University System News:
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Steve Wrigley to retire as chancellor of University System of Georgia
Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said Tuesday he will retire on July 1. Wrigley has served as chancellor of the University System since 2017, where he oversaw 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 341,000 students. The Board of Regents said it is discussing next steps for choosing USG’s next chancellor.
See also:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University System of Georgia chancellor announces retirement plans
Capitol Beat
University System of Georgia Chancellor Wrigley to retire
GPB
Georgia University Chief Announces Retirement After Year Jolted By COVID-19
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leader of Georgia’s higher education system announces retirement
Athens Banner-Herald
University System of Georgia Board of Regents approves two new degree programs
Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service
Two institutions in the University System of Georgia are launching degree programs focused on two of the state’s top industries. The system’s Board of Regents voted Tuesday to offer a new nexus degree in film production at Gordon State College and a new master’s degree program in epidemiology at Augusta University. …The University of Georgia already offers an epidemiology masters degree, while Georgia State University and Georgia Southern University offer master’s in public health with a concentration on epidemiology.
WGAU
UNG enhances mental health resources as spring semester begins
Efforts are part of University System initiative
By Clark Leonard, UNG
The University of North Georgia will increase its mental health support services for students beginning this semester. This week, UNG launched Nigel Cares to complement the work of UNG’s Student Counseling Services. All UNG students will have access to the following:
WSBRadio
Face-to-face instruction will increase with expansion of into UGA’s Chapel and Tate Theatre
By Tim Bryant
Spring semester classes, in person and on-line, are underway today at UGA: the University of Georgia is again ramping up coronavirus testing as students return to Athens for the first time since Thanksgiving.
The McDuffie Progress
Ceremonial ringing of UGA chapel bell marks desegregation anniversary
By Camie Williams
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of the University of Georgia, the Main Library at UGA is hosting an exhibit that chronicles the historic events of 1961, when Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter (now Hunter-Gault) became the first African-American students admitted to the university. Honored guests, including the Holmes family and members of the UGA Black Alumni Council, were among the first to tour the exhibit, “Georgia Trailblazers: Honoring the 60th Anniversary of Desegregation at UGA,” on the day it opened, Jan. 9, the 60th anniversary of Holmes’ and Hunter’s enrollment. The day began with remarks by UGA President Jere W. Morehead and others before a ceremonial ringing of the Chapel Bell by African American UGA alumni from each decade since the university’s desegregation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
VIDEO: UGA commemorates 60th anniversary of desegregation
CBS4
‘So frustrating’: Doctors and nurses battle COVID-19 skeptics
by: Associated Press
Treating the sick and dying isn’t even the toughest part for nurse Amelia Montgomery as the coronavirus surges in her corner of red America. …Combating virus skeptics is a battle across the country. In Georgia, at Augusta University Medical Center, visitors have tried to get around the mask requirement by wearing face coverings made of fishnet and other material with visible holes, something the hospital has dubbed “malicious compliance.” People also have shown up with video cameras in an attempt to collect proof the virus is a hoax, said Dr. Phillip Coule, the health system’s chief medical officer, who contracted the virus in July and has seen two staff members die. “Just imagine that while you are caring for your own staff that are dying from this disease, and while you are trying to keep yourself safe, and you are trying to keep your family safe, and you are trying to deal with a disease that such little is known about, and then to have somebody tell you that it is all a hoax after you have been dealing with that all day,” he said. “Imagine the emotional distress that that causes.” He said most skeptics — including some who have argued with him on Facebook — are converted to believers when they get sick themselves. And he is starting to hear fewer people dismiss the virus entirely since the president was diagnosed.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPINION: U.S. Supreme Court should hold Georgia Gwinnett College accountable
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Attorney for former students seeks consequences to college for unconstitutional speech restrictions
The U.S. Supreme Court heard a Georgia case today dealing with limits imposed on student evangelism four years ago by Georgia Gwinnett College. In response to the incident, the Lawrenceville college has already changed policy to make it easier for students, guest speakers and organizations to speak on campus. That fact led a federal court judge in 2018 to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two students against Georgia Gwinnett College asserting their free speech rights were violated by administrators when they were prevented from campus evangelizing. The judge said the college had resolved the main issues in the students’ legal challenge. That is not enough, according to an attorney for the students in a guest column today.
WTOC
Bulloch Co. wrongful death lawsuit appeal heads to Supreme Court
The parents of a Georgia Southern University freshman are appealing a Bulloch County judge’s decision that the city of Statesboro and city clerk were not liable for their then-18-year-old son’s death. Michael Gatto died after a bouncer slammed him into the ground at a Statesboro bar in August of 2014.
Growing America
Year-End Economic Survey Now Open to Georgia Farmers
A survey is now being conducted by the University of Georgia in an effort to get a year-end perspective of the impact of the pandemic on Georgia’s agricultural industry. The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Department of Agriculture and UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development are jointly sponsoring the survey. Organizers will use the data to document the needs of the agriculture industry and share the summary at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ 2021 Georgia Ag Forecast, which will be held online Friday, Jan. 29.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 12)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 10,444 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 648,694 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
New peer-reviewed analysis suggests that colleges opening in the fall may have led to increased COVID-19 cases in their home counties.
By Lilah Burke
Since colleges and universities announced last summer that they would be opening their doors to students, critics have argued that doing so was irresponsible and would lead to infections and deaths in nearby communities. New peer-reviewed analysis released today in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering suggests that, for some colleges, the link was indeed present. The analysis of 30 large U.S. universities indicated that in 18 of them, a peak in campus infections preceded a peak in the surrounding county by less than 14 days, suggesting infections were translated from the campus to the nearby community. In some cases, the home counties of these large colleges had infection rates much greater than the rest of their state. The research follows a study along similar themes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That research found when large universities opened for in-person instruction, their home counties saw a 56 percent increase in COVID-19 infections in the next three weeks, compared to the three weeks before the start of classes. …The 18 universities where a university outbreak was translated to a peak in the home county incidence within 14 days were Boston University, Brigham Young University, Clemson University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Inside Higher Ed
Higher Ed Workers Get in the COVID Vaccine Line
States differ on prioritizing higher education workers for vaccination the same way as pre-K-12 teachers. CDC recommends higher ed workers be considered in the second phase of vaccination.
By Elizabeth Redden
Public colleges in West Virginia and Florida are among the first in the country to begin administering the coveted COVID-19 vaccines to certain faculty and staff who do not work in health care. The University System of West Virginia began administering COVID-19 vaccines to faculty and staff age 50 or over late last month. In Florida, where individuals age 65 or older are eligible for the vaccine, the University of Florida has been administering them to faculty and staff aged 65 or over since last week. Florida State University is expected to begin vaccinations for faculty and staff age 65 or over as early as this week. States are setting their own priorities for distributing the limited quantities of vaccine currently available, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has provided recommendations to assist with state-level decision making.
Inside Higher Ed
Ed Dept. Adds Loan Repayment Information to College Scorecard
By Kery Murakami
The Education Department added long called-for information to its College Scorecard that shows how well students at institutions, including for-profits, are able to repay student loans. “Today, we continue to build on the updates we’ve made to College Scorecard over the last several years by delivering even more transparency around student loan repayment,” Acting Education Secretary Mitchell Zais said in a press release Tuesday. “Prospective students can now see a comprehensive picture of how borrowers from each institution are meeting their federal student loan obligations. This is the kind of real, unfiltered information students need to make informed, personalized decisions about their education.” The added information shows the percentages of borrowers who fall into eight loan repayment statuses two years after entering repayment: paid in full, making progress, delinquency, forbearance, default, not making progress, deferment and loans discharged.