University System News:
Valdosta Daily Times
VSU enrollment up: Freshman class grows despite virus pandemic
Despite virus pandemic, VSU hits record high
By Desiree Carver
While there have been plenty of hits from COVID-19, Valdosta State University has experienced a surprising rise in enrollment numbers amid the pandemic. According to numbers sent from the university, the 2020 freshmen class has 2,687 students, up from the 1,587 students in the 2019 freshmen class. VSU hasn’t recorded more than 2,500 freshmen in a decade. The 2010 class had 2,565 freshmen. Overall, 2020 enrollment numbers are more than 12,300 which is the first time enrollment has been more than 12,000 since 2012. While the bulk of the fall 2020 students are from the United States, according to a headcount provided by VSU, more than 250 students are from other countries, showcasing the appeal of the campus on a global scale, university officials said.
The Daily Tribune News
Colleges’ summer enrollments increase despite uncertain times
By Donna Harris
Despite coronavirus forcing most classes to be offered online, both Chattahoochee Technical College and Georgia Highlands College saw increases in their summer semester enrollment. …At GHC, summer 2020 enrollment jumped to 2,588 from summer 2019’s enrollment of 2,283, an increase of 13.4%. The college had the second-largest increase among state colleges, behind Georgia Gwinnett College at 14.6%. President Dr. Don Green said Georgia Highlands switched to total remote delivery of courses in March “and continued this way for the remainder of the spring and summer semesters to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.”
WSAV
9 days in, Statesboro Police have not issued citations to violators of citywide mask mandate
by: Kelly Antonacci
Thursday marks nine days since Statesboro’s mayor and city council voted 4-1 to pass a citywide mask mandate. The mayor says without one, students at Georgia Southern University could have fueled what he’s calling a “major outbreak.” For Statesboro Police Chief Mike Broadhead, the ordinance is less about enforcement and more about education.
accessWDUN
UNG Public Safety Academy students train in emergency vehicle operations
By Rob Moore, Reporter
Students who complete the University of North Georgia Public Safety Academy are job ready upon graduation. That means they have achieved Basic Law Enforcement Mandate certification, including first aid/CPR, emergency vehicle operations, firearms and pepper spray at the time they complete the program with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In addition, UNG Public Safety Academy graduates also receive the following additional certifications: taser, ASP baton, standardized field sobriety, radar/Lidar, and patrol rifle familiarization. Sallie Parker, coordinator of the Public Safety Academy and an adjunct instructor at UNG, explained more about the emergency vehicle operations portion of the program, held last week at the Habersham County Fairgrounds near Clarkesville.
WGAU
Two UGA professors named to National Academy of Inventors
By Tyler Duggins
The National Academy of Inventors has named two University of Georgia faculty members to the 2020 class of NAI Senior Members. Richard Meagher, Distinguished Research Professor of Genetics, and Ronald Orlando, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and chemistry, are the first UGA researchers to receive the senior membership distinction. They join a new class of 38 prolific inventors representing 24 research universities along with government and nonprofit research institutes worldwide.
The Newnan Times-Herald
UWG student receives scholarship to support unique opportunity
Work skills often are achieved through field experience – something Ashley Beil of Coweta County already knows. Beil, a junior in the University of West Georgia’s College of Education, has taken advantage of a unique opportunity to gain field experience with her position at White Oak Elementary, where she works full time as a paraprofessional while she is pursuing her degree in elementary education. …The College of Education at UWG is one of the only colleges in the state that makes the dual experience possible and flexible for students.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Protesters demand changes to lower COVID-19 cases at Georgia College
By Eric Stirgus
Protesters demanded several measures Friday they believe will lower the number of positive COVID-19 cases at Georgia College, such as allowing any students and faculty to participate in classes online, rigorous contact tracing and improved testing. The demands were made during a die-in staged by about 40 students and others on the lawn in the middle of the Milledgeville campus Friday morning. More than 800 people have signed an online petition asking President Steve Dorman to allow any students or faculty to participate in classes remotely, a demand that has been made at other University System of Georgia schools. Faculty must get approval from supervisors to work remotely.
WSB-TV
Georgia Tech more than doubles new COVID-19 cases in just 7 days
Just a week after Channel 2 Action News reported that Georgia Tech officials had locked down a fraternity house due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the number of confirmed cases on campus has more than doubled. On August 22, school officials announced that a total of 252 students had become infected with the virus since the pandemic started in March. By Saturday, the school was reporting 641 confirmed cases, more than double the number of people on campus who have been infected since the pandemic began in just 7 days.
Inside Higher Ed
Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education
By IHE Staff
Students, Employees Hold ‘Die-in’ at Georgia College
August 28, 12:30 p.m. Students and staff members at Georgia College staged a protest this morning as the public liberal arts college’s COVID-19 numbers continue to mount. The “die-in,” which was sponsored by the United Campus Workers of Georgia at GCSU union, featured masked and (mostly) physically distanced students and employees carrying signs such as “I can’t teach if I’m dead” and “I won’t die for the USG,” a reference to the University System of Georgia, of which Georgia College is a part. …
Georgia College Has 447 Cases, More Than 6% of Student Body
Aug. 26, 3:00 p.m. A total of 447 people — and roughly 440 students — at Georgia College have contracted COVID-19, according to the public liberal arts institution’s public dashboard. That is more than 6 percent of its nearly 7,000 students. Inside Higher Ed’s reporting has not revealed any other campus with anywhere near that proportion of COVID-19 positivity among the student body to date.
WSAV
Privacy concerns arise over COVID-19 tracing apps
by: Jon Dowding
Smartphone users have taken to social media to express their concerns over data being shared with COVID-19 tracing apps. WSAV NOW spoke with Frank Katz, an assistant professor of I.T. at Georgia Southern University, about whether you should be concerned. The main developers for these apps are state health departments. As of now, Georgia does not have a COVID-19 tracing app in either the Google Play store or Apple’s App Store. Katz says that so far, these types of apps have been working in many places around the world including Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. The programs on the market use Bluetooth to identify app users who have been in closest proximity to someone who may have contracted COVID-19.
The George-Anne
Misconceptions About College Majors
Tatiana Joseph-Saunders
Entering a new school year can be intimidating. When that school is a college, that’s a whole other level. Whether it’s the campus adjustment, the idea of making new friends or just taking higher-level classes, there is a lot to think about when you first start here at Georgia Southern University.
The Red & Black
UGA grad student starts grant to help students pursue music
Anna Thomas | Culture Editor
Emily Eng, founder and executive director of Lift Music Fund, created the fund to help make musical achievement more accessible and diverse Lift Music Fund was created to help make musical achievement more accessible and diverse. Emily Eng, founder and executive director of Lift Music Fund and University of Georgia graduate student in conducting, noticed almost all performers in classical music were white. In order to make music more accessible to Black, Latinx and Native American performers, she started the Lift Music Fund. …Eng said although the idea for the grant came from lack of representation and equity in the classical genre, applicants are not required to be classical musicians. The only application requirements are the applicant be in the age range of 11-22 years old and identify as Black, Latinx or Native American. Eng came up with the idea for the fund over the summer because she had more free time after no longer being able to conduct at concerts since in-person concerts were canceled, she said. Eng said she felt like she needed to use her time to do something to make the world better.
WSUVMA
The Veterinary College at Washington State University has for years, provided its students with a first-rate veterinary medical education. As the average national cost of a veterinary education has increased through the years, it has become equally important that veterinary programs attend to the financial education of their students. To meet that obligation, Washington State University undertook the development of an elective practice management rotation for its fourth-year veterinary students that would immerse students into the operational heart and soul of for-profit, private veterinary practices. The rotation is designed to complement WSU’s practice management and financial literacy elective offered to third year students and the goal of the elective is to position students to better understand how a veterinary business operates. With the help of professor Jeff Sanford from the University of Georgia who pioneered this interactive business curriculum, a two-week rotation was developed that provides eight fourth-year veterinary students with an opportunity to spend an entire week as observers in each of two veterinary practices.
Golfwrx
FLATSTICK FOCUSFlatstick Focus: Interview with Mark Immelman
By GolfWRX Staff
In Episode 22, we chat with Mark of all trades, Mark Immelman. To say that Mark leads a busy schedule would be an understatement. Not only does he coach Men’s and Women’s college golf at Columbus State University, he currently hosts the On the Mark Podcast, and covers the PGA Tour for PGA Tour Live, CBS Sports, Golf Channel, and Sirius XM.
WSB-TV
After months of being shut down, Georgia’s film industry starts up again
By: Jovita Moore
Georgia’s film industry is starting up again, after being shut down for months due to the pandemic. Despite the coronavirus, our state ranks No. 1 in film production. The industry pumped $2.2 billion into Georgia’s economy in fiscal year 2020. …Pinewood Studios in Fayette County, where blockbuster movies including “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom” were filmed, is gearing up using a rigorous COVID-19 testing program. …People at high risk are tested three times a week, while those working in the office are tested weekly.
The Governor’s office reports the state’s film industry will employ about 40,000 workers with jobs on about 75 projects this year. It’s estimated these new productions will have a $2 billion impact on Georgia’s economy.
Athens CEO
UGA Research Sets Sail with New Tool for Students
Kristen Morales
From the shore, you can hear a soft hum as the vessel cuts a line through the water. Meanwhile, on the shore, University of Georgia graduate student Wes Gerrin keeps his eyes on a computer monitor and a controller that resembles something you might find with an Xbox. Typically, Gerrin would be in a boat monitoring equipment to get similar data, but driving this small craft is a vast improvement, he says. The new ASV, or autonomous surface vessel, is the next generation of technology for collecting underwater data, and it’s now available to UGA students. UGA’s vessel allows researchers like Gerrin to analyze detailed information about aquatic health. When paired with similar technology on land, students can see a fuller picture of how land management affects water quality.
Times-Georgian
Dickey departs as University AD
From staff reports
Daryl Dickey, longtime director of athletics at the University of West Georgia, is no longer in that position. Kevin Terry, senior associate athletic director, will assume the post as interim director and report directly to UWG President Brendan Kelly, according to a statement issued Friday by the university. The circumstances of Dickey’s departure were unknown as of press time Friday. Calls by the Times-Georgian to obtain further details were not returned. It was also not known if a search for a new athletics director has been started. According to information on the university’s website, this fall would have marked the 12th year for Dickey as head of the department. He had joined the university in January 2009 on an interim basis, and later that year became the full time AD.
Other News:
WSB-TV
White House announces deal for 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests
By: Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The White House on Thursday announced a deal with Abbott Laboratories to produce 150 million coronavirus test kits that will tell a person within 15 minutes if they have the COVID-19 virus. …“The test, which is the size of a credit card, would cost $5. It would be administered by a healthcare professional and is intended to be used by those who have experienced symptoms of the COVID-19 virus within the past seven days.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: U.S. surpasses 6 million coronavirus cases
By Tim Darnell
The United States has surpassed 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday, as the pandemic has already killed more than 183,000 in the nation. According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, 6,002,615 cases have been reported in the U.S., far more than No. 2 Brazil at 3,862,311 or India’s third-ranked number of 3,621,245. Globally, 25,259,201 have been reported. Dr. Deborah Birx, head of the White House’s coronavirus response team, urged Americans to take all of the steps they can to prevent the continuing spread of the virus and not to wait for a vaccine.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Aug. 30, 3 p.m.)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 5,604 | Deaths have been confirmed in 157 counties. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 268,973 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Future of the Academic Work Force
How will the pandemic change the way higher education works?
…Among other consequences, the turmoil has heightened distrust between administrators and faculty and staff members, a fraught relationship even in the best of times. In the view of some faculty members, anti-intellectual administrative bean counters are using the pandemic as an excuse to enact changes the faculty has long resisted. Some administrators, on the other hand, feel that they are in survival mode, scrambling to keep their institutions afloat in unprecedented circumstances. In their view, the faculty has revealed itself once again as clueless when it comes to the economic realities of running an institution of higher learning. Heading into a fall in which the pandemic shows no signs of abating, we asked administrators, professors, grad students, and university staff to peer around the corner and speculate about how the coronavirus will change the academic work force. What has the pandemic revealed about the campus workplace — and how will that change it going forward? What jobs will be most in demand? Which roles are most imperiled? What sort of shared governance will survive the pandemic? When this is all over, what should the composition of university work forces look like?
Inside Higher Ed
When it comes to their students testing positive for COVID-19, professors say they have a right to know and share the information how they deem appropriate. Colleges want to keep those cases close to the vest.
By Colleen Flaherty
Numerous institutions are telling professors not to talk about when students in their face-to-face classes contract COVID-19, or saying that professors won’t be notified when their students test positive, or both. In so doing, these institutions generally cite privacy laws. But professors say they’re reading between the lines on that guidance, and they suspect that it’s more about public relations than student privacy concerns. Some faculty members say they have no interest in sharing students’ medical information but believe that they — and their other students — have a right to know if someone with whom they’ve shared classroom air is sick. They also say that discussing student health without naming names is covered by academic freedom, since it relates to how well or how poorly campuses are handling outbreaks.
Inside Higher Ed
New Database Tracks Reversals in Colleges’ Fall Reopening Plans
By Doug Lederman
Inside Higher Ed today releases a map and database tracking changes in colleges’ plans for reopening this fall. Scores of colleges and universities have in recent weeks reversed plans they announced in the spring or early summer, and this new feature allows readers to see how the changes have unfolded over time and by region, and to search for individual institutions.