University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp signs budget with bonuses, extra money for schools, health
By James Salzer,
Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday signed a budget for the next few months that includes bonuses for many employees and raises for some others while increasing spending for schools and health care. The midyear budget runs through June 30 and, overall, increases state spending $654 million. Lawmakers moved quickly to pass the measure in case the General Assembly has to suspend its session because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year it put the session on hold in March for about three months because of the pandemic.
WGAU Radio
Morehead: UGA staffers to get bonuses
USG is working on logistics
By Tim Bryant
Many University of Georgia employees are in line for $1,000 bonuses from the state. UGA president Jere Morehead says the one-time bonuses will go to UGA staffers who earn less than $80,000 a year.
From UGA president Jere Morehead…
The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House announced that all full-time State employees earning less than $80,000 per year will receive a one-time $1,000 bonus. The Chancellor’s Office has asked that we let you know that the University System of Georgia will be mirroring what is being done for other state employees. We are pleased that UGA will be able to provide this bonus to our hard-working full-time faculty and staff earning less than $80,000 per year.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia colleges address concern about white privilege teaching
By Eric Stirgus
Courses do not teach that white people are ‘intrinsically privileged and oppressive,’ school leaders say
Presidents, deans and educators in Georgia’s public university system — in response to recent questions from a state lawmaker on the topic — say they’re not teaching courses that identify white, heterosexual, Christian men as “intrinsically privileged and oppressive.” The majority of the 26 University System of Georgia colleges and universities did say they’re teaching one or more courses that delve into topics such as “privilege” and “oppression,” but insist it’s not being done to malign white people.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Changes for student loans, Zell Miller Scholarship?
By Eric Stirgus
…Georgia ranks in the top 10 of states in average student loan debt and the number of borrowers, according to federal data. Here’s a little more about that and some other issues on the higher education front in this version of AJC On Campus.
UGA’s COVID numbers down
The University of Georgia released data Wednesday showing 115 positive COVID-19 cases in a recent seven-day stretch, the lowest number of new cases since Thanksgiving. …
University System budget update
University System of Georgia officials on Tuesday gave the state Board of Regents an update on its finances through the first six months of the current fiscal year. …
Diversity & Inclusion news
Last year’s nationwide protests against systemic racism and police misconduct prompted several Georgia colleges and universities to look inward at their diversity and inclusion practices. …Kennesaw State University on Monday announced the Georgia Power Foundation has provided a grant to support its ongoing effort to train more Black men to become teachers. …Georgia Gwinnett College said Wednesday it is working on a series of initiatives to improve its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. …
Georgia State faculty create new group to address diversity issues
A group of Georgia State University faculty members last week announced they’ve created a group called “Faculty of the African Diaspora Association” to address equity and diversity issues “through advocacy, networking, mentorship, and engagement with surrounding communities.” …
UGA’s volcano research
The University of Georgia is spreading the word about some explosive research it conducted with two Swiss universities. …
accessWDUN
UNG wins cybersecurity competition for second year in a row
By Tara Brolley Anchor/Reporter
Students, faculty and staff at the University of North Georgia won a national cybersecurity competition for the second year in a row – and they won by a landslide. For the past eight years, the NSA has put together an annual collegiate competition called the Codebreaker Challenge to test students in reverse engineering. It takes place over 100 days and students are presented with fictitious scenarios in which they have to complete certain tasks to achieve a goal. This year, the goal was to rescue a kidnapped journalist overseas. Bryson Payne, director of UNG’s Center for Cyber Operations Education, said one of first tasks was tracking the journalist’s location by hacking their fitness tracker.
AP News
Scholars with impressive records from prominent schools all over the country vied recently for a spot in a new academic journal based on undergraduate research. Remarkably, this new research journal came from Georgia College —a small public liberal arts school with about 6,000 undergraduates. In fact, Google “undergraduate research,” and you’ll likely to find Georgia College in the top pickings. “More and more, colleges are going to start integrating and trying to grow their undergraduate research programs and start seeing the value of undergraduate research, and we’ve just got such a great head start,” said Dr. Jordan Cofer, associate provost for Transformative Learning Experiences. This month marked publication of the first edition of “Undergraduate Research,” founded at Georgia College and put together by two Georgia College assistant professors: Dr. Kelly Massey in exercise science and Dr. Alesa Liles in criminal justice.
The Red & Black
UGA professors discuss challenges of virtual and face-to-face learning
Laurel Lee Chatham | Contributor
The beginning of the University of Georgia’s spring semester has granted students, along with faculty, a variety of class formats to choose from as one can learn online or face-to-face. Ervan Garrison, a professor in the department of anthropology, has been labeled by UGA as an “accommodated” teacher. All his courses since March have been entirely taught synchronously online, which means students log onto Zoom during the designated class time. Garrison says he continues to identify new ways to creatively deliver content that is tailored to his students’ interests. Teaching online has required a great deal of “retooling,” particularly with lab components, Garrison said.
Georgia Trend
Oral histories of Cairo’s Black community available online
Mary Ann DeMuth
More than 80 recorded oral history interviews from the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo have been digitized by the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) and are now available online. The collection, which includes interviews from the early 1980s and photos of Black churches and cemeteries in Grady County, is entitled “They Endure: A Chronicle of Courage.” Originally recorded on cassette tapes, the interviews cover a range of topics from agriculture and the local economy to midwifery and traditional medicine to education and church life in Cairo. …Frank Roebuck and Robert Hall conducted the interviews as part of a grant from the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities. Each story includes personal memories and recollections about life in the county during the early 20th century.
accessWDUN
Ongoing state grant allows UNG to continue promotion of safe driving for young adults
By AccessWDUN staff
For 12 years now, the University of North Georgia has received a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to educate young adults on driver crashes, injuries and fatalities. UNG’s Associate Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Meri-Leigh Smith says the money has made a big difference in how students view alcohol consumption, especially when it comes to drinking and driving.
Albany CEO
“Maskerade in Hollywood” Homecoming Festivities Kick Off for GSW on Feb. 15th
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) will celebrate Homecoming during the week of Feb. 15-20. This year’s theme, “Maskerade in Hollywood,” was developed by student leaders as a “play” on the necessity of mask-wearing mixed with Hollywood elegance. Members of the community and GSW alumni are invited to attend all Homecoming events throughout the week, unless otherwise noted, to show off their Hurricane pride. *Please note masks are required inside all GSW buildings and practice social distancing at all times.
Athens Banner-Herald
Warrants issued for UGA WR Demetris Robertson for removing parking boot on campus
Marc Weiszer
Arrest warrants are out for UGA football wide receiver Demetris Robertson after he is alleged to have removed a parking boot last weekend from a vehicle at the East Campus Parking Deck. Robertson is accused of interference with government property and theft by taking, according to the University of Georgia Police online daily log. Warrants were issued on Thursday after a police investigation following a report by UGA Parking Services. The interference of government property charge is a felony. The boot is valued at $750. The incident occurred between 11:30 p.m. on Friday Feb. 5 and 8 a.m. on Monday Feb. 8, according to the log.
Other News:
accessWDUN
Kemp, Toomey in Gainesville today to discuss vaccine distribution in Latino community
By AccessWDUN Staff
Just days after the state reported more than one million Georgians have now received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Brian Kemp will visit Gainesville to discuss vaccine distribution in the Latino community. An announcement from the governor’s office said Kemp and other state officials will sit down with local community leaders to talk about vaccine hesitancy and equity in the Latino population. The meeting will be held at the Gainesville Ballroom on Atlanta Highway.
11Alive
Why is it better to get your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine a little later than too soon?
Author: Jerry Carnes
Experts say getting your second dose too soon could disrupt the work of the first dose
Timing is critical when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, and medical experts are saying it’s better to get your second dose later than sooner. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses. Work continues on Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine that could be available in the coming weeks. If you get the Pfizer vaccine, it’s recommended that you get your second dose three weeks after the first. If you go for the Moderna vaccine, the wait between doses is 28 days. That’s what worked when the vaccines were tested in clinical trials. … The first shot primes your immune system. As it’s ramping up, your immune system is learning about the coronavirus and building a memory it will rely on if it ever encounters the virus. The second shot expands and reinforces that memory. If you get the second shot too soon, it’s like interrupting a study session for your big history exam. “You need to have time for that memory to establish,” said Dr. Mark Tompkins of the University of Georgia Center for Vaccines and Immunology. “So if you rush too much, it’s just you don’t take advantage of that memory.” Dr. Tompkins said it’s better to get your second dose a little later than too soon.
Naples Daily News
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
If you’ve been waiting for a big national campaign telling you COVID-19 vaccines are safe and everybody should get them, don’t hold your breath. Until the supply is plentiful, the federal effort is largely focused on minority communities hesitant about the immunizations. It’s a wise approach, say experts. The kind of one-size-fits-all public service announcements that once blanketed the country won’t work for COVID-19 vaccine. Those were for universal messages – only you can prevent forest fires, keep America beautiful, friends don’t let friends drive drunk. With COVID-19, different communities need different messages and mass advertising doesn’t necessarily make sense, said Hal Hershfield, a professor of behavioral decision making at the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management. …Another worry is convincing people to get vaccinated when there’s still more demand than supply. “You do have to match up your messages with peoples’ ability to actually get what you’re promoting,” said Glen Nowak, director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Health and Risk Communications and a former communication director for the National Immunization Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 14)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 13,964 | 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: 790,779 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Report Calls for ‘New Compact’ for International Students
By Elizabeth Redden
The American Council on Education issued a new report Friday calling for “a new compact” for international students. The report, “Toward Greater Inclusion and Success: A New Compact for International Students,” proposes strategies for better supporting international students “with a focus on building lifelong relationships between students and institutions from the first point of contact to their postgraduate careers.” “To move forward, we must acknowledge that, too often, there has been a gap between rhetoric and reality in the international student experience,” the report argues.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Postsecondary Institutions Partner with Companies to Meet Students’ Needs Amid COVID-19
by Sarah Wood
As the world continues to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across sectors have shifted their strategies to meet industry needs. Distilleries are now producing hand sanitizer while car manufacturers met demand by making ventilators. In the higher education sector, the shift to online learning forced colleges and universities to rely on companies like Zoom to conduct classes and TimelyMD to offer mental health services virtually. … Now, as many campuses are well into the spring semester, companies such as Tide Cleaners are offering institutions a contactless approach to meet the needs of quarantined students. Expanding on its existing subscription-based service, Tide developed the Quarantine Wash and Fold program.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
New Report Recommends California Higher Ed to Support Older High School Graduates
by Arrman Kyaw
A new report from California Competes is recommending that California higher ed institutions create better pipelines to college for not only recent high school graduates but also older adults. The report, “Untapped Opportunity: Understanding and Advancing Prospects for Californians without a College Degree” studies Californians ages 25 to 54 who graduated from high school and suggests how the state’s schools can support such students to college degree completion.
Inside Higher Ed
Vaccines for Educators — but Not All Educators
Some states are prioritizing vaccinating teachers and staff in pre-K-12 over college faculty members and staff. Should the two groups be treated differently?
By Elizabeth Redden
As states continue fine-tuning their plans for prioritizing scarce doses of COVID-19 vaccines, some in higher education who expected to be vaccinated along with other educators have found themselves pushed farther back in line. About half of all states are already vaccinating K-12 teachers. But while some states are treating college educators the same as teachers for prioritization purposes, many are not. Some states are prioritizing K-12 workers first and scheduling higher education workers for later vaccination phases, while other states are seemingly not giving any prioritization to higher education workers and are instead leaving them to be vaccinated according to wherever they fall in line among the general population. …Across states there are a patchwork of approaches. Some states, such as Alabama, California, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin, explicitly reference higher education staff and faculty in their vaccine allocation plans and give them equal priority as K-12 teachers and staff. Some states have designated higher ed workers for a later phase than pre-K-12 workers.
Inside Higher Ed
Students at 2 More Colleges Have the COVID-19 Variant
By Scott Jaschik
The variant of COVID-19 that was first identified in Britain has been found at Davidson College and the University of Virginia.