University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia colleges to increase access to vaccine for students
By Eric Stirgus,
Many of the state’s largest public universities said they’re planning to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccines after Gov. Brian Kemp announced he’s directing the state to expand vaccine eligibility to all adult Georgians as of Thursday. Kemp’s plan allows several million Georgians to now get shots, particularly college students who didn’t meet one of the health conditions that were included in the eligibility list. About 340,000 students attend the University System of Georgia’s 26 schools.
The Gainesville Times
Here’s when you can get a shot at a new UNG mass vaccination site
Nick Watson
Starting April 6, people seeking the COVID-19 vaccine can get the shot at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus. Hall County officials said Tuesday, March 23, the new mass vaccination site will be at the campus’ Hugh Mills Physical Education Center, at 3820 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood.
yahoo!news
Synovus donation provides training for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students
The Albany Herald, Ga.
Synovus has provided a 2021 “Here Matters” donation to the ABAC Foundation to provide financial literacy training to 24 students in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Synovus Tifton Market President Jason Morris said Synovus is always looking for ways to support the community. …Deidre Martin, ABAC’s chief development officer, said the donation concentrates on the Synovus giving areas of education/needs-based initiatives and is directed to low-income college students in need of financial literacy.
Rome News-Tribune
GHC student chosen as Board of Regents Academic Day representative
Recently, Chinelo Nwokike received a surprise phone call from Georgia Highlands College President Don Green. She had been chosen as the Board of Regents Academic Day representative for GHC. Her perfect 4.0 GPA and a nomination by her mentor and advisor, Jon Hershey, who serves as dean for the School of Humanities, led to her selection. …She is currently also enrolled in the nursing program at GHC.
AllOnGeorgia
GSU named No. 2 on master’s in higher education administration rankings
Rankings were determined by examining yearly tuition rates, graduation rates, faculty experience, student feedback, student resources, job placement and total enrollment.
Georgia Southern University’s M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration was ranked No.2 in the country by BestValueSchools.org, an organization that examines online educational opportunities and resources for potential students. Rankings were determined by examining yearly tuition rates, graduation rates, faculty experience, student feedback, student resources, job placement and total enrollment.
SaportaReport
Georgia Tech earns top credit rating despite headwinds facing higher ed sector
By David Pendered
Georgia Tech has received the top tier credit rating on an upcoming bond issue despite challenges facing the nation’s higher education sector as the pandemic remakes the college experience. Tech’s planned sale of $14.2 million in bonds received the highest rating possible from Moody’s Investors Service in a rating action dated March 19. Tech plans to use proceeds of the bond sale to pay off bonds issued at a higher interest payment in 2010 – annual payments are to peak at 5% in 2024 and 2025, according to terms of the original bond.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College to hold in-person commencement for spring graduates
From staff reports
Georgia Gwinnett College announced this week that it will hold three in-person ceremonies for spring graduates. The commencement ceremonies will be held May 13 at the Infinite Energy Arena in unincorporated Duluth. The school said more than 700 graduates will be recognized and that the Class of 2020 is also invited to participate. …GGC officials said attendees must wear masks and practice social distancing.
StarTribune
US colleges tout hopes for return to new normal this fall
By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
Colleges throughout the U.S. are assuring students that the fall semester will bring a return to in-person classes, intramural sports and mostly full dormitories. But those promises come with asterisks. Administrators say how quickly campus life comes back will depend on the success of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts and the ability to avoid widespread outbreaks. …The University System of Georgia has told the state’s public universities to plan for normal operations even though most higher education employees are not yet eligible for the vaccine. “We anticipate that we will have been able to vaccinate faculty and staff by that time,” University of North Georgia Provost Chaudron Gille wrote to faculty in early March. “Of course, if this year has taught us anything, it is that we must be prepared for the unexpected.”
Columbus CEO
Q&A with Jovan Johnson: CSU’s New Director of Career Design
Columbus State University’s Center for Experiential Learning & Career Design is excited to welcome Jovan Johnson as its new director of career design. Johnson is a Georgia native and previously held positions at Carleton College, Grinnell College, and Central Iowa College. He brings to CSU a wealth of knowledge and skills for career development. We asked Johnson to share some information about how the center benefits current students and alumni.
Q: What are the goals of the Career Center?
A: The goals of the Career Center are to ensure that current CSU students and alumni lead, live, learn, and work with meaning, purpose, and progress. We achieve this goal by actively engaging students to fully utilize the resources in the Career Center by the time they graduate.
Q: What does the Career Center offer?
A: The center offers a variety of resources and programs to prepare students for graduation and beyond. The Career Center assists every student in developing essential skills and gaining meaningful experiences to launch their careers successfully — life after CSU. We partner with a wide variety of employers and community partners to connect students to internships, full-time and part-time employment, and other post-graduate opportunities.
Columbus CEO
CSU Leadership Institute’s Breana Jones on Bench Depth in Your Organization
Assistant Director of Client Experience & Business Development at the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University Breana Jones discusses the importance of taking a look at the bench depth in your organization.
Athens CEO
Fewer Rural Students Applying to Medical School
Rural America is running short on physicians. This worries health experts who have linked limited access to primary care providers to major gaps in health outcomes for rural communities. Addressing this issue is complicated, but new research from the University of Georgia suggests that understanding geographic trends in medical school applicants could help project where the future physician workforce is likely to practice.
WRBL
Anyone seen actor Beau Bridges? Independent film Neon Highway being shot in downtown Columbus
by: Chuck Williams
It may be the worst kept secret in town. Or the best. But it is certainly a secret. They are making a movie in Columbus — and it doesn’t take a Hollywood critic to figure it out if you walk along 11th Street and turn onto First Avenue. There are a dozen or more production trucks downtown, and there have been sightings of actor Beau Bridges. After a day of digging deeper, here’s what we do know. The film is an independent production called The Neon Highway. The storyline: A young singer/songwriter meets a washed-up country music star. We are assuming that’s the role Beau Bridges is playing. Here is a summary of the movie provided by Columbus State University, which has been working with the production.
The Robot Report
Drones team up to carry heavy packages
By The Robot Report Staff
Many parcel delivery drones of the future are expected to handle packages weighing five pounds or less, a restriction that would allow small, standardized UAVs to handle a large percentage of the deliveries now done by ground vehicles. But will that relegate heavier packages to slower delivery by conventional trucks and vans? A research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a modular solution for handling larger packages without the need for a complex fleet of drones of varying sizes. By allowing teams of small drones to collaboratively lift objects using an adaptive control algorithm, the strategy could allow a wide range of packages to be delivered using a combination of several standard-sized vehicles.
News Medical Life Sciences
Stem cell therapy could help restore debilitating age-related muscle loss
As the name implies, induced pluripotent stem cells can become any type of cell in our body, and scientists have evidence that when they prompt them to become muscle progenitor cells they can help restore the sometimes debilitating muscle loss that happens with age. Progressive, age-related muscle loss is called sarcopenia, and it can impair mobility and quality of life, says Dr. Wanling Xuan, stem cell biologist in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia.
Marietta Daily Journal
Man charged with accidentally shooting KSU student
By Aleks Gilbert
An Atlanta man is facing charges after accidentally shooting someone on Kennesaw State University’s campus, according to court documents. Kedar Masi Hall, 19, faces charges of reckless conduct, carrying weapons within a school safety zone and possessing or carrying a gun without a valid license, according to a copy of his warrant. Last Wednesday night, Hall entered a car in the parking lot of the university’s Hornet Village residential hall, according to the warrant, taking the rear passenger seat, directly behind KSU student Caleb Henry. When he sat down, Hall took the gun from his pocket and put it on his lap, according to the warrant. Moments later, it fell from his lap. “As he went to pick up the firearm, a round was discharged,” hitting Henry in the back, according to the warrant. KSU spokesperson Tammy DeMel confirmed Henry is a KSU student.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All Georgia adults will be eligible for coronavirus vaccines starting Thursday
By Greg Bluestein and Helena Oliviero
All Georgia adults can receive coronavirus vaccines beginning Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp said as he announced a dramatic expansion of eligibility in a state still facing challenges in distributing the lifesaving doses. The expansion, which will cover Georgians age 16 and over, comes less than two weeks after the state expanded eligibility to people age 55 and older and those suffering from “high risk” medical conditions — a category defined so broadly it encompasses more than two-thirds of the state’s adult population.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All Georgians over 16 eligible for COVID-19 vaccine Thursday
By JEFF AMY, Associated Press
All Georgians 16 and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination beginning Thursday
All Georgians 16 and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination beginning Thursday. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement Tuesday, saying supplies of the vaccine continue to rise and that he’s confident that enough older adults have been vaccinated to open up inoculation to the broadest possible population. Figures from the Georgia Department of Public Health show the state has administered 3.2 million doses overall, with nearly 2.1 million people getting at least one dose.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coronavirus in Georgia: COVID-19 Dashboard
Latest stats and the news on the coronavirus outbreak
Q: What is the latest on confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in Georgia?
844,720 TOTAL CONFIRMED* CASES
1,048,173 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE** CASES
Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?
16,187 TOTAL CONFIRMED* DEATHS
18,588 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE** DEATHS
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
COVID-Era College: Are Students Satisfied?
Students reflect on what has worked, what has not and what they want from their colleges post-COVID. (Hint: Keep that lecture recording button handy and virtual support options available.)
By Melissa Ezarik
Trying to get a pulse on students’ satisfaction this academic year to better support them has been like dreaming an impossible dream. As college and university leaders have reopened campuses, following meticulous plans with 100-page summaries, student feedback has been positive, negative and everything in between. While perusing social media posts, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s provost concluded this: “We were doing everything right and nothing right simultaneously,” says Diana Rogers-Adkinson. Findings of a new Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse and presented by Kaplan, indicate that students, as a group, are deeply ambivalent about their college experiences right now. For example:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Pressure to Retrain Workers Could Be Intense for Colleges. Here’s What They Can Start Doing Now.
By Scott Carlson
The promise of the vaccine may bring back many aspects of our life from The Before Time — concerts, gyms, restaurants, and the movies. Many Americans are also hoping that herd immunity brings with it something else: the promise of work. Over the past year, the pandemic has decimated jobs across the country, especially low-wage occupations in industries like hospitality, travel, and oil and gas drilling. The job losses have hit women and nonwhite workers particularly hard. Many unemployed workers have said that they might not return to their fields after the pandemic is over, which means they will require retraining. Though many of them have yet to flock to retraining programs, some experts believe that dynamic could change this year. At the same time, the nation has seen a shortage of candidates in skilled labor like nursing and the trades. And in May, another class of undergraduates will walk across a real or virtual stage to collect a diploma and prepare to step out into the real world to look for a career. With an unemployment rate among recent graduates that’s worse than what it was after the Great Recession, some may seek additional certifications or training just to be competitive in the job market.
Inside Higher Ed
Republican Leaders Call for Keeping Trump Title IX Regs
By Greta Anderson
Two ranking Republican members of congressional education committees wrote to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Tuesday, advocating for the U.S. Department of Education to maintain Trump administration regulations that changed how colleges and universities handle sexual misconduct on campus. Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican leader of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Senator Richard Burr, Republican leader of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, both of North Carolina, said the regulations balance protections for sexual misconduct survivors and due process rights for accused students under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at institutions that receive federal funding.