University System News:
WJBF
Augusta University streamlines sign up process to get more people vaccinated
by: Katherine Wideman
The web sign up process puts the information gathering on the plate of the patient including appointment generation for the first and second dose of vaccine. Vaccines in the Peach State are still being limited to healthcare workers and those in Georgia over 65 in the “Phase 1a” rollout. Augusta University says, it is still waiting for approval and allocation from South Carolina to vaccinate those residents. After providing all the appropriate demographic information, the patient is directed to pick a day, time, and location to receive their first vaccine. The patient is then prompted to do the same for the required 2nd vaccine. According to AU’s Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Dr. Phillip Coule, the move to put the information gathering and appointment setting back on the patient will free up valuable time for healthcare staff to actually give the vaccines smoothing out the process.
WSB Radio
UGA researchers look at new COVID strains
Athens adds coronavirus deaths
By Tim Bryant
The latest report from the Georgia Department of Public Health adds another three coronavirus deaths to the 10-month total in Clarke County, now 84 deaths from COVID 19 since March of last year.
From WSB TV…
A case of the coronavirus variant from Brazil is now in Minnesota, health officials confirmed on Tuesday. Researchers are closely watching another variant in South Africa. Many people have questions about the emerging variants and how effective vaccines will be against them. So far, the variant showing up the most in the U.S., including here in Georgia, is the variant initially found in the United Kingdom. The director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology at University of Georgia, Ted Ross, told Channel 2′s Carol Sbarge that it’s nice to see the current Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are still effective against the UK variant. But will they be effective against other variants? Ross said both the Pfizer and Moderna technology is such that they’re able to swap out sequences for one virus genome for another to make a new vaccine quickly if needed.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lawmaker revives bill to give state workers paid family leave
By Tamar Hallerman
Measure would grant three weeks parental leave to nearly 250,000 Georgia employees
A Republican state legislator is reintroducing legislation on Wednesday that would offer three weeks of paid parental leave to a quarter-million state employees, including k-12 teachers, for the first time in Georgia history. Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, said the measure largely mirrors a proposal he introduced last spring that cruised through the House on a vote of 164 to 1, only to stall in the closing moments of the legislative session in the Senate. The bill would grant three weeks of paid parental leave to 246,000 state staffers, including 132,000 k-12 educators and 46,000 University System of Georgia employees, following the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.
GPB
Plan Returns To Extend Lower In-State Tuition To DACA Recipients
By: Ross Williams
Marysol Estrada learned she was undocumented when she applied for her first high school job. She ran to the internet to try to understand her future prospects. “I asked an online forum if undocumented people can attend college, and I was told that I needed to go back to my country, that I am a criminal and I shouldn’t be here, I don’t deserve to be here, all this nasty stuff,” she said. Her senior year, she broke down in a teacher’s office and admitted for the first time that she was undocumented and she didn’t know what she would do after she graduated. The teacher helped her apply to what is now the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University and helped her fill out a mountain of scholarships.
WGAU Radio
UNG schedules town hall to update plans for spring semester
Forum is set for Friday
By Clark Leonard, UNG
University of North Georgia students along with their parents, guardians and family members will have the opportunity on Jan. 29 to hear updates on the remainder of the spring semester. UNG President Bonita Jacobs will host a virtual Parent, Family and Student Town Hall at noon Friday, Jan. 29, at this link. The town hall will focus on helping students navigate the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic academically and personally. Students, parents and family members may submit questions in advance via email to enrollment@ung.edu. University leaders will address the questions during the event.
41NBC
Renovations complete at MGA Cochran campus
By Lizbeth Gutierrez
Middle Georgia State University is celebrating the completion of two renovated buildings. The school held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to recognize renovations at Dillard Hall and Roberts Library—two buildings built in the 1900s. The library was renovated to include a grand staircase, new classroom and Roberts Café.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kennesaw State University to create social equity institute
By Eric Stirgus
Kennesaw State University officials announced Tuesday it is launching an institute to advance the understanding and impacts of social equity and disparity. Officials said in a news release the Radow Institute for Social Equity “will seek to address the challenges of social justice, equity and economic inequality while developing sustainable solutions that help address pressing social challenges and produce real change.” The center is named after longtime KSU benefactor Norman J. Radow, a former board of trustees chairman. Radow and his wife, Lindy, donated $9 million to KSU in December, one of the largest gifts the university has ever received. RISE will be housed within the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
WGAU Radio
Founders Day at UGA: Morehead to deliver State of the University Address
University marks 236th anniversary
By Tim Bryant
University of Georgia president Jere Morehead delivers his annual State of the University Address this afternoon: the 3:30 speech, which would normally come in front of a packed house in the Chapel on UGA’s North Campus, will be delivered virtually this year because of ongoing concerns about coronavirus on the campus in Athens. The speech can be heard here. Today is Founders Day at the University of Georgia, with most of this year’s events taking place virtually: Founders Day marks the anniversary of this date in 1785, on which UGA become the birthplace of higher education in America.
Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is proud to announce the receipt of $11,185 to participate in the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Georgia Young Adult Program (GYAP). The GOHS addresses young adult driver crashes, injuries and fatalities, and partners with colleges and universities throughout the state to implement this program.
Campus Safety
GSU Police Department Praised for Exceeding Training Standards
In 2020, 68 sworn officers and dispatchers at Georgia State University completed nearly five times the required amount of training. Dozens of Georgia Southern University (GSU) Police Department employees are being recognized for significantly exceeding training requirements. Sixty-eight sworn officers and dispatchers completed 6,782 hours of training last year, averaging almost 100 hours of training per officer, according to a press release from the school. In total, the department consists of 66 sworn police officers, 12 dispatchers, and additional administrative and support personnel.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Georgia Tech Graduates Raise $3M for STEM Education Startup Inspirit Learning
Inspirit Learning, an education technology startup founded by two Georgia Institute of Technology graduates, raised a $3 million funding round, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
yahoo!finance
Top Online MBA Programs: No GMAT, GRE Required
Jordan Friedman, Ilana Kowarski
Of the 259 ranked online MBA programs that submitted information about their testing policy to U.S. News in an annual survey, 125 require applicants to submit their scores on either the GMAT or GRE. An additional 22 programs require that applicants submit GMAT and not GRE results. All but six of the programs that require test scores allow applicants to waive testing requirements if they meet certain criteria, such as possessing a particular amount of work experience or a high college GPA. Still, 112 ranked online MBA programs reported that they require neither a GMAT nor a GRE test score from applicants. Here are the top 10 test-optional online MBA programs, according to U.S. News 2021 rankings.
Georgia Southern University (Parker); U.S. News online MBA program rank: 67 (tie); Test submission policy: Not used in admissions decisions; Acceptance rate (2019-2020): 81%
WGAU Radio
UGA online degree programs win top rankings
Education, Business colleges in Top 10
By Sam Fahmy, UGA Today
The quality of the University of Georgia’s online degree programs has been recognized with several top 10 rankings from U.S. News and World Report. … At the master’s level, the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s programs ranked fourth overall, marking the college’s third consecutive year in the top 5. The college’s program in instructional design and development is ranked fourth and the educational administration and supervision program is ranked ninth in the nation. The online bachelor’s degree in special education moved up one spot this year to No. 10. In the Terry College of Business, the online master’s program in business and technology was ranked No. 4 in the non-MBA category.
MSN
Local experts push to boost COVID-19 testing, vaccinate minority communities
William Rioux
As hospitals work with the state to get more people vaccinated for COVID-19, some doctors say the focus needs to be on minority communities. That’s because this virus has proven to be a lot worse for these communities, especially for African-Americans. According to the CDC, Black Americans are almost three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than White Americans. They’re also almost four times more likely to be hospitalized, and 1.4 times more likely to get the virus. As we move on with the vaccine rollout, it’s clear that vaccines won’t be available to everyone who is eligible. But one professor at Augusta University is trying to change that with clinics of his own set up in parking lots.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 26)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 11,996 | 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: 727,752 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
accessWDUN
US boosting vaccine deliveries amid complaints of shortages
By The Associated Press
Answering growing frustration over vaccine shortages, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is ramping up deliveries to hard-pressed states over the next three weeks and expects to provide enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of the summer or early fall. Biden, calling the push a “wartime effort,” said Tuesday the administration was working to buy an additional 100 million doses of each of the two approved coronavirus vaccines. He acknowledged that states in recent weeks have been left guessing how much vaccine they will have from one week to the next. Shortages have been so severe that some vaccination sites around the U.S. had to cancel tens of thousands of appointments with people seeking their first shot.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new treatment is being ramped up to help reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations
By Helena Oliviero
On the last day of November, Bill Collins wakes up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely, his heavy pajamas clinging to his body. He’s disoriented, shivering, unsteady on his feet. His wife considers calling an ambulance. But hours before, at Floyd Medical Center, Collins had received an infusion of a monoclonal antibody drug, a new treatment designed for COVID-19 patients at high risk for developing complications which could lead to hospitalization. When Collins, the former mayor of Rome, Ga., climbed out of bed the next morning, he felt slightly better. And over the next several days, he improved, little by little— the cough, muscle aches, chills easing up. …Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made drugs designed to mimic natural antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19. They are currently the only therapy authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for people who are not hospitalized. While more, larger studies of the treatment’s effectiveness are needed, early results have been encouraging. There is also a vast supply of the drugs. So far, though, the treatment has not seen widespread use because of the challenges it creates for hospitals.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here are the places Dr. Anthony Fauci says you should continue avoiding
By Tim Darnell
Despite recent case declines and more vaccinations, coronavirus deaths and cases per day in the U.S. are still running at high levels, and President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser is urging Americans to remain vigilant and keep practicing social distancing. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the improvement in numbers around the country appears to reflect a “natural peaking and then plateauing” after a holiday surge, rather than the arrival of the vaccine in mid-December. …Fauci, according to BGR, is still recommending Americans avoid indoor gatherings, gyms, bars and restaurants. He also continues recommending against travel.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
More Colleges Remove Offensive Names, Symbols
By Greta Anderson
Two Southern colleges announced Tuesday that they have removed symbols of racism from their campuses after facing pressure from students and other members of campus. Jacksonville State University in Alabama is renaming Bibb Graves Hall, a building that houses administrative offices and was named for a former governor of Alabama during the 1930s and leader of the local Ku Klux Klan, CBS42.com reported. Several other colleges in the state, including Auburn University and Troy University, also stripped Graves’s name from campus buildings in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd sparked a nationwide movement for racial justice. The University of Alabama’s College of Education building is currently named for Graves. …Oklahoma City Community College also announced it removed a monument that commemorates the Land Run of 1889, when American pioneers traveled west to claim land originally occupied by Native Americans, reported KOCO News. The monument was the source of frequent complaints on social media and even caused “threats of violence and protests” for its glorification of the Land Run, which some students, faculty and staff members found offensive toward Indigenous people, according to KOCO News. Danita Rose, executive vice president of the college, whose family is of Cherokee descent, called the decision a “no-brainer,” KOCO News reported.
Inside Higher Ed
D.C. Leads Nation in Student Debt
By Kery Murakami
Student loan debt varies greatly by state, with Washington, D.C., leading the nation both in the size of the amounts owed and the percentage of residents with debt, found a new study released Tuesday. The average loan balance in the District of Columbia was $54,982 at the end of 2020, and 16 percent of the population had an outstanding federal student loan, said the study by the business insurance company AdvisorSmith.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How the Pandemic Put More Strain on Students Last Fall
By Audrey Williams June
As colleges begin their spring terms, they’re still learning lessons about how students felt about the fall. One thing seems clear about the “new normal”: Students are struggling to make online classes work while worrying about their finances and their health. A new survey by New America and Third Way, which updates a survey the two think tanks conducted last August with Global Strategy Group, a public-affairs and research company, reveals that the challenges plaguing students since the pandemic began haven’t disappeared. Some are getting worse.
Inside Higher Ed
Biden Calls for Greater Equity in HBCU Funding
By Kery Murakami
Saying the United States never lived up to the ideals of the founding fathers that all people are created equal, President Joe Biden said one element of advancing racial equity would be to increase funding for historically Black colleges and universities as well as other minority-serving institutions. “Just imagine how much more creative and innovative we’d be if this nation held the historically Black colleges and universities to the same … funding and resources of public universities to compete for jobs in industries of the future,” Biden said.