University System News

WJCL Savannah
Savannah State University holds in-person graduation ceremony
By Jackson Kurtz
When the pandemic first arrived in the U.S. in March, many schools canceled or drastically changed their graduation ceremony. But this graduation season, students at Savannah State University were still able to celebrate their in-person graduation — although things looked a little different. The university took many safety measures in order to hold the in-person ceremony like the students only allowed to invite guests, and how they were to enter and exit the ceremony. SSU will hold a graduation ceremony for the spring class of 2020 on Saturday, Dec. 12.

AllOnGeorgia
EGSC students perform undergraduate research as part of USG STEM IV Initiative Grant
Staff Report
East Georgia State College received a grant from the University System of Georgia that focuses on undergraduate research and mindset. The STEM IV Initiative Grant was for $50,000 annually for three years. Currently, EGSC is in the second year of the grant and three EGSC students are performing undergraduate research as part of the grant. Shanice McGuire’s research focuses on foodborne diseases. Carley Stapleton and Monique Johnson are both working on different aspects of a project to develop a monitoring system for detecting cyanobacteria in water. Since its launch, the STEM Initiative has had three key objectives: readiness, STEM success, and STEM educator preparation.

The Gainesville Times
UNG gets $1.45 million federal grant to boost entrepreneurship
By Jeff Gill
A $1.45 million grant aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in Hall and five other Northeast Georgia counties has been awarded to the University of North Georgia. The three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will benefit high school students in Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Hall and Lumpkin counties. The program will expand existing UNG programs offered to area high school students, such as the entrepreneurship competition “InnovateUNG” and “Building Ethical Employability” workshops.

Times-Georgian
UWG student hopes to earn tuition Dr Pepper challenge
By Stephanie Allen
A student at the University of West Georgia will compete for $125,000 after being selected as one of the finalists in the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway. Chemari Reeves is a resident of Fairburn who is studying nursing at the Newnan campus of the University of West Georgia. She is a single mother and a full-time nursing student, with aspirations to become a neonatal nurse after graduation and plans to pursue her master’s degree. “Shortly after my son’s birth, both my son and I experienced serious complications. We were eternally grateful for the support and gracious attitude that was shown to us in our time of need. I want to be that beacon of hope in life for someone else,” Chemari said in her application video. “I plan to give the future generation the chance to thrive and be the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves.”

Grady Newsource
Jackson County Library Provides Stable Environment For Digital Learners
Staff Report Grady
Duncan Reynolds, a student at East Jackson Comprehensive High School, has not yet gone back to school in person. Lately, he has been doing the majority of his schoolwork at his local library in Nicholson. Harold S. Swindle Public Library in Jackson County offers Wi-Fi and a productive environment for students enrolled in distance learning. According to the U.S. Census data from 2014 to 2018, 88.6% of Georgia Households had a computer and only 79% had a broadband internet subscription.

Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College sets ‘Giving Tuesday’ goal of $100,000
From Staff Reports
Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1 could become the most generous day of giving in the 112-year history of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Ric Stewart, Annual Giving and Development Coordinator for ABAC, said the goal for the Giving Tuesday campaign is $100,000. All gifts to the ABAC Foundation between now and then will count toward the goal. The theme of ABAC’s Giving Tuesday celebration is “Better Together.” Alumni and students are encouraged to think about the friendships they made during their time at ABAC. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage giving and to celebrate generosity worldwide.

Metro Atlanta CEO
Georgia Political Strategist to Address Students during Clayton State University Virtual Commencement
Staff Report
Georgia political strategist and commentator Fred Hicks will share inspiring words to spring, summer and fall 2020 candidates for graduation during Clayton State University’s virtual commencement ceremonies on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. Founder and president of Hicks Evaluation Group, a consulting firm that specializes in candidate and issue campaigns, consulting and public affairs, Hicks has spent more than 10 years managing campaigns for various candidates for office including school board, city council, mayor, county commission, district attorney, judges, sheriff, state legislators, U.S. Congress and state attorney general.

Valdosta Daily Times
Wiregrass launches Core Complete program
Staff Report
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College students can take advantage of Core Complete and plan their schedule a year or more in advance. The program is open to all Wiregrass students including dual-enrollment students looking to complete general degree level core requirements, college officials said in a statement. “At Wiregrass, we are always looking for ways to offer classes in a format that will accommodate all of our students. This need to accommodate has never been more true especially during the COVID pandemic. The new Core Complete classes are another example of our efforts,” said DeAnnia Clements, Wiregrass vice president for academic affairs. “Core Complete will allow our students to fast track their general education courses so that they can reach their goals faster. “This is great for students who are completing one of our many degree programs or those who are planning to transfer to another college. These courses are part of the core agreement between the Technical College System of Georgia and University System of Georgia which means they are accepted at any of the colleges or universities in Georgia under these two systems as well as most accredited by SACSCOC.”

The Signal
Georgia State top donor convicted of accounting fraud charges
By Mary A. Brassfield
Parker H. “Pete” Petit, an alumnus of and former multi-million-dollar donor to Georgia State, pleaded guilty on fraud accounting charges. Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced after a four-week trial, Petit was convicted of one count of securities fraud that carries up to 20 years in federal prison. Petit convictions stem from participation in a scheme to inflate MiMedx’s revenue fraudulently. Petit is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2021.

U.S. News & World Report
Pence Visit to Georgia Signals the Start of 2020’s Last, Biggest Campaign
By Lisa Hagen
With control of the Senate on the line, Georgia’s double runoff elections are becoming the epicenter of politics for the next month and a half as millions of dollars flow into the state and a cavalry of high-profile lawmakers hit the campaign trail, including Vice President Mike Pence… “Ironically, Trump will not be on the ballot but he’s still a big part of this race,” says Amy Steigerwalt, political science professor at Georgia State University, noting that it could “spur turnout particularly with Democrats.”… “It’ll be a very short-lived record,” says Charles Bullock III, a political science professor at the University of Georgia. “I would guess every slot on Atlanta TV advertising has been sold by now.”

Other News

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Nov. 22)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 8,627 | 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: 404,411 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.

Gwinnett Daily Post
Single-day record for new COVID infections reached in Georgia
By Andy Miller Georgia Health News
If you count positive COVID-19 results from antigen tests along with those from PCR screenings — something that most states do — Saturday’s increase of COVID infections in Georgia topped 6,300 – a new single-day record. Georgia currently does not count results of the two kinds of tests together. But the total has experts alarmed. The previous record for daily infections reported was Nov. 3, when 6,003 cases were reported, said Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist who tracks Georgia COVID cases in the Daily Digest. Georgia also recorded 126 new COVID hospitalizations in the Saturday totals, along with 38 confirmed deaths. The number of U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 12 million Saturday — an increase of more than 1 million cases in less than a week. More than 255,000 Americans have died. Almost every state has reported big increases in cases, and nationwide numbers have been climbing much faster than ever before — with the country reporting a staggering 2.8 million infections since the beginning of the month, CNN reported.

Marietta Daily Journal
US vaccine train won’t be derailed, Warp Speed leader says
By Elizabeth Dexheimer
Efforts to speedily develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. won’t be derailed by a change in administration, said the head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s program aimed at accelerating a COVID-19 jab. Surging COVID-19 infections and renewed lockdowns are causing renewed angst across the country. While an effective vaccine is expected to be widely distributed in 2021, there are still a number of hurdles before it can be widely distributed. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have requested emergency authorization of their vaccine, but it could take at least three weeks for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision to move forward.

ABC News
Loeffler has negative COVID-19 test 2 days after positive
By The Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s latest coronavirus test came back negative, but her campaign said Sunday she will continue to quarantine at least until she gets another negative result. The Georgia Republican is facing a Jan. 5 runoff in the state’s twin U.S. Senate races. Loeffler took a rapid COVID-19 test Friday evening that came back positive, a day after she campaigned with Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who also faces a Jan. 5 runoff. A test Saturday came back inconclusive and Sunday’s test came back negative, Loeffler’s campaign said.

Business Insider
‘It’s everything’: Here’s how a pair of Senate races in Georgia in January could decide whether Congress enacts a $3.4 trillion stimulus plan
By Joseph Zeballos-Roig
President-elect Joe Biden is on course to assume office on January 20, but the balance of power in Washington is still unresolved with a pair of Senate runoffs in Georgia just two weeks before Biden’s inauguration. The scope of another economic aid package in on the ballot as Georgians cast their votes on January 5. Democrats and most Republicans agree one is needed, but they have clashed for months over its size and the level of federal support necessary to support an economic recovery many economists say is weakening. Unemployment claims ticked up last week for the first time since early October. Neither side has budged since Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the election on November 3 and the gulf between the two parties may only be widening in the lame-duck session.

AJC
Trump requests Georgia recount; FBI, GBI investigate threats
By David Wickert
Georgia is preparing to tally about 5 million votes in the presidential election for a third time as the FBI and GBI investigate threats against some state election officials. On Saturday, President Donald Trump’s campaign filed a petition for the recount, which he is entitled to do under Georgia law because Joe Biden’s margin of victory is less than half a percent.

Higher Education News

The Washington Post
College students hit the road after an eerie pandemic semester. Will the virus go home with them?
By Nick Anderson and Susan Svrluga
Thanksgiving has become a pivotal moment for higher education as the pandemic intensifies. It casts a spotlight not only on the risk of student travel plans, but also on how a wildly unpredictable semester has unfolded and what might happen next. Many schools that brought large numbers of students back to campus are dispersing them for the rest of the year — discouraging back-and-forth holiday travel — and pondering how much they can resume operations in January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Thursday that college students traveling home should be treated as “overnight guests” and take appropriate precautions. But many are unlikely to take the rigorous quarantine steps that public health experts advise.

ABC News
How one university system plans to send home thousands of students for Thanksgiving break
By Meredith Deliso
Thousands of college students are in the process of heading home for the Thanksgiving break, even as public health experts warn against travel for the holiday amid exponential growth of COVID-19 cases in the United States.  According to the College Crisis Initiative, a research project at Davidson College, few institutions have announced post-Thanksgiving exit plans. Those that have may recommend students be tested before leaving campus, but fewer still require it. After the break, they also may be keeping the majority of students off campus until next year. The campuses of the State University of New York are among a small number of institutions that are mandating testing as part of its Thanksgiving break plan.

Inside Higher Ed
Colleges Ask DeVos to Extend Break From Repaying Student Loans
By Kery Murakami
With federal student loan borrowers facing having to resume paying back their debt again, associations representing the nation’s colleges and universities and financial aid administrators are asking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to extend the break from making repayments another year. Borrowers were initially excused by Congress from making payments during the pandemic until the end of September. President Donald Trump through an executive order extended the break through Dec. 31. But with the deadline coming up and no sign that the pandemic or the recession will end by then, a number of groups asked DeVos in a letter to extend the moratorium through Dec. 31, 2021.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Reason to Be Skeptical of ‘College for All’
By Erik Gilbert
The notion that it is desirable for as many people as possible to attend college has become commonplace, notably on the left. Bernie Sanders has put forward a bill called College for All, which proposes making public college free and substantially reducing student-loan debt. Elizabeth Warren ran for president on a similar platform. It is a widespread belief that higher education is the best answer to a host of social and economic problems. And this notion is linked to a rarely articulated but deep-seated idea that there is something wrong, something incomplete, about people without college degrees.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
How Much Is a College Quarterback Worth? $2.4 Million
By Tom Bartlett
The pandemic has imperiled college sports. Canceling the Division I men’s basketball tournament last spring alone cost the NCAA an estimated $375 million. Athletics departments are cutting staff and salaries. Even universities as rich as Stanford are dropping sports that don’t generate significant ticket sales or television revenue, thereby crushing the dreams of swimmers, fencers, and rowers. Billions still hang in the balance. So this might not seem like the best moment to float the idea of paying college athletes. At the same time, the focus on the enormous sums that college sports programs are losing because of Covid-19 is a reminder that some of them bring in enormous sums. It’s also a reminder that players don’t share in those profits.