University System News:
The Montgomery Independent
City receives 10,000 face shields donated from the Global Center for Medical Innovation and Aflac
Staff report
On Monday, Mayor Steven L. Reed accepted 10,000 donated face shields on behalf of the City of Montgomery from the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) and Aflac. Once the COVID-19 virus reached pandemic proportions, it became evident that supply chain obstacles were making it nearly impossible to meet the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufactured in China. A group called the Academic-Government-Industry Collaborative for PPE Development, Supply and Production for the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States mobilized quickly to address the need for high-quality supplies produced in this country. Dr. Joanna Newton of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is part of the group. …The Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) established a framework to mass produce a face shield design from Georgia Tech utilizing manufacturing processes from ExxonMobil. Insurance provider Aflac was approached for a $500,000 contribution to support the program, but generously gave $2-million.
The Register Citizen
Common App Welcomes 42 New Members for 2020-2021 Application Season
Students applying to college in 2020-2021 will soon have access to over 40 additional colleges and universities across the United States through the Common App online application system. Used by more than three million applicants, teachers, and counselors around the world every year, the Common App platform streamlines the college application process for students and connects them to additional support resources, including financial aid and scholarship opportunities, virtual mentors, and more. …New Members of The Common Application for 2020-2021 Application Season* …Augusta University; University of Georgia
Tifton CEO
Dr. Matthew Anderson on the Great Careers that ABAC Students are Going Into
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at ABAC Dr. Matthew Anderson talks about some of the great careers that students are going into, proving the excellent quality of education at ABAC.
Athens Banner-Herald
What will UGA fall semester look like? Lengthy plan details reopening options, rules
By Lee Shearer
A 225-page plan for reopening the University of Georgia campus to students this fall outlines three scenarios, but tells faculty and students to be prepared even for alternatives defined by UGA task forces, such as changing the start and end dates for semester and altering class periods. The plan aims, in three phases, for a return to in-person instruction, for the most part, when fall semester begins in August. The report lists rules and guidelines for three possibilities — starting classes this fall with social distancing; starting completely online; and moving temporarily online after classes begin in person again. The report details plans developed by nine “working groups” of administrators in nine areas: workplace and health safety; instruction (which included one faculty member); research; public service and outreach; student life; enrollment management; athletics; communications; and fiscal impact. Below are some of the recommendations and rules of the working groups.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of North Ga. plans in-person instruction for fall semester
By Eric Stirgus
University of North Georgia students will be expected to practice measures such as wearing face coverings if social distancing is unavoidable when they return to campus in August, officials said Wednesday. The school said it is preparing for face-to-face instruction, but will conduct online learning if necessary to protect students, employees and faculty from the novel coronavirus. Employees will begin returning to the university’s campuses, in various phases, starting Monday. The university has five campuses, with an enrollment last year of nearly 20,000 students. “It is important to bring our students back to our campuses to engage in the full higher education experience,” the university’s president, Bonita Jacobs, said in a statement. “The goal is to restore as much of the face-to-face experience as possible while taking measures to prioritize the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.” University officials said they are working on plans that allow students to sit six feet away from each other in classrooms and provide flexible class schedules.
WTOC
Georgia Southern University preparing for students to return in the Fall
By Dal Cannady
Georgia Southern University will welcome back students this Fall. But preparations have already begun to make the campuses as safe as possible. Dr. Kyle Marrero says the way they deliver education will change, but the commitment to deliver it will not. The look of classrooms at Georgia Southern will be vastly different this Fall. Dr. Kyle Marrero says they’d put plenty of planning in to bring students back to campus for in-class courses. …He says they’ll move some classes into bigger rooms to give professors and students adequate social distance. In other cases they may split a class on different days of the week to spread student numbers. They’re also asking faculty to still use some virtual learning.
The Augusta Chronicle
Hobbs leaves long legacy of service at MCG
By Tom Corwin
Dr. Joseph Hobbs, who has spent nearly 50 years at Medical College of Georgia as student, faculty and Chair of Family Medicine, is retiring this month. Growing up in Augusta, Dr. Joseph Hobbs has had a connection to Medical College of Georgia since he was in ninth grade nearly 60 years ago, even when it looked as if he would never be allowed to go there. Now the longtime chair of the Department of Family Medicine and one of most recognized and honored members of its faculty will be retiring at the end of the month after nearly 50 years there. …Hobbs has also served as associate dean and senior associate dean in various roles and on nearly every committee at MCG, at the state level and nationally in his field, including as president of the Association of Departments of Family Medicine and in leadership roles with the American Board of Family Medicine. “He’s done it all,” said MCG Dean David Hess. “Joseph is a great guy. He’s an icon and he has a lot of wisdom. He’s really talented and he provides a lot of expertise on the state level.”
Savannah Morning News
By McClain Baxley
Shai Werts isn’t the most vocal on the Georgia Southern football team, but in the past two weeks the starting quarterback has been using his platform to speak on the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The senior from Clinton, South Carolina, has personal experience in dealing with racial injustice and police profiling. “With all of (these arrests) recurring, it just makes me think that that could’ve been me that night in Saluda,” Werts said in an interview Tuesday, June 9, with the Savannah Morning News. “I’ve been replaying that night over and over again.” Last July 31 when he was driving back to school for the beginning of fall camp, Werts was pulled over that night in Saluda County, S.C., and questioned by Saluda County Sheriff’s Deputy Charles A. Browder III. Werts was placed in handcuffs and put in a police car while officers inspected his car. …On May 28, while there were protests across the country in response to the May 25 killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, Werts tweeted. “so imagine what was going through my head on July 31st, 2019 …” the tweet read. …On May 31, he used his platform as a black quarterback in Division 1 with nearly 5,000 Twitter followers to take action.
The Red & Black
Grady students and alumni discuss changing the college’s name
Compiled by Melissa Wright | Staff Writer
On June 2, The Red & Black published a guest column calling on the University of Georgia to change the name of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication due to Henry Grady’s white supremacist beliefs. Since the guest column was published, students have started a petition asking for the university to change the college’s name. The Red & Black asked UGA students and alumni of Grady College what they thought about changing the college’s name. Mackenzie Miles is a senior journalism major from Thomasville, Georgia.
Energy Central
University of Georgia: Protecting Solar Energy Grid From Cyberattacks
The University of Georgia issued the following news: A future powered by renewables promises sustainable energy and a cleaner environment – but that doesn’t mean it’s without risks. Incorporating additional points of generation such as solar farms can inadvertently introduce soft access points for cyberhackers seeking to exploit weaknesses in the nation’s power grid. That’s why Jin Ye and WenZhan Song, professors in the University of Georgia College of Engineering, are working with a consortium of partners from the public and private sectors to shore up country’s power grid’s defenses.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What’s the difference between asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of coronavirus?
By Kiersten Willis
With evolving updates from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta about the novel coronavirus, there may be some confusion about the ways it can spread. There is a difference between asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. Here’s a breakdown of the differences and some questions people might have about them. WHO defines asymptomatic spread as when transmission occurs by people who do not have symptoms and will never get them. But these infected carriers could still get others sick. Conversely, presymptomatic spread is transmission by people who don’t look or feel sick but will eventually get symptoms later.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 10, 3pm)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 2,329 | Deaths confirmed in 138 counties. For one death, the county is unknown, and for 37 deaths, the residence was determined to be out-of-state. CONFIRMED CASES: 53,980 | A case’s county is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated. Cases have been confirmed in every county. For 1,160 cases, the county is unknown. For 2,515 cases, the residence was determined to be out-of-state.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Cybercriminals successfully targeted three colleges and universities using ransom tactics new to higher ed. Experts say more institutions are likely to be affected.
By Lindsay McKenzie
Cybercriminals have found a new way to extort universities — stealing sensitive information and then threatening to share it on the dark web unless a bounty is paid. Three institutions were successfully targeted by hackers using this approach in the past two weeks. The first was Michigan State University, then the University of California, San Francisco, and, most recently, Columbia College Chicago. None of the institutions have shared how much ransom was requested. All were targeted using malicious software known as NetWalker and given a deadline of six days to pay. A blog run by the cybercriminals behind NetWalker reportedly boasts that stolen information from the institutions includes Social Security numbers, among other sensitive information. Twitter users such as Ransom Leaks have shared screenshots of sample data shared on the blog, which include passports and banking details.
Education Dive
When will colleges get clarity around which students can get CARES aid?
Higher ed leaders say the Education Department has bungled the distribution of coronavirus relief funds.
Author: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
For many weeks, higher education leaders have pressed the U.S. Department of Education to spell out which students can get federal coronavirus relief funding. But those expecting clarity early this week were left disappointed. The department initially indicated it would release an “interim final rule” as soon as Tuesday that would dictate which students could receive emergency grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. But no regulation materialized by early evening Tuesday, and according to court filings, one won’t likely be published until at least June 15. “This creates a whole trust issue between colleges and the department,” said Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, in Washington, D.C. “It’s terrible. It’s no way to run a government or a country.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
5 Facts About the Higher-Ed Work Force Right Now
By Audrey Williams June
In any other year, the arrival of summer would usher in a slower pace on college campuses. But as the global pandemic continues, the end of the academic year has institutions frantically preparing for an uncertain future, and responding to and anticipating further financial upheaval. Many plans have surfaced, with details still to come. But what’s already clear is that faculty and staff members are experiencing the brunt of the impact. Furloughs and layoffs are underway at various institutions, with more expected. The size of higher education’s work force will shrink as hiring is frozen while institutions take on new duties. The employees who are left will face the challenge of trying to navigate classrooms, offices, and other parts of campus in line with public-health standards. Many have already expressed reluctance to return to their institutions in the fall. Here are five ways that the pandemic has already strained — and will continue to challenge — higher education’s work force:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
6 Insights That Could Make Economic Recovery More Equitable This Time
By Goldie Blumenstyk
We’re in a recession. Could paying heed to these six insights make the next recovery more equitable?
It’s official. This week we learned that the United States entered a recession in February. Most of us didn’t need a committee of economists to tell us that; the devastation is apparent to anyone paying attention. The way out is a lot tougher to see, especially now that more of us are recognizing that underlying inequities — in housing, health care, job security, and education — made for an uneven recovery from the last recession. Those same inequities are exacerbating the effects of the pandemic. “The whole U.S. economy was like a giant pre-existing condition,” is how the Brookings senior fellow Richard V. Reeves put it this week, kicking off Jobs for the Future’s annual conference. Amid nationwide protests for racial justice, the question many are now weighing is this: Will we do better this time? That’s one reason I tuned in to hear Reeves and some of the other speakers at the JFF event, which the organization converted from an in-person meeting in New Orleans to a free, four-day online program, complete with live jazz from Preservation Hall. It runs through Thursday, and sessions will be available to watch after the fact. (I moderated one on Tuesday with the heads of Calbright College, Southern New Hampshire University, and Western Governors University, on solving problems at scale.) JFF focuses on education and work-force issues, always relevant to this newsletter, but especially so right now. Here are six takeaways from the discussions.
Inside Higher Ed
Latinos, African Americans Most Likely to Change Education Plans
By Paul Fain
The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the education plans of people of color, with half of Latinos and about 40 percent of black and Asian Americans canceling or otherwise changing their plans. That’s the top-line finding from the latest Public Viewpoint survey from the Strada Education Network. Over all, 35 percent of Americans have canceled or changed their education plans, including delaying enrollment, reducing courses or switching institutions. The nationally representative survey found that Latinos (32 percent) were particularly likely to have canceled or delayed their plans — double the rate of white Americans (16 percent) — followed by black (24 percent) and Asian Americans (21 percent). At the same time, however, black Americans and Latinos are both more likely to say they intend to enroll in education and training programs in the next six months, highlighting the significant level of uncertainty across higher education and society.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
College leaders will be judged by their actions — not their words
By Johnathan Charles Flowers
On May 25, George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd lay handcuffed, facedown in the street. Floyd’s death, coming in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, has resulted in a wave of demonstrations against police brutality, white supremacy, and the ongoing injustices the Black community faces. In response to these demonstrations, university administrators have sought to reassure their students and faculty and staff members that Black lives do matter by demonstrating their commitments to diversity, inclusivity, and equity through a variety of institutional statements, tweets, and blog posts, as they have done in response to similar demonstrations in Charlottesville and Ferguson. …These statements are examples of what Sara Ahmed describes as the reduction of diversity to “image work” — they make an institution appear welcoming and diverse. The repetition of the word “diversity” becomes a kind of ritual, as Ahmed explains in her book On Being Included (Duke University Press, 2012): “Statements like ‘we are diverse’ or ‘we embrace diversity’ might simply be what organizations say because that is what organizations are saying.”
Inside Higher Ed
Scientists and students dedicated yesterday to healing and action in support of black lives.
By Lilah Burke
Only 3 percent of bachelor’s degrees in physics go to black students. In 2017 some fields, such as structural engineering and atmospheric physics, graduated not a single black Ph.D. On Wednesday, over 4,500 STEM faculty and students pledged to forgo research and meetings to instead focus on a day of action dedicated to protecting black lives and dismantling antiblack systems in academe and STEM.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Thousands of Scientists Went on Strike Wednesday to Protest Racism in STEM, Academia
Thousands of scientists and researchers in the U.S. and around the world went on strike on Wednesday to protest and to urge reflection on racism in society and in academia, especially in STEM fields. #ShutDownSTEM, #ShutDownAcademia and#Strike4BlackLives were the hashtags used on social media to talk about the protest, which was planned in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd due to police brutality. #ShutDownSTEM made it clear the strike was aimed at the broad research community that is not directly participating in working to end COVID-19. “As members of the global academic and STEM communities, we have an enormous ethical obligation to stop doing ‘business as usual,’” said a statement from the protest organizers. “Black academic and Black STEM professionals are hurting because they exist in and are attacked by institutional and systemic racism. … For Black academics and STEM professionals, #ShutDownAcademia and #ShutDownSTEM is a time to prioritize their needs— whether that is to rest, reflect, or to act— without incurring additional cumulative disadvantage.”