University System News:
WGAU Radio
University touts success in pandemic year
By James Hataway, Rebecca Vander Plaats, UGA Today
The University of Georgia celebrated a number of important accomplishments during the 2020-2021 academic year despite the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic. “I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff and students for showing tremendous resilience throughout this difficult year,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Because of them, the university was able not only to continue its vital mission of teaching, research and service but also to advance a number of strategic initiatives and build on our record of academic excellence.” Here, we look back at some of the highlights from this historic year.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Dan Levy’s advice to graduates, Biden’s Pell grant push
By Eric Stirgus
The spring semester has ended, but there’s still plenty happening at Georgia’s colleges and universities. Here’s a look at some things that have taken place in recent days in this edition of AJC On Campus.
Biden budget: More money for Pell grants; Vaccine petition; Chancellor suggestion; Racial and gender diversity slightly up among Georgia faculty; New digs for UNG faculty; Remembering Pete Correll
Albany Herald
Signing bonuses latest answer to nursing shortage
By Andy Miller
One sign of the severity of Georgia’s nurse shortage can be seen in the bonuses offered to experienced RNs to join a hospital work force. Some health systems in the state are paying bonuses of more than $10,000 to attract nurses. And Piedmont Healthcare, which is rapidly becoming Georgia’s biggest health system, said it has offered bonuses of up to $30,000, a figure that has startled local health industry officials. Nurses are not the only personnel in short supply. Respiratory therapists are also in high demand. …University Health Care System in Augusta said that currently there are smaller class sizes in nursing schools and a shortage of nursing instructors locally. The system also cited “the inability of students to complete their in-person clinical training because of COVID-19 that is slowing our ability to backfill those positions.’’
Higher Ed Dive
A chancellor search in Georgia highlights the problems of ‘partisan capture’
The state’s Republican leaders have a strong hand in the public system’s workings — a dynamic observers argue it must break free of.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Reporter
The University System of Georgia has emerged in the last decade as one of the most closely watched public networks in American higher education, nabbing nationwide attention for its aggressive consolidations and student success initiatives. Now, it’s a system looking for a new leader, as current chancellor Steve Wrigley will retire July 1. But the search for his replacement, which the governing board took up earlier this year, has proven tumultuous for the 341,000-student system. …The search, which has since resumed, provides an object lesson on what higher ed observers deem a longstanding problem for USG. The regent board is frequently driven by state policymakers’ desires, despite the legal firewall that supposedly separates them from the system. That’s partially because the governor appoints all the regents, who then name a chancellor.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia plaque honors 19th century Black female millionaire
By Joe Hotchkiss, Augusta Chronicle
Harrell Lawson grew up in Hancock County in the 1960s, listening to tales about the old plantation across the road. “I used to hear stories about how a Black woman used to own it, but I didn’t know my relation to her at the time,” he said. More people know now. On May 21, a Georgia historical marker was unveiled in downtown Augusta to mark the home at 448 Telfair St. where Amanda America Dickson Toomer – perhaps the richest Black woman of the 19th century – spent the last seven years of her life. …Augusta’s support of the marker program is “helping tell the story of our shared past and to ensure our history is not forgotten,” Butler said. Corey Rogers, resident historian at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, credited Dr. Lee Ann Caldwell, director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta University; businesswoman Dee Crawford; and Historic Augusta Executive Director Erick Montgomery for their shared work with him in successfully acquiring the marker. Only five of them are issued statewide each year.
Tifton Gazette
Mulkey tapped for ag-ed hall of fame
Dr. Farish Mulkey, an assistant professor of agricultural education at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been selected for the Georgia Agricultural Education Hall of Fame. Mulkey joins two current ABAC faculty members, Dr. Frank Flanders and Von Peavy, in the Hall of Fame, college officials said in a statement. …Mulkey served as a Young Farmer advisor, providing instruction for adults in his community, was named Teacher of the Year in his school system, participated on local Farm Bureau boards and served on committees within the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association. A Georgia Agricultural Education Hall of Fame spokesman said Mulkey’s decorated and successful career was not highlighted by the many plaques, trophies and ribbons that his students earned; rather his career is highlighted by the character that he exhibited and instilled in the young people he taught in class.
Valdosta Today
UGA and Valdosta partner to complete city housing survey
University of Georgia MPA students assist Neighborhood Development Division with Housing Survey The City of Valdosta’s Neighborhood Development Division has partnered with the Masters of Public Administration Program at the University of Georgia (UGA) to complete the 2021 Community Housing Survey. The survey is done as part of the City’s process to complete a Community Revitalization Plan. A portion of that plan focuses on the housing stock in our community, and the only way to assess our housing stock is by surveying each parcel of local neighborhoods. The survey is essential because it also analyzes the overall quality of life in these areas by conducting a housing, economic, and job assessment.
Forsyth County News
North Forsyth graduate gets inspiration from her mother
From staff reports
Daenecia Hines
North Forsyth High School
Tell me a little bit about you.
“I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Georgia at the age of 9. That move from a city to a sub-suburban area really opened my eyes and encouraged me to embrace diversity; it also exposed me to new experiences. “I have had the opportunity to fish, attend mission trips, and even attend a medical camp at Emory University. “Furthermore, I developed new hobbies like sewing, calligraphy and cake decorating. I was even inspired to create my own cake business, Dae’s Desserts. Now, I am excited to start the next chapter of my life at the University of West Georgia. I am looking forward to enjoying many more unique experiences.”
Cleaning & Maintenance Management
University Makes Disinfecting Wipes for Campus
Dedicated to green cleaning practices, UGA began making environmental disinfectant wipes during the pandemic
by Rocio Villaseñor
During the beginning of the pandemic, hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes were scarce as demand grew high for these cleaning products across the country. Many facilities, especially college campuses, had a difficult time finding a supplier as priority was given to hospitals, first responders, and long-term care facilities. Some businesses decided to make their own hand sanitizers and others their own disinfectant wipes. The University of Georgia (UGA) was no exception. In spring 2020, the school began to make its own environmental disinfectant wipes to be used around campus.
DeseretNews
COVID-19 vaccine skin patches may be the painless alternative to a shot
Future coronavirus vaccines may look different than the first, and they may be entirely painless
By Aspen Pflughoeft
The next generation of COVID-19 vaccines may not come as a shot at all. Researchers are currently exploring alternative vaccine delivery methods that do not use traditional intravenous injections, reports Clinical Trials Arena. Vaccine patches have already been developed for the flu and measles by researchers at the Georgia Tech Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery, said NPR. They could soon be developed for coronavirus vaccines since efforts are underway.
Forbes
Was Covid-19 A Failure Of Policy Or A Failure Of Information?
John Drake, Contributor
I’m a professor at the University of Georgia.
Reasonable people disagree, but my opinion is that the Covid-19 epidemic in the US, which has taken at least 592,000 and possibly as many as 900,000 American lives to date, was avoidable. It is inevitable that new infectious diseases will emerge. What will be essential in the future is to prevent them from becoming as widespread in the population as Covid-19 has become. I was asked earlier today if I think the failure to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic in the US was a failure of policy or a failure of information. The answer is neither—and both. The question implies a binary answer, but we need to stop thinking of infectious disease intelligence and mitigation this way.
Griffin Daily News
Gordon State participates in USG AAMI virtual graduation
Gordon State College students, faculty and administrators participated in the African-American Male Initiative virtual graduation on Friday, May 21, with the theme — Your VOICE Matters — and featured graduates from the spring and summer. Professor Ryran Traylor, director of AAMI at GSC, welcomed keynote speaker, Dr. Kirk A. Nooks, president of GSC, who spoke about the importance of the AAMI program in producing graduates.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated May 31)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 18,068 | 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: 896,081 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Albany Herald
Officials urge vaccinations as COVID continues to recede
From staff reports
While the COVID virus lingers in southwest Georgia, officials say that with the growing number of people that have been vaccinated, an end to the virus is now in sight. And one of those officials urged southwest Georgians to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: An overlooked way to boost vaccinations
By W. Scott Bohlke
We are now at a point where the strategies to maximize vaccination numbers are ineffective at reaching communities such as mine.
In my small community of Brooklet, just outside of Statesboro, there have been potentially hundreds of missed opportunities for individuals to receive COVID-19 vaccines. I’m told almost daily by my patients that they are willing and wanting to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but tell me “I’ll only get it if I can get it from you.” As a family physician for the past 22 years, being forced to the sidelines and unable to provide care and treatment to my patients during a hundred-year pandemic has been difficult to say the least. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, but have spent almost my entire adult life in Georgia outside of 4 years of U.S. Air Force service in Montgomery, Alabama. I was educated at the University of Georgia and Medical College of Georgia. …Part of my role as a physician is developing a trusted relationship with each of my patients. It pains me every time I’m asked when I’ll have vaccine available for them because, right now, the answer is, “I don’t know.” As a country, we are missing out on getting people vaccinated by not using offices like mine and other similar offices.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Do College Application Essays Favor the Wealthy?
New research says they correlate with family wealth — even more than the SAT. What should colleges do?
By Scott Jaschik
Everyone has heard that the SAT and ACT correlate with family wealth. Wealthier students generally attend high schools that are focused on the college application process, and many offer special programs for students to stretch their skills. Wealthier students can afford to hire SAT or ACT tutors and to take the tests as many times as possible. In the last year, many colleges have gone test optional or test blind (where they won’t even look at a test score) as a result of the pandemic. Some colleges are reporting that they are admitting more low-income students and more students who are members of minority groups. Colleges are also paying more attention to everything but an ACT or SAT score — grades, obviously, but also activities (although they have been limited by the pandemic) and the application essay. New research from Stanford University is among the latest to note this relationship between wealth and doing well on the SAT. But the research goes further: it says there is something that correlates more strongly with family income than the SAT. And that is the application essay.