University System News:
WTOC
Rain, pandemic can’t keep Georgia Southern students from graduation ceremony
By Dal Cannady
Thousands of Georgia Southern University students finish their college careers this week. They get the opportunity to march across the stage in one of several in-person ceremonies. These fall graduations mark the first in-person ceremonies since last December. They’ll be memorable, for several reason. Raincoats and ponchos covered plenty of graduation gowns as students didn’t let the weather or a pandemic keep them from this milestone. “You only get this experience once, you make the best of it, no matter the weather or the pandemic,” graduate Maddie Sybert said.
Gwinnett Daily Post
53-year-old Sugar Hill mom of four inspires others by becoming first in family to earn college degree
By Chamian Cruz
Jan Bolton, a 53-year-old Sugar Hill resident, knew four years were going to pass one way or another, so she thought, “Why not have something at the end of those four years that can make my life better? And with that I knew I wanted to finish.” On Dec. 10, surrounded by her husband of 26 years, daughter, and two sons and their families, Bolton watched as her name was called during a virtual graduation ceremony at Georgia Gwinnett College. Bolton is now the first person in her family to obtain a college degree, and with honors to top it off. More specifically, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialization in child development. She doesn’t have a job lined up yet, but she hopes to find one she’s passionate about where she can help others, as that has always been her natural inclination.
Times-Georgian
UWG graduate enrollment maintains upward trajectory
By Julie Lineback
For the University of West Georgia Graduate School, business is booming. Enrollment of students studying for advanced certificates and degrees at UWG has steadily increased 57.8 percent for the past seven years — from 1,957 students in 2014 to 3,088 students in 2020. The number grew by more than 200 students between Fall 2019 and this semester. Dr. Toby Ziglar, dean of the Graduate School, attributed the jump to the strength and accessibility of the university’s nearly 30 master’s and doctoral degree curricula. “The quality of education that students receive when they come to West Georgia is clearly driving the enrollment growth,” he observed. “They come here and have great experiences because of the strength and quality of our graduate programming. That makes us a first choice and destination for students who are looking for the opportunity to advance their careers.”
Americus Times-Recorder
Kappa Sigma brothers at GSW honor late housemother “Aunt Mae” with endowed scholarship ahead of her birthday
By Ken Gustafson
The Kappa Kappa Chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently brought a 40-year-old scholarship back to life to honor the memory of housemother Walter Mae Hamilton, or “Aunt Mae” as she was known to the brothers. Aunt Mae served as the Kappa Sigma housemother for a number of years at their first on Taylor Street in Americus, GA. “She was such a sweet lady,” said Wes Wheeler (’70), GSW alumni and Kappa Sigma brother. “Aunt Mae was the perfect grandmother-type. She lived upstairs and we rarely saw her except when needed. She would come down and tell us to ‘pick up the house’ and ‘clean up the yard’. Everyone loved her, and she holds a special place in my heart.”
Statesboro Herald
COVID vaccines continue Georgia rollout
Staff reports
Bulloch County reported only one new COVID-19 case Tuesday, but recorded 26 new cases on Wednesday and hospitalizations at East Georgia Regional Medical Center reached a five-week high Wednesday, as well. Public Safety/Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Wynn said the 16 hospitalizations at East Georgia are the most since 16 also were being cared for on Nov. 6. Wynn said the 27 new cases for Tuesday and Wednesday combined mean Bulloch has now recorded 3,486 total COVID cases, which have resulted in 35 deaths and 156 local residents being hospitalized since the pandemic began in March… Georgia Southern saw the same number of cases for the week of Dec. 7-13 as the previous week, reporting 26 new cases on Monday. Seventeen of the new cases were on the Statesboro campus. Georgia Southern will report again on Monday, Dec. 21.
CleanLink
UGA’s Building Services Workers Lead By An Unsung Hero
The daily work done by Tiffany Teasley and her subordinates is a critical component of a functioning University of Georgia campus. Actually, “critical component” could be an understatement. As the building service lead for the university’s Molecular Medicine FMD Grounds Building, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, and Campus Transit, Teasley leads a team responsible for cleaning and sanitizing these campus buildings and resources during the United State’s great public health emergency in more than 100 years.
11 Alive
UGA will help state conduct study on ballot signatures
By Jonathan Raymond
The University of Georgia will help conduct a statewide study of the signatures used during the absentee voting process in the 2020 election, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Wednesday. The Secretary of State had announced the audit earlier this week, providing more details in a news conference this afternoon. Sec. Raffensperger framed the statewide audit as an academically-minded undertaking that he said would “restore faith in the process and put these rumors to bed once and for all,” referencing the numerous fraud allegations supporters of President Donald Trump have made in the wake of the Nov. 3 election.
Savannah Morning News
Chatham absentee ballot drop box relocated from Savannah State campus
By Will Peebles
The absentee ballot drop box that was previously placed at Savannah State University has been moved to the Pennsylvania Avenue Resource Center. Board of Registrars Chairman Colin McRae said the box couldn’t be placed on state property, only city or county property. The box is now open and able to receive completed absentee ballots at 425 Pennsylvania Ave. “It’s still in the 3rd District, which is where the Savannah State box originally was, just a little further north,” McRae said.
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University and The University System of Georgia are announcing a big expansion of mental health services to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new program is called HOPE Connect @ VSU, and it provides mental health support to all VSU students. Here are the resources available: A 24/7/365 mental health support line for in-the-moment support and linkages to next steps, regardless of time of day or your location, Virtual Psychiatric Clinics to offer assessment and medication management, Personal Student Navigators to assist with referral coordination and support, “The Wellness Hub” which includes an App and an online wellness magazine with educational content, self-help tools and resource links.
Yahoo! Finance
The Bedderpan: Reduces spillage, adds comfort and maintains patient dignity, a truly better bedpan, according to co-founders Jordan Lee and Michael Morgan. “We don’t mind talking about what others shy away from, like using the toilet,” state the inventors. “Everyone has to go to the bathroom, but not everyone has the luxury of going to the bathroom. That’s because for many, bedpans are a fact of life, but they are far from perfect.”
The Albany Herald
Jeffrey Ross named dean of ABAC School of Nursing
Staff reports
Jeffrey Ross has been selected as the dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “Dr. Ross has done an excellent job as the interim dean, and we had a very successful Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing visit with his leadership,” Jerry Baker, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said. “I have confidence in his ability to lead the school and maintain our reputation for excellence. “I know that I can count on Dr. Ross and our nursing faculty to continue to work together as a team and serve our students and the numerous stakeholders that actively seek our graduates.”
Columbus CEO
CSU Taps Ron Williams as New Chief of Staff
Staff reports
President Chris Markwood has announced the appointment of Dr. Ronald Williams as Columbus State University’s new chief of staff. Williams succeeds Dr. Ed Helton, who has served as chief of staff since July 2019 and will conclude his nearly 20-year CSU career upon his retirement at the end of December. The chief of staff provides leadership to the president’s Executive Leadership Team; helps prioritize CSU’s strategic initiatives, policy matters and long-range goals; and represents the president in a variety of internal and community roles. He also directly oversees the Leadership Institute and Office of Strategic Communication + Marketing, and advises other administrators responsible for maintaining relationships with university stakeholder groups. “I have full confidence that Ron Williams will continue the excellent foundation Ed Helton has established for executive-level counsel, community and governmental relations, and overall organizational leadership at Columbus State,” Markwood said. “Ed has been a trusted advisor to me and a tremendous advocate for CSU in our community during his service.”
Associated Press
Plug and Play Partners with Savannah Economic Development Authority To Establish a First-Mile Innovation Hub in Savannah, GA
Staff reports
Plug and Play, the Silicon Valley based venture capital firm and corporate innovation platform, is announcing its partnership with the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) to establish a First-Mile Logistics innovation hub in Savannah, GA. The partnership aims to build an ecosystem where corporations, startups, and universities can collaborate on solving the biggest challenges of the maritime, trucking, rail, and air cargo industries… Leadership Council members include the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) and Georgia Southern University.
Digital Journal
Education Reference Desk Announces 2021’s Most Affordable Online IT Degrees
Staff reports
EduRef.net, a nationally recognized provider of college planning resources, announces their picks for the Most Affordable Online IT Degrees in 2021. According to a recent study, 53% of surveyed high school grads considering college indicated that their family’s financial situation has been affected because of COVID-19 while 49% of surveyed current college students indicated the same. In light of these financially challenging times, Education Reference Desk has recently published its list of the Most Affordable Online IT Degrees. (Five USG institutions are on the list: Middle Georgia 5, Georgia Southwestern 6, Columbus State 9, Albany State 14, Kennesaw State 20)
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 16)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 9,302 | 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: 488,338 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Albany Herald
COVID hospitalizations hit new record in Georgia
By Andy Miller
Georgia has set a new record for the number of people hospitalized for COVID on a single day. The total reached 3,221 — surpassing the previous peak, 3,200, set in July — according to state Department of Public Health figures released Wednesday. Northside Hospital told GHN that its hospitals “have matched the spike we saw in July,’’ but added that COVID-19 patients still constitute less than 25 percent of its overall hospital patient population. Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta said it had 70 COVID patients Wednesday, up from 63 on Tuesday and the low to mid-60s last week.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Whiteboards. Student Visits. Sharing Markers. Here’s What Readers Missed About In-Person College.
By Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz
Throughout 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed much of higher education’s in-person work online, many of us have been wistfully recalling the once-mundane features of the lives we used to live. This month we reported on the findings of a survey that found academics felt, among other things, lonely, overworked, and anxious about the future. To promote the article, on Twitter we asked readers to share what they missed about in-person college. Their answers were specific and induced a particular strain of nostalgia, one that only 2020 can prompt.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Fall’s Enrollment Decline Now Has a Final Tally. Here’s What’s Behind It.
By Dan Berrett
Enrollment, the lifeblood of colleges, has been the subject of a steady stream of research briefs that have come out this fall. They’ve shown, month by month and in close to real time, a downward enrollment trend among colleges reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Now the full picture is in. The latest survey, released on Thursday, shows that total enrollment across higher education is down 2.5 percent. The latest data release reflects virtually the entirety of the postsecondary institutions that report to the center, or about 3,600 colleges, representing 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions. But this top-line drop in enrollment masks a fair amount of variation, as some pockets of the sector have fared better than others. Here is a closer look at some of the diverging trajectories among institutions and students:
Inside Higher Ed
By Elizabeth Redden
Some colleges say the fall semester went better than they anticipated during the pandemic and are touting their success at keeping infection rates low. The University of the South finished the in-person portion of the fall semester with 16 positive cases among students. The liberal arts college in Tennessee credits its relatively low case numbers to weekly required COVID testing for the approximately 1,600 students on campus combined with a “bubble” approach that largely prohibited students from leaving campus except for essential activities such as medical appointments. Students had to formally request approval from the dean of students’ office for any off-campus trips, and a student caught violating the rules by breaching the bubble and leaving the campus without permission, or hosting a guest from off campus, would have to leave campus to quarantine for two weeks and be retested before rejoining the bubble. Over the course of the semester, 26 students were sent home for two weeks for bubble-related infractions. Lauren Goodpaster, assistant dean for campus life, said Sewanee tried to increase on-campus entertainment options and make accommodations for students’ needs and wants. Food trucks were brought to the campus. Campus officials negotiated with restaurants that don’t typically deliver to provide delivery to students. Twice-weekly Walmart runs by campus life staff were provided to pick up student orders. Goodpaster said the college’s outing club also increased the number of outdoors trips it offered on the university’s 13,000-acre campus.
Inside Higher Ed
Remembering Higher Education in 2020
By William G. Tierney
The pandemic and Donald Trump dominated the news, and higher education’s response to both wasn’t always ideal, argues William G. Tierney. When we look back on 2020 in the United States, we find two topics dominated the news: Donald Trump’s presidency and the coronavirus. Many of us will agree that Trump’s presidency was toxic and the pandemic a tragedy that could have been more carefully controlled. We also will agree that Trump and the pandemic’s destiny were intertwined. If the pandemic had not happened, then Donald Trump might have been re-elected president. If Trump had paid attention to scientists, then far fewer individuals would have died. Certain individuals and organizations undoubtedly will be looked on admirably for their efforts during 2020 as well as the events leading up to the twin crises. First responders, such as doctors, nurses and hospital staff, toiled around the clock to help patients throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Scientists in their laboratories worked herculean hours to develop a verifiable vaccine that might help control the virus, and Dr. Anthony Fauci became one of the most admired individuals in America.