University System News:
WGAU
UGA study: college grads have big economic impact in Georgia
By Tim Bryan
A new study from the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth pegs the economic impact of having a college degree in Georgia: the UGA research says the lifetime earnings of each new four-year college graduate in Georgia increases the state’s GDP by almost $2 million…The research assumed a “work-life” lasting an average of 40 years per individual who earned a bachelor’s degree on top of their high school diploma and calculated the additional economic benefit to the Georgia economy to be $1,992,065 over that span. Breaking down the economic value of a bachelor’s degree, about 61% of its value goes directly to the college graduate, while 39% accrues to the graduate’s employer, their community and the state, the study found.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Q&A with Pamela Whitten, an Atlanta 2020 Most Admired CEO
By Staff Report
To build trust, there are a number of things a CEO should do, but two stand out to me. First, tell the truth, even if it’s not what people want to hear. It is of course important to be kind to people, but an honest assessment of resources, opportunities and challenges simultaneously enable an organization to be more successful and the individual employees to have the fortitude to do the right thing in all situations…Second, walk the walk. Do not ask your team to do things you are unwilling to do yourself. At KSU, we have heard from some faculty concerned about teaching face-to-face in the coming spring semester. We are certainly not the only university around the nation that has faculty with these concerns, given the current state of things. KSU is taking incredible steps to ensure the safety of its faculty, staff and students, including social distancing, masks and frequent cleaning. Yet, it’s easy to say that I trust the measures in place. It’s another thing to put myself in the situation I am asking others to do. This spring, I too will be teaching a class face to face.
The Savannah Tribune
Savannah State University Foundation Announces Melvin D. Williams Endowment Fund
By Staff Report
Savannah State University (SSU) alumni Melvin D. Williams has generously gifted the SSU Foundation, Inc. with a $25,000 endowment fund to establish the James Monroe Hall Scholarship for needbased students. Williams, retired president of Nicor Gas and senior vice president of Southern Company Gas, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Savannah State University. The scholarship honors his late uncle, also an SSU alumni. With esteem, class and distinction, Hall, (. ‘59), devoted his life’s work to educating youth, uplifting his community, and sup- porting his beloved SSU. A proud military veteran of the U.S. Army, Hall was a lifetime member of the NAACP, Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Woodville-Tompkins High School Hall of Fame and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. The first in his entire family to graduate from college, Hall gave his all to help others and exemplified an unwavering dedication to his family and friends.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Tech clears major hurdle for $750M Technology Enterprise Park expansion
By Dyana Bagby
Georgia Tech’s years-long plans to build a $750 million biosciences and health innovation district on its campus has cleared a major hurdle with city officials, setting the stage for a potential groundbreaking early next year. The city’s Zoning Review Board on Nov. 12 recommended approval to rezone nearly 20 acres of mostly undeveloped land surrounding Georgia Tech’s existing 11-acre Technology Enterprise Park. The 20-acre addition to the TEP would make way for a 2.2-million-square-foot expansion for new lab and research facilities, office space and apartments. The goal is to create a live-work-play innovation hub modeled after the university’s world-renowned Tech Square while adding 5,000 jobs to the rapidly expanding biosciences and life sciences fields.
WRBL
CSU international students thrive off campus during pandemic
By Michaela Leggett
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t stopping CSU’s international students from their pursuit of higher learning. Since the pandemic, Columbus State University has seen an increase in their international student’s participation rate. Director of Admissions Kristin Williams is glad international students are able to participate more. “We saw an increase in participation because things were moved virtually, so items like our discovery days, our regular campus information sessions. International students were able to participate right along side our domestic students because it had moved virtually and they can rearrange their schedules to attend,” Williams said.
WGMT
Georgia College participates in ‘The Daffodil Project’
By Ariel Schiller
When you see daffodils, you probably don’t think of The Holocaust. The Daffodil Project wants to change that. The project made it’s way to Georgia College in Milledgeville. Hillel at Georgia College coordinated with Daffodil Ambassador, Mike Weintraub, to plant 1500 daffodil bulbs on campus. The daffodils are a symbol of the yellow star Jewish people were forced to wear during The Holocaust. The flowers also honor those who survived it. The President of the Hillel chapter, Abbie Frankel, says the legacy of the daffodils will last long after she graduates.
See also on WMAZ.
Other News
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Nov. 18)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 8,536 | 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: 393,980 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia school board discusses downplaying impact of high school standardized tests
By Ty Tagami
After rejecting the Georgia state school superintendent’s plan to make standardized tests all but irrelevant for accountability in high schools, the state school board discussed on Wednesday how much weight the Milestones Tests should have on course grades…The vast majority of the 93,079 respondents — about 86% — agreed with agency leader Richard Woods’ proposal to set the weight of test scores at 0.01%. Woods, Georgia’s elected state school superintendent, pitched the proposal in September in reaction to U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ announcement that states should not expect another waiver this school year from federally-mandated standardized tests. Woods and Gov. Brian Kemp had applied for another waiver after DeVos granted one last spring when COVID-19 forced schools online.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta committee recommends new name for Brown Middle School
By: Vanessa McCray
An Atlanta school board committee recommended Joseph Emerson Brown Middle School be renamed Herman J. Russell West End Academy. The committee unanimously agreed Wednesday to a compromise recommendation after initially being split between naming the school after a person and naming it after a location…Combining the Russell name with the West End location was a compromise suggested by school board member Aretta Baldon, who heads the committee.
Higher Education News
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bank of America donates $1 million to Atlanta Technical College
By Eric Stirgus
Bank of America is contributing $1 million to Atlanta Technical College to forge a partnership to create a jobs initiative at the school, the company announced Thursday. The company said the partnership is part of its effort to address underlying issues facing individuals and communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “For 53 years, Atlanta Technical College has built a successful program for technical training and job placement,” said Wendy Stewart, Atlanta market president for Bank of America. “Our partnership will further expand on their initiatives to ensure underserved students have a guided career pathway into high-wage, in-demand jobs.”
USA Today
Students are still traveling for Thanksgiving break. Colleges fear they’ll spread COVID.
By Chris Quintana
After a semester battling the coronavirus, often unsuccessfully, college leaders have one final plea for students heading home for Thanksgiving: Get tested, please. What’s unclear: whether the plea will work…The University of Tennessee in Knoxville has asked students to get tested, receive a flu shot and plan to take their study materials home with them. The University of Georgia in Athens increased its capacity to screen people and is pushing students to get tested by Friday, before returning home. The university is trying to sweeten the deal with a University of Georgia face mask, as well as discounts for campus shops and the bookstore for students who get a test.
Inside Higher Ed
Faculty Pandemic Stress Is Now Chronic
By Colleen Flaherty
The early days of the pandemic took a toll on faculty members, but for many, peak stress is now, according to a new study of faculty mental health from Course Hero. Researchers for the study website surveyed hundreds of faculty members on and off the tenure track, across institution types, this fall. The findings suggest that faculty worries about the pandemic have morphed into chronic stress — with serious implications for professors’ mental health, their students and the profession as COVID-19 drags on…Perhaps most significantly, more than 40 percent of survey respondents considered leaving their jobs as a result of COVID-19’s impact. Early-career faculty members were most likely to be considering leaving, at 48 percent.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Long Tail of an Unprecedented Crisis
By Staff Report
We are nine months into the pandemic. Campuses are teaching remotely and moving interactions online — all of which has had a profound effect not just on students, but on professors as well. Faculty members are stressed. They’re tired. They’re anxious. And they’re finding less enjoyment in teaching. Some have even thought about leaving the academy altogether. Those are some of the results from a national survey The Chronicle and Fidelity Investments conducted in late October. What can college leaders do to better support faculty members during this difficult time? The Chronicle convened a virtual event to discuss the challenges and possibilities of this harsh new teaching landscape.