University System News:
Marietta Daily Journal
NSF grant to help Kennesaw State address need for computer science teachers
Kennesaw State University computer science professor Dan Lo and mathematics education associate professor Brian R. Lawler have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to help meet the increasing demand for computer science teachers in grades 6-12. The College of Computing and Software Engineering will partner with the Bagwell College of Education, as well as with the Georgia Department of Education and local school districts, to create multiple programs to train teachers in computer science. The one-year, $75,000 NSF grant has a stated goal to “create a metro Atlanta hub for computer science teacher education at KSU.”
WGAU Radio
UGA faculty members win Russell Awards
Birch, Peters, Sahakian
By Carolyn Payton, UGA Today
Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named recipients of the Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which recognize outstanding instruction by faculty members early in their academic careers. The Russell Foundation established the Russell Awards during the 1991-1992 academic year to honor the late U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell. The awards include a $10,000 cash award.
Savannah Business Journal
Staff Report
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Abbie DeLoach Foundation encourages businesses, community partners and local students to join their #handsfreeforabbie campaign by visiting their website and taking the pledge. Abbie was one of five Georgia Southern Nursing Students who lost their lives in 2015 due to a distracted driver.
The Tifton Gazette
ABAC sets Stallion Staycation homecoming
Students and alumni will turn the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College campus into a vacation paradise April 5-10 as the campus community celebrates a Stallion Staycation for the 2021 Homecoming Celebration. Lynda Fisher, ABAC alumni director, said both new and traditional homecoming activities will be featured throughout the week. “It has been refreshing to be able to plan events again and to see the students’ excitement that their clubs will be able to compete for the Stallion Cup during the week of homecoming,” Fisher said. “My hope is that this time next year we will be in full swing and have our homecoming as we have known it in the past.” Events during the week will be both on campus and virtual.
Fruit Growers News
GFVGA shares issues as US senator, congressman tour south Georgia farms
U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, was hosted by U.S. Congressman, D-Georgia 2nd District Sanford Bishop for a tour of several south Georgia farms on March 31. The congressman coordinated with the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) to connect the senator with several Georgia fruit and vegetable farmers, tour their operations and learn about the issues they face as an industry. The tour began at Minor Produce, in Sumter County with farm co-owner Dick Minor providing an overview of the farm operation and industry issues. Several fruit and vegetable growers participated in the roundtable discussion with Warnock and Bishop on trade, labor and agricultural research needs. The growers focused on the impact seasonal dumping of produce in domestic markets from Mexico has on American growers, issues with current farm worker legislation and the importance of continued funding for Whitefly research at the University of Georgia’s College Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Fort Valley State University.
Tifton CEO
ClicRtechnologies Donates Livestock Weighing Technology to ABAC
New technology is at the fingertips of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College students thanks to a $40,000 donation to the ABAC Foundation from ClicRtechnologies. A ClicRweight Bovine Solution System will be utilized at the Beef Unit at ABAC’s J.G. Woodroof Farm. Dr. Mark Kistler, Dean of ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is excited about the partnership with ClicRtechnologies.
The Red & Black
AT&T funds UGA research on flood risk in Athens
Ben Lacina | Contributor
AT&T released findings from a University of Georgia research effort on March 25, where studies of Athens-Clarke County found that Black, Hispanic and low-income communities had 38% to 185% higher flood risk compared to the average risk. In 2019, AT&T began a Climate Resiliency Community Challenge, an effort to help communities in the southeastern United States build resilience to climate change by funding local universities, including the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology, to conduct projects in assessing climate risks and aiding local governments in climate adaptation and resilience planning.
yahoo!news
Cotton Commission Board approves funding for crop year
The Albany Herald, Ga.
The Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors approved $745,094 in research for the 2022 crop year and an additional $42,050 for the 2021 crop year during the board’s March meeting. The money will fund 19 projects that will be conducted by University of Georgia researchers and extension specialists. Projects range from funding for the UGA cotton team to research on resistant weeds, evaluating the economics of sustainable production, monitoring cotton leaf-roll dwarf virus and many more. The goal of this producer-funded research is to help cotton producers by conducting research that can either raise yields, promote efficiency or open new markets.
New York Post
Augusta nurse lost to COVID-19 is reminder true heroes wear white jackets
By Ian O’Connor
Matthew and Yolanda Coar would drive up and down Washington Road during Masters week, proud that the world came to their town every year and made the place feel so damn alive. They would find a restaurant with an outdoor patio and people-watch through the night, before gathering in front of a TV for the Sunday finish. …He mentioned that he might take another Masters-week drive on Washington, his first without his wife. Yolanda Coar, longtime nurse and nurse manager at Augusta University Health Center, died of complications from COVID-19 on Aug. 9, six weeks before she was to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary with Matthew. …His wife was promoted to nurse manager last May. Like a coach, Yolanda talked about building a winning program and culture in her department. Her motto, “Be Exceptional,” applied to her colleagues and her husband. … A few weeks ago, Matthew accepted the Patricia Sodomka Leadership Award on his wife’s behalf at Augusta University Health’s Patient-and-Family-Centered Care Conference. … Only as the Masters returns to semi-normal five months after its deferred, fan-free event, the attention should be on Yolanda Coar and all medical professionals this week for this simple reason: Champions in Augusta wear green jackets. Heroes in Augusta wear white ones.
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State continues with vaccinations
By Staff Reports
Gordon State College has to announced that it is continuing with the process of vaccinating individuals on its campus to protect against the COVID-19 virus. Originally, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was offered to those individuals who meet the current criteria to receive the vaccine — including faculty and staff who are 55 and older, anyone with developmental disabilities, or faculty and staff who are age 16 or older with underlying conditions.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern officials announce 12 positive COVID-19 ahead of its thirteenth week
Mitch Smith, Managing Editor for Print
Georgia Southern officials reported a week of decreased positive COVID-19 cases, reporting 12 cases during the twelfth week of this spring semester. After completing the twelfth full week of classes in the spring semester, “After completing the twelfth full week of classes in the Spring semester, the report below indicates a decrease of total cases from the previous week and the lowest total reported cases in the spring semester with 5 university-confirmed cases and 7 self-reported cases last week.” said a disclaimer on the GS’ reporting website.
accessWDUN
District 2 Department of Public Health moving vaccine site to UNG – Gainesville campus
By Lauren Hunter Multimedia Journalist
District 2 Department of Public Health is phasing out its COVID-19 mass vaccination site at Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center and opening a new one at the University of North Georgia – Gainesville campus. The new site will officially open tomorrow morning at UNG’s Hugh Mills Physical Education Complex. Doctor Zachary Taylor, Public Health Director for District 2 Public Health, said that once the transition is complete, healthcare workers will have the ability to vaccinate twice as many people at the new site.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated April 5)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 16, 749 | 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: 856, 340 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CDC eases cleaning guidelines to prevent COVID spread
By Tim Darnell
Walensky says young people driving U.S. uptick in coronavirus cases
The director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday the agency is relaxing its guidelines on cleaning facilities and homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. At a White House briefing, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said disinfection is still being recommended in “indoor settings, schools, and homes where there has been a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, within the last 24 hours.” Overall, however, Walensky said science has shown people can become infected via contaminated surfaces, but the risk is low. Regular cleaning of these surfaces with soap or detergent works, and disinfection is not necessary, Walensky said.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Why Students Aren’t Filling Out the FAFSA
Low-income and first-generation students find it difficult to fill it out, and they fill it out themselves, EAB survey finds.
By Scott Jaschik
A new survey by EAB, the education consulting company, of more than 15,000 high school students has found that 30 percent of both first-generation and low-income students said completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid was difficult, a rate that is 10 to 15 percentage points higher than the proportion of other students who said it was. In addition, the survey found that almost 40 percent of first-generation students, and 37 percent of low-income students, said they did the FAFSA themselves, compared to 11 percent of higher-income students. The percentage of low-income students who had yet to file but said they planned to was twice as high compared to those with higher incomes.
Inside Higher Ed
Driving Transformation in Higher Education: A Compilation
By Doug Lederman
“Driving Transformation in Higher Education,” a new print-on-demand compilation of articles and essays from Inside Higher Ed, is now available for free download here. The articles in this booklet offer numerous examples of institutional adaptation, as well as insights from experts on how colleges and universities, individually and collectively, might reimagine themselves to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by today’s pressure-filled, fast-changing environment.
Inside Higher Ed
AAC&U survey of employers shows liberal arts skills are valued and sought out in the workplace but raises questions about student preparation.
By Colleen Flaherty
The Association of American Colleges and Universities’ newest report, “How College Contributes to Workforce Success: Employer Views on What Matters Most,” is something of a mixed bag for higher education. First the good: employers generally have confidence in higher education and value the college degree. They believe that a liberal education — or preparation for more than a specific job — provides knowledge and skills that are important for career success. And increasingly, employers say, college graduates are more effective at explaining what they bring to the table. Personal aptitudes and mind-sets also play a role in career success, employers say. Breadth and depth of learning are essential to longterm performance. Completion of active and applied learning experiences in college gives job applicants a clear advantage in the hiring process, as well. Now the not-so-great findings: employers see room for improvement in how colleges and universities prepare students for work.