University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia companies redirect efforts to COVID-19 supply needs
By Andy Peters
Gaston Liang’s company normally manufactures product molds at its factories in southern China. But in the past two months, he’s redirected his facilities to make surgical masks for health care workers. Liang, CEO of Atlanta-based LGG Corp., isn’t making money from the masks. That’s not why he’s doing it. “The whole thing for me is, if I can help you, let’s do it,” he said. “I’m not here to make a quick buck or make junk.” …After Liang saw the state’s list of COVID-19 items in need, he realized he could make surgical masks the fastest. He now supplies them to Augusta University Medical Center. His next challenge is transporting the masks from China amid limited cargo space and skyrocketing transportation costs.
WSB-TV
University of Georgia researchers uncover where coronavirus impacts state the most
By Dave Huddleston
Researchers at the University of Georgia say it’s not just metro Atlanta that is seeing high numbers of COVID-19 cases. If you adjust for population, many rural areas of the state see even higher cases of the virus. Janani Thapa, applied economics professor at UGA, told Channel 2’s Dave Huddleston that there are several health factors that play a much larger role in who may contract the virus.
WKRG
Remdesivir recipients in Georgia, who will get the COVID-19 drug?
by: Archith Seshadri
Georgia will get its first batches of the drug — Remdesivir — that was originally developed to fight Ebola. Researchers say while the medicine is not a cure to COVID-19, clinical trials at Emory University have shown promise in treating patients. Atlanta Bureau Chief, Archith Seshadri, shows how the state will decide who will get the drug treatment. An old drug to solve a new problem. …The IV drug reduces the amount of coronavirus in the body and helps patients recover faster. State health officials say — hospitals with 10 or more patients on ventilators — or with severely ill patients will get this latest shipment. …The state has enough Remdesivir now to treat 110 patients. …THE FOLLOWING HOSPITALS WILL RECEIVE REMDESIVIR:
Tift Regional Medical Center
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
Grady Health System
Emory University Hospital
Emory University Hospital Midtown
Augusta University Medical Center
The Augusta Chronicle
Support persons now allowed with pediatric patients at Augusta University Health facilities
By Jozsef Papp
Augusta University Health is starting to allow more visitors and support persons to accompany pediatric patients. Two parents or support persons can now accompany pediatric patients for surgeries, inpatient hospital stays and clinic appointments at AU Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia. According to a news release, all support persons will be screened at entrances, including being asked about possible exposure and symptoms of coronavirus, and must wear a face covering while in the hospital and clinics.
WGAU
UNG alumni battle COVID outbreak
By: Clark Leonard
Medical professionals have adjusted to a wave of challenges as they work on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19. Personal protective equipment (PPE) obscures people’s faces except for the eyes. Patients aren’t able to see their loved ones in person. And communication is done digitally. These are some of the realities that University of North Georgia (UNG) alumni who work in hospitals have faced. Miranda Cantrell (pictured above) is an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse who spends three 12-hour shifts per week taking care of COVID-19 patients at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton. She earned a degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from UNG in 2010 before earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2017. “The instructors in UNG’s nursing program provided me with hands-on knowledge that allows me to adapt to each situation I encounter as a nurse,” Cantrell said. “During this COVID-19 pandemic, my educational experience from UNG has been invaluable.”
University Business
14 ways campus career offices are serving students during school closures: Ideas 1 to 5
With campuses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, career services teams have gotten creative about delivering programs virtually
By: Melissa Ezarik
In-person opportunities typically dominate campus career services offerings at colleges and universities. But as campuses closed this March, these teams had to pivot to a virtual-only model. Here are several actions to consider based on ways career services offices have been delivering services during the pandemic. Click on the links below for more ideas.
1. Organize virtual career fairs. Johnson & Wales University in Providence held its first virtual fair, connecting 377 students and 60 employers, in March, says spokesman Ryan Crowley. The event resulted in 705 career chats. Students entered queues and had a total of 705 career chats with company representatives in real time. The employer reps could view each student’s resume as they talked. A second virtual career fair was held in early May, with 350 students, 50 employers and 713 career chats. University of North Georgia also organized a virtual career fair, on May 19. Students could schedule a 15-minute timeslot with a recruiter via the Career Fairs Plus app, and then have the actual meeting on any platform, such as by phone, Skype or Google Hangout.
FOX 28 Media
Georgia Southern launches fundraiser to help students struggling financially
by Marah Brock
Georgia Southern University launched a fundraising campaign on Monday to financially help students struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign, “Ensure Our Eagles Finish Strong,” has a goal of raising $250,000 for upwards of 250 students. Additionally, the university is hoping to raise $140,000 to assist around 14 returning spring sport seniors who missed out on their spring season. “The Eagle Nation family cares deeply for this University and its students,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “We invite them to support our mission of providing transformative learning opportunities, and contribute to the success of our students as they continue on their educational paths.” The university says the money raised will keep them from dropping out due to a lack of funding.
Athens CEO
CAES Faculty Innovate in Virtual Instruction during COVID-19 Crisis
Maria M. Lameiras
From field to stream-ing, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty members had to quickly transition to remote course delivery after spring break. Learn how these seven faculty members tackled distance learning:
The Augusta Chronicle
No students, no graduation, ‘total devastation’ in college towns
By ZOE NICHOLSON AND ED SEMMLER, USA TODAY NETWORK
…Furloughs, layoffs
Public, four-year universities — already bracing for reduced enrollment over the next decade due to a decreasing college-aged population — have become increasingly reliant on out-of-state and international students to make up for a decline in state support, Mallach said. “This was not a really great business model to begin with,” Mallach added. “Now, obviously, while the university is closed, it’s a disaster for the storekeepers.” The board of regents at the University of Georgia approved sweeping furloughs that will cut higher-paid employees’ salaries by 10% and the overall budget by about 14%, according to Athens Online. Hundreds of professors, researchers and administrative staff will have less pay in their pockets, reducing their ability to spend at local shops and restaurants.
Tifton CEO
Dr. Matthew Anderson on the Great Things Happening at ABAC
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at ABAC Dr. Matthew Anderson discusses the great things going on at the College and the many programs they are currently offering. **This video was filmed prior to the covid-19 pandemic.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Board of Regents Approves Georgia Tech’s New Mission Statement
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents (BOR) has approved Georgia Tech’s updated mission statement generated from the work done as part of the new strategic planning process launched in Fall 2019 under President Ángel Cabrera. The approval was granted at the BOR’s regular monthly meeting, which took place May 12. The approved mission statement reads: The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university established by the state of Georgia in Atlanta in 1885 and committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Feedback from internal and external campus stakeholders was used to guide the development of the mission statement. Along with this new mission statement, the strategic planning process has also produced a vision and foundational narrative, values definition, and strategic themes, which are currently being further refined by active working groups.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: Georgia COVID-19 cases pass 38K
There are now 1,649 deaths from COVID-19 and 38,283 confirmed cases
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Eric Hoover
The first week of the College Board’s vast online-testing experiment was riddled with technical glitches that kept many students from uploading their answers to Advanced Placement exams. Heading into Week 2, the organization created a workaround for those encountering technical problems with the tests, which will continue through Friday. As of Monday, students unable to upload their responses through the regular process would be able to email them to the College Board immediately after the exam, the organization said. Under that “backup email-submission process,” all test takers who get a message saying “We Did Not Receive Your Response” would receive instructions for transmitting their answers via an email address unique to each user. They would have 10 minutes to do so. The new policy is cold comfort for frustrated students who hit snags last week, though. “To ensure the validity of all exam responses,” the College Board said in its announcement of the backup process, “we’re unable to accept submissions from students who tested May 11–15.”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Why Flexibility in Credit Transfers Is Crucial for Equity in a Post-COVID-19 World
by Katti Gray
Higher education groups have urged four-year institutions to revamp how they evaluate credits earned by students transferring campuses, saying both four-year and two-year colleges must ensure that more credits count toward baccalaureate degrees, especially in a post-coronavirus economy. In an appeal last month, six associations representing academe and its constituents asked colleges and universities to break what, for many, has been a longstanding practice of reflexively, and sometimes without merit, refusing to accept some credits earned by transferring students. Low-income students, including a disproportionate number of students of color, have been hardest hit by that practice, given their levels of enrollment in two-year colleges whose tuition and fees fall substantially below those of four-year schools. The displacement caused by the pandemic may well worsen these problems.
Inside Higher Ed
Copyright ownership concerns abound in the rapid shift to remote instruction.
By Colleen Flaherty
The public health crisis is forcing professors to put more and more of their lectures and other course materials online. Some of them now wonder if they still own that content. The good news is that they generally do, for now. The bad news is that intellectual property experts foresee, through the pandemic fog, potential scenarios in which that could change. So they advise faculty members to demand that institutions affirm their IP rights for the COVID-19 era.
Inside Higher Ed
Group Says Veterans Could Be Excluded From CARES Act Grants
By Kery Murakami
College students who are veterans of the U.S. military could be disproportionately denied emergency aid grants under the CARES Act because of the way the Education Department is interpreting congressional intent in passing the coronavirus relief package, according to a report from Veterans Education Success, a nonprofit advocacy group. At issue is a ruling by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that only students who are eligible for federal student aid can receive the grants aimed at helping students with the costs of having their lives disrupted by the closure of campuses by the coronavirus pandemic, like finding places to live if residence halls are shut down.
Inside Higher Ed
Court Panel Rules Against NCAA Restrictions on Athlete Pay
By Greta Anderson
A California federal appeals court has concluded that rules set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to limit education-related compensation for athletes violate antitrust law. The opinion issued May 18 by a three-judge panel in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a district court’s decision that the NCAA cannot restrict colleges from granting “non-cash education-related benefits” to athletes in Division I of the Football Bowl Subdivision, which encompass the nation’s most successful football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball programs. Institutions are permitted to give money to athletes to pay for computers, musical instruments and other products and services used for academic pursuits, beyond the cost of attendance, or COA, which includes tuition, room and board, meals, and textbooks, the panel said. The NCAA also may not bar scholarships to athletes for study abroad programs or financial aid given after athletes have exhausted their eligibility to compete, according to the ruling.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
We all want to be back on campus. But when it comes to plans for the fall, there’s only one right decision.
By Stan Yoshinobu
I want to go back to normal. We all do. I have been in lockdown for weeks. I spent my birthday in lockdown. I am Zoomed out. Virtual teaching is not why I became a professor. Despite all that, we have a moral responsibility to ourselves and one another to make good choices. According to a Chronicle list, most colleges are currently planning to reopen their campuses this fall. What the leaders behind those decisions may not appreciate is that risks are asymmetrical. The damage caused by a contagion on a campus is far greater than the damage caused by virtual teaching. The range of choices colleges have lies, regrettably, between bad and horrific. Teaching via Zoom in our bedrooms with kids at home is not a good situation, but we are in a global humanitarian crisis. Here’s why colleges should not reopen their campuses in the fall, or very likely in spring 2021 as well.