the U.S. administering what is called convalescent plasma to those very sick patients as part of a protocol being run out of the Mayo Clinic, said Dr. Rodger MacArthur, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Augusta University.
WGAU
UGA alum works as ICU doctor in local fight against coronavirus
By: Clarke Schwabe
Dr. Andrew McKown (BS ’07) walked into the intensive care unit of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center one morning early in 2020 at 7 a.m. He reviewed patients’ charts, consulted with staff on overnight developments, visited patients and performed a litany of medical tasks that kept him busy until about 7 p.m. That was three months ago. Today, McKown’s 12-hour day also includes multiple sets of gowns, masks and gloves he must wear all day long, phone calls providing updates to patients’ families who can no longer visit their loved ones, a hooded face shield blowing air in his face and the research required to keep up with a global pandemic. “It’s … been interesting,” said McKown. “My work has changed dramatically.” McKown is face-to-face with COVID-19, serving his community in a vital way few can, and his story began at the University of Georgia.
World News/U.S. News
Rapid virus tests come to Atlanta as testing slowly ramps up
Posted By: NEWSUS
CVS Health on Monday opened a drive-through coronavirus testing center in Atlanta that the company said can provide results within minutes. A Sandy Springs laboratory that’s developed its own testing protocol, meanwhile, said it will have capacity to process thousands of samples per day for customers such as major health systems and rural hospitals. The announcements come as cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, climb and as Georgia continues to rank near the bottom nationally in testing on a per capita basis, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis shows. The state has pledged to ramp up testing capacity, and last week announced a partnership between the University System of Georgia, Emory University and state agencies that is also expected to dramatically increase test processing capabilities. The state’s public health lab and facilities at Augusta University, Georgia State and Emory are expected to soon begin processing up to 3,000 tests per day, provided the state can source enough supplies.
Daily Mail
By Emily Crane
A new COVID-19 simulator tool is projecting that Georgia could see more than 23,000 deaths by the end of summer if the state is found to have relaxed its coronavirus lockdown measures too soon. Georgia is among the fastest in the US to reopen its coronavirus-ravaged economy despite warnings from health experts of a potential surge in infections and disapproval from President Donald Trump. Georgia currently has 24,604 cases and 1,022 deaths as of Tuesday. The model simulator, created by the Massachusetts General Hospital and Georgia Tech University, estimates that even lifting restrictions gradually over the next month could result in 23,400 projected deaths by August 30. Keeping current restrictions in place until July could contain the epidemic and could result in about 2,000 deaths, according to the model.
WABE
Isolated From The Coronavirus — And The Rest Of The World — On An Arctic Expedition
Molly Samuel
There’s a place where people still gather to eat and to hang out after work. A place where everyone knows they don’t have the coronavirus. It’s a research ship, full of scientists, trapped in the ice in the Arctic. The Mosaic expedition is a big international research project to study the Arctic. For a year, scientists from countries all over the world are taking turns living in a German icebreaker while the ship drifts in the ice. “It’s been kind of surreal to hear of the restrictions on daily life from family and friends back home,” said Chris Marsay, a research associate at the University of Georgia. He’s studying trace elements that get deposited on the surface of the ocean from the atmosphere – some good, like iron and zinc, which feed plankton – and some bad, like lead. He also occasionally takes shifts on polar bear guard duty, though none have been spotted since he started his stint on the boat, he said. When Marsay began traveling to the icebreaker, the virus was mostly limited to China.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp poised to lift restrictions, despite warnings of renewed outbreak
By Alan Judd and Greg Bluestein
Gov. Brian Kemp appears poised to ease social restrictions that created disruptions for millions of Georgians amid a still-spreading global pandemic. A month-old shelter-at-home order is set to expire just before midnight Thursday. But Kemp kept Georgians in the dark Wednesday about what comes next in the state’s fight against the coronavirus. “We will announce more tomorrow,” Candice Broce, the governor’s spokeswoman, said in an email Wednesday. She declined to comment further.
WRBL
Ramping up testing as statewide shelter set to expire in Georgia
by: Archith Seshadri
We’re now 24 hours away until Georgia’s statewide shelter expires on Thursday night at midnight — but the governor says he’s reviewing health data and may extend it. But if you’re medically fragile or an elderly individual, you’re asked to stay sheltered until may 13th, when the state’s public health emergency expires. The Governor says he’s confident about his decision and says Georgia ranks 13th in terms of testing and 36th in per capita testing, moving up 6 spots in just a week. Atlanta bureau chief, Archith Seshadri, explains how ready is the state when it comes to “Business as usual”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: Georgia reports 1,107 coronavirus deaths as cases surpass 26K
By Chelsea Prince
More than 26,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Georgia as of Thursday, officials said. The latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health shows 26,033 verified infections, an increase of more than 750 cases in the past 24 hours. At least 1,107 Georgians have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, according to the health department.
11Alive
Georgia front-line workers able to utilize a N95 mask up to 20 times – here’s how
A doctor’s fear she wouldn’t have a mask at work lead to a solution that could help front-line workers everywhere.
Author: Rebecca Lindstrom
A series of shipping containers nestled inside an undisclosed Atlanta building may hold the key to solving Georgia’s N95 mask shortage. On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced a new system, able to decontaminate up to 80,000 masks at a time. The system, created by the non-profit research organization Battelle Memorial Institute, were tested on Tuesday and ready to start receiving masks on Wednesday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPDATE: Potential COVID-19 drug tested by Emory shows promise, Fauci says
By Eric Stirgus
Emory University is closely involved in research that federal officials said Wednesday is showing promise as treatment for COVID-19 and may be available soon for emergency use. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters Wednesday that a preliminary trial of the drug, remdesivir, showed it could shorten the time to recovery by about a third. “This is very optimistic,” Fauci said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is likely to announce an emergency use authorization for remdesivir, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Augusta Chronicle
Gilead Sciences reports positive drug results for remdesivir as coronavirus treatment
By Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY
Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences on Wednesday reported potentially encouraging results from a trial for a drug that’s being tested as a treatment for the coronavirus. Gilead said that the antiviral drug remdesivir produced “similar improvement” in patients over a 10-day treatment plan compared with a five-day treatment plan – and that it recorded “no new safety” issues among hospitalized patients who “well-tolerated” the treatment in the study. “The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir,” said Merdad Parsey, chief medical officer of Gilead Sciences, in a statement. “This is particularly important in the setting of a pandemic, to help hospitals and healthcare workers treat more patients in urgent need of care.”
accessWDUN
NGHS to participate in antibody study for possible treatment of COVID-19 patients
By AccessWDUN Staff
Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is participating in a study based out of Mayo Clinic to determine if antibodies in the blood plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients can be used to treat those currently fighting the virus. The hospital system announced Wednesday that it is now looking for local donors to participate in the study, which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Donors must have had documented cases of COVID-19 and recovered from the virus. The hope, according to NGHS, is that plasma from recovered patients will help those with current severe cases of COVID-19 recover, as well.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of Georgia’s poultry workers have tested positive for COVID-19
By Jeremy Redmon
Nearly 400 workers in Georgia’s prized poultry industry have tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus, and one has died from his illness, according to Georgia Department of Public Health statistics obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 388 workers who have been sickened by COVID-19 represent about 2% of the estimated 16,500 people employed at 14 chicken processing plants across the state.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
False-negative tests may cloud picture of coronavirus spread in Ga.
By J. Scott Trubey, Brad Schrade and Carrie Teegardin
As Georgia ramps up diagnostic testing for active coronavirus cases, some patients and public health experts fear a weakness in the state’s disease surveillance network isn’t just obtaining enough test kits and supplies but potential false negative results. It’s unclear how common false negative tests are in the U.S., though some preliminary research in China found inaccurate results as high as 30%, according to one survey. Doctors and public health experts say the culprits are a difficult process used to obtain most patient samples and the rapid deployment of test kits that haven’t been fully vetted by federal regulators. Testing is still the nation’s first line of defense against the disease, and experts say collection efforts and testing are improving. And widespread testing is needed to help ensure COVID-19 can be contained. But as the state starts to reopen, false negative tests could create false senses of security and inadvertently spread the virus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COVID-19 test center to open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
By J. Scott Trubey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Los Angeles-based CORE Response and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation on Thursday plan to open a coronavirus testing site at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The testing center, which will operate at the Home Depot Backyard adjacent to the stadium, will offer free tests to people with appointments from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site will operate Monday-Friday for at least the next several weeks.
Inside Higher Ed
In the wake of COVID-19, Rice University develops a portable ventilator costing less than $300
Rice University and Canadian global health design firm Metric Technologies have developed a portable, automated bag valve mask (BVM) ventilation unit to help patients in treatment for COVID-19. Designed for affordability and utilizing off-the-shelf components, ApolloBVM can be built for less than $300 and can squeeze a common bag valve mask for hours on end. The plans for the portable ventilator are freely available online and can be accessed by anyone in the world, including developing nations where such equipment is not widely available. With the continued spread of the novel coronavirus and a shortage of ventilators not only in the United States but around the world, ApolloBVM could help COVID-19 patients who are less-critically ill while they await availability of a standard hospital ventilator. In lab tests that utilized an artificial lung, the latest prototype delivered nonstop air for 24 hours, until the device was turned off.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
College grads and COVID: Internships canceled, job offers yanked, dreams stunted
By Maureen Downey
Youth pollster warns: Graduating into a recession can carve financial scars that don’t heal for decades
Cyrus Beschloss is the founder of College Reaction polling, which studies youth opinions and trends. In a guest column, Beschloss, who is also a graduate student in Stanford University’s journalism program, discusses the plight of college students amid this decimated economy and suggests creation of a government jobs program to combat unemployment.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Eric Hoover
Colleges should reassess their standardized-testing policies because of the “extraordinary hardships” the novel coronavirus will pose to the next round of applicants, especially low-income students. That’s what the National Association for College Admission Counseling, or NACAC, urged institutions to do in a forceful written statement on Wednesday. Many longstanding admissions practices, the statement said, “take on different meaning in the alternate reality in which we find ourselves.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What Do Final Exams Mean During a Pandemic?
By Beckie Supiano
In a typical semester, Clarissa Sorensen-Unruh’s chemistry students take a comprehensive, 40-question, multiple-choice final exam. The chemistry department at Central New Mexico Community College, where she is a full-time faculty member, gives a common test in many of its courses to signal to health-profession schools that its online courses are worthy prerequisites for their programs. Even when she teaches those courses online, Sorensen-Unruh’s students take their exam on paper, in person at a testing center staffed with a proctor. Such arrangements aren’t possible now, with in-person instruction halted because of the coronavirus, so the department waived its common-exam policy. Count finals among the many rhythms of academic life that have been disrupted by the pandemic. For some professors, at least, rethinking their finals under duress has raised questions about whether their usual approach was the best one in the first place.
The Wall Street Journal
The Case Against Switching to Pass/Fail
Colleges shouldn’t force students off the letter-grade system during the coronavirus pandemic.
Disadvantages Need Not Erase Standards
In light of the pandemic, many colleges have substituted “pass” and “fail” for the usual system of letter grades. Since studying will be harder for students who have unstable home lives or have to worry about health, money and internet access than for those who don’t, proponents of the policy argue that it would be unfair to the disadvantaged to grade everyone the standard way. These universities are coming from the right place, but there are disparities between students even in normal times, and the response isn’t to insist that all distinction between an A-plus and a C-minus must be erased in the name of equity. Like many students, I hold a campus job to pay bills. This takes away from my studying time, leaving me with less of it than well-off peers who don’t need the paycheck. I often don’t have the money to purchase the ridiculously expensive textbooks required for class. I have to schedule time at the library to use the textbooks held on reserve, while my wealthier classmates have the luxury of access to textbooks whenever they need them.
Inside Higher Ed
Companies, Nonprofits Launch Emergency Student Aid Effort
By Elizabeth Redden
A new initiative from an alliance of educational technology companies and education-focused nonprofits will target emergency aid to college students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, building on $1.1 million in initial funding. The initial funding — which organizers hope will inspire further contributions from corporate and philanthropic donors — comes from Course Hero, a company that operates an online platform for sharing course materials; the ECMC Foundation, which is focused on college success for students from underserved backgrounds; and Imaginable Futures, a philanthropic investment firm focused on education.
Inside Higher Ed
Decision Points Loom for College Leaders
Scenario planning is getting attention as a tool for navigating an uncertain time. But when will leaders need to make big decisions?
By Rick Seltzer
The novel coronavirus pandemic converted many college and university leaders into fans of scenario planning. It’s easy to see why. The fast-shifting landscape and massive changes to core campus operations beg for a mechanism that allows board members, presidents, top administrators and deans to prepare for vastly different futures. Many have attested to scenario planning’s usefulness, whether they outline three or 15 different scenarios for the future. But at some point, leaders need to switch from planning to making decisions about which scenarios to follow. Making choices tied to one decision point doesn’t preclude future choices changing as more information comes available. In such an unsettled time, the scenarios are always changing, experts stressed. The decision points are, too.
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges have released a flurry of statements saying that they will reopen campuses in the fall. Will that plan bear out?
By Lilah Burke
In the last few days, a number of colleges have announced they will be reopening in the fall. Or, maybe, they “plan” to reopen. “Intend” to reopen. The list now includes American University, Baylor University and Haverford College, as well as many others. The numerous announcements have often included caveats, such as “if it is deemed safe” or “depending on guidance from state and federal authorities.” Some in higher ed have questioned the value of these statements (doesn’t every institution “hope” to reopen in the fall?) as well as how closely a college’s intentions will hew to reality.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What’s Behind Colleges’ Bullish Statements on Their Fall Plans?
By Nell Gluckman APRIL 29, 2020 PREMIUM
Two months into a nationwide social-distancing effort that emptied dormitories, sent classes online, and canceled sports tournaments, it’s hard to imagine ever going back to normal. But in the past week, presidents and chancellors at residential campuses have begun weighing in on what reopening might look like amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In campuswide emails and FAQs on their colleges’ websites, they’ve attempted to answer the question on so many people’s minds: What will happen in August when the fall semester is supposed to start? One type of response has seemed to gain currency as more institutions announce their fall plans. The University of North Carolina system said on Wednesday that it intends to reopen for the fall semester, while acknowledging that plans may change, and that some precautions to stem of the spread of the virus may be necessary. The Universities of Oregon, Illinois, Georgia, North Dakota, and Alabama have all sung similar tunes.