University System News:
People
12-Year-Old Boy in His Sophomore Year of College Gets Accepted to His Dream Engineering School
Caleb Anderson plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall, where he will study aerospace engineering
By Joelle Goldstein
Caleb Anderson is continuing his educational journey — and leaving his mark along the way. At just 12 years -old, Caleb impressed folks around the nation when he started his sophomore year at Chattahoochee Technical College to earn his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. But now, Caleb has something else to be proud of: he was recently accepted to his dream school, the Georgia Institute of Technology.
WABE
With Georgia’s Film Tax Credits Appearing Secure, Industry Continues To Bounce Back From Pandemic
Emil Moffatt
Steve Mensch, who oversees operations at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, says just a few months into the pandemic last year, the studio started quarantining hundreds of cast and crew members in on-site housing. He says that created a blueprint of how to get back to work. Now, he says, they’re booked through the end of 2021. …With just 10 legislative days left in the session, lawmakers on the new committee aren’t signaling any changes to Georgia’s generous film tax credits. One bill that would have repealed the credits, sponsored by Republican Rep. David Clark, has not received a committee hearing. …Among the criticisms of the film tax credits in Georgia is that not enough of the state’s residents are working, spending and paying income taxes in the state. But Akins says more than 80% of his union members live in Georgia. One factor helping to create a workforce based in the state has been the Georgia Film Academy. Its executive director, Jeffrey Stepakoff, says they want to create a “permanent and sustainable entertainment business” in Georgia. He says enrollment in the academy has jumped from just under 200 in 2016 when it was launched to more than 800 now. Stepakoff says it’s key that the state didn’t create a brick-and-mortar academy, but rather a network of classes and internships throughout the state. “A partnership with the labor unions, with the University System of Georgia, with the Technical College System of Georgia, with the global production business, we all have come together to build this,” said Stepakoff. Committee Chairman Rep. Matt Dollar says the Georgia Film Academy has helped with the industry’s rapid growth in Georgia.
WJBF
Medical students advocate for diversity in classroom, community
by: Chloe Salsameda
When Ryan Johnson began medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, he did not see many people who looked like him. “Black males are one of the most under-represented groups,” he says. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, black males make up less than three percent of physicians. This inspired Johnson and his classmates to form a new organization — Black Men of MCG. “We want to inspire the next generation of physicians or any black man who wants to become part of the medical community,” he explains. …Members of Black Men of MCG do not just want to support current medical students. They want to inspire teens and young adults. They plan to work with local high schools so they can connect with students and teach them about different opportunities in the medical field.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Clayton State University Raises More Than $200,000 During 24-Hour Fundraising Event
With the final tally complete, Clayton State University far-exceeded fundraising expectations during its fifth annual #Give4Dreams day of giving. A total of $222,647 in gifts were raised between March 3-4, topping every other year before for the giving day. “Even during the midst of a pandemic, support for, (and often by) the students, faculty and staff of Clayton State University during #Give4Dreams was extraordinary,” said University President Dr. Tim Hynes. “As needs have grown, support grew with it. Our ability to make dreams real are all the more possible as a result of more than 800 acts of individual and group generosity. I am grateful for the exceptional efforts of our colleagues and say thanks on behalf of the university.”
WRBL
College students struggle with mental health amid pandemic, CSU expands services
by: Sakura Gray
Columbus State University expanded its student-focused mental health services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic put a stop to large gatherings, and college students missed out on core parts of their college experience. On top of this, students had to adapt to remote learning and isolation. Daniel Hughes is an art major at CSU. The art program is typically very hands-on, so Hughes said switching to virtual learning as a challenging transition.
WGAU
Seed grants promote research at UGA
More than 70 faculty teams submitted research proposals
By Allyson Mann, UGA Today
Marshall Shepherd’s research has always been interdisciplinary, but working on a team funded by the President’s Interdisciplinary Seed Grant has made it even more so. “The seed grant with colleagues like Brian Bledsoe has served as an accelerant for impactful collaborations and new research,” said Shepherd, a Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “It is already bearing fruit with the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems and our new collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers, N-EWN. One of the most ‘out of the box’ journal articles that I have ever written came from these efforts.” This kind of broadened perspective is a hallmark of the Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant Program, designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. The second round of grants was launched by President Jere Morehead in 2019 as part of the Great Commitments Initiative. …The funded proposals, which span 15 UGA colleges, schools and other units, investigate aspects of human and animal health, communications and the environment.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia student housing vendor cut back on maintenance services, records show
By Eric Stirgus
Work done by private company in dorms on nine campuses did not meet COVID requirements
A private student housing vendor neglected to perform maintenance at housing facilities at several public universities in Georgia, forcing state officials to come up with a plan to meet federal COVID-19 safety guidelines, according to documents released by a union of Georgia university employees. The United Campus Workers of Georgia, which represents the interests of all public university employees, say their findings, which they discussed Wednesday with reporters, expose the pitfalls of public-private partnerships and the need for the University System of Georgia to create additional safeguards to better protect students and workers. The group also wants the system to discontinue any similar privatization deals.
yahoo!news
Lack of oxygen on Earth will kill most of life in one billion years, finds new research
In almost one billion years from now, the oxygen present in the Earth’s atmosphere will be extinguished, claims a recent study. The study has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience on 1 March 2021. Conducted by Toho University researcher Kazumi Ozaki and Georgia Institute of Technology’s Chris Reinhard, the study aims to understand the atmospheric conditions of Earth in the future. Although the end of oxygen is one billion years away, it is said that when the depletion of the gas starts to take place, oxygen will be exhausted rapidly in almost 10,000 years, as reported by Earth Sky.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated March 10)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 15,706 | 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: 831,271 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
House Joins Senate in Approving $40B in Aid for Higher Education
By Kery Murakami
The House on Wednesday sent President Biden a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which includes an additional $40 billion in aid for the nation’s colleges and universities. Biden in a statement said he will sign the bill Friday. The money for higher education, also passed by the Senate Saturday, would surpass the $14 billion colleges and universities received in last March’s CARES Act and the $22.7 billion they received in December’s $900 billion relief package.
Inside Higher Ed
Spring Enrollment Keeps Slipping
Undergraduate enrollment fell by 4.5 percent versus last spring, with deep drops among some underrepresented students, according to early data. Graduate enrollment ticked up, but not enough to prevent an overall decline in student numbers.
By Emma Whitford
Even as colleges and universities expanded in-person instruction this spring, undergraduate enrollment continued to tumble. Enrollment across all institution types fell by 2.9 percent this term compared with last spring, according to new preliminary data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. These early numbers reveal similar declines to fall 2020, when enrollment fell by 3.3 percent year over year across the board.
Inside Higher Ed
Debt Strategies Help Colleges Navigate Pandemic but Carry Risk
By Rick Seltzer
Colleges and universities are using several notable strategies to manage their debt and liquidity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but they sometimes take on long-term credit risk in doing so, according to a recent report from Moody’s Investors Service. Low interest rates offer a chance to refinance debt, the ratings agency noted. That means colleges and universities can borrow to make investments, insulate themselves from pandemic-related budget stresses or even restructure their debt to put off principal repayments for a few years — a strategy known as scoop and toss.
Inside Higher Ed
Cautious Optimism About Teaching STEM Online
The shift to remote learning forced STEM instructors to increasingly accept online education. But concerns about how to give students meaningful lab experiences remain.
By Lindsay McKenzie
Faculty members in science, technology, engineering and mathematics conduct some of the most technologically groundbreaking research in all of academe, but when it comes to teaching online, STEM has historically lagged behind. The findings of a new survey, STEM Education in the Time of COVID, suggest that hesitancy to embrace online education may be changing.
Inside Higher Ed
New Lawsuit Filed Against Title IX Regulations
By Greta Anderson
A women’s group at a Berkeley, Calif., high school filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education Monday, seeking an immediate order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to “set aside” Trump administration regulations for how K-12 schools and colleges address sexual misconduct. The lawsuit seeks to halt enforcement of former secretary of education Betsy DeVos’s regulations issued last year under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded institutions, according to a press release from Public Justice, a legal advocacy group representing the high school students.