University System News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

AJC On Campus: Ga. schools take center stage in COVID-19 research

By Eric Stirgus

Georgia colleges and universities have spent much of their time this fall semester working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on their campuses. There was some attention this week on their work on treatments and vaccines. Here’s some details about those developments, the president of Georgia Tech’s annual address to the school, some sweet research happening at Savannah State University and other happenings in the latest version of AJC On Campus.

Statesboro Herald

Bulloch continues decline in daily COVID cases

By Staff Reports

For the third day this week, Bulloch County reported fewer than 10 new coronavirus cases, said Bulloch County Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn. It is the first time in more than three months since Bulloch had a week where confirmed COVID-19 cases were under double digits for at least three days.  Thursday’s nine confirmed cases follows on the heels of six cases Monday and eight on Tuesday. The week of June 15-19 was the last time fewer than 10 cases were reported on three different days inside a single week… Meanwhile, East Georgia State College has recorded no new, self-reported cases of COVID-19 since Monday. The last new case on EGSC’s Statesboro campus was on Sept. 14. Ogeechee Technical College had five cases reported, all on its Bulloch County campus, the week of Sept. 14-20. As previously reported, Georgia Southern University had 54 new cases, including 47 cases on the Statesboro campus, in the seven days that ended Sunday. These numbers have declined each week since with the case counts having dropped every week since Aug. 24-30, when 508 cases were reported among the university’s students and employees, including 487 on the Statesboro campus.

The Augusta Chronicle

Sept. 24: Georgia cases of COVID-19 steady but deaths lower, including Augusta

By Tom Corwin

Georgia saw a steady number of new COVID-19 cases Thursday but a drop in new deaths, including three in the Augusta and Aiken areas. Georgia added 1,368 new cases, about the same as Wednesday, to reach 311,046 with 49 new deaths – after 169 the two previous days – for a toll of 6,822, the Department of Public Health reported. Richmond County saw 27 new cases for 6,983 and Columbia County had 20 for 3,681. But all other area counties saw eight or fewer new cases: five in Burke for 786, eight in Jefferson for 785, three in McDuffie for 585, one in Jenkins for 404, five in Screven for 405, two in Wilkes for 263 and one in Warren for 141. Other counties were unchanged: Lincoln at 213, Glascock at 38 and Taliaferro at 21. Richmond County suffered a new death for 160 to raise the Augusta toll to 326 and with deaths from the Aiken area to 410 overall. Georgia Public Health got the results of 22,666 tests, of which 6.03% were positive, well below the overall positive rate of 9.96%, which has been dropping all week, according to analysis by the Augusta Chronicle. The state’s seven-day average for new cases is also dropping steadily since Sunday, from 1,517.4 Wednesday to 1,449, according to analysis. AU Health System added 96 new cases for 9,846 since its first ones in March, and had 27 patients in the hospital, the same as Wednesday, spokeswoman Christen Engel said.

WSB

UGA leads study on post-COVID immunity

By Alec Lee

A key question surrounding COVID-19 is if people who have had the virus gain some degree of long-term immunity. Ted Ross is leading a nationwide study to examine this pressing question. Ross is director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology and professor of infectious diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The body’s response to every infection is unique,” explained Ross. “In this study, we hope to determine how the body fights this novel virus and what, if any, protection the body develops following infection.”

WGAU

UGA makes plans for spring semester

By Tim Bryant

The University of Georgia says many of the protocols in place for fall semester will be replicated when spring classes begin in January, with mask mandates social distancing and option for virtual classes. Spring registration begins on November 5. From Jack Hu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Rahul Shrivastav, Vice President for Instruction: We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to faculty, staff, and students for your hard work and flexibility in fulfilling the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service during these challenging times. The ongoing pandemic continues to create challenges. This has necessitated reimagining our approaches to teaching, research, and service delivery in ways that prioritize health and safety for all.

Inside Higher Ed

How COVID Could Impact Transfer

By Madeline St. Amour

Colleges were placing more emphasis on transfer partnerships long before the COVID-19 pandemic began this past spring. The high school population is decreasing in most parts of the country, leaving many four-year institutions with gaps in enrollment. Some experts say those colleges need transfer students from two-year colleges to survive. Community colleges, in turn, need to work with four-year colleges to prevent poaching of their students and to help students achieve their goals. Eighty percent of community college students intend to earn a bachelor’s degree, but only about 17 percent do so within six years, according to data from the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University… “Poaching’s not new, but we’re in an increased climate where I think that’s a concern for two-year institutions, a heightened concern,” said Janet Marling, executive director of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students at the University of North Georgia. “Forming partnerships is really an intricate process. Right now, institutions are really focusing on survival.”

Augusta Chronicle

Pandemic-related stress could lead to increase in mental health issues, suicides

By Jozsef Papp

Concern is rising among experts about the long term effects the coronavirus pandemic might have on mental health, which could result in an increase in suicides this year. More than 5,000 took part in a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looking at the impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of Americans. Young adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers and unpaid adult caregivers reported a considerable increase in mental health problems, increased substance use and elevated suicidal ideation. The percentage of respondents who had “seriously considered suicide” in the 30 days before completing the survey was significantly higher for those ages 18-24, with about 25% having considered it. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S, with 48,344 people dying by suicide in 2018. Dr. Marlo Vernon, an assistant professor at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, said the report highlighted a lot of the concerns experts have.

13WMAZ

Georgia College staff members join COVID-19 Care Response Team to help students

By Pepper Baker

Whether it’s picking up and delivering meals or calling to check in on students, Georgia College staff members have stepped up to be a part of the school’s COVID-19 Care Response Team. “We have about 45 staff members who are part of the team. Thankfully, our case load has gone way, way down as our students are returning to campus and we have much fewer cases, but at any given time a staff member would have 10-15 students on their case load,” said director of Parent and Family Programs, Emily Jarvis.

Red & Black

UGA students face social stigma associated with contracting COVID-19

By Laurel Lee Chatham

Prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19, Lily Coffey believed individuals who tested positive for the virus were acting irresponsibly. After overcoming the illness, Coffrey, a freshman sports management major from Gainesville, is trying to be more careful of her surroundings by being aware of any possible exposures she encounters. “I feel like there’s this stigma that everyone who goes out doesn’t care about the health of others surrounding them,” Coffey said. “Therefore, I do think that people will assume that people who get COVID-19 are irresponsible and selfish.”

Athens CEO

Dr. Joe West of UGA, The Impact of COVID-19 on Agriculture

Video

Interim Dean for UGA’s College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dr. Joe West talks about the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has created for the agriculture industry in Georgia.

Law.com

King & Spalding Partners With Georgia Tech for Legal Analytics Strategy

By Meredith Hobbs

King & Spalding has joined the executive council of Georgia Tech’s Business Analytics Center for a broad-based collaboration in which the center will advise on elements of the firm’s legal tech strategy.

Thomasville Times-Enterprise

Program honoring Georgia Southwestern alumnus targets best, brightest

By Staff Reports

Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) has named 20 freshmen to the President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program, established to honor the legacy of GSW alumnus and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. These students from Georgia, Alabama and Florida are the second group to enter the program since its creation in 2019. “Again this year, the applicants for the Carter Leadership Program were outstanding high school students with demonstrated academic and leadership excellence,” said Lynda Lee Purvis, GSW vice president emerita for Academic Affairs and program director. “The Applicant Review Committee comprised of faculty, staff, and current Leadership Program students, evaluated each of the 52 applicants in detail before determining the final 20 students. I am so pleased with the quality of this new group and they are shaping up to be true campus leaders.”

Growing Georgia

Scholarship Honors Memory of ABAC Professor Donna Hatcher

By Staff Report

A new student scholarship now being established at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will honor the memory of ABAC Professor of Art Donna Hatcher, who passed away at the age of 53 on Aug. 9. “I believe this will be a fitting tribute to Donna for the many lives she touched while she was at ABAC,” ABAC Chief Development Officer Deidre Martin said.  “Once we receive the necessary funding, the scholarship will be directed toward students from South Georgia who are enrolled in the ABAC Fine Arts program.” Martin said contributions to support the establishment of the scholarship can be sent to the ABAC Foundation at Donna Hatcher Scholarship, ABAC 13, 2802 Moore Highway, Tifton, Ga., 31793.

Evolllution

Moving into a Consolidation Process: What You Need to Know

Q&A with John Fuchko

To raise education attainment levels, many colleges and universities are looking into a consolidation process. But in creating a new process comes obstacles that need to be faced head on, and sooner rather than later. In this interview, John Fuchko discusses the philosophy behind the consolidation strategy, the challenges that come with it, and its differentiating impact on the student experience.

Gainesville Times

What are these spiders doing here? UNG team studying invasive Joro spiders in Northeast Georgia

By Kelsey Podo

Joro spiders are here, and they are thriving. With their bright yellow bodies and distinctive multi-layered webs, it’s hard to miss them while walking along trails in Northeast Georgia or even lounging on a back porch. The invasive species — which are native to China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan — started popping up in Northeast Georgia in 2014, according to Mattias Johansson, assistant professor of biology at the University of North Georgia Gainesville campus. Like many others in Hall County, Johansson said the Joro spider caught his attention when it began appearing locally. The professor, who specializes in invasive species research, gathered a team of UNG students in August 2019 to begin measuring the arachnids’ potential ecological impact.

 

Fun 101.1

Gordon State Adds Four Faculty to Chancellor’s Learning Scholars for Cohort 3

By Katheryne Fields

Dr. Cristina Fermin-Ennis, Melissa Harrison, Dr. Brent Johnson and Dr. Scott Shubitz were named to Gordon State College Cohort Three of Chancellor’s Learning Scholars (CLS). The Chancellor’s Learning Scholars program has included more than 240 scholars and 1,400 faculty learning community members, representing every institution in the University System of Georgia (USG). Gordon’s Cohort One scholars included Samantha Bishop, Wendy Martin, Dr. Anthony Pearson and Dr. Jessica Traylor. Dr. Alan Burstein was named to Cohort Two last year.

WTOC

New scholarship at GSU helping remember a political legend

By Dal Cannady

A new scholarship for Georgia Southern University will help remember a political legend who supported the university, and help bring a new generation of students to Southern. University leaders say a scholarship in memory of Senator Jack Hill is more than fitting to remember someone who helped so many. The state senator from Reidsville represented six counties of Southeast Georgia for almost a quarter century in the Georgia General Assembly. The scholarship will be open to students from Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, and Tattnall counties – the communities Senator Hill represented. Leaders from the Parker College of Business say having scholarships helps them attract the top students to Georgia Southern.

Patch

Georgia Southern Biology Professor Awarded Grant To Support Minority Students

By Staff Report

Georgia Southern University Professor of Biology J. Checo Colón-Gaud, Ph.D., is part of a team of researchers awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support training and experiences for underrepresented minority students and early career scientists in the field of freshwater science. Funds for the project called “Emerge” will be distributed over the next five years.

WTOC

Georgia Southern University testing Eagle Alert system

By Dal Cannady

Thursday afternoon, students all across Georgia Southern University’s campuses got alerts on their phone and elsewhere as the university checked an emergency notice system. The Eagle Alert system lets university leaders simultaneously alert everyone on one or all three campuses of any kind of emergency. Phones across campus sent notices during a test run Thursday afternoon. It sends text messages and emails to students, faculty, and staff at the Armstrong, Liberty or Statesboro campuses – or all three. But that’s not all. “We can do feeds onto our social media. We can do feeds onto our website. It’s pretty sophisticated. When it kicks in, we need to know it’s working,” said Georgia Southern Vice President John Lester.

WGAU

UGA will honor late judge with endowed lecture

By Lona Panter

With support from the University of Georgia’s Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community, the School of Law and School of Public and International Affairs have established the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy in honor of the late jurist, who was a trailblazer for the Black community in Georgia. UGA’s Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community was created to develop initiatives and actions to foster a more welcoming and supportive learning environment on campus. This lecture is one of the first initiatives approved for funding by UGA President Jere W. Morehead, who has committed $1 million to fund recommendations from the task force.

 

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Sept. 24)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is keeping track of reported coronavirus deaths and cases across Georgia according to the Department of Public Health. DEATHS: 6,822 | 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: 311,046 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.

 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Power Poll: Community leaders worry about school safety in pandemic

By Nancy Badertscher

Most Atlanta community leaders believe the state should be providing a clear and data-driven picture of how the return to in-class learning during the pandemic is affecting the health of teachers and students. These same leaders do not believe, however, that the state should decide whether it is safe for students to return to in-school learning. Rather, 57­% say that decision should involve the major stakeholders – teachers, parents, local superintendents, school boards and the state Department of Education, according to the latest Atlanta Power Poll. The poll is part of a nationwide survey that asks community leaders for their ­­­opinions on important local issues – including the hot-button topic of teaching students safely and effectively during the pandemic. In Georgia, the poll appears exclusively on AJC.com and in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Standardized test scores could be mostly erased from Ga. high schools during pandemic

By Ty Tagami

After losing his bid to waive the mandatory standardized state tests known as the Milestones this school year, Georgia’s top education leader is trying to diminish their relevance.

Normally, the tests count for a fifth of high school students’ grades, but State school Superintendent Richard Woods will ask the state Board of Education next week to reduce that multiplier to near zero.

In early September, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that she was unlikely to grant states another waiver from federally-mandated standardized tests. In a letter to the Council of Chief State School Officers, she said states should not anticipate another pass on testing like they got last spring as schools reeled from the coronavirus. The word “not” was underlined.

 

Higher Education News:

The Chronicle of Higher Education

These Colleges Are Winning the Fight Against Covid-19 — at Least for Now

By Michael Vasquez

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign began the fall semester as a shining example of higher education’s can-do spirit: It reopened its doors for in-person instruction with an ambitious plan to test more than 40,000 students, twice a week. It was an enormous effort, made possible by a quick, inexpensive saliva test that the university’s own scientists invented. The system worked well — until a few students kept partying even after testing positive. As a result, infections spiked at the end of August. The New York Times highlighted Illinois as an example of how “even the most comprehensive approaches to limiting the virus’s spread can break down.”

 

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Assessing COVID-19’s Impact on Student Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts

By Dynahlee Padilla

In a presidential election year, get-out-the-vote efforts on college campuses are typically robust as the fall semester gets underway. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has significantly altered the landscape. Historically, voter turnout among 18- to 22-year-olds is particularly low. Many voters in that age subset are in college, so voting becomes an issue of mobility, said Bernard L. Fraga, associate professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Due to COVID-19’s effect on campus closures, “there’s just been this big upheaval this semester. You can imagine students register, and then have to re-register again,” Fraga said, as they face the prospect of registering in a place they weren’t planning to vote in or face the prospect of voting for the first time in a way they had not expected.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Trump Bars Federal Grants for ‘Divisive and Harmful’ Racial-Sensitivity Training
By Katherine Mangan
College diversity officers and people who support efforts to improve racial climates on campus reacted with alarm on Thursday to word that President Trump had expanded a ban on training programs that he says promote racial or sexual “stereotyping” and “scapegoating.” In a Twitter post on Tuesday, Trump said the ban, originally aimed at programs for government employees, was being extended to federal grantees and government contractors. “Americans should be taught to take PRIDE in our Great Country, and if you don’t, there’s nothing in it for you!” he tweeted.

Inside Higher Ed
Major Changes to Student Visa Rules Proposed
By Elizabeth Redden
The Trump administration is set to publish a new proposed rule today that would set fixed terms of up to four years for student visas and establish procedures for international students to apply to extend their stay and continue studying in the United States. Applications for extensions of stay could be approved “if the additional time needed is due to a compelling academic reason, documented medical illness or medical condition, or circumstance that was beyond the student’s control,” the new rule states. Currently, student visas are good for “duration of status,” meaning students can stay in the U.S. indefinitely if they remain enrolled in school and otherwise abide by the rules relevant to their immigration status.

Inside Higher Ed
Zoom Draws a Line
By Colleen Flaherty
Pre-COVID-19, colleges and universities decided which speakers were too controversial to visit their campuses. But this week’s events at San Francisco State University demonstrate how tech companies increasingly are the arbiters of who’s fit to address students. Here’s what happened: two professors, Rabab Abdulhadi, professor of Arab and Muslim ethnicities and diasporas studies at San Francisco State, and Tomomi Kinukawa, lecturer in women’s and gender studies, organized a virtual roundtable discussion on Palestinian rights called “Whose Narratives? Gender, Justice and Resistance: A Conversation with Leila Khaled.”

Inside Higher Ed
Pac-12 Conference Reverses, Will Play Fall Football
By Greta Anderson
Leaders in the Pac-12 Conference decided their teams will play football during the fall after all, reversing an Aug. 11 decision not to play any sports for the remainder of 2020, the conference announced Thursday. The Pac-12, which includes major college football programs in the West such as the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Southern California; and the University of Oregon, will play a seven-game season that begins on Nov. 6, a Pac-12 press release said. The decision is the second reversal on football by a conference in the “Power Five” in the last week. The Big Ten Conference announced on Sept. 17 that its teams would also compete beginning on Oct. 23. The college presidents and chancellors who lead institutions in both conferences had decided in August to postpone all fall sports competition until the end of the year due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.