University System News:
Augusta CEO
Federal Communications Commission Grant to Help Augusta University Fight COVID-19
Danielle Harris
The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau has awarded a $113,744 grant to Augusta University Health to aid in the COVID-19 response. The grant will be used to expand AU Health’s portable ultrasound program to screen patients for respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms related to COVID-19 before being admitted into the hospital. “Augusta University Health is honored to receive this grant from the Federal Communications Commission, and the funding provides us with the needed resources to expand our COVID-19 screening and testing efforts,” said Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel, PhD. With the funding, AU Health will purchase nine telemedicine ultrasound systems from Philips that can peer into the lungs and hearts of patients to check for signs of pneumonia and even heart failure. The portable, painless ultrasound devices will be part of the bedside evaluations in the emergency department, intensive care units and in the health system’s EMS response vehicles.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
She’s a mom of five, MCSD teacher, cancer survivor — and now a master’s program graduate
By Mark Rice
She couldn’t wait to celebrate, not after all she had overcome. Columbus State University’s spring graduation ceremonies were postponed for three months due to coronavirus restrictions, but COVID-19 didn’t stop Chavala Burse from marking her momentous moment. Last Thursday in the garage of her Harris County home, Burse had a graduation party with her five children and two neighbors. And, at least while posing for photos, she wore the white mortarboard she bought at Party City and the black gown she borrowed from a coworker. Wearing mismatched graduation garb and not waiting to celebrate are metaphors for this 32-year-old single mother’s journey toward her online master’s degree in teacher leadership — achieved while going through treatment for breast cancer and teaching math at Kendrick High School.
Education Dive
State lawmakers wrestle with scope and timing of higher ed budget cuts
To make up budget shortfalls spurred by the pandemic, many states are planning steep cuts to public colleges’ funding. But their approaches vary.
Author Daniel C. Vock
Nearly all public colleges and universities can expect big budget cuts in the coming year, but officials in different states are taking vastly different approaches for determining how big those reductions will be and what they will mean for faculty, staff and students. … Throughout the country, state lawmakers are trying to find a way forward at a time when much of the information they typically rely on isn’t available. “Legislators are operating in an environment where the revenue forecasts are uncertain (and) the aid from the federal level is uncertain,” said Andrew Smalley, a research analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. On top of that, he added, several governors have tried to control federal funds without consulting legislators. Many of the budget-cutting decisions are falling to governors, executive agencies or higher education institutions themselves.
Moultrie Observer
EDITORIAL: Virus response has state budget reeling
Our Opinion
How do you save $4 billion? State hearings held this week imply the answer will be “painfully.” The state of Georgia could lose $4 billion in taxes over 15 months, according to a report cited by the Atlanta Journal Constitution last month. Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered all state agencies to submit spending proposals with 14% cuts to their budgets. What does a 14% cut look like? Take your salary, cut it into 20 pieces and throw three of them away. That’s actually 15%, but close enough. How would you make ends meet if 3/20 of your paycheck disappeared? What would you cut out? None of the cuts the state is discussing will actually happen until the Legislature approves a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 — but budget writers are going to have to get their savings from somewhere and these are department heads’ recommendations on where that should be.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Senate leader: teachers won’t face working same hours for less pay
By James Salzer
While state employees and teachers may still face furloughs because of the coronavirus recession, a top Georgia Senate leader said Thursday that they won’t be asked to work the same hours for less pay. Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, dumped cold water on a suggestion that Senate budget writers made Tuesday that pre-k teachers work the same hours for 10% less pay, rather than be furloughed. They said other employees might take pay cuts rather than furloughs, too.
Patch
Georgia Colleges, Universities Project Cutting 1,900 Jobs
Georgia State University will be hit hardest by pandemic-related cuts, followed by the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State.
By Jim Massara, Patch Staff
Georgia’s public colleges and universities will have to cut more than 1,900 jobs statewide to make up for lost tax revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 40 percent of those cuts in the Atlanta area alone. The University System of Georgia budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 shows 1,915 positions eliminated or left unfilled in response to a massive shortfall in Georgia tax revenue, according to a report published by The Red & Black, the University of Georgia’s student newspaper. …Georgia State University in Atlanta will be hit hardest, with 470 positions eliminated or not filled, according to The Red & Black. Georgia is next, with 394 positions lost, followed by Kennesaw State University with 202, Georgia Tech in Atlanta with 109, Georgia Southern University in Statesboro with 83, and Augusta University with 70. Job losses at other schools include:
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA plan would cut 500 jobs to meet Kemp’s order
By Lee Shearer
The University of Georgia could shed more than 500 jobs to meet Gov. Brian Kemp’s directive to reduce state budget allocations by 14 percent. Most of UGA’s proposed 518 job reductions would come through leaving vacant positions unfilled, but a plan submitted to the state Board of Regents lists well over 200 filled positions that would be eliminated to meet the governor’s mandate. UGA planners largely avoided cutting teaching positions, but not entirely. For example, the plan calls for eliminating 12 non-tenure track positions in UGA’s largest academic unit, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Some colleges are eliminating teaching assistant positions and reducing part-time jobs for undergraduates. Graduate assistantships in the College of Environment and Design would be “much fewer,” according to the document. The Cooperative Extension Service and UGA’s agricultural experimentation stations would lose more than 100 jobs in the proposal: 75 Cooperative Extension jobs, 39 experiment station jobs.
Moultrie Observer
ABAC plans for students to return to campus fall semester
Staff Reports
When Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College opens classes for the fall semester on Aug. 12, ABAC President David Bridges is making plans for the students to return to the familiar campus setting. Those students should not expect business as usual. “Our institutional priority is to return to face-to-face instruction,” Bridges, the longest serving president among the 26 colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia (USG), said. “But it will be far from a return to normal. “We are taking extensive measures for the safety of our students and our employees in the classrooms, the offices, the residence halls, and the dining hall. Right now, we are going through an extraordinary planning process.”
Athens Banner-Herald
By Lee Shearer
Colleges across Georgia have assembled planning teams for what they say will be a return to in-person classes this fall after an abrupt switch to distance education in March to limit the novel coronavirus pandemic. Faced with changing data and guidance, and the many known factors about the future of the pandemic, they’re planning for multiple scenarios. Georgia colleges are still working on fall reopening plans, though some U.S. universities — like Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina, among others — have already announced plans that call for ending in-person classes with the Thanksgiving break, looking ahead to flu season and a possible resurgence of COVID-19. A California public school system will stay completely online this fall and a handful of schools will begin online, expecting to resume in-person instruction later in the semester. Georgia’s dozens of colleges face similar a similar dilemma as they devise ways to keep students and faculty safe when classes resume, and the uncertainty of how well those plans will match conditions three months from now.
Times-Georgian
UWG student, Marine reservist acquires internship at state Capitol
By Emily Sprewell
Nathan Azarowicz knows that balancing multiple commitments is not an easy task, but it will make you stronger. Azarowicz, a University of West Georgia philosophy major with a minor in political science, has obtained a full-time position with the Georgia Legislative Internship Program while enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The Georgia Legislative Internship is an extremely competitive program that gives students the chance to work directly with elected officials at the Georgia State Capitol.
AllOnGeorgia
Rehabilitation act: Professor’s expertise proves critical to grant
By Julie Lineback
The University of West Georgia College of Education (COE)’s Dr. Olivia Uwamahoro Williams played a critical role in a grant totaling more than $2.2 million from the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration. The grant – in partnership with Dr. Margaret Glenn, principal investigator, and Dr. Elizabeth Simpson, co-principal investigator, of West Virginia University (WVU) – will be used to establish new training opportunities for knowledge and skills enrichment for vocational rehabilitation counselors who work with youth with disabilities.
The Red & Black
Survival of the fittest: UGA students defeat quarantine boredom with homemade ‘Survivor’ game
Melissa Wright | Opinion Assistant
Betrayal and scheming became part of one friend group’s daily routine when they decided to play a three week long, homemade version of the game show “Survivor.” University of Georgia students Claire Bunn, Marina Badir, Tate Hunda, Emma Hale and Emma Traynor were among a group of 16 who used Zoom to communicate because they were separated by stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus. Badir, a rising junior and genetics major from Augusta, said the idea for the game was proposed in April by Will McGonigle, the group’s expert on “Survivor,” after COVID-19 caused UGA classes to go online for the remainder of the semester. McGonigle also served as “Survivor’s” host, Jeff Probst, proctoring the game and its challenges.
Gainesville Times
Kelsey Podo
Growing and selling food that doesn’t harm the environment isn’t as simple as omitting pesticides and setting up shop at a farmers’ market. Benjamin Garner, assistant professor of management in the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia, decided to explore the intricacy of local farming by tapping into one of the nation’s agricultural hotspots, Kansas.
WRDW
I-TEAM: MCG study will track how COVID-19 affects your BRAIN
By Meredith Anderson
Doctors at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University worry the damage done by COVID-19 could affect patients even after they’ve recovered from the virus. Video from New York City shows packed ICUs overwhelmed with patients on respirators, but researchers at the Medical College of Georgia say breathing problems aren’t just in your chest. They could also be in your head.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Staff Report
The Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is working with Woodbury, a community in West Georgia’s Meriwether County, under an agreement to help a coalition of civic and business leaders develop a strategic assessment plan to guide the city’s economic development efforts. The strategic assessment process includes an analysis of the community, starting with interviews with local and regional stakeholders. The completed assessment will also provide guidance on historic preservation as the city and local downtown development authority pursue redevelopment projects in some of Woodbury’s historic buildings in the central business district. The project began in May 2020 and is expected to take three months to complete.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia eases more virus restrictions, letting bars and nightclubs reopen
By Greg Bluestein and Ligaya Figueras
Gov. Brian Kemp continued to lift economic restrictions he imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus, signing an executive order Thursday that clears the way for larger gatherings and lets bars and nightclubs reopen if they follow guidelines. The governor detailed his strategy for a “transition to a new normal” at a press conference at the state Capitol as recent data show an increase in cases that some public health experts say could indicate a second wave of the disease. Kemp’s order permits gatherings of as many as 25 people starting Monday, and continues to require larger groups to maintain social distancing. It lets school systems start holding summer courses if they follow state criteria. And it allows bars and nightclubs to reopen next week if they meet 39 measures, including screening workers for illness, limiting occupancy and requiring regular sanitation. Amusement parks can follow on June 12 if they abide by other limits.
Gainesville Times
State of emergency extended, but moves made to reopen bars, bring back sports
Megan Reed
Gov. Brian Kemp has decided to extend Georgia’s public health state of emergency through 11:59 p.m. July 12, he announced Thursday. It is his third extension of the state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shelter-in-place order for Georgians who are 65 or older or who are medically fragile will continue through June 12. Beginning June 1, gatherings of up to 25 people will be allowed if there are six feet between each person. The current limit is 10 people. Starting May 31, overnight summer camps are permitted if they follow 33 rules. On June 1, bars and nightclubs can reopen if they follow sanitation and social distancing rules.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: COVID-19 deaths in Georgia near 2,000
CONTINUING COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS 2 hours ago
Deaths from COVID-19 in Georgia at 1,973; there are 45,266 confirmed cases
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
National Governors Association Makes Recommendations on Reopening Campuses
The National Governors Association said various states’ governors should set out a clear public health framework that can be implemented alongside college and university reopening efforts. In a letter to governors, the association said states should have an inclusive approach when planning to reopen. They should acknowledge the diverse higher education sectors, different institutional planning needs and the nature of student behavior when considering opening college campuses. Governors should also make sure there is alignment with the public health metrics of the communities where colleges and universities are located.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Higher-Ed Lobbying Group, Eyeing an In-Person Fall, Asks Congress for Liability Shields
By Danielle McLean
Higher-education leaders seeking to open their campuses for in-person operations this fall are asking Congress for protections that would insulate colleges from lawsuits brought by students, faculty, or staff who contract the new coronavirus. The American Council on Education sent a letter on Thursday to Senate and House leaders seeking “temporary and targeted” liability-exposure protections for institutions that open their campuses this fall. The letter, co-signed by more than 70 other higher-education associations, also seeks protections for faculty and staff members and institutional systems, including affiliated nonprofit organizations and health-care providers. In its letter, ACE said that such protections are necessary to “blunt the chilling effect” lawsuits would have on “otherwise reasonable decision-making leading to our nation’s campuses resuming operations in a safe and sensible manner.”
Inside Higher Ed
Senator Murray Opposes Request by College Groups for Liability Protection
By Kery Murakami
Weighing in for the first time on the push by colleges to be protected from coronavirus-related lawsuits should they reopen, Senator Patty Murray said she opposes granting a “liability shield” because it would essentially say, “it’s okay if students or employees get sick.” The comments by the top Democrat on the Senate education committee in a statement to Inside Higher Ed contrast with those of the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander, who backs liability protection. They also come as associations representing colleges and universities earlier in the day called for Congress to provide the protection. Nearly 80 education groups, including associations representing colleges and universities, wrote Congress asking for “temporary” protections from COVID-19-related lawsuits should they reopen campuses.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What College Students Need Now
They’re more vulnerable than ever, physically and financially
By Sarah Brown and Katherine Mangan
… Amid the chaos clouding plans for the next academic year, one thing is clear: Students will be more vulnerable than ever. Greater numbers are likely to struggle financially or academically, and those with chronic health conditions, compromised immune systems, or disabilities face unprecedented risks — to their well-being and to their education. To return to campus and succeed, students will require extra support. But in spite of their pledges to protect vulnerable populations, few colleges have spelled out concrete plans to offer it. When finances are tight and faculty and staff members are already working overtime, even accommodating well-resourced, healthy, and able-bodied students will be a challenge. What will colleges do about those students who are most vulnerable? The Chronicle asked experts and administrators what high-touch support looks like in a time when public-health experts are urging people to keep their distance.
Bloomberg
SAT and ACT May Never Regain Their Role in College Admissions
A growing list of schools are dropping the requirement for test scores, even beyond the current chaos.
By Janet Lorin
Coronavirus has shattered the spring rituals of college admissions this year, with tours canceled and standardized testing dates scratched off the calendar. The campus tours will resume someday, and the SAT and the ACT will be administered again – but the stakes of those once-feared exams may be lower. Almost 200 schools – including some of the most selective, such as Amherst and Williams colleges and Ivy League member Cornell University – have scrapped the requirement for standardized test scores at least for current high school juniors, acknowledging the chaos of lockdowns. Last week, the mammoth University of California system, one of the largest in the U.S. with almost 300,000 students, said it would suspend its testing requirement until at least 2024. Still, it may be too soon to declare the demise of admissions testing, said Bob Schaeffer, interim executive director of FairTest, a nonprofit that has led the “test optional” movement for 30 years.
Wall Street Journal
U.S. to Cancel Visas for Some Chinese Graduate Students
President Trump’s move would target scholars associated with Chinese universities with ties to the People’s Liberation Army
By Andrew Restuccia and Kate O’Keeffe
WASHINGTON—President Trump is expected to announce Friday that the U.S. will cancel the visas of some Chinese graduate students and researchers, according to administration officials and others familiar with the matter. The move would target scholars associated with Chinese universities with ties to the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA. It wasn’t known how many people would be affected by the decision. The New York Times earlier reported the administration’s plans. The president is expected to announce the visa cancellations at a news conference, during which he said he would outline his response to China’s actions on Hong Kong. Senior administration officials have been discussing revoking Chinese student visas for months, before China’s legislature approved on Thursday a resolution to impose national-security laws on Hong Kong.