University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Colleges want change to LGBTQ bill; hazing bill advances
By Eric Stirgus
UGA releases commencement schedule
Federal and state lawmakers pushed ahead on bills last week that could significantly impact the operations of several Georgia colleges and universities. One could change an act that has had deadly consequences on some students. Some colleges worry another could severely hurt single-gender schools. Here’s the latest in this edition of AJC On Campus:
UGA’s commencement plans
The University of Georgia is planning to do its commencement a little differently this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
UGA raises $4.5 million for professorship
The University of Georgia said last week it has raised $4.5 million to establish the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar position, named after the former U.S. senator who was diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
Study: Pay gender gap at Georgia’s top universities
We reported a couple of years ago about the gender gap in salaries among faculty at Georgia’s colleges and universities.
USG Chancellor search meetings
The University System of Georgia has scheduled several listening sessions starting next week for the public to share feedback about the ongoing search for the next system chancellor. The current chancellor, Steve Wrigley, is retiring, effective July 1.
WJBF
AU Health AirCare taking flight this summer
by: Chloe Salsameda
Soon, the sky above Augusta University Health the Children’s Hospital of Georgia (CHOG) will be busy. In partnership with Metro Aviation, the hospital system is launching AU Health AirCare this summer to transport critically-ill patients. …Coule tells NewsChannel 6 the helicopter “will essentially be like a flying ICU unit or flying emergency department” where crews can “do advanced treatments, like transporting blood and doing procedures.” AU Health has not had a helicopter transport service in nearly two years. It has used third-party companies in times of emergencies. The new program will be staffed completely with AU and CHOG teams trained specifically to care for patients in the sky.
WABE
UGA Adapts New COVID-19 Saliva-Based Test Amid Ongoing Health Crisis
Lashawn Hudson
Scientists and researchers from the University of Georgia’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories recently adapted a COVID-19 saliva-based test. “Everybody has worked together like they never have before, sharing information, sharing data and sequences, which has allowed us to start really with diagnostic tests to know what the virus was,” said Susan Sanchez, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Georgia.
The Citizen
Clayton State University, Gordon State College partner to form master’s nursing degree pathway
By Cal Beverly
Clayton State University is making it easier for undergraduate students at Gordon State College (GSC) to earn an advanced degree in nursing. Under this new agreement, a GSC student who earns a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will be eligible for priority review for admittance to Clayton State to earn a Master of Science in Nursing — Family Nurse Practitioner degree.
Valdosta Daily Times
Youngest Man on Campus: VSU welcomes 14-year-old student
VSU welcomes 14-year-old student
By Desiree Carver
While many of his peers are entering high school, 14-year-old Fisher Lee is tackling college. Fisher is Valdosta State University’s youngest current student and is taking on a course load of five classes with his mother, Knicole, cheering him on every step of the way. “We wanted to promote his academic rigor and his ability to explore higher education sooner,” Knicole said. “We live in such a rural area and this is a win-win.” Fisher and his family live in Baxley, a rural community, and was encouraged to take the ACT at the end of his eighth-grade year. Based on his scores, he enrolled at VSU, which happens to be Knicole’s alma mater.
AllOnGeorgia
Kemp Applauds UGA for Raising $4.5M, Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and GRA Scholar Position
The University of Georgia has raised $4.5 million to establish the Johnny Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar position.
Governor Brian P. Kemp applauded the University of Georgia yesterday on the successful conclusion of its fundraising campaign to endow a chaired professorship honoring Senator John H. “Johnny” Isakson. The University has raised $4.5 million to establish the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar position. Senator Isakson was the final donor to this worthy cause. “For decades, Johnny Isakson was devoted to serving his fellow Georgians and to causes he knew were bigger than himself, so it only makes sense that he would be the one to push this important project over its funding goal,” said Governor Kemp.
WGAU Radio
UNG summer program will train students, teachers in cybersecurity
“Cybersecurity is an important part of any computer science”
By Tim Bryant
The University of North Georgia says its Gen Cyber Warriors Academy for high school students will return this summer, and UNG says teachers will able to take courses in the program that is designed to educate and inform on the issue of cybersecurity.
Athens CEO
UGA Class of 2020 Achieves 91% Career Outcomes Rate Despite Pandemic
Loran Posey
Of University of Georgia Class of 2020 graduates, 91% were employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation, according to career outcomes data released by the UGA Career Center. The Class of 2020 data includes undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who earned degrees between August 2019 and May 2020.
WGAU Radio
UGA outlines plans for spring graduation
“We will continue to monitor changing health conditions and consult with public health officials regarding these upcoming Spring ceremonies”
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia says commencement exercises for UGA’s spring 2021 graduating class will be held over three days, beginning May 13 and continuing through May 15, with ceremonies taking place in Sanford Stadium.
Moultrie Observer
ABAC student newspaper named Best in the State
Staff Reports
The student newspaper at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College was recently recognized by the Georgia College Press Association (GCPA) Better Newspaper Contest as the best overall publication in its division in Georgia. Thomas Grant, advisor for The Stallion, said the newspaper has been the best in the state in its classification for decades, beginning when Helen Strickland took over as the advisor in 1968.
13WMAZ
Middle Georgia State University debuts food truck
The meals on wheels will travel to three different MGA campuses.
Author: Madilyn Harrell
Students at Middle Georgia State University will soon have one more dining option on campus — and it’s on wheels. Dining services at MGA will debut a food truck on March 1 that will travel to campuses during the week. The truck will rotate among campuses in Macon, Cochran and Eastman. Soon, they hope to add Warner Robins and Dublin. Campus Executive Chef Chris Caracciolo says this is one way they can be “more involved with the students.”
The West Georgian
UWG PEER EDUCATION PROMOTES HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND SAFE SEX
By Kayla Henderson
There are some conversations that are hard to have, for many college students those conversations revolve around relationships and sex. While both can be hard to talk about, the University of West Georgia’s Peer Education program is working to create healthy discussions on campus about health education. Established in 2002 as a stem of Health Education at UWG, Peer Education trains students, known as Peer Educators, on topics such as Alcohol, Other Drugs, Sexual Assault Response and Prevention, Sexual Health and Nutrition and Wellness. Peer Educators then work directly with fellow students to form healthy conversations around otherwise taboo topics through tabling, on-campus events and social media posts.
Other News:
11Alive
Georgia to get 83,000 Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines in first week: Gov. Kemp
This comes just as the state approaches two million doses administered.
Author: Chenue Her
With the FDA’s emergency use authorization approved, the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine will soon come to Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp said Georgia will get about 83,000 doses in the first week it’s distributed, which could be as early as Monday. “Our goal is to get those vaccines administered as quickly as possible,” Governor Kemp said. This comes just as the state approaches two million doses administered.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPDATE: Ga. COVID-19 vaccine supply expected to increase soon with 3rd vaccine
By Helena Oliviero
A third coronavirus vaccine could be heading to Georgia as early as next week, a move that could ease supply constraints and bring the state one step closer to bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control. After a daylong meeting Friday, an advisory committee for The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a unanimous vote, recommended emergency use authorization be granted for Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults. The FDA followed the committee’s endorsement, announcing Saturday evening that the agency had issued an emergency use authorization for the third vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 28)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 15,068 | Deaths have been confirmed in every county. 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: 818,516 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Report: Students Think Value of College Declined
By Greta Anderson
Ninety-four percent of college students surveyed believe online classes should cost less than in-person instruction, according to a new report from Barnes & Noble Education. The report is based on responses from 1,438 students and provides an outlook on the future of higher education following the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly half of the students surveyed also said that the value of college has declined as a result of the pandemic.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Study: Pre-Recorded Videos Prove More Effective for Student Learning Than In-Person Instruction
by Arrman Kyaw
Pre-recorded videos usually lead to improved student learning, according to a recent study published in Review of Educational Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The study analyzed 105 past randomized trials – 7,776 students in total – that had looked at the effects of videos on learning compared to the effects of other teaching mediums, such as in-person lectures and assigned readings. Findings showed that using video instead of other teaching methods resulted in small improvements in student learning, whereas using video in addition to other teaching methods resulted in larger improvements.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alabama school offering unique medical degree to Georgia, 3 states
By The Associated Press
A small college on the Alabama coast said it will begin offering a new medical degree that will be unique to four Deep South states. The University of Mobile’s new doctor of nurse anesthesia practice program will be the only such course of study in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, the school said in a statement. Students earning the degree will be eligible to take a national test required to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. The field of nurse anesthetists is expected by grow by more than 30% over the next decade, school officials said.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The California State System Made a Big Bet for Fall. It Paid Off in Enrollment.
By Eric Kelderman
Last May, just weeks after college campuses shuttered in response to the coronavirus, the California State University system announced a decision that would send a sort of ripple across the nation’s higher-education landscape. Long before many institutions had set their plans — and despite a prevailing narrative that students wouldn’t enroll — California State declared that fall semester on its 23 campuses would be largely online. That calculation — one that risked the financial fallout of a remote semester to preserve the health of its communities — would be repeated by hundreds of institutions in the coming months. In at least one way, the early call paid off. Keeping most students off campus and studying remotely didn’t cause a big drop in enrollment — in fact the system’s student body grew slightly from the previous year.