University System News:
Patch
Georgia Gwinnett College Revamps Program Online To Honor Veterans On Veterans Day Despite Pandemic
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) staff members, determined to honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. military on Veterans Day (November 11) even during the COVID-19 pandemic, used creativity and the power of the internet to make it happen. Greenlight a Vet is a national program started in 2015 that encouraged participants to change lightbulbs to green outside their house or workplace in a way to silently recognize and show support for veterans. …This is the second year that GGC’s Daniel J. Kaufman Library & Learning Center has held the campus promotion. This year, in the face of the pandemic that bars traditional in-person celebrations, the library asked student, faculty and staff veterans to submit their branch of service, rank and a photo for a streaming media presentation that will be set to music and featured on a virtual Veterans Wall of Honor displayed on the Kaufman Library’s veterans page.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of Georgia professor: In-person teaching improves student mental health and mine
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Design teacher says his classes serve as ‘de facto support groups’ amid stress of pandemic
Amitabh Verma is a professor at the University of Georgia in the College of Environment+Design.
In a guest column, Verma shares his relief over being able to teach in-person this semester, saying it has been good for his students’ mental health. And his own.
By Amitabh Verma
After a disappointing end to the spring semester, and a summer of anxiety and uncertainty, I was unusually enthusiastic about classes starting in fall. I earnestly hoped that teaching would be as it had been before, since being in the classroom – talking and joking with students, learning their personalities, getting them excited about drawing – would be the perfect antidote to the negativity of the preceding months. I would teach online if required, of course, but hoped I wouldn’t have to. I doubted that I could recreate an engaging, optimistic environment through a computer screen, or sustain a dynamic, stimulating atmosphere over three hours of video-chatting. The benefits of being in the classroom would be even greater for my students, for two reasons. One, in-person instruction is critical for my students to learn.
Moultrie Observer
ABAC and VSU create bridge for social work careers
Staff Reports
A new articulation agreement between Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Valdosta State University gives ABAC graduates who complete the bachelor’s degree in Rural Community Development fast-track consideration for VSU’s Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program. Dean Matthew Anderson of the ABAC School of Arts and Sciences recognizes the need for social workers in rural Georgia. …VSU’s M.S.W. is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is designed to prepare students for a career in professional social work practice, according to a press release from ABAC. The curriculum provides students with the knowledge, values, ethics, and skills to engage in multi-level practice with individuals, families, organizations, and communities.
WGAU
UNG sets December dates for in-person commencement
Social distancing will be in place
By JK Devine, UNG
Nearly 800 University of North Georgia students are scheduled to participate in the university’s revamped and socially distanced fall 2020 commencement experience, which will mirror the September event held for spring and summer graduates. UNG implemented this new experience to follow social distancing guidelines and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The advantage is graduates are accompanied by four guests throughout the whole process. …Soon-to-be graduates are required to register for a 15-minute time slot to walk across the stage inside the Convocation Center on UNG’s Dahlonega Campus. …During the event, graduates and guests must adhere to the health and safety guidelines. As masks are required in all buildings, UNG will provide a face covering for everyone. Each graduate will be required to wear the mask when crossing the stage.
Henry County Times
Gordon State to host College 101 event
Special to the Times
Gordon State College at McDonough and Impact Academy have collaborated to present the 2nd annual “College 101” event for local high school students and their parents on November 12 from 6 until 8 p.m. The presentation will provide information and insight on the college admission process, financial aid, scholarship resources, testing and other college planning topics from a panel of higher education professionals. The event will take place virtually this year through ZOOM and attendees will have the opportunity for a Question and Answer session at the end of the presentation.
Barnesville Dispatch
Nooks Named To Two Boards, Graduates Leadership Monroe
Gordon State College President Kirk A. Nooks has been named to a pair of boards and graduated from the Leadership Monroe program recently. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has appointed Nooks to serve as a board member for their Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI). The MLI is a premier leadership development program that provides individuals traditionally underrepresented in the highest rank of higher education the opportunity to develop skills, gain a philosophical overview and build the network needed to advance to the presidency.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
West Georgia faculty approves no confidence resolution vs new president
By Eric Stirgus
University of West Georgia faculty passed a no confidence, albeit non-binding, resolution against its new president, Brendan B. Kelly, faculty announced Monday. Faculty passed the resolution by 263 to 129 vote, with 55 abstentions. The vote began Nov. 2 and ended at 5 p.m. Monday.
The Times-Georgia
Faculty endorses no confidence vote in Kelly
By Stephanie Allen
A majority of UWG faculty on Monday voted to approve a resolution of no-confidence in president Dr. Brendan Kelly, but state university officials voiced their support of Kelly. A weeklong vote by the full faculty concluded on Monday, with 263 votes in favor of the no-confidence resolution and 129 votes opposed. There were 55 abstentions, with a total of 447 votes cast out of the 512 eligible faculty. The resolution had earlier been adopted by the Faculty Senate.
WebMD
By Kathleen Doheny
As the coronavirus pandemic begins its ninth month and the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. tops10 million, it’s human nature to wonder: What is my risk of getting infected? And the answer is far from simple.…Using Risk Calculators
A variety of calculators and other tools can help predict individual risk — or how risky the situation or event is. Here is a sampling. Risk of contact with an infected person: Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University worked together to develop a tool that estimates how likely it is that at least one person at any event of a given size in a specific location is infectious.
Electronics Weekly
DIY hearing aid for the many costs just a few dollars
From Georgia Tech has emerged a hearing aid design that can be built for a few dollars from easily obtained parts.
By Steve Bush
Worn around the neck in a 3d printed case, the ‘LoCHAid’ proof-of-concept is designed to be manufactured and repaired where conventional hearing aids are priced beyond the reach of most citizens, according to the university, which added that it is expected to meet most of the World Health Organization’s targets for hearing aids aimed at mild to moderate age-related hearing loss. … One reason for high hearing aid cost is that they filter as well as amplify to compensate for uneven hearing loss across the audio spectrum, without adding noticeable distortion or noise. Adjustable digital signal processing is often used. Gatech engineer Saad Bhamla and his team focused on age-related hearing loss because many older adults lose hearing in a similar way, at higher frequencies, easing the filter requirement. The design was further simplified by sticking to old-school analogue filters.
Other News:
WRDW
Biden targets virus as his White House transition begins
US hits 10 million confirmed cases
By Will Weissert, Philip Marcelo and Aamer Madhani
President-elect Joe Biden signaled strongly on Monday that fighting the raging pandemic will be the immediate priority of his new administration as the nation surpassed 10 million COVID-19 cases, an abrupt shift from President Donald Trump’s more unworried approach to the virus. …In an official move, the president-elect formed a coronavirus advisory board dominated by scientists and doctors, …The advisory board that Biden announced on Monday includes doctors and scientists who have served in previous administrations, many of them experts in public health, vaccines and infectious disease. It will be led by former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University public health care expert Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith. Rick Bright, a vaccine expert and former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, is also on the board.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Nov. 9)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 8,223 | 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: 374,181 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Against Face-to-Face Teaching Mandates
Professors and graduate students urge caution on spring plans for in-person instruction.
By Colleen Flaherty
With coronavirus case counts rising in many parts of the country and no vaccine yet widely available, academe is still far from normal. Yet a number of campuses are pushing for more normalcy, in the form of more face-to-face courses for spring. College and universities seeking more in-person instruction next term cite student demand for it, among other factors. Politics and institutional finances are also undoubtably at play. And so faculty members and graduate students are urging their institutions, by various means, to pump the brakes on face-to-face mandates and to widen exemption criteria for instructors seeking to stay remote.
Inside Higher Ed
Applications Tank in State That Requires SAT or ACT
Florida, which has resisted calls to go test optional, sees major decline in applicants.
By Scott Jaschik
This year the vast majority of colleges and universities that previously required the SAT or ACT for admissions are not doing so. Some of these colleges value the tests in admissions but are making an exception (in many cases only for this year) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s because it has been hard to take the SAT and ACT this year. The tests are mainly given in high schools, and many high schools are closed or imposing limits on visitors. Just last week, the College Board announced that of 312,000 students registered for the Nov. 7 SAT and SAT Subject Tests, 96,000 registered students were unable to take the test because of testing center limits or closings. Of test centers initially scheduled to administer the tests, 70 percent are currently open for November, though some have reduced capacity; 15 percent of open centers are at capacity; and 30 percent of centers announced they are closed.
Inside Higher Ed
How Much Will Biden Be Able to Do?
The battle for control of the Senate appears headed to two runoff elections in Georgia, with ramifications for higher education.
By Kery Murakami
With his apparent election, Joe Biden will head to the White House with an ambitious agenda for higher education. For instance, he wants to make college free for many students. But the question now is how much the president-elect will be able to get through Congress — a lot will be riding on two runoff elections headed to voters in Georgia on Jan. 5 to decide who will fill the last two seats in the Senate. Democrats were able to cling to hopes of at least winning a 50-50 tie in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote, when Georgia’s Republican senator David Perdue on Thursday fell a fraction short of getting the 50 percent vote to win re-election outright.
Education Dive
Colleges continue to crack down on students defying coronavirus safety measures
Author: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Dive Brief:
As the fall term progresses, many colleges continue to punish students who don’t follow safety measures designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
School officials are cracking down hard, in some cases, banning students from campus, and at one institution, cutting off their Wi-Fi access.
Behavioral experts have said punitive measures won’t always stop students from ignoring the rules.
Dive Insight:
Colleges have been coming down on student partygoers and other rule breakers since classes began this term, suspending individuals, as well as entire student organizations. They’ve also kicked students out of campus housing and even opened up the possibility they’d be expelled.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Reinventing Admissions to Enhance Racial and Ethnic Equity? That’s the Big Idea
By Eric Hoover
The admissions process is cumbersome, inequitable, and screwed up beyond belief. Enrollment officials often say such things at their national conferences. They wring their hands, trade advice with colleagues, and sometimes brainstorm big-picture solutions to familiar problems. And then everyone goes back home and gets buried in work. It’s no secret: Reforming a complicated system is hard. And it would be hard even if all the thousands of colleges involved in that system were (a) pretty similar, (b) not beset by intensifying enrollment challenges, and (c) in agreement about what’s really broken and how to fix it. But as long as many people believe that the admissions process isn’t fair — and it’s not — there will continue to be great interest in seeing the blueprints for Something Better. A new set is on the way.
Inside Higher Ed
ACT Interim CEO Named Permanent CEO
By Scott Jaschik
The ACT board named Janet Godwin as its CEO. Godwin was appointed as interim CEO in May, when Marten Roorda left the position. …In an interview with Inside Higher Ed in August, she apologized for some of the difficulties ACT has had during the pandemic and pledged to do better.