University System News:
Albany Herald
Albany State to receive funds from Southern Company’s HBCU Initiative
From staff reports
Albany State University is receiving a $250,000 donation as part of the Southern Company Foundation’s $50 million HBCU Initiative, a multiyear investment in historically black colleges and universities to support technology tools, infrastructure, professional development and more. …The donation will be used to update network infrastructure to increase bandwidth in several of the campus residence halls.
Growing America
UGA Awarded USPOULTRY Foundation Student Recruiting Grant
The USPOULTRY Foundation recently awarded a $23,292 student recruiting grant to the University of Georgia. The grant will be used to strengthen the UGA Department of Poultry Science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which has a long and successful history of partnership with the USPOULTRY Foundation. Funds will be used to help recruit students, furthering the program’s significant influence on the future of the poultry industry in Georgia and around the world.
Tifton CEO
Adel Graduate Receives Top Award at ABAC Commencement
Jaylee Bass, a writing and communication major from Adel, received the ABAC Alumni Association Award as the top bachelor’s degree graduate participating in the 2020 fall commencement ceremony on Thursday at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, ABAC hosted three commencement ceremonies on Thursday, two in Tifton and one in Bainbridge.
Southeast AgNet
CAES to Hold Fall 2020 Convocation Online
By Josh Paine
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will hold a virtual convocation ceremony at noon on Friday, Dec. 18, to celebrate new graduates. The video will be streamed on the CAES YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/ugaagandenvironment. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to tune in to celebrate the new alumni as they are recognized by name.
WGAU
UGA scientists named AAHS Fellows
Altizer, Burke, Downs, and Tarleton
By Tyler Wilkins, UGA Today
Four University of Georgia faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” These four faculty members are among 489 new AAAS Fellows who will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue—representing science and engineering, respectively—rosette pin. They will be formally inducted during a ceremony on Feb. 13, 2021, bringing the total number of active AAAS Fellows at UGA to 38. More than 180 UGA-affiliated faculty have been named AAAS Fellows since the organization began electing them in 1874.
Gainesville Times
Kelsey Podo
“We are about 90% complete, but the last 10% takes time,” Bill Moody, director of facilities and operations on UNG’s Cumming, Gainesville and Oconee campuses, said in a statement.
Global Newswire
Good Girl: University of West Georgia Graduate’s Service Dog Receives Honorary ‘Dog-ree’
When Maggie Leptrone, a nursing student at the University of West Georgia, walked across the stage at Commencement Saturday morning, she wasn’t alone. Mona, her Diabetic Alert Dog, fetched herself a diploma, too. Mona, a Labradoodle, became the first canine companion in UWG history to receive an honorary “dog-ree” during in-person Commencement ceremonies that honored all members of the class of 2020 – human or otherwise.
The Red & Black
Out-of-state UGA students share their plans for winter break amid COVID-19
Dania Kalaji | Outreach Manager
As coronavirus cases rise across the country, out-of-state students at the University of Georgia are spending their winter breaks differently this year. Some students have returned to campus after the Thanksgiving holiday, while others will stay home until coming back to campus after the new year.
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia Southern fans flock to Santa GUS photo shoot in Augusta
Miguel Legoas
…Dozens of alumni and their children met at Surrey Center in Augusta to meet and have their photos taken with Santa GUS. The Junior League of Augusta office was decorated with a Christmas tree background, gift boxes, a hot cocoa stand, and fake snow on the floor. GUS the bald eagle was dressed in a true blue velvet Santa suit with matching hat and played around with the fans, from those who are too young to spell the school’s name to those who graduated over 40 years ago. … Greater Augusta Eagle Alumni Network chairperson Rachel Rhodes-Dyar said this was the first appearance of Santa GUS in the Augusta area, and the fourth year of existence for Georgia Southern’s Christmas-cheer leader. She said his visit was a big deal for the very strong alumni chapter that exists in Augusta.
EurekAlert
Cervical cancer survival may improve by targeting senescent “zombie” cells
How well women with cervical cancer respond to treatment and survive correlates with the level of 10 proteins in their blood that also are associated with a “zombie” cell state called senescence, Medical College of Georgia scientists report.
WSAV
UGA Skidaway Institute uses drones to study dune system performance
by: Ashley Williams
Tybee Island is one of several coastal communities that have in recent years built sand dunes along its beaches to combat storm surge and natural erosion. Researchers at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are now studying the man-made dunes — with the help of a drone and high-tech mapping technology — to determine if they really are the best solution.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 6)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 8,971 | 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: 443,822 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s Saturday report for single-day coronavirus cases tops 5,000
By Kelcie Willis
Georgia reported more than 5,000 single-day positive COVID-19 cases in Saturday’s state update. Although the number did not surpass Friday, Dec. 4′s single-day record of 6,376, cases are still high. According to numbers calculated by the AJC from figures provided by the state Department of Public Health, there are 3,717 net new confirmed positive cases for the coronavirus and 1,300 net antigen-positive cases.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Report: College Completion Rates See Marginal Increase
by Sarah Wood
National six-year college completion rates has increased by 0.3% to reach 60.1%, the smallest growth rate within the last five years, according to a new report released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) Dr. Mikyung Ryu, director of research publications at NSCRC said the results highlighted in the report titled, “Completing College: National and State Reports,” were not surprising based on how the data has been trending. Since the 2010 cohort, six-year completion rates have increased, but the progress has started to occur at a slower pace. …More states experienced a decline compared to last year, especially among community colleges. Compared to last year’s 33 states, only 16 increased their six-year college completion rate by at least 0.5%. Six states including New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia, South Dakota, Maine and Idaho increased by more than 1%, in contrast to 27 last year, the report found.
Inside Higher Ed
Temple Fined $700,000 in Rankings Scandal
Education Department says the university’s business school lied to U.S. News repeatedly — to gain No. 1 spot in online rankings and to attract students.
By Scott Jaschik
Temple University will pay the U.S. Education Department $700,000 to settle the department’s complaints about the way the university lied to U.S. News & World Report for years about the online M.B.A. offered by its Fox School of Business, in a successful effort to obtain top rankings and to attract students. The university lied about scores on the Graduate Management Admission Test, the grade point averages of admitted students and other key factors. Temple did not admit guilt but has admitted to most of the facts set out by the Education Department.
Inside Higher Ed
Congress Close on Simplifying FAFSA
House and Senate negotiators are close to a deal to simplify FAFSA forms, a major priority for Senator Lamar Alexander before he retires.
By Kery Murakami
Congressional education leaders are hopeful about reaching a deal in the coming days to simplify applying for student aid, a major priority for Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the Senate education committee, who is retiring shortly after the new year. Aides to the House and Senate education committees from both parties have been trying to reach a deal and appear to be close. Still unsettled is what Democratic priorities could be attached to a deal. One possibility, though far from certain on Friday afternoon, would be to allow more prisoners to use Pell Grants than are currently permitted to do so. Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education’s senior vice president for government relations, said his impression is that key Senate and House education staff are “negotiating furiously.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Students Unhappy With Financial-Aid Decisions Can Appeal. But Who Does That?
By Vimal Patel
Jaime Ramirez-Mendoza worked as a peer adviser while he was a student at the University of California at Davis, so he was familiar with guiding low-income students through the financial-aid process. Even so, he didn’t know until he was close to graduation himself that financial-aid decisions could be appealed. The process by which students make such requests can be mysterious, especially to first-generation students like Ramirez-Mendoza. Their parents are often ill-equipped to walk them through the application labyrinth. Upon a student’s request, aid officers can use their own discretion, or “professional judgment,” as it’s known in the field, to recalculate a student’s award when the formula doesn’t account for unusual situations, such as a death in the family or sudden loss of income. Now, Ramirez-Mendoza is a higher-education policy analyst for Education Trust, a nonprofit research group. He was the lead author of a report released late last week that describes why the system, as currently practiced, could discriminate against first-generation low-income and minority students. Here are three takeaways from the report, “Using Professional Judgment in Financial Aid to Advance Racial Justice & Equity.”
Inside Higher Ed
DeVos Gives Student Loan Borrowers a Brief Reprieve
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s extension of a pause on repaying student loans for another month is welcome news for borrowers, but it could create a mess for Joe Biden.
By Kery Murakami
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s announcement Friday evening excusing student loan borrowers from making payments for another month, until Feb. 1, granted a reprieve to millions who’d faced the prospect of having to resume paying back their debts in less than a month, in the midst of the pandemic-induced recession.
Inside Higher Ed
Judge Orders Restoration of DACA
By Elizabeth Redden
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to begin accepting new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and otherwise restore the program to the form it took prior to Sept. 5, 2017, the day the administration announced plans to end the program.