University System News:

WALB News 10
‘I always believed in myself’: VSU grad blazes through odds to earn degree
By Jennifer Morejon
Valdosta State University hosted its 230th commencement ceremony on Monday. It’s the first graduating pandemic class to walk down the stage. One of those graduates had a very tough year, but she overcame it. Sandra Gonzalez is a wife and mother of four who was diagnosed with lymphoma last fall. With a positive mindset and strong will, she beat all the challenges and on Monday, she walked down that stage.

Fox 28 Savannah
Savannah State University holds in-person graduation for spring class of 2020
By Cody Thomas
Students who graduated from Savannah State University in May were not able to experience a normal graduation ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Saturday was a different story.

Albany Herald
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College honors nursing graduates at pinning ceremony
Staff reports
Five graduates from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College received top honors at the college’s recent fall semester pinning ceremony.

Athens CEO
UGA to Host First Virtual Commencement Ceremony
Graduates and their families, friends and Bulldogs worldwide are invited to gather online to welcome the University of Georgia’s newest alumni on Dec. 18 as 1,874 undergraduates and 2,526 graduate students—a total of 4,400—have met requirements to graduate.

Henry Herald
Clayton State partners with Georgia Gwinnett College for nursing degree
Staff reports
Clayton State University and Georgia Gwinnett College announced this week they have formed a new partnership to create a pathway to increase the number of undergraduate nursing students earning an advanced degree. Under the new agreement, an undergraduate nursing student will complete their bachelor’s degree at GGC, then be eligible to enroll at Clayton State to earn a Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

Americus News
Students ‘horsin’ around’ at GSW
Beth Alston
For the first time in over a century there were horses on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW). On Wednesday, several horses were brought onto Sanford Lawn for students to pet, feed, and even braid hair to help relieve stress and anxiety ahead of finals next week. GSW is committed to helping combat the mental health issues that are on the rise among adolescents and young adults.

Middle Georgia CEO
MGA President Dr. Christopher Blake on Connecting with Employers across the Region
Staff reports
President of Middle Georgia State University Dr. Christopher Blake explains how working with employers in the region helps students gain the experience they need to join the workforce fully prepared.

WSBV-TV
Shipping companies worry about stress on delivery services as US puts out COVID-19 vaccine
Matt Johnson
As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across Georgia, Grady Memorial Hospital’s chief medical officer told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson that his hospital is on the verge of being at capacity. That’s why the approval of a vaccine is such welcome news even if distributing it will be no easy task. The work has already begun to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia… Dr. Lisa Eichelberger, with Clayton State University, already volunteered in a vaccine trial and is ready for the public to get access to a vaccine. “I hope everyone will. That’s the only way we’re going to beat this — for everyone to step up and get the vaccine,” Eichelberger said.

EIN News
Georgia Southern University Becomes First Institution to Certify Executive Cabinet in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The Society for Diversity
The President’s Cabinet at Georgia Southern University recently embarked on a journey to model lifelong learning, prepare the campus for the next generation workplace, and establish global leadership in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

WTOC
Campus police offer safety tips to Georgia Southern students leaving for the holidays
By Dal Cannady
This week, more than 20,000 Georgia Southern University students in Savannah and Statesboro will leave apartments for a few weeks during the holidays. But that can give thieves the chance to ruin the season. A host of things can distract you this week, from finishing finals to packing for the holidays. But university police say a few simple steps can lessen your chances of being a victim, starting with locking your door. Apartments on and off campus will be empty as students leave until early next year. Last year, Statesboro police reported 17 burglaries in December into January when students returned to town.

Gainesville Times
Gas leak at Gainesville UNG campus contained
Staff reports
A gas leak at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus was contained shortly after it began, the school said Monday afternoon.

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 14)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 9,218 | 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: 479,340 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vaccines arrive in Georgia, first nurses vaccinated
By Ariel Hart
On the day the nation surpassed 300,000 deaths from COVID-19, the first doses of a vaccine designed to stop the pandemic landed on Georgia clay. The Pfizer vaccine, developed with extraordinary speed and spectacular clinical results, was administered Monday to five Savannah nurses just two days after its authorization for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.

11 Alive
Why does the COVID-19 vaccine require two shots?
By Jerry Carnes
The yearly flu shot requires one encounter with a needle, but the much anticipated COVID-19 vaccine will require two shots. Late Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The first shipments left the Pfizer plant in Michigan Sunday. 

Higher Education News:

The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Demographic Cliff: 5 Findings From New Projections of High-School Graduates
By Eric Hoover
The so-called demographic cliff up ahead might not be quite as imposing as previously thought, but it’s still very much a cliff. That’s one takeaway from the new edition of Knocking at the College Door, a report published every four years by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, known as Wiche. Its latest projections, published on Tuesday, provide a crucial glimpse of the number of high school graduates that higher education can expect to see.

Inside Higher Ed
Birth Dearth Approaches
By Rick Seltzer
Rising graduation rates mean more high schoolers receiving diplomas than previously expected as classes diversify rapidly. But by the mid-2020s, class sizes start shrinking.

Inside Higher Ed
What Do Demographic Projections Mean for Colleges?
By Rick Seltzer
Colleges will need to adjust to a shrinking, diversifying pool of traditional college-aged students in the near future. What will they need to do to be ready?