University System News:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Vaccines for students; more colleges make fall return plans
By Eric Stirgus
A few things happened recently that may benefit Georgia’s college students. State leaders lowered the age requirements for COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, making it easier for students to get vaccinated. The federal government approved some changes they hope will help students cancel their student loan debt if the school engaged in misconduct. Also, a few more local schools announced plans to have all students back on campus this fall. Here are some details in this edition of AJC On Campus.
Georgia universities tasked with increasing vaccinations
13WMAZ
At five Central Georgia campuses, enrollment is back on the rise.
Author: Molly Jett
According to Forbes, enrollment at some Georgia colleges and universities have dropped for several years, and the pandemic accelerated that change. Some Central Georgia colleges are now seeing that change. Mary Persons High School senior Calliway Selman just found out she’ll attend UGA in the Fall. “I was just waiting for it to load, and it was loading and loading,” said Selman. “Then finally I saw the fireworks and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!'” The aspiring dentist says after a year of virtual learning, she’s just ready to learn in person. “There is a hope to be back in person at school again,” said Selman. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, the number of high school graduates going on to college declined last year by seven percent. Georgia College Executive Director of Admissions Javier Francisco explains part of the reason. “It has been challenging in regards to the recruitment of students because we have been limited in how we engage with students,” said Francisco, although at five local campuses, enrollment is back on the rise. Kane said, “In the fall of 2020, we had a 7.8 % increase.” Jesse Kane from Fort Valley State University said they project about a 2 percent increase for this fall. Middle Georgia State’s enrollment has been rising steadily for the past eight semesters.
Griffin Daily News
Clayton State, Gordon State partner to form master’s nursing degree pathway
By Staff Reports
Clayton State University is making it easier for undergraduate students at Gordon State College (GSC) to earn an advanced degree in nursing.
Inside Higher Ed
Foster Care Youth and Higher Education Aspirations
Students from foster homes face a harder road to college. In today’s Academic Minute, part of University of West Georgia Week, Sarah Jones discusses the resiliency of this group of learners. Jones is an assistant professor of counselor education at West Georgia. A transcript of this podcast can be found here.
Patch
University Of Georgia: Awards Recognize Efforts To Enhance Greek Inclusiveness
They will reward those making a positive impact in the Greek community University of Georgia students who work to advance an inclusive living and learning environment within Greek organizations at UGA could now receive an award for their work, thanks to UGA President Jere W. Morehead, UGA’s Interfraternity Council and the alumnae of the Zeta Psi Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
AllOnGeorgia
GSU to Promote Sustainable Practices During Southern Sustainability Week
Students, faculty and staff who want to move toward a more sustainable lifestyle will be able to explore various areas of their lives where small but impactful changes can be made throughout the week of events.
Southern Sustainability Week is March 29 through April 2, and some at Georgia Southern University are taking the opportunity to teach others about sustainability practices. Each day of the week will have events based on a different theme, including public health, climate change, social justice, consumption and caring for our community. Clayton helped plan the climate change-focused day of Southern Sustainability Week.
Chron.com
Intelligent.com Announces Best Nursing Programs for 2021
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 50 Nursing Programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 171 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment. The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. …2021 Nursing Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):
Augusta University; Columbus State University; Georgia Southwestern State University; University of North Georgia
The Washington Times
As peaches bloom, Volunteers help vaccinate farm workers
By Bill Bengtson and The Aiken Standard – Associated Press
Pink is a prominent part of the picture for a couple of weeks in March around portions of Edgefield, Saluda and Lexington counties, and that time arrived last week for thousands of acres. … He, like some of his peers, added that “everything can change on a dime” due to such factors as a cold snap. Pruning peach trees and planting vegetables are the focal points of the moment, Watson said. Busloads of migrant farm workers are now in motion, and the past few days’ activity included workers out to help strip some – not all – blossoms off certain tree varieties, to help improve fruit size and quality in the months ahead. ….Several translators were part of the effort, with emphasis on helping Spanish-language speakers go through the process as smoothly as possible. Helping bridge the gap was Hector Picon, a second-year medical student at Medical College of Georgia. …Pam Cromer, a professor of nursing at Augusta University, pointed out that medical and nursing students alike were a part of the effort. She said, “It helps us. It helps them. It helps the farm workers. It keeps our communities healthy. It’s a win-win situation.” Elena Prendergast, a director in the university’s program for clinical nurse leaders, made similar comments.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lumber prices soar, but Georgia tree farmers not seeing the profits
By Christopher Quinn
Home buyers also paying up while sawmills thrive amid bottleneck
There is a golden glow on Georgia yellow pine lumber. Prices of finished boards used in construction have more than doubled in a year. The state’s sawmills are cashing in. But not its tree growers, who are fetching rock-bottom prices for their timber. Meanwhile, consumers are paying up mightily to build a new house or add a deck. Blame it on a pandemic-induced bottleneck that has whipsawed supply and demand. Georgia sawmills cut production last year fearing a recession. Instead, demand went through the roof. Though Georgia has more trees in the ground than it has in decades, mills are struggling to cut them fast enough to catch up. And the excess trees means growers are getting about $23 a ton for pine logs, half of what they were paid in 2000. …Georgia competes with Oregon yearly to be the top U.S. wood producer. It sold $679 million worth in 2019, says the University of Georgia’s 2021 report of farm production. In agriculture, timber ranks behind only Georgia’s $4 billion broiler industry and $983 million cotton crop.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta’s Collegiate Consulting helps West Georgia in athletic director search
By Eric Jackson – Sports Business Reporter
The University of West Georgia found its new athletic director in the Bay Area. UWG said Thursday it hired Jason Carmichael to lead the athletics program for the Division II school in Carrolton, replacing long-time AD Daryl Dickey, who stepped down last fall. Carmichael, 44, served four years as athletic director for California State University East Bay. Atlanta-based company Collegiate Consulting helped execute the nationwide search that started in December. UWG Vice President Meredith Brunen also led a 21-member committee to find a new athletic director before landing on Camichael.
Albany Herald
Legendary Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College basketball coach Benny Dees dies at age 86
From staff reports
Benny Dees, coach of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College men’s basketball team from 1962–1967, passed away on March 23 at the age of 86. Under Dees’ leadership, the Golden Stallions won the state junior college basketball championship in 1964. The victory marked the first men’s basketball state title for ABAC since Coach Bruce Gressette’s team won the 1949 crown. Dees was inducted into the ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, and the entire 1964 ABAC team was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
CBS46
Official: Former UGA professor indicted for illegally profiting off the sale of caviar
Terrance Kelly
A former University of Georgia professor was indicted on racketeering and theft by taking charges, Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr announced. Douglas Peterson, a former professor at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry, was indicted by a grand jury in Oconee County on March 23, according to Carr. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Carr’s office said Peterson allegedly received 77 illegal payments in connection to the sale of caviar harvested at UGA. The sales reportedly happened between March 2012 and February 2018, the attorney general’s office said. A spokesperson from the attorney general’s office said while at UGA, Peterson oversaw a program that sold caviar that the school raised at its fishery.
Other News:
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?
849,607 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES
1,055,256 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES
Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?
16,487 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS
18,926 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. nearing 550K deaths as daily COVID cases rise again
By Tim Darnell
CDC director concerned over recent uptick in cases
New daily cases of the coronavirus rose last week in the U.S., as the nation approaches 550,000 COVID-related deaths. According to Monday morning’s latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has reported more than 549,330 deaths among more than 30.2 million cases. The U.S. continues to lead the world in cases and deaths. During a Friday media briefing, the head of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said she is “deeply concerned” over recent COVID case upswings.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia prepares to roll back coronavirus restrictions
By Greg Bluestein
Gov. Brian Kemp said he’s planning to loosen the state’s remaining coronavirus restrictions, calling it a “critical step” to a return to normal as the number of new infections declines and more Georgians secure vaccinations to protect against the deadly disease. The governor said Friday that his administration will outline plans to roll back the remaining coronavirus restrictions, which include capacity limits, restrictions on large-scale gatherings and dozens of safety guidelines for restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and other venues.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHO report says animals likely source of COVID
By The Associated Press
BEIJING — A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. The findings offer little new insight into how the virus began to spread around the globe and many questions remain unanswered, though that was as expected. But the report did provide more detail on the reasoning behind the researchers’ conclusions. The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Some predict the worst year ever, but others say that waiting lists may primarily be a factor at highly competitive colleges.
By Scott Jaschik
Many are convinced that next week, when Ivy League and other competitive colleges theoretically tell applicants if they were admitted, they actually won’t — for thousands of students. Those students will be placed on waiting lists. And while colleges are quick to say that any student placed on a waiting list could succeed at the college, many students find waiting lists particularly frustrating — arguably more frustrating than rejection. This year, waiting lists are expected to be the worst ever (meaning the longest ever). The pandemic has led to a surge in applications at the most competitive colleges — public and private. The new applications include minority and low-income applicants who in the past felt unwelcome or who are attracted by the fact that many of these colleges were test optional for the first time. (Colleges that cater to these students struggled for applications.)
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
What Can Universities Do to Combat Anti-Asian Racism?
by Sara Weissman
After a series of shootings at Asian spas killed eight people in Atlanta – six of them Asian women – the country is undergoing a reckoning with anti-Asian racism. Asian American faculty and staff say campuses have a role to play in this moment.