University System News:
Northwest Georgia News
GHC’s criminal justice program sees first graduate during college’s 50th anniversary
Richey Harrell is blazing a new trail. He is the first graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program at Georgia Highlands College. The program began in 2019 and Harrell’s accomplishment coincides with the college’s 50th graduation commencement, which will be celebrated virtually on July 25. “I had been involved in law enforcement for 25 years when I decided it was time to pursue my goal of obtaining a college degree,” Harrell said. “After reaching out to my friend and Criminal Justice Professor Randy Green, I decided to begin my journey. My first goal was to obtain my associate degree in criminal justice with the plan to continue after that to obtain my bachelor’s. My ultimate end goal is to obtain my master’s degree and become a professor of criminal justice at Georgia Highlands College.”
The Baldwin Bulletin
Hometown girl still smiling in new role at GCSU
It’s true of every job – there can be difficult days and difficult people. Sometimes, it takes real effort to smile and carry on. But, spend a few minutes around Kimberly Moore, and it’s a good bet you’ll walk away beaming with a smile that can’t be wiped off, because it’s real. A joyful, bubbly administrative assistant, Moore makes every person who walks into the Rural Studies Institute (RSI) or her previous job in the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) feel as if she’s known them all her life. …She started working at Georgia College in 2012 as a scholarship coordinator and financial advisor in the Office of Financial Aid. Then, she worked in accounting and ended up trying something new four years ago as an administrative assistant to Dr. Veronica Womack in OIE. It was a big change for Moore. Something she had never done before. Prior to managing an office, she had been a “numbers cruncher.” But the diversity office was intriguing, so she left her comfort zone to give it a try.
Moultrie Observer
Lance Giles receives Farm Bureau Scholarship
Staff Reports
Thomas Lance Giles, son of Darren and Noel Giles of Norman Park, was presented the 2020 Colquitt County Farm Bureau scholarship recently. Lance plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the fall and major in Agronomy Plant & Animal Science.
The Augusta Chronicle
AU issues statement defending itself after remarks by Atlanta mayor on national TV
By Jozsef Papp
Augusta University issued a statement Friday after Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms downplayed Gov. Brian Kemp’s reliance on the university for coronavirus information in an interview on NBC’s “Today.” Bottoms, who is being sued by Kemp for implementing a mask order in Atlanta, said Emory University or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had better medical expertise than AU. “He didn’t go to Emory for guidance. He didn’t go to the CDC for guidance. He went to Augusta University, which I’m sure is a fine university in our state, but it’s certainly not Emory University or the CDC in terms of its expertise with infectious disease control,” she said. “He was searching for an answer, he got it, and it’s the same answer and playbook we’ve seen come out of the White House.” In a statement, AU said it was disappointed by Bottoms’ comment and plans to continue to provide the “expert health care” Georgia residents have come to expect. “Research universities are problem solvers, so when the coronavirus pandemic hit, Augusta University and Augusta University Health System immediately went to work on a solution, a solution for which Georgia’s only public academic medical center was uniquely suited to provide,” the statement said.
Business Standard
Compound found in cannabis may help avert lung damage in Covid-19: Report
CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in the ingredients of cannabis (marijuana), may reduce lung inflammation in Covid-19 patients
Cannabidiol or CBD may help reduce the cytokine storm and excessive lung inflammation that is killing many patients with Covid-19, say researchers. CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid (chemical compound) found in the ingredients of cannabis (marijuana). It has many potential therapeutic benefits, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-anxiety, and seizure-suppressant properties. The study, published in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, revealed that it could help patients showing signs of respiratory distress avoid extreme interventions like mechanical ventilation as well as death from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). “ARDS is a major killer in severe cases of some respiratory viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) and we have an urgent need for better intervention and treatment strategies,” said study researcher Babak Baban from Augusta University in the US. “Our laboratory studies indicate pure CBD can help the lungs recover from the overwhelming inflammation, or cytokine storm, caused by the Covid-19 virus, and restore healthier oxygen levels in the body,” the study authors wrote.
WFXG
Augusta University professor weighs in on Governor Kemp’s lawsuit
By Sydni Moore
Tension continues to build between Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Governor Brian Kemp. This is following the governor filing a lawsuit against Mayor Bottoms for issuing a mandate requiring Atlanta residents to wear masks when out in public. FOX 54 reached out to a political expert at Augusta University to see if the lawsuit might have ramifications for the City of Augusta. We spoke to Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Craig Albert for his expert opinion on the legality of Augusta’s executive order mandating masks. He told us that according to the city, it is legal and enforceable inside city jurisdiction. However, he says when it concerns public health crises and most areas concerning the well-being of citizens, the state law is above any local law.
Fox28 Media
Georgia Southern’s Engineering Department creating face shields for faculty, staff
by Marah Brock
Georgia Southern University’s Manufacturing Engineering Department is creating face shields for faculty and staff, as an extra layer of protection ahead of the upcoming semester. Andrew Michaud, laboratory manager in the Manufacturing Engineering Department, says the department is using 3D printing, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) waterjet cutting and CNC laser cutting to create the shields. …The university says the frames were either 3D printed or cut out of high-density polyethylene. Michaud laser cut polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to make some of the transparent materials, but since PET is in short supply, he also used standard transparencies often found in overhead projectors.
Times-Georgian
State approves capital funding for two UWG projects
By Colton Campbell Special to the Times-Georgian Jul 18, 2020 Updated 3 hrs ago
The Georgia legislature recently approved $4.4 million in bond funding for the University of West Georgia for two capital projects that will enhance opportunities for students to succeed. Included in the funding, which came as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 budget, is $2.5 million in design funding for the renovation of the UWG Humanities building and $1.9 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment for Roy Richards Sr. Hall, the new building to house the Richards College of Business.
WJCL
Georgia Southern faculty members express concerns over reopening campus in fall
Georgia Southern faculty, alumni and students are wanting the university to make decisions for the fall semester based on the science that puts the health and safety of the GSU community first.
Jackson Kurtz
Members of the Georgia Southern University community are asking the university for more changes on campus to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In a statement signed by over 600 people including faculty members, alumni and students at Georgia Southern, supporters want the university to make decisions for the fall semester based on the science that puts the health and safety of the GSU community first. The university plans to reopen in the fall with masks requirements for everyone inside campus buildings, and some classes to be in-person with social distancing. But faculty in the statement say the school’s reopening process has not prioritized science-based evidence, which is creating health risks for the community.
Forbes
Scientists Have Been Right About The Coronavirus. Why Are People Still Not Listening?
Marshall Shepherd, Senior Contributor, Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program.
I am an atmospheric scientist who studies weather and climate. From that lens, I am well versed in the experience of delivering forecasts or warnings that are often dismissed by the public. It is extremely frustrating to see people ignore the threat of an approaching hurricane or emerging impacts of climate change. Within the pages of Forbes, I have previously explored several reasons that people ignore expert warnings or advice including motivated reasoning, optimism bias, belief bias, Dunning-Kruger effect, and other cognitive biases. From a broad perspective, it is pretty clear to me that scientists have generally been correct about the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, some people (and policymakers) are dismissive and even hostile towards them. Recently, I discovered another concept from the field of psychology that may help explain why some people push back on expertise.
Valdosta Daily Times
Fillies to play soccer in spring
By Becky Taylor, The Tifton Gazette
The National Junior College Athletic Association is changing plans for fall competition. “[A] majority of competition will be moved to the spring semester,” the organization stated in a press release Monday afternoon. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College usually plays one fall sport. It won’t in 2020. Women’s soccer is among four sports moving to spring. The others are men’s soccer, football and court volleyball. Soccer will open practice on March 15, 2021. The regular season opens April 2. The NJCAA stated that winter sports would begin play in January. ABAC does not field any winter sports teams.
Other News:
The Gainesville Times
Kemp asks Georgians to wear masks, will avoid mandate
Megan Reed
Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday, July 17 he does not support a mask mandate to reduce COVID-19 spread but believes Georgians should “do the right thing” and follow precautions as many areas see an uptick in cases and a backlog in testing. Kemp said he was “encouraging all Georgians from every corner of the state to do four things for four weeks” — wear a mask in public, stay 6 feet away from others, wash hands often, adhere to public health guidance and follow his executive order extending social distancing rules. But that July 15 executive order also says any masking mandates put in place by city or county governments that go beyond the state’s voluntary measures “are suspended.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated July 19, 3 p.m.)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 3,173 | Deaths have been confirmed in 143 counties. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 143,123 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Five trends postsecondary education leaders need to watch this fall
Strada Education Network
As some college campuses start welcoming students back to campus this fall, the effects of COVID-19 on Americans’ plans and expectations for their education will be important to consider.
Are Americans still planning to pursue higher education? And if so, what are their motivations and expectations for their education — and what are the barriers to enrolling? Education leaders have been weighing these questions since COVID-19 forced the closures of college campuses around the country this spring and raised questions about the effects on the fall semester. The pandemic and ensuing economic crisis have raised questions about shifts toward online education, trends that favor skills-focused programs, and concerns about students delaying or canceling their plans. Listening directly to those affected can help educators understand learners’ motivations, concerns, and “must-haves” to ensure they are removing, rather than compounding, barriers in this crisis.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges have frittered the summer away on audacious and absurd reopening plans. It’s time to embrace remote learning instead.
By Jeffrey J. Selingo
This spring we saw something that few people could have ever predicted — colleges across the country abruptly shifting, almost overnight, to digital education. But the pivot in response to the coronavirus pandemic was largely haphazard and make-do, with faculty members and institutions duct taping together learning-management systems and Zoom in order to finish out the semester. Not surprisingly, students and faculty members didn’t love the experience. In a survey of over 3,000 students in the U.S. and Canada by Top Hat, an education-technology company, nearly 80 percent of respondents said their online courses lacked the engagement of in-person classes. Half said online was worse than face-to-face instruction; 16 percent said it was a lot worse.
Inside Higher Ed
A Year of Chaos and Flexibility
For recruiting and judging students, colleges face the reality that they may not be able to visit high schools or rely on their rubrics. The outcomes are expected to be particularly bad for disadvantaged students.
By Scott Jaschik
College admissions officers are not done worrying about the class that is supposed to enroll in the fall. Will students come? Will they come if a college is online only? The situation and the resulting models are changing daily. But in the last week, a new issue has emerged for colleges: high schools. Despite President Trump’s insistence that schools should be fully open in the fall, school districts aren’t listening. The push was most evident in California — the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts said they will be online only in the fall. San Francisco’s district said, “Our fall semester will begin with distance learning.” Then on Friday, California governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced that most California school districts would be closed during the fall. Schools are making similar announcements elsewhere. At least the first six weeks of the coming school year will be online for students in Houston. For Atlanta, it’s at least nine weeks online. Palm Beach, Fla., and Mesa, Ariz., are also starting online. And those schools planning to be open are not going to be normal. Some schools are planning for students to attend only one or two days a week. Most are canceling any school visitors. For college admissions officers, these decisions have profound consequences.
Inside Higher Ed
Judge Orders Full Restoration of DACA
By Elizabeth Redden
A federal judge ordered the government to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program “to its pre-September 5, 2017 status” in light of the Supreme Court’s recent 5-to-4 opinion finding that the Trump administration’s attempt to rescind the program that day was unlawful. The decision means that the administration must begin accepting new applications for the program, which provides work authorization and shields certain young undocumented immigrants from deportation, for the first time since September 2017.
Inside Higher Ed
COVID-19 Roundup: More Conferences Cancel Fall Seasons
Six athletic conferences cancel or postpone fall seasons. Hillsdale College defies state attorney general. Citing quarantine order, Ithaca College tells some out-of-staters to start classes remotely.
By Elizabeth Redden
At least six more athletic conferences across various National Collegiate Athletic Association divisions announced on Friday that they were canceling fall conference play or postponing until the spring. The Colonial Athletic Association on Friday canceled its schedule of conference football play for the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, but member universities are permitted to pursue an independent football schedule. The CAA teams play in the NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The conference said it would explore the possibility of organizing a football season next spring. …The America East and Atlantic 10 conferences, both Division I conferences that do not sponsor conference play in football, announced they were postponing all fall sports until the spring …The East Coast Conference, which is affiliated with the NCAA’s Division II, and two Division III conferences — the Commonwealth Coast Conference and the North Eastern Athletic Conference — also announced cancellations of intercollegiate competition for the fall semester.