University System News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Georgia Power Gives Six Georgia HBCUs $1.625 Million for Tech and Development
by Arrman Kyaw
Georgia Power is giving six of Georgia’s historically Black colleges and universities $1.625 million for technology, infrastructure and development in the 2020-2021 academic year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The six HBCUs are Albany State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Morehouse College, Savannah State University and Spelman College. The gift is part of Southern Company’s – Georgia Power’s parent – $50 million HBCU Initiative, which “provides HBCU students with scholarships, internships, leadership development and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness,” The AJC reported.
Athens CEO
Chick-fil-A Pledges $10M to UGA Institute for Leadership Advancement
Clarke Schwabe
The University of Georgia has received a record-breaking $10 million pledge from Chick-fil-A Inc. to expand and enhance UGA’s Institute for Leadership Advancement. “This tremendous commitment from Chick-fil-A will strengthen ILA’s efforts and broaden its reach like never before,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I am deeply grateful to our friends at Chick-fil-A for helping the University of Georgia produce even more graduates who will become effective leaders in their organizations and communities.” Chick-fil-A’s pledge is both the largest commitment dedicated to academic support in the history of the Terry College of Business, which houses ILA, and the largest single gift ILA has ever received.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia public libraries provide $732.8 million in state economic impact
By Pamela Miller
Georgia’s 408 public libraries provide social benefits of $562.1 million and economic impacts of $170.7 million annually, according to a study by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government and funded by the Georgia Public Library Service. Georgia’s public libraries also provide tremendous value in return for the investment of public dollars and private donations. For each dollar funded to the libraries, society receives an estimated $3.21 in goods and services plus indirect economic benefits, according to a press release.
Athens CEO
Georgia Economic Outlook for 2021 Set for December 3rd
Merritt Melancon
Economic forecasters from the University of Georgia and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta will provide essential insights for these uncertain times at this year’s Georgia Economic Outlook. For the first time in the program’s 38-year history, the event will be hosted virtually and streamed on YouTube. The live program will take place from 10-11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. Registration is free and required to receive a link to the live event and digital access to the complete Georgia Economic Outlook 2021 booklet from the Selig Center for Economic Growth. Benjamin C. Ayers, who has served as dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business since 2014, will deliver the Georgia economic forecast.
Saporta Report
Leaders aspire to make Atlanta a global hub for peace education
By Maria Saporta
As key Atlanta business and civic leaders continue to forge a multi-faceted relationship with the Nobel Peace Laureates, a complementary effort is underway to make the Atlanta region a hub for peace education and research. The Atlanta Peace Education Initiative already has garnered the support of 10 universities, five of which are public institutions and five which are private. It is being built on the foundation of the Atlanta Global Studies Center, co-hosted by Georgia Tech and Georgia State University. Although the effort is just getting off the ground, the possibilities are limitless – especially as the Atlanta region seeks to create an “ecosystem” to support global peace.
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern strengthens ties with Rosalynn Carter Institute
From staff reports
Georgia Southwestern State University announced Monday that the Rosalynn Carter Institute will transition from a unit to an affiliate of the institution. This move will keep the RCI physically on campus, while allowing the organization to expand its profile serving more than 53 million caregivers nationwide. At the same time, the RCI is also moving to strengthen its mission to place the unpaid caregiver at the center of its work by changing its name to the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, a small shift with a significant meaning.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech professor: I didn’t think I connected with my students online. They disagreed.
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Evaluations showed students felt they came to know professor even without in-person classes
This is a fascinating reflection on online teaching by Georgia Tech professor Jennifer Leavey. Teaching virtually this fall, Leavey felt distant and removed from her students and assumed they, too, would feel they never connected with her. Turns out the students had a different take on their experience. Leavey is a principal academic professional in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech where she has taught cell biology since 2005. She also directs the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Project, an interdisciplinary initiative designed to recruit and retain STEM students by studying how urban habitats affect honey bee health and how technology can be used to study bees. Leavey is also the faculty director of the Science and MAth Research Training (SMART) and Scientific Health And Related Professions (SHARP) Living Learning Communities at Tech.
By Jennifer Leavey
Forsyth County News
Local college student makes over $60,000 selling Pokémon cards, puts money towards graduate school
Ashlyn Yule
Introduced to Pokémon at a young age, Caleb King loved collecting the cards with cute monsters printed on them. Years later as a biology pre-med student at the University of North Georgia, King is using his Pokémon collection to help pay for graduate school. During the pandemic, King has sold over 40 Pokémon cards and made more than $60,000. He began collecting graded cards about four years ago, and kept a close eye on the market online. During quarantine, King said Pokémon card prices skyrocketed.
Georgia Trend
Eastman | Dodge County: Resilient and Refocused
Aviation, education and downtown revitalization.
by Betty Darby
…Aiming High
Here, Williams says, is where Dodge County started looking to the skies. Flexing some political muscle, in the 1960s the area managed to secure state financing for a 5,000-foot runway (since expanded to 6,000 feet), the core that became Heart of Georgia Regional Airport – and sparked a new direction for economic development. “We had a vision to have an aviation school to train pilots,” says Williams of the early plans for Middle Georgia State University’s flight program, the only four-year aviation school offered by the University System of Georgia. “We started out with six students.” Middle Georgia’s aviation campus is just outside Eastman, running in a strip alongside the airport. On the street side are the regular classrooms; on the airport side are the flight simulators and aircraft maintenance hangers for the college’s fleet of small planes and helicopters. The aviation satellite campus opened Eastman and Dodge County to a pipeline of aviation jobs from commercial pilot to aircraft maintenance workers to airport management. Now, it’s the backbone of a growing business hub.
Georgia Trend
From planes and parts to drones, Georgia’s aerospace industry is flying high.
by Anna Bentley
Aerospace products are the state’s No. 1 export, yet the sector seems to fly under the radar of public perception. …The state’s well-established aerospace community and strong research capabilities, notably the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), made Georgia the ideal headquarters for NXT Communications Corp. (NXTCOMM), a wireless connectivity company Horton co-founded in 2017. …The team worked with GTRI to bring satellite technology originally developed for military use to its AeroMax satellite, which it says will deliver more efficient, high-performance broadband connectivity to aviation, trucking and other mobile markets. … Bolstered by Education
…Currently, more than a dozen high schools across the state offer career pathways and classes in aerospace fields like flight operations, aviation maintenance and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). From there, students can enter one of the state’s five technical colleges with aviation programs. Augusta Technical College, Central Georgia Technical College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Savannah Technical College and South Georgia Technical College offer a mix of certificates, diplomas and associate’s degrees in aviation maintenance, aircraft assembly and aircraft structural maintenance. The university system’s institutions also offer bachelor’s programs in engineering and aerospace engineering, with Middle Georgia State University boosting its aviation programs with a four-year flight program.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia AD Greg McGarity to retire at year’s end
By Chip Towers
Soon after arriving at UGA as a veteran athletic administrator, Greg McGarity said he couldn’t see himself working as Georgia’s athletic director for more than 10 years. Well, he’s done the job for nearly 11 years now, and he will stop there. McGarity, a native Athenian, a UGA alum, a Georgia tennis letterman, women’s tennis coach and sports information assistant, a 50-year veteran of college athletics, officially will retire at year’s end. The school made the announcement Monday afternoon after the news was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McGarity did not return messages seeking comment. However, in a statement issued by the school, McGarity said: “I want to thank President (Jere) Morehead for all of his support and guidance over the years. I step down knowing that our Athletic Association is in great hands under his strong leadership. To our coaches, athletic staff, and student-athletes — you have made the last decade the very best of my career, and I thank you for your dedication to excellence in athletics. You are the heart and soul of our program, and it has truly been an honor to serve alongside you as athletic director. Finally, my thanks to our alumni, donors, and fans for your unyielding support of Georgia athletics. There is no better fan base in college sports than the Bulldog Nation.”
Savannah Morning News
Josh Brooks to be interim UGA athletics director as Greg McGarity announces retirement
By Marc Weiszer
Greg McGarity, the second longest tenured athletic director in the SEC, is retiring from Georgia at the end of this year. He had been in the position since 2010. McGarity’s retirement date is Dec. 31, the school said Monday. Senior deputy athletic director Josh Brooks, a candidate to replace him, will be interim athletic director. Under McGarity’s watch, Georgia changed football coaches, hiring Kirby Smart to replace Mark Richt in 2015 after 15 seasons. Smart guided Georgia to an SEC championship and the national title game in 2017 and the league title game again in 2018 and 2019.
WSAV
Georgia Southern fires offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse
by: Connor DelPrete
In a major change to the team’s coaching staff, Georgia Southern head football Coach Chad Lunsford has fired offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse. The decision comes after the Eagles saw fourth quarter leads slip away on the road at Army and Georgia State. Both games, Coach Lunsford says, were ones he felt like the team should have won. “We were just not finishing drives, we were having trouble in the red zone, we were not scoring enough points,” Lunsford explained in a press conference Sunday afternoon. “I felt like at any moment we were going to exploded and take off. My thoughts on that were inaccurate.”
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Nov. 30)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 8,778 | 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: 422,133 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Capitol Beat News Service
COVID-19 vaccine poised for mid-December rollout in Georgia, governor says
by Beau Evans
Georgia is gearing up to distribute the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to health-care workers and the state’s elderly residents in the coming weeks once federal officials approve the vaccines for emergency use. Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday he expects health-care workers and nursing home residents in the state to start receiving vaccines in the second or third week of December, noting several state agencies have been preparing to move quickly on distribution as soon as the initial vaccine shipments arrive. “Obviously, that timeline could change, but that is what we’re shooting for right now,” Kemp said at a meeting with local nursing home administrators. “I’m confident that when the vaccine is authorized … that we will be ready to distribute that,” he added.
Forbes
How You Should Be Looking At Covid-19 Data
John Drake, Contributor (Professor at the University of Georgia)
Covid-19 is a contagious disease. This means that it grows (or declines) multiplicatively. A disease with a reproduction number, designated R, around two will grow in four generations from one case (the first generation or index cases) to two cases (the second general) to four cases (the third generation) to eight cases (the fourth generation). A disease with a reproduction number around three will grow much faster from one case (the first generation) to three cases (the second general) to nine cases (the third generation) to twenty-seven cases (the fourth generation). The total size of the epidemic is the sum of the number of cases in each generation, i.e. 1+3+9+27=40 in the example. This multiplicative property is often referred to as exponential growth and has implications for how you should be looking at Covid-19 data.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges Grapple With Grim Financial Realities
Net-tuition losses and steep discount rates augur a precarious spring
By Scott Carlson
Start early and get to Thanksgiving. That was the goal for a range of colleges that held in-person classes in the fall despite the pandemic. But how many got to the end of the semester in a healthy financial condition? Many colleges enrolled significantly fewer students than they would have in a typical year, cutting into tuition revenue at a time when higher education was already desperate to attract bodies. And although getting to the end of the semester prevented institutions from having to issue refunds on room-and-board fees, occupancy was down in residence halls across the country. And then there were the financial hits from canceling fall athletics, buying personal protective equipment for faculty and staff members, and retrofitting buildings for spread-out classes. A new survey conducted by The Chronicle and two other organizations sheds some light on the financial challenges that colleges face as they approach a spring semester that might be even tougher to pull off than the fall.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Experts Say Higher Ed Leaders Should Avoid Playing a ‘Numbers Game’ With COVID-19
by Autumn A. Arnett
When the University of Washington became the first major U.S. campus to close its doors due to the global COVID-19 outbreak on March 6, almost no one could have predicted the pandemic would have swelled to the massively widespread proportions now disrupting higher ed across the country.
As of Oct. 22, The New York Times had recorded more than 214,000 positive cases of COVID-19 at over 1,600 college and university campuses across the country. According to the publication’s tracker, there have been over 75 COVID-related deaths on college campuses since the pandemic started. The response to COVID-19 has been mixed this fall. Some campuses, like the Atlanta University Center institutions in Georgia and the entire California State University system, pulled back in-person instruction and moved totally online. Others moved forward with in-person instruction but found themselves having to scale back amenities and implement social distancing protocols on campus. Roughly 60% of institutions across the country chose to re-open their doors to students for the fall 2020 semester, many with modified academic calendars that end the semester at Thanksgiving. Other institutions, including Harvard and Princeton, have opted for hybrid models that welcome some students back to campus, while having others continue their learning online. As institutions continue to navigate the best ways to serve students amid these unprecedented times, experts warn that higher ed leaders should be bracing themselves for a second wave of the pandemic in the spring semester.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
by Sara Weissman
Most college students feel anxious about COVID-19, but less than a quarter of them are using campus mental health resources, according to a recent report by College Pulse, Course Hero and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Researchers surveyed 3,500 college students in full-time, four-year undergraduate programs the week of Sept. 28, representing 196 universities. One in five students described themselves as “constantly” anxious about the pandemic, and 56% of students felt at least “somewhat” anxious. But 77% of student reported that they haven’t turned to university mental health supports. Only about 10% of students used any remote health services, like tele-health or tele-counseling, and less than 5% of students used grief counseling or support groups.
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges need to focus on recruiting, supporting and graduating student veterans now more than ever, as these students face hardships due to the pandemic, experts say.
By Madeline St. Amour
A recent brief from the American Talent Initiative urges colleges to enroll more students who are military service veterans. The initiative is a collective of colleges and universities committed to expanding access for more vulnerable students. Its goal is to, by 2025, enroll and graduate 50,000 more lower-income students at colleges that have a six-year graduation rate of at least 70 percent. This includes student veterans, very few of whom attend colleges with high graduation rates.
Inside Higher Ed
Many Universities Lag on Social Mobility Indicators, Report Finds
By Emma Whitford
Students with Pell Grants are more likely to drop out than to graduate at many four-year colleges in the United States, according to a new report on social mobility and low-income student enrollment at four-year institutions from Education Reform Now, a progressive think tank that advocates for student and family interests. The report, released today, identifies 614 four-year colleges where students receiving federal Pell Grants are more likely to graduate than they are to drop out and where federal loan repayment and default rates are better than the average four-year institution. Education Reform Now dubbed these colleges “social mobility elevators,” finding 90 of the top 100 are public institutions.
Tech Hub
Will edtech empower or erase the need for higher education?
Natasha Mascarenhas
The coronavirus has erased a large chunk of college’s value proposition: the on-campus experience. Campuses are closed, sports have been paused and, understandably, students don’t want to pay the same tuition for a fraction of the services. As a result, enrollment is down across the country and university business models are under unrelenting pressure. …As universities struggle, edtech is being positioned as a solution for their largest problem: remote teaching. Coursera, a massive open online course (MOOC), created a campus product to help schools quickly offer digital coursework. Podium Education raised millions last month to offer universities for-credit tech programs. Eruditus brought on more than $100 million in the last few months to create programming for elite universities. In some ways, the growth is the story of edtech’s ongoing surge amid the coronavirus pandemic: Remote schooling has forced institutions to piece together third-party solutions to keep operations afloat.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Why Senior Research Leaders Are Starting to See Themselves as ‘Chief Revenue Officers’
By Lindsay Ellis
It’s not provosts or presidents, but senior research officers who are presiding over a vastly expanded fiefdom at American research universities. These top administrators, some of whom see themselves as a “chief revenue officer,” may well soon have the stature of provosts as their duties grow, according to a new Ithaka S+R report released Tuesday morning. Their responsibilities and challenges had expanded well before Covid-19. Escalating tensions with China put a sharp focus on the security of U.S. campuses and jeopardized relationships with a key research partner. Research became integral to how colleges showed their impact on their local economies. And an ever-increasing focus on big grants required collaboration between colleges or departments and an eye toward federal funding trends.