University System News:
WRDW
Augusta University, sister schools to continue in-person instruction
By Tyria Goines
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the continuation of safe, in-person learning for all of its campuses, including Augusta University. A resolution approved Tuesday states “that each campus is to maximize safe in-person instruction; ensure hybrid instruction includes a vast majority of in-person interactive instruction where appropriate and safe; promote transparency in the modality of instruction prior to registration; and collect data on the effectiveness of student engagement and face to face interaction with their instructors.”
AllOnGeorgia
University System of Georgia state economic impact grows to $18.5 billion
This demonstrates a 4.5% increase from fiscal year 2018 and also generated 157,770 jobs.
The University System of Georgia (USG) recorded a statewide economic impact of $18.5 billion for fiscal year 2019, a 4.5 percent increase from fiscal year 2018. USG also generated 157,770 jobs. Additionally, a Class of 2019 graduate is predicted to earn $888,563 more over the course of their career as a result of their degree from a USG institution. “USG and our 26 institutions play a critically important role in local economies all across Georgia,” USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “At the same time, a college degree has never been more essential to success in the workforce and for our state’s economic future. As Georgia’s public college and university system, USG remains committed to improving on the state’s investment in higher education and carrying out our ultimate mission to prepare students for life and work with a college degree.”
Albany Herald
UGA gets an ‘A’ rating for its core curriculum
From staff reports
Each year, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), an independent nonprofit organization committed to liberal arts education and academic freedom, releases a national survey assessing core curricular requirements at more than 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities. This year, the University of Georgia is one of only 23 schools to receive an “A” rating. The survey, “What Will They Learn? 2020–2021,” examines course requirements in seven subject areas widely recognized as critically important to a twenty-first century college education by ACTA’s Council of Scholars: Composition, Literature (intermediate-level), Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics and Natural Science. To earn an “A,” a school must require all students to study at least six of these foundational subjects.
Henry Herald
Gordon brings two bachelor programs to McDonough
From Staff Reports
Adult students needing flexibility to complete a four-year degree now have options to complete a bachelor’s in business management and administration or interdisciplinary studies in McDonough through the Adults Forward program at Gordon State College starting in January. These bachelor programs will be offered in a hybrid format where courses will be delivered online with face-to-face classes meeting one evening a month at Southern Crescent Technical College’s Henry County Campus. …These two program tracks are tailored to adult students and can be completed in two years for those entering the program with an associate’s degree. Students lacking an associate’s degree or core coursework can get started at Gordon State College’s McDonough site located at the Academy for Advanced Studies or take classes online.
The Augusta Chronicle
New student apartments proposed near University of North Georgia in Dahlonega
By David Allison – Editor
A new apartment project is being proposed near the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega. Plans call for two, four-story apartment buildings with a total 92 units with 298 beds, including 61 4-bedroom units, 23 2-bedroom units and 81 1-bedroom units. The project on 10 acres at 258 Hawkins Street in Dahlonega would be developed by Signet N GA LLC of Jacksonville, Fla. The property is within walking distance of the University of North Georgia, which has about 20,000 students. “As the UNG campus has expanded, it has not kept up with demand for student or employee housing,” a rezoning application states.
WRDW
Georgia Cyber Center to bring more jobs in new expansion
By Brady Trapnell
Millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs are already at the Georgia Cyber Center, but a new building and even more jobs may be on the way as the center keep plans to grow. Only a little space is left at the Cyber Center, which means they are starting to look out the window towards the future. “We are in need of thinking about a third building immediately. It’s like anything. It’s all about money,” Michael Shaffer of Augusta University said. The Cyber Center wouldn’t be what it is without Shaffer, especially since his name will be on the building. He’s helping to cast the vision the center brings. …“We are in the process of unprecedented growth. In the past 18 months, we’ve more than doubled the size of our faculty,” Dr. Alexander Schwarzmann said. Schwarzmann is the dean of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at AU. He is recruiting internationally for cyber scientists to come here with a dream to partner them with the hundreds of students already learning on this campus. “At the pace we are growing, I imagine that in two or maybe three years. We will only be second to Georgia Tech,” he said. The new building would help manage that growth. Construction is already underway on the last available space at the cyber center.
AllOnGeorgia
Georgia Southern lands contract to help launch U.S. Naval Community College
Georgia Southern University has won the opportunity for a future contract with the U.S. Navy to help expand educational opportunities for active duty Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.
Georgia Southern University has won the opportunity for a future contract with the U.S. Navy to help expand educational opportunities for active duty Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. The University is among 119 colleges from across the country that were selected to provide distance and online learning curriculum and courses to the military members. …The partnership with the newly formed United States Naval Community College (USNCC) stems from the U.S. Navy’s broader Education for Seapower Strategy, aimed at enhancing the enlisted force’s ability to master new and emerging technologies. The Navy is heavily invested in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Fredrick said.
Safety and Health Magazine
‘Not sustainable’: Researchers sound the alarm on health care workers’ mental health
Health care professionals are at significantly greater risk than the general public of experiencing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent study show. From March 20 to May 14, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and North Carolina State University conducted an online survey of 90 health care professionals and 90 non-health care workers from 35 states – with both groups having matching ages and sexes – to better understand the pandemic’s impact on the health care industry. Respondents reported current physical and mental health measures. Compared with the control group, the health care workers reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety and concern about their health and tiredness, along with lower levels of proactive coping and fewer resources to dedicate to adaptive coping strategies. Additionally, the health care workers, on average, reported enough depressive symptoms to be diagnosed with clinical depression. These results suggest COVID-19 could be a work-related hazard and requires intervention efforts such as adaptive coping training.
WGAU
UGA COVID testing results expected today
Some wonder if home football games will lead to spike
By Tim Bryant
We expect to see later today the results of the latest week of coronavirus testing at the University of Georgia: these will be the first tests conducted since the first two Georgia Bulldog home football games, which each had about 20,000 fans in Sanford Stadium. Students at three high schools in Cherokee County returned to class Tuesday: Woodstock, Etowah, and Creekview high schools had been closed because of coronavirus outbreaks. The Georgia Department of Public Health is setting up a drive-thru flu shot clinic in Augusta. Healthcare workers say those wanting to be tested need to wear a mask and bring a photo ID along with their insurance card. Officials are stressing the importance of getting a flu shot now to help prevent an outbreak of the flu if a potential surge of the coronavirus occurs.
Mint
Help wanted at covid-19 testing labs
Brianna Abbott , The Wall Street Journal
Brandy Gunsolus’s staff at the Augusta University Medical Center has expanded laboratory operations to meet the nonstop demand for coronavirus testing. Many of the 23 technologists involved with Covid-19 testing are working overtime, running patient samples and chasing down scarce supplies—all while trying to keep turnaround times low. Augusta University Medical Center has awarded salary increases to its entire laboratory staff to encourage them to stay on, and some workers have delayed retirement, she said. The center also brought in traveling medical laboratory scientists under contract to help ease the workload. But as the heightened response trudges on, Dr. Gunsolus says she can sense the frustration.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Live Coronavirus Updates: Here’s the Latest
The fall semester has begun, and Covid-19 is wreaking havoc on many campuses. The Chronicle is tracking developments across higher ed here. Read on for daily live updates and information.
2:36 p.m. Eastern, 10/13/2020
1 in 5 College Students in Georgia May Have Been Infected
The White House Coronavirus Task Force said in a recent report that “it is possible” that 15 to 20 percent of all college students in Georgia may have contracted the coronavirus. The task force cited the statistic in its October 4 state report for Georgia as part of a recommendation that colleges conduct antibody-surveillance testing to determine how much asymptomatic spread there has been in the fall. The results of that testing, the task force said, could allow more students to attend in-person classes if masks were required. The task force’s report was obtained and published by the Center for Public Integrity. —Andy Thomason …11:42 a.m. Eastern, 10/9/2020
Campuses Have Seen Over 178,000 Cases Since Pandemic Began
In an update of its campus coronavirus tracker, The New York Times reports that there have been more than 178,000 cases of the virus at colleges since the pandemic began. That total, which is almost certainly an undercount, is the sum of reported cases on more than 1,400 campuses. Among the campuses that have reported the most cases are the University of Georgia (3,888) and Clemson University (3,770). —Andy Thomason
The McDuffie Progress
UGA professors develop ag education program for teachers
By Kathryn Kao CAES News
In collaboration with James Anderson, an associate professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Paula Mellom and her team in the University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education helped develop and deliver a training session for 17 agricultural education and science teachers from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and the Harold S. Vincent High School in Milwaukee. By demonstrating the strength of different perspectives through this activity at a two-day professional development training session for teachers, Mellom — who serves as interim director of the UGA Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education — and her team were able to help educators connect to their subject areas and enhance students’ problem-solving skills.
NTD
Cindy Drukier
In this episode of America Is Talking, we get into two big economic issues that impact almost every American. The first is the economics of higher education, where loan forgiveness and free tuition are both on the table for the Democrats. Professor Robert Toutkoushian at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education and Mary Clare Amselem, a policy analyst within the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, give us their insight. Then we chat with George Seay, CEO of Annandale Capital, to look at what we’ve spent so far dealing with the pandemic and what that road to recovery could look like. Finally, we ask people in three very different industries how COVID has impacted their business.
AllOnGeorgia
Georgia Southern Dept of Sociology and Anthropology helps close digital divide in Bulloch County
Great work by the department!
“Families in Bulloch County have the choice of face-to-face or virtual school, but that choice is not a real choice for families who do not have access to the internet,” Altman said. “If the family is living in the digital divide, they may not have adequate access to the internet at the speeds needed to participate in virtual learning. If families have to share a device, especially if that device is a smartphone or tablet, their access is further limited.”
The Georgia Southern University Department of Sociology and Anthropology is partnering with the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC) in Portal, Georgia, to help families in Bulloch County get access to technology and the internet., Participants who need to access the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic will check out and use equipment at an outdoor facility with tables, electricity and fans. Associate Professor of Anthropology, Heidi Altman, Ph.D., said student volunteers will assist with checking laptops in and out, greeting families and facility users, and assisting users with signing in to the Wi-Fi, among other responsibilities.
The Red & Black
GUEST COLUMN: USG Board of Regents should lift ban on undocumented students
Nicolas Rafael Perez-Carreño | Guest Columnist
Being chartered in 1785, the University of Georgia prides itself on being “the birthplace of public higher education.” However, since its founding, the university’s exclusionary policies have revealed that “public” never meant that it was for everyone. …Ten years ago on Oct. 13, 2010, the Board of Regents, a group of governor-appointed individuals who oversee the University System of Georgia, passed Policies 4.3.4 and 4.1.6. These two policies explicitly banned undocumented students, including those holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status (DACA) from the top universities in the state of Georgia, including Georgia College and State University, Georgia Tech, and UGA. The policies also prohibited undocumented students from accessing in-state tuition at all Georgia universities. Jim Jolly, a Board member at the time of the ban, stated that the prohibitions would ensure that “Georgia taxpayers are not subsidizing” the state’s undocumented students. This argument is inherently flawed due to the fact that, contrary to a commonly held belief, undocumented individuals contribute to federal and state taxes, and in Georgia they paid more than $351 million in local and state taxes in 2017. …It is up to the students, educators and staff to work together and educate ourselves on the ban. It is important to put pressure on UGA leaders and the Board of Regents to reflect on why the “birthplace of public education” continues to create an environment that is not meant for everybody.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Oct. 13)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 7,454 | 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: 333,304 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Did the Pandemic Worsen the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? Maybe Not, Data Show
By Sarah Brown
As the pandemic disrupted collegiate life, mental-health experts feared a worsening crisis. Some worried that counseling centers would be overwhelmed by demand, leading to longer wait times and less effective treatment for students who were struggling and at risk of dropping out. But early data from campus counseling centers challenge the idea that colleges are on the brink of a mental-health disaster. The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors recently surveyed 144 colleges, asking them to compare the first four weeks of this semester with the first four weeks of fall 2019. The survey found a 29-percent decrease in the number of students seeking counseling services.
NPR
College Says Students May Have Sought COVID-19 Infection To Boost Plasma Donor Payout
Bill Chappell
Administrators at Brigham Young University’s campus in southeastern Idaho say they are “deeply troubled” by reports that students may have intentionally tried to contract COVID-19, lured by blood donation centers that are paying a premium for plasma with COVID-19 antibodies. “Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed,” the university said in a statement issued Monday. The school condemned the behavior, saying it is “actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body.”
Inside Higher Ed
Report: First-Year Earnings Vary by Degree Program
By Emma Whitford
College graduates with an associate’s degree in nursing from Santa Rosa Junior College in California make more money than graduates from some programs at Harvard University, a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows. The report uses data from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard to examine the differences in first-year earnings for college graduates from a variety of degree programs and with different levels of education. Workers with more education still make more money on average in their first year of work than others, although the report found significant overlap in median earnings across levels of education. More than a quarter of workers with an associate degree earn more than the median for workers with a bachelor’s degree. About a third of workers with a bachelor’s degree earn more than those with a master’s degree, and 22 percent of workers with a master’s degree earn more than the median for workers with a professional degree. …In general, graduates from more selective institutions with more familiar names earn more than others, the report found. However, that’s not true in every case.
University Business
How the ’60-year curriculum’ impacts university leaders
As human lives head toward 100, colleges and universities have an opportunity to help build skills for a more expansive pool of students looking to start and restart their educations
By: Chris Burt
Andrew Scott, a professor at the London Business School and co-author of the book “The 100-year Life”, noted during the recent ASU-GSV Summit that people not only will continue to live longer, but also will be working significantly longer. “If you do the math and you are going into your 90s or 100s, you will have to have a 50-to 60-year career,” he says. …The now-passe dream of a three-stage life – adolescence, career and retirement – has been all but kicked to the curb as forces in society and in the workplace alter the path of the modern-day career seeker. Shifts in priorities have also started to affect higher education, as both the COVID-19 pandemic and the wave of digital innovation before it have forced the acceleration of new ideas and new ways of instructing to meet student needs. … More than ever, higher education must cater to changing mindsets – from 18-year-olds to even 58-year-olds.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Higher Ed’s Shameful Silence on Diversity
Colleges have been quick to fall in line after Trump’s executive order.
By Hasan Kwame Jeffries
OCTOBER 13, 2020
This past summer, far-right media outlets from Fox News to Breitbart flooded the airwaves and the internet with stories about diversity training within the federal government. These features castigated the programs, accusing them of encouraging discrimination against white people, especially white men, by promoting ideas of white racial inferiority. This, of course, was nonsense. Diversity training does no such thing. Mary Morten, the president and founder of a company that conducts racial-equity trainings for government agencies and nonprofits, explained recently that the interactive trainings they lead simply “do a variety of things to make sure that people understand some of the history of what bias has looked like in this country, [and] what power and privilege have looked like.” She added that at the end of their sessions, there is always “some action planning” designed to help participants figure out how they can take what they learned and “embed it” in their organization. Morten, like other racial-equity trainers, does not sow seeds of racial division. Instead, she helps clients eliminate discriminatory beliefs and behaviors among employees, a process that makes organizations more equitable and effective.