University System News:
InsiderAdvantage
Working group will examine USG’s post-tenure review policy
by Cindy Morley
It’s been nearly 25 years since the University System of Georgia (USG) adopted its post-tenure review policy. And during that quarter-century, the policy has remained largely unaltered. That could change. USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley announced Wednesday the formation of a working group to evaluate the system’s existing post-tenure policy and make recommendations for updates as needed. “It’s time,” said Sachin Shailendra, Chairman of the Board of Regents who initiated the policy review and spoke with IAG Thursday. “We have to look at this as a cohesive unit. We have to look at how this business, or this system, has evolved from 1996 to 2020. That’s 24 years. I have to believe that some things have changed over the last 24 years. “If you are going to have the greatest system in the United States, you need to be at the forefront of doing things on the leading edge. That’s why we are looking at every process and policy,” Shailendra added.
Marietta Daily Journal
KSU researchers receive National Science Foundation grant to expand efforts around 3D teaching aids
For the past two years, Kennesaw State University researcher Ayse Tekes, along with a team of undergraduates, has been working to find a solution to a common teaching challenge — how to improve student learning outcomes with limited resources. Tekes, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in KSU’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, has been focusing her efforts on improving educational aids used to teach abstract concepts to mechanical engineering students during introductory courses. Her Dynamics and Control Research Group of undergraduate students designed and developed 3D printed laboratory equipment prototypes that could be used to demonstrate vibrations and control theories while remaining portable and cost-effective — less than $30 to create. …Now Tekes and Tris Utschig, director of scholarly teaching in KSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, are taking the project to the next level. They received a National Science Foundation grant – the first for Tekes – from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program, which supports research and development projects to create, explore and implement promising tools and practices in STEM education.
EurekAlert
$3 million National Eye Institute grant supports growth of vision research at MCG, AU
A $3 million National Eye Institute grant is enabling the critical infrastructure necessary to grow research initiatives in major vision-robbing conditions at the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta University. The NEI center core grant, or P30 grant, comes at a time of critical development for the James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute at Augusta University, and is key to the sustainability of future growth, says Dr. Sylvia Smith, chair of the MCG Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy and director of the Culver VDI. Smith, a NEI-funded retinal cell biologist, is principal investigator on the new P30 grant.
Athens CEO
Student Cases Increase at UGA, While Faculty and Staff Cases Remain Low
Greg Trevor
According to data released today by the University of Georgia in its weekly update to the campus community, student cases of COVID-19 rose again last week, while those of faculty and staff remained at a very low level. A total of 1,417 positive tests were reported through the University’s DawgCheck reporting system for the period of Aug. 31 – Sept. 4. Of those, 1,402 were students, 14 were staff, and one was a faculty member. That means 99% of the cases were among students. The data suggest that spread is not happening through classroom settings, according to Dr. Garth Russo, executive director of the University Health Center and chair of UGA’s Medical Oversight Task Force.
Cision
CampusLogic, the leader in student financial success technology, today announces its partnership with the University System of Georgia (USG) to provide a student-centric platform that streamlines the end-to-end student financial aid journey. “We are thrilled to be able to provide all USG institutions with CampusLogic’s VirtualAdvisor®,” said Dr. Tristan Denley, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer for USG. “VirtualAdvisor adds to our ‘Know More. Borrow Less.’ initiative and extends our partnership with CampusLogic by providing students with a comprehensive self-service set of tools to make more informed decisions concerning financial aid.” USG is also providing CampusCommunicator® to all its schools, ensuring they can deliver dynamic, reliable communications to students. All USG schools have already implemented StudentForms®, which automates traditionally paper-based processes and gives students access to simple, mobile options. A growing number of USG schools have also implemented ScholarshipUniverse® to streamline scholarship management as they continue to break down barriers in the financial aid processes. Additionally, with USG CampusMetrics®, USG can now ensure its institutions will have access to instant data visualization around student, staff, and product performance, allowing for targeted improvement.
WSB
UGA call center coordinates campus COVID quarantines
Center is set up in University Housing offices
By Heather Skyler
In a two-room space at the office of University Housing, five people speak on the phone to students. They all wear masks and sit at desks behind Plexiglas shields. They peer at color-coded spreadsheets on the screens in front of them where they type notes. They are doing important work: helping students who have COVID-19 – or who have come in contact with someone who does – secure a space to quarantine or isolate.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
How are Columbus colleges reporting COVID-19 cases? What to know about data
By Mark Rice
As universities in Georgia and Alabama track thousands of COVID-19 cases among students and staff, local colleges have their own reporting methods. Here’s what residents need to know about coronavirus data at local institutions Columbus State University, Columbus Technical College and Chattahoochee Valley Community College.
COLUMBUS STATE UNIVERSITY
Cases: 6 total active cases as of Sept. 7 (not identified as a student or employee). An active case is defined as someone currently in 10-day isolation because of a positive coronavirus test. Total number of students: 8,267 (16% in-person only, 55% in-person and online, 29% online only). Total number of employees: 1,385 (874 full time).
Fox 5
Georgia shows signs of progress in coronavirus fight, but college outbreaks concern experts
By Beth Galvin
College COVID-19 concerns remain a concern
Georgia’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve this week, with new confirmed coronavirus cases down nearly 11% and the state’s 7-day positivity rate hovering at just over 8%. Microbiologist Amber Schmidtke, who is tracking the pandemic for her COVID-19 newsletter and podcast, is carefully watching outbreaks on the state’s college and university campuses. Two Georgia cities made the New York Times’ list of the top 10 cities where the outbreak is worst now, based on the number of new cases relative to their population for the last two weeks. Athens, home to UGA, is #4 on the Times’ list. Statesboro, home to Georgia Southern University, is #7. “What’s interesting about all of those top 10 cities, is, they’re college towns,” Schmidtke says. “So, this is a problem that is not necessarily unique to Georgia, it’s happening nationwide.”
USA Today
‘Astonishingly risky’: COVID-19 cases at colleges are fueling the nation’s hottest outbreaks
Chris Quintana and Mike Stucka
… Across the country, college students’ mounting coronavirus outbreaks have become an urgent public health issue. Of the 25 hottest outbreaks in the U.S., communities heavy with college students represent 19 of them. They span the map from Georgia Southern University to the University of North Dakota, from Virginia Tech to Central Texas College. In some of the college towns, like Pullman, Washington, home to Washington State, students aren’t even taking classes in person, yet are still crowding apartments and filling local bars. …The super-spreading nature of the coronavirus is stretching the abilities of universities to quarantine students and halt the virus’ progress, leading to drastic consequences.
WJCL
Georgia Southern students looking for more COVID-19 precautions
Some Georgia Southern University students are looking for the same COVID-19 measures already in place at other schools within the university system of Georgia.
Some Georgia Southern University students are looking for the same COVID-19 measures already in place at other schools within the university system of Georgia. Sophomore student Andy Cole says things have been quiet for the most part on campus — but off campus it’s a different story, with the main concern being parties. Georgia Southern University has been in session for a little over three weeks, and so far, the university has reported more than 500 positive coronavirus cases in its second week of classes and 363 last week. Some students tell us those numbers are concerning, and they want something done about it sooner than later.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech settles lawsuit with pro-life student group
By Eric Stirgus
Georgia Tech has agreed to pay $50,000 as part of a lawsuit settlement filed against the school by a group that claimed it allowed student government leaders to withhold funding from groups with which it disagrees politically. Students for Life, a Georgia Tech student group opposed to abortion, invited pro-life activist Alveda King, the niece of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to speak on campus last year, but said student government leaders would not cover the $2,346 for her speaking appearance. Georgia Tech students pay mandatory student activity fees which its student government association uses to fund all other organizations’ events on campus. Student government meeting records show student leaders at Tech voiced concerns about King’s views on abortion and gay marriage before denying the funding application, said attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group that represented Students for Life.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPINION: All students win in Georgia Tech settlement with anti-abortion group
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Attorney says legal settlement with Students for Life safeguards Tech’s diversity of thought
Caleb Dalton is legal counsel with the Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom and its Center for Academic Freedom, which represents Students for Life at Georgia Tech, a student group opposed to abortion. In this guest column, Dalton discusses today’s settlement by Georgia Tech of a lawsuit charging the school allowed student government leaders to withhold funding from groups with which it disagrees politically. Tech has agreed to pay $50,000 in damages and legal fees and has revised its policies. In the fall of 2019, Students for Life invited pro-life activist Alveda King, the niece of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to speak on campus, but said student government leaders would not cover the $2,346 for her appearance. A lawsuit filed in April maintained the student government legally could not withhold funds from as student organization because they disagreed with its viewpoints.
By Caleb Dalton
The Augusta Chronicle
Farmworkers receive health screening, COVID testing from AU nursing students
By Jozsef Papp
For the past 15 years, Augusta University nursing students have provided health care to hundreds of farmworkers at the annual Costa Layman Health Fair. This year, because of COVID-19, the health fair was delayed a couple of months and the services offered to the workers were changed, with a bigger focus on coronavirus screening and lab work. The annual event, a partnership between the Costa Layman Farm and AU, gives farmworkers access to health care they might not otherwise have on a regular basis. Pam Cromer, a professor at the AU College of Nursing and the director of the Costa Layman Community Health Outreach Program, said the health fair usually takes place at the end of June. She said farmworkers have been on the job throughout the pandemic.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Study: 82% of Georgia farmers have seen decline in revenue
A study conducted by the University of Georgia found that 82% of farmers have seen their revenue decline due to the coronavirus pandemic
A study conducted by the University of Georgia found that 82% of farmers in the state have seen their revenue decline due to the coronavirus pandemic. The findings released this month come from a May survey of more than 800 farmers in Georgia. The report said some farmers have seen their revenue decline by more than $8,000 a week while others anticipate an annual loss of nearly $50,000. The livestock industry was hit especially hard as livestock sales barns across Georgia closed down due to the virus, Mark McCann, an official at the university, told The Valdosta Daily Times. Gary Black, the state’s agriculture commissioner, told the newspaper that industry has since “rebounded a little bit” but depressed prices still presents a problem for beef producers.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College athletics presented with national award for character
From Staff Reports
The Georgia Gwinnett College Office of Athletics’ commitment to character — on and off the playing field — and academic success were rewarded with a gold-level rating from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national office for the organization’s 2019-20 Champions of Character program. GGC is one of the 112 member institutions to receive the gold rating for scoring between 90 to 100 points in the following areas: character conduct during competition, training, promotion, and recognition, along with a focus on academics. Another 68 colleges were recognized for earning silver (75-89 points) or bronze (60-74 points) status. Georgia Gwinnett College student-athletes had a cumulative 3.0 grade point average for the 2019-20 academic year.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Hunker down,’ Fauci urges; coronavirus may worsen over fall, winter
By Tim Darnell
The coronavirus pandemic will likely worsen in the coming months, according to the nation’s top infectious disease expert, who is warning Americans to “hunker down this fall and winter because it’s not going to be easy.” “I keep looking at that curve and I get more depressed and more depressed about the fact that we never really get down to the baseline that I’d like,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as reported by CNN. A total of 30 states are currently experiencing downward trends in the number of coronavirus cases, but the U.S. still reports about 36,000 new cases each day, which Fauci said is too high.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Sept. 10, 3 p.m.)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 6,204 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 289,123 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Despite Warnings, No Clear Advice on Closing Dorms
Top federal health experts worry colleges will spread coronavirus if they send students home, but keeping residence halls open poses its own dangers.
By Kery Murakami
In interviews and in a call with several governors last week, three of the nation’s top medical leaders dealing with the coronavirus outbreak urged colleges not to close residence halls and send potentially infected students back home. “That’s the worst thing you can do,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said on the Today show, echoing Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But on the ground, university officials who have decided to do just what the health leaders are urging them not to do say that continuing to house students amid a rapid outbreak is easier said than done.
Inside Higher Ed
Mental Health Needs Rise With Pandemic
A mountain of troubling data about rising mental health problems has health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling students and the ability of colleges to provide it.
By Greta Anderson
While the country continues to battle the coronavirus, college health professionals are also monitoring a growing crisis among young adults struggling with mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, anxiety and depression related to the pandemic. Several recent surveys of students suggest their mental well-being has been devastated by the pandemic’s social and economic consequences, as well as the continued uncertainty about their college education and postcollege careers. Still reeling from the emergency closures of campuses across the country during the spring semester and the sudden shifts to online instruction, students are now worried about the fall semester and whether campuses that reopened for in-person instruction can remain open as COVID-19 infections spread among students and panicked college administrators quickly shift gears and send students who’d recently arrived back home.
Inside Higher Ed
OpenStax to Double OER Textbooks
By Lindsay McKenzie
Open educational resources publisher OpenStax plans to develop dozens of new free textbook titles — doubling its current catalog of 42 textbooks. OpenStax has so far secured $12.5 million in grants to support this goal, including support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Support also comes from the Charles Koch Foundation and its parent nonprofit organization, Stand Together, formerly known as the Seminar Network. OpenStax aims to raise an additional $17.5 million to increase its catalog to nearly 90 textbooks.