University System News:
ASU Mag
States with the largest higher education enrollment, spring 2020
Overall, college enrolled declined by 0.5% compared with spring 2019.
Mike Kennedy
Higher education student enrollment was down slightly in spring 2020 compared with the previous year, according to estimates from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The center said that 17,458,306 students were enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions in spring 2020. That’s a 0.5% decrease compared with the 17,542,109 who were enrolled in spring 2019. About 14.7 million students were enrolled in undergraduate programs in spring 2020, and 2.7 million were enrolled in graduate or professional programs. Here are the 10 states estimated to have the most college students enrolled in spring 2020. …Georgia 482,099
Lendedu.com
The 50 Best College Financial Literacy Programs for 2020
For the fourth consecutive year, LendEDU has recognized 50 colleges around the country that have the best financial literacy programs for students.
Mike Brown
Many young adults in the United States lack an understanding of their personal finances because it is often not taught at any education level from middle school through college. But, there are colleges and universities around the country that have implemented robust financial literacy programs and coursework so that their students know how to balance a budget, apply for a credit card, or invest in the stock market when they leave campus. …
The 50 Best College Financial Literacy Programs for 2020
You can see the 50 colleges and universities that were recognized this year for their financial literacy programs by clicking through the slideshow below or by checking out the table underneath. Note: The higher education institutions are placed in alphabetical order and are not ranked amongst each other.
Kennesaw State University …University of Georgia
Growing America
First Black Agricultural Communication Graduate at ABAC Gives Google Credit
The first Black Agricultural Communication bachelor’s degree graduate at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College says Google paved the way for his attendance at the four-year school in Tifton. “I guess you can give Google the credit for me choosing ABAC,” DeAnthony Price said. “When I decided I wanted to major in agriculture, I googled the top ag schools in Georgia, and ABAC came up first.” Price graduated from the Elite Scholars Academy, a charter school in Morrow. Unlike many of his classmates in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at ABAC, he didn’t take Vocational Agriculture classes or participate in FFA in high school because those classes and activities were not available. No problem for Price. Always quick to adapt to a new situation, he chose to major in Crop and Soil Science as an ABAC freshman. After a summer as a camp counselor at the Georgia FFA camp in Covington when his freshman year ended at ABAC, he changed his major to Agricultural Education.
Fox5
Thousands call on the USG to require face masks on 26 college campuses this fall
Dozens of Georgia colleges will not require students and faculty to wear masks — a much different policy from other colleges in the South. FOX 5’s Christine Sperow spoke with two college professors who say requiring them is the only option. … About two months out from the start of fall classes, 26 universities in Georgia will not require students and faculty to wear masks. That includes the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Some college professors have made it clear: face masks must be required.
Daily Citizen-News
DSC plans to resume face-to-face instruction fall semester
Dalton State College is preparing to return to campus for face-to-face instruction for fall semester, which begins in August, with physical distancing guidelines and strengthened health and safety protocols in place. And there’s still time for students to enroll. “It is important for our students to receive the entire college experience,” said Margaret Venable, president of Dalton State. “It is also important for our students to complete their degree program without disruptions to their education while feeling safe on campus. I believe we can safely function on campus this fall if we all are willing to do our part to keep each other and our loved ones safe. We must all cooperate, and we must make use of our four pillars of safety: hygiene, physical distancing, symptom screening and masks in public spaces.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UGA to students: ‘We look forward to seeing you on campus in a few weeks’
Get Schooled Blog
By Maureen Downey
University of Georgia will provide masks but not mandate students wear them
From the University of Georgia today to students and parents:
Members of the University of Georgia community have been working diligently to prepare for your return to campus in August. Our administrators, faculty and staff are now beginning to return in a gradual and phased manner that will culminate in our full return for the Fall Semester, health conditions and state regulations permitting. Your health and safety remain our top concern as we plan to resume the effective delivery of high-quality instruction. This memo summarizes some of the key components of our instructional plans for the fall. Rest assured that you will receive further communications in the weeks ahead.
WRDW
Augusta University announces plans for fall reopening
By Kennedi Harris
It was forced to close the doors in late March, but Tuesday, Augusta University officially announced its plan to reopen campus the fall. On Aug. 3, AU will welcome staff and students back to campus with restrictions. But some students, like junior graphic design major Harmony Osgood, are worried the plan doesn’t go far enough. …AU’s reopening plan closely follows CDC and Georgia Department of Health guidelines. Guidelines include encouraging students to wear masks on campus, limiting the number of people allowed in classrooms, making hand sanitizer and other personal cleaning supplies more available, prohibiting on-campus events, and designing “open-plan” office spaces for staff.
AllOnGeorgia
UWG to reopen for face-to-face instruction this fall
The University of West Georgia is preparing for the full return of students, faculty, and staff to campus in August for in-person instruction for the Fall 2020 semester. UWG continues to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Department of Public Health, and the University System of Georgia to comply with directives and guidelines to safeguard students, faculty, staff and visitors and reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 on its campus. “While online instruction is effective and important to maintain as an option for our students, we know the value of an in-person higher education experience, and it is important to see our students continue to grow in that environment beginning in August,” said Dr. Brendan Kelly, president of UWG, in a video address to the campus community.
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA to end in-person classes at Thanksgiving break
By Lee Shearer
The University of Georgia will end in-person fall semester instruction with its Thanksgiving break, following the lead of many other U.S. colleges, the university announced Tuesday. Fall semester classes will begin on the same date as originally scheduled, Aug. 20. The final exams slated for Dec. 11-17 also remain as originally scheduled, but “it is essential that faculty plan for final exams being online,” according to UGA’s “Initial Guidelines for Fall Semester Instruction” sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. Although in-person classes won’t be held between Thanksgiving and finals, the university anticipates many students will return to Athens or remain during the break, so the campus will stay open until the end of the semester with regular services such as housing, dining and campus transit.
Albany Herald
Albany Tech students can apply for housing on Albany State campus
From staff reports
Albany Technical College has announced expanded opportunities for students by offering a new option for off-campus housing. Local businessman and developer Matt Davis with Davis Companies is now offering local college students an opportunity to lease space in a new development while they attend college in Albany. “Making housing available to Albany Tech students who need a place to stay while they attend college opens up prospects for students who might otherwise find it a challenge to attend college from a long distance,” Albany Tech President Anthony Parker said in a news release. “We are excited about the possibility this allows these students.” The new apartments, located on Albany State University’s east campus, will be made available to Albany Technical College students on a first-come, first-served basis. Bus transportation will be available for Albany Tech students through Albany Transit System’s bus routes. High-Speed WIFI internet will be provided with the lease, and meal plan options will also be available through Albany State University.
The Red & Black
UGA to accept the Common Application after fall 2021
Sophia Macartney | Contributor
The University of Georgia will accept the Common Application for its applicants beginning in fall 2021. The Common App requires high school students to only fill out one application that is sent to multiple colleges when they are applying for college. Previously, applicants had to use UGA’s specific application system. David Graves, senior associate director of admissions at UGA, said this change will make the admission process more straightforward for future applicants. UGA has been reviewing the option to use the Common App for several years. Since the fall of 2019, UGA has been actively working with the Common Application organization on taking this step, Graves said in an email.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many places waive SAT and ACT requirements for 2021. Not Georgia.
Get Schooled Blog
By Maureen Downey
University System of Georgia stance could lead to enrollment challenges for its campuses
The University System of Georgia is insisting its campuses continue to require ACT/SAT scores in the coming admissions cycle. With its stance, USG is standing in a rapidly emptying room. Every day more campuses conclude it’s unfair to ask applicants to submit standardized scores amid a coronavirus pandemic that’s disrupted high school classes and canceled ACT and SAT spring and early summer testing dates. Today, the University of Texas at Austin announced high school students applying for fall 2021 admission will not be required to submit an ACT or SAT test score due to testing limitations. … USG has told admission offices they must use ACT/SAT scores in the traditional way for the spring and fall 2021, although it said it will monitor the situation.
Union Recorder
Physics professor only U.S. educator to receive prestigious fellowship
Georgia College Physics Professor Dr. Hasitha Mahabaduge has been named a 2020 Fellow of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL). He was one of nine educators — and the only U.S. applicant — to receive the prestigious lifetime award. “This is a very competitive international fellowship and a great honor. I think it speaks highly of both Dr. Mahabaduge’s hard work and Georgia College’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning,” said Dr. Jordan Cofer, associate provost for Transformative Learning Experiences. Other winners this year were from Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Normally, fellows are recognized during the ISSoTL annual conference. But, due to COVID-19, the October event in Perth, Australia, was canceled.
Growing America
UGA Plant Breeder Wayne Parrott Honored by American Seed Trade Association
Along with grant applications, administrative duties, publishing and hands-on research duties, scientists in agricultural research have the monumental job of disseminating vital information to stakeholders, policymakers and the general public. During its annual meeting on June 16, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) recognized Wayne Parrott, professor in the University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, with a distinguished service award for his research and communication contributions to the plant breeding industry. …Parrott’s efforts in addressing current plant breeding regulations and testimonials before Congress and federal regulators were an impetus for the award.
WRBL
Georgia Southern graduate furloughed during pandemic
by: Dale Williams
Georgia Southern University alumnus Gabriel Gordon looked forward to stacking cash during his
gap year on his journey to further his education. On the road to success, obstacles are faced
and barriers must be broken. The obstacle in Gordon and many others paths that has changed the world is the coronavirus (COVID-19). He is a quiet individual, determined to be successful. … Gordon says he had received notification of temporary closure from his store leader and had only been working on reduced hours for a couple of days, before they were instructed by the corporate office to shut down completely. Gordon has been without a job going on two months now, informed with minimal feedback of when the company plans to open back up and when he will be going back to work. In the midst of a pandemic, He still planned on attending University of Texas at Dallas. However, with the restrictions on safe travels and limited access on physical education spots,
Gordon has chosen to attend elsewhere.
SaportaReport
New UNG Observatory – Photos by Peggy Cozart
Megan Anderson
University of North Georgia is about to have two new telescopes. A construction milestone was reached when a crane hoisted two domes onto the newly built observatory just a few miles from the UNG Dahlonega campus. Students will gain hands-on experience in a professional-grade observatory and the facility will be open for public and educational events.
Community News Weekly
SK Group Contributes More Than $1 Million for COVID-19 Relief Efforts in U.S.
SK group announced today that its companies have pledged more than $1 million in contributions to help communities across the United States as they deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributions support local organizations in California, Georgia, Oklahoma and New Jersey that are working to provide their residents much-needed assistance in dealing with a range of issues, including food, protective personal equipment and health screenings. SK group companies’ efforts include: SK hynix provided 50,000 surgical masks and a monetary donation to organizations in the San Jose, Calif., area. The masks were donated to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) in San Jose. The monetary donation will support organizations including the Silicon Valley Strong Fund, helping low-income families, and Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, one of the largest food banks in the state.
SK innovation made a donation to support Augusta University’s free screening application for Georgia residents. The gift will be used to support expenses associated with physicians at the Medical College of Georgia and healthcare professionals at AU Health providing free virtual telehealth COVID-19 screening visits through the AU Health ExpressCare app and testing through 11 drive-through collection locations.
Moultrie Observer
Expo has $16.72 million impact, study says
Staff Reports
An economic impact study released Monday by the Sunbelt Ag Expo reveals the annual farm show brought $16.72 million to South Georgia last year. The economic output was spread over 20 counties within a 50-mile radius of Moultrie. The Sunbelt Ag Expo, held each October at Spence Field, attracts attendees from across the Southeastern United States, some even traveling from across the country, to engage and learn about agriculture’s latest technology and innovations. The study, conducted by the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, projected a $1.1 million impact on state and local tax revenue during the main event. It reported 187 full- and part-time job opportunities as well as $5.10 million in associated income generated for employees and proprietors, the Expo said in a press release.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech may limit capacity at Bobby Dodd Stadium
By Ken Sugiura
Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury plans to have football games at Bobby Dodd Stadium this fall. He just doesn’t know what they might look like, notably how many fans might be allowed into the 55,000-seat stadium. In a videoconference meeting with the athletic association board Thursday, Stansbury reported that the department was planning for four attendance scenarios to comply with possible social-distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic. They include a plan for playing games near full capacity, two reduced-attendance configurations and one for no fans.
Washington Times
Frat parties become coronavirus ‘superspreader events’ throughout South
By James Varney – The Washington Times – Tuesday, June 23, 2020
BATON ROUGE, La. — Public health officials warn that college carousing and fraternity parties at universities across the South have become “superspreader events” that created COVID-19 hot spots. Hundreds of cases have been tied to student parties at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where nearly three dozen players on the school’s football team were quarantined. Although the schools are mostly out for the summer, many students have remained in off-campus housing during the coronavirus crisis, and the onset of fraternity and sorority rushes has drawn more young adults back to the schools. …Public health officials attribute the party atmosphere during the pandemic to a feeling of invulnerability coupled with less-severe symptoms and rare mortality in younger people for COVID-19. However, young people risk spreading the disease to more vulnerable populations. The University of Georgia and other schools continued fraternity activity during the pandemic, while others, including Florida State, ordered a Greek system shutdown.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 23, 5pm)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 2,687 | Deaths confirmed in 139 counties. For 2 deaths, the county is unknown, and for 41 deaths, the residence was determined to be out-of-state. CONFIRMED CASES: 67,675 | 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 1,482 cases, the county is unknown. For 3,098 cases, the residence was determined to be out-of-state.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What if Colleges Designed Gap Years? This Year, Especially, They Should
By Goldie Blumenstyk
College? Gap year? It shouldn’t have to be either/or.
Relax. This isn’t another article urging undergrads to take a gap year rather than enroll for what inevitably will be a less-than-ideal college experience, even under the most optimistic scenarios. Sure, gap years can be great. But news-media fawning over them aside, I also recognize that gap years are, as the Lumina Foundation president Jamie Merisotis recently argued, “a fantasy for the vast majority of students” who lack the financial resources, flexibility, and family support to pursue them. Still, gap years are my inspiration this week. That’s because, in many ways, the 2020-21 academic year looks like an ideal time for colleges themselves to borrow from the creative approaches some outside programs are taking. Colleges have the chance to fashion a different kind of academic year, one that is adaptable to the uncertainties of face-to-face teaching and reflective of the unique circumstances we’re all in. After all, if a deadly global pandemic, sweeping protests over racial injustice, and growing recognition of the schisms of income inequality don’t add up to a teachable moment deserving of a new kind of higher-ed experiment, what would?
Inside Higher Ed
Pandemic Worsened Public Higher Ed’s Biggest Challenges
The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated issues like government funding, student mental health and diversity and inclusion, according to a new report by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
By Emma Whitford
The biggest challenges facing higher education have not changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey of public college leaders says. Instead, the challenges have been exacerbated and have taken on a new urgency. College leaders surveyed included presidents, provosts, student affairs professionals and others. They identified government funding, student mental health, diversity and inclusion, and affordability as the biggest challenges facing public higher education, in that order. The survey, conducted by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in partnership with Blue Moon Consulting Group and the marketing firm SimpsonScarborough, queried 558 APLU members in fall 2019. Follow-up interviews with 28 presidents conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 revisited some of the findings in light of the pandemic and other events. “Everything that the schools are facing in COVID were the exact same set of things that they identified pre-COVID, except they’re on steroids,” said Simon Barker, managing partner at Blue Moon Consulting Group.
Inside Higher Ed
Trying to Make Sense of a Fluid Fall
As more colleges announce their instructional plans, two simulations suggest some of the likely challenges to a physical return. Others see opportunity for experimentation around teaching and learning.
By Doug Lederman
With each passing day, more colleges and universities unveil their plans for how they will operate this fall. The vast majority of institutions that have announced plans say they expect significant numbers of students to return physically to campus, to engage in a mix of in-person, blended and online instruction. A smaller number, but including the massive 23-campus California State University system and many community colleges, say they will offer mostly virtual learning, with a far smaller number of students in mostly clinical or lab-based programs learning in physical settings. For the sake of this column, let’s set aside all the usual caveats attached to those plans and the fact that they could be completely overtaken by factors outside the colleges’ control, including the overall course of the COVID-19 pandemic and decisions by their states or counties that could render the institutions’ best-laid plans meaningless. … Instead, let’s just focus on what’s likely to happen in and around the classroom this fall if colleges strive to have meaningful numbers of students educated in person rather than virtually. Doing that assessment is hard for a variety of reasons. The experience that awaits is unprecedented enough that we don’t have a lot on which to base expectations of how it might go. The scenarios and models campus leaders are running are only as good as the data and assumptions those models are based on.
Inside Higher Ed
‘Hazy Outlook’ on Return to Campus Stressful for Students
By Greta Anderson
Eighty-five percent of college students said they are experiencing increased stress and anxiety due to the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty about continuing their education, according to a survey conducted by TimelyMD, a higher education telehealth company. But less than a quarter of students surveyed said they have reached out to a therapist for help, which suggests an “awareness gap” about the availability of virtual counseling resources, a release from TimelyMD said. “The hazy outlook for a safe return to campus only adds to the emotional toll of students’ sustained feelings of fear, uncertainty and isolation relating to the coronavirus,” said Alan Dennington, chief medical officer at TimelyMD.
Inside Higher Ed
Looking Beyond the College Degree
A quarter of Americans say they would pursue education or training within six months if they lost their job, but most prefer nondegree training over the traditional college route.
By Paul Fain
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the job market, a quarter of American adults say they plan to enroll in an education or training program within the next six months, according to the latest results of a national poll conducted by the Strada Education Network. That share was 37 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds and 23 percent for 25- to 64-year-olds. But the survey also found most of the workers who said they would change fields if they lost their job due to the pandemic (35 percent of all respondents) are more interested in nondegree skills training (62 percent) than pursuing a college degree (38 percent).