University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Senate backs $2.6 billion in spending cuts on party-line vote
By James Salzer
The Georgia Senate passed a state budget on a party-line vote Friday that cuts $2.6 billion in spending during the upcoming year. That means in fiscal 2021 — which begins July 1 — $1 billion less would be sent to local districts to fund k-12 schools. Millions of dollars would also be cut from a host of health care programs, forcing staff furloughs in the agency that for the past three months has been fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate voted 34-15 to pass the budget, setting up negotiations with the House over a spending plan that must be approved in the next few days. …Because lawmakers expect less revenue, they face cutting funding for everything from k-12 schools and universities to the Georgia State Patrol, food safety inspections, highway construction, mental health and substance abuse programs, and county health departments. Under budget plans that agencies submitted last month, more than 1,000 filled jobs would be eliminated and tens of thousands of state employees would be furloughed.
Tifton CEO
ABAC Tops Southeast in Ag Ed Graduates for Second Straight Year
Staff Report
For the second year in a row, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College produced more graduates with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education than any college in the southeastern portion of the United States. “To the best of my knowledge, ABAC had more Ag Ed graduates than any college or university east of the Mississippi River,” Dr. Andrew Thoron, Head of the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at ABAC, said. Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said ABAC had 33 Agricultural Education graduates at ABAC’s virtual commencement ceremony on May 7. “There were 30 in the Education track and three in the Agricultural Studies track,” Kistler said. That number represents a 27 percent increase over the 26 Agricultural Education graduates at ABAC in the spring of 2019, the first time in its 112-year history that ABAC produced bachelor’s degree graduates in Agricultural Education.
Jackson Herald Today
UNG Enactus team takes third in national competition
The University of North Georgia’s (UNG) Enactus team earned third place in the Unilever Bright Futures Project Accelerator competition at the national Enactus conference, which was held virtually. Enactus is an entrepreneurial and service club for college students.
Athens Banner-Herald
Petition asks UGA, other state colleges to require masks in fall
By Lee Shearer
As COVID-19 cases surge in Georgia, a campus union has started a petition drive urging the University System of Georgia to require face coverings on campus this fall and adopt other strict safety measures. More than 900 people had signed an online petition begun by the United Campus Workers of Georgia as of Monday afternoon. The petition on Change.org asks that masks be provided and required for all in the system’s campus communities, including the University of Georgia. The petition also asks that no faculty, staff or students “will be compelled to be face to face,” and that free and frequent COVID-19 testing will be available for all those groups. One activist UGA faculty member adopted a new Twitter handle — “Janet Frick will not teach unmasked students” — and posted a list of large universities’ stated face mask requirements for fall semester, when UGA and many other schools say they will resume in-person instruction and reopen campuses.
The Signal
Amid COVID-19, can Georgia State online courses compete with community college?
By Nida Merchant
As students prepare for the possibility of yet another semester online, some begin to question the value of Georgia State against a community college. This reality is much more apparent for undergraduate students completing lower-level courses. According to Community College Review, the average tuition for in-state students in a Georgia community college is $3,413 and $7,181 for out of state students in 2020. Georgia State, on the other hand, offers tuition at $4,474 for in-state students and $30,114 for out of state students for the 2018-2019 school year. So the question remains: is Georgia State really worth it in comparison to other local colleges? Specifically, as online classes and a hybrid system become apparent in the upcoming semester. Students were quick to chime in offering both sides of the argument.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College ramps up safety measures to resume face-to-face classes in the fall
By Chamian Cruz
Georgia Gwinnett College will resume in-person classes for the fall semester, starting Aug. 10, with safety and social distancing accommodations in place. The college canceled face-to-face classes and moved to online classes starting in mid-March and continued that way through the end of spring semester to prevent spread of COVID-19. “A great deal of planning and preparation, involving a number of scenarios, is underway to prepare to bring employees and students back to campus so that everyone may engage in the full higher education experience,” GGC President Jann L. Joseph said.
WJCL
New program at Georgia Southern has students checking on older adults
Dave Williams
A new program at Georgia Southern University is helping brighten the lives of older adults during these difficult times. The Love in Action telephone reassurance program was launched only three weeks ago and it’s already making a difference for both the older citizens and students.
Albany Herald
Former Georgia Bulldogs guard Alexis Kendricks facing COVID-19 as firefighter, paramedic
By Eleanor Stubley Staff Correspondent
Former University of Georgia point guard Alexis Kendricks knows about toughness. In 132 games from 2002-06, she is still the only Lady Bulldog in program history to start every contest of her four-year career. Now a firefighter-paramedic for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Kendricks is displaying the same kind of grit and determination that was a trademark of her time on the basketball floor. For her and her fellow first responders, learning to adapt has been key as they battle the current COVID-19 pandemic.
WJBF
Six Dental College of Georgia employees test positive for COVID-19
Six employees at the Dental College of Georgia are under quarantine after testing positive for COVID 19. According to Augusta University leadership, students at the dental college are not involved in patient care. Students are approved by the University System of Georgia to be engaged in simulation activities only and are required to wear PPE and practice social distancing.
WGAU
UGA summer students reach semester midpoint
By Tim Bryant
Today is a mid-term day at UGA, the midpoint for the University’s extended summer session classes, classes students have been taking on-line: the University of Georgia, like other schools in the University System of Georgia, is making plans for in-classroom instruction for fall semester, which begins in August. The University of Georgia says interior demolition of 5000 square feet within the first floor of the Grady College’s Journalism Building begins today and is expected to continue through early August. Film production studio renovation is taking place. UGA says construction is scheduled to begin in October.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amid rising interest from students, HBCUs must face pandemic’s toll
By Eric Stirgus
A group of teenagers were surprised when they came outside their homes one afternoon last month for a “honk and wave” parade organized by Stockbridge residents celebrating their accomplishment, graduating from high school. The students are part of the Stockbridge Youth Council, and nearly all of them plan to attend a historically black college or university — including some in Georgia — this fall. …The fall semester will be a pivotal time for HBCUs as they balance renewed interest in their missions during a time of racial unrest with surviving in the midst of a health crisis. Many administrators anticipate enrollment declines this fall and planned social distancing guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic may limit how many students can actually take in-person classes. So, even if more students want to enroll, the colleges may have no room for them. …The UNCF, and 19 Democratic and independent U.S. senators, have asked Congress to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant, currently $6,345, which helps low-income students pay for college, and double it over the next 10 years. About 40% of U.S. college students receive Pell Grants. At Georgia’s HBCUs, the percentages are higher, ranging from 47% at Spelman to 76% at Savannah State University, federal data shows.
WSAV
Savannah State University police chief to resign
by: WSAV Staff
The chief of police at Savannah State University is resigning at the end of the month, officials confirmed Friday. Chief Frederick Hammett has been at SSU since January of this year. SSU says his resignation will take effect on June 30. He is heading off to a position at another school in the University System of Georgia.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
U of Georgia Marching Band Drops ‘Gone With the Wind’ Song
The University of Georgia’s marching band has dropped the tradition of playing the song ‘Tara’s Theme,’ from the film Gone With the Wind, which many say glorifies slavery. That tune has now been replaced by the song ‘Georgia On My Mind.’ In a letter this week, the university’s Redcoat Band’s acting director, Brett Bawcum, said the issue of playing ‘Tara’s Theme’ has been under discussion for months, but the “current social climate has highlighted the urgency of addressing it.” He didn’t want to delay dealing with the issue, he added. “To be clear, the issue with the tradition is not the motivation of those who have embraced it, but rather the possibilities it may limit in those who haven’t. I value tradition, but I value creating a welcoming environment much more,” Bawcum said.
The Bell Ringer
By Emily Garcia | staff writer
The Augusta University (AU) College of Dentistry issued a statement on June 19, condemning an email sent by Dr. Kirk Kimmerling, an adjunct assistant professor who intermittently does clinical teaching. Dr. Kimmerling sent an email to the dean’s office and the entire student body at the school of dentistry in response to the student and resident-led protest “White Coats for Black Lives,” on the dental college of AU’s campus. The adjunct assistant professor called the protest, “disgraceful” and asked questions about the rate of Black on Black crime. He wrote, “Minneapolis St. Paul had 900 (sic) black Americans killed in their community in 2019. Many residents of Minneapolis refer to Minneapolis as Murderapolis. Dr. Kimmerling also stated in his email that he was disgusted by this action by Augusta University and that the, “silent majority of both Black and White despise the BLM [Black Lives Matter Movement.]
Statesboro Herald
GSU music faculty win 2nd Global Music Award
Larisa, Steven Elisha earn honors
Special to the Herald
Dr. Larisa Elisha, coordinator of Upper Strings, and Dr. Steven Elisha, head of the Strings area, faculty of the Department of Music at Georgia Southern University, have been awarded a Global Music Award for their MSR-Classics re-release, DUO VIRTUOSO – Works for Violin & Cello, featuring duos of Beethoven, Boccherini, Handel-Halvorsen, Haydn, Kodály and Mozart. The album’s popularity resulted in a re-release from MSR-Classics.
Albany Herald
Film, TV industry ready to re-start in Georgia
From staff reports
Gov. Brian Kemp announced recently that the major motion picture, television, and streaming companies plan to bring back and hire an estimated 40,000 production workers, who will be employed on an expected 75 production projects that will invest more than $2 billion into the Georgia economy during the next 18 months. This includes plans by producers to purchase goods and services from more than 17,000 small Georgia businesses, according to the Motion Picture Association-America, which compiled the data from its members. “The entertainment production industry is coming back and ready to jump-start the Georgia economy by creating jobs and generating greatly needed investment and spending in communities across the Peach State,” Kemp said in a news release.
datanami
Georgia Tech Researchers Use Machine Learning Algorithm to Analyze Consumer Data
With electric vehicles making their way into the mainstream, building out the nationwide network of charging stations to keep them going will be increasingly important. Electric vehicles are considered a crucial part of the solution to climate change: Transportation is now the leading contributor of climate-warming emissions. But one major barrier to broader adoption of electric vehicles is the perception of a lack of charging stations, and the attending “range anxiety” that makes many drivers nervous about buying an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles need a nationwide network of charging stations to keep them going. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. A new National Science Foundation-funded study by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers harnesses machine learning techniques to provide the best insight yet into the attitudes of electric vehicle drivers about the existing charger network. The findings could help policymakers focus their efforts.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 23, 3pm)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 2,688 | Deaths confirmed in 141 counties. For 2 deaths, the county is unknown, and for 41 deaths, the residence was determined to be out-of-state. CONFIRMED CASES: 67,678 | 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 1,406 cases, the county is unknown. For 3,097 cases, the residence was determined to be out-of-state.
GPB
As Georgia Sees Highest Coronavirus Numbers Ever, Experts Say Poultry, Ag Workers Most At Risk
By Ellen Eldridge
Over the weekend Georgia saw its largest spike in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with experts warning about an alarming rise in the state’s poultry and agricultural workers. The state reported a preliminary number of 1, 334 positive COVID-19 cases for June 15, which tops the previous peak of 949 cases for April 20. While the number could change for that day, experts said, the number of confirmed cases is more likely to rise than decline. … Emory University and the Georgia Department of Public Health found the highest per capita rates are showing up in rural parts of the state among agricultural workers, such as poultry processors and migrant crop pickers.
Higher Education News:
The Washington Post
By Valerie Strauss
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said on Thursday that he would seek federal permission to suspend mandated standardized testing for 2020-21, the second year in a row, because of disruptions to learning because of the coronavirus pandemic. And he said he would keep pushing to eliminate some tests outright because the “current high-stakes testing regime is excessive.” The announcement is the first made by any U.S. governor to seek a 2020-21 testing waiver from the U.S. Education Department, but is probably not the last, given the potential for continued disruptions to learning as the pandemic continues. …Kemp and Woods also said they were suspending for 2020-21 the teacher evaluation system in Georgia called the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, which is based in part on student standardized test scores.
Inside Higher Ed
Taking Colleges Online: An Inside Higher Ed Special Report
COVID-19 forced most colleges and universities to educate their students virtually this spring, but the emergency remote instruction they offered was not a replacement for the more strategic online learning that many institutions have pursued in recent years. Today, Inside Higher Ed releases our newest special report, “Taking Colleges Online: How Smart Institutions and Their Leaders Can Approach Online Education Now and in a Postcoronavirus World.” It is designed to guide campus administrators and faculty leaders through the process of building a sustainable and scalable presence online, whether that means select courses delivered virtually, entire programs that are permanently online or some hybrid format blending in-person and digital elements.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What Covid-19 Computer Models Are Telling Colleges About the Fall
By Michael Vasquez and Francie Diep
Fall semester is still months away, but at campuses around the country, a make-believe semester has already begun. Researchers are building computer models of varying complexity to predict how Covid-19 might spread on a college campus. The models provide an opportunity to test the effectiveness of such mitigation strategies as large-scale randomized testing, limits on class size, and face-mask requirements.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: COVID-19 Has Hurt College Students
By Madeline St. Amour
The outlook for current college students has changed for the worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Researchers from Arizona State University surveyed about 1,500 undergraduate students at the institution to determine how the pandemic has impacted their current situation and expected outcomes. The survey results paint a dismal picture. Thirteen percent of the students who responded have delayed their graduation. About 40 percent have lost a job, internship or job offer. A little less than one-third expect to earn less at age 35 than they previously anticipated. About half of respondents reported a decrease in their study hours and academic performance due to the pandemic, although one-quarter of students increased their study time by more than four hours per week.
Inside Higher Ed
‘Extreme Economies’ and Higher Ed in 2050
What can we learn from outliers about the future?
By Joshua Kim
Extreme Economies: What Life at the World’s Margins Can Teach Us About Our Own Future by Richard Davies
Published in January of 2020.
What will higher education look like in 2050? This question has been on my mind, as it was about 30 years ago that I graduated from college. Thirty years does not seem like all that long ago. 2050 will be here soon. One way to think about the future of anything is to search for outliers. Find those who are already living in the future, and charts a path between them and us. This is the method that Keynes used in 1930 article Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren, pointing to the wealthy of his era as “our advance guard-those who are spying out the promised land for the rest of us and pitching their camp there.” This is the method that Richard Davies employs, to great success, in his fantastic new book Extreme Economies. Davis’ concern is the future of economic and social life, not the future of higher education, but his approach has much to teach us about where academia is headed.
Inside Higher Ed
Call for Doubling Pell, Forgiving Debt
John King Jr., a former education secretary, calls for debt forgiveness and doubling Pell Grants during hearing on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers worry pandemic will worsen educational disparities.
By Kery Murakami
Amid concerns the coronavirus pandemic could worsen racial disparities, even as protests worldwide call for greater equity in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, former U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. on Monday called for Congress to forgive some student debt and to double the award size of Pell Grants. King, who headed the department for some of the Obama administration and is now president and CEO of the Education Trust, also backed the idea of institutions eliminating legacy preference in admitting the children of alumni, a practice that he said discriminates against students of color. King’s testimony came during a wide-ranging three-and-a-half-hour hearing held by the House Education & Labor committee, which is controlled by Democrats. The hearing focused on the pandemic’s worsening of racial disparities in the workplace, health care and education. Referring to K-12 education, the committee’s chairman, Representative Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia, said a lack of access to computers and the internet amid the online pivot had widened the gap between low-income and minority students compared to whites.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Karin Fischer
International students won an unexpected reprieve as the Trump administration backed off plans to curtail optional practical training, the popular work program for international graduates, in the wake of a lobbying effort by colleges, employers, and even some Republican members of Congress. Still, an executive order signed by the president on Monday contains bad news for higher education, suspending the issuance of H1-B and other temporary work visas through the end of the year. Universities use the skilled-employment visas to hire top academics and researchers, regardless of nationality, and the possibility of working in the United States long term is a powerful recruitment tool for international students. The administration said the visa suspensions are needed to ensure that jobs go to American workers first during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The order takes effect just after midnight on Wednesday and can be extended past its December 31 expiration “as necessary.”
Inside Higher Ed
Ed Department Shelved Obama-Era Guidance on Adjusting Aid
By Elizabeth Redden
The Department of Education is making it harder for colleges to increase financial aid awards for students whose families lost jobs or income during the coronavirus-fueled economic crisis, NPR reported. The department has confirmed it is not using guidance issued by the Obama administration during the Great Recession that encouraged colleges to be proactive about adjusting student aid awards. The guidance, issued in April and May of 2009, encouraged financial aid officials to thoughtfully use their professional judgment to address changes in financial and family circumstances that would not be reflected on the student’s most recent Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and assured colleges they would not be punished for adjusting aid awards if they maintained appropriate documentation. In short, the 2009 guidance sought to give assurances to college officials who were reluctant to use their professional judgment to adjust awards because the department used the percentage of such professional judgment determinations as a factor in determining which colleges to audit.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Dozens of Football Players Test Positive for Covid-19, Giving Colleges a Possible Preview of Fall
By Alison Berg
As colleges scramble to decide on their fall-reopening plans, one aspect of campus life could provide early insight on what works and what doesn’t: football. The first phase of the big-time college football season — voluntary workouts — has begun, with several campuses this month welcoming players back in phases. Major sports conferences and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have laid out guidelines for how colleges can restart athletic operations even as the pandemic surges in some parts of the country. Dozens of athletes at several colleges have already tested positive for Covid-19, presenting a preview of what the early days of a fall semester could look like. But at some campuses, the very testing procedures that have produced positive diagnoses are more rigorous — because of the limited number of students involved — than those likely to be deployed in the fall. That disparity raises questions about whether colleges are prepared to contain sudden outbreaks.