University System News:
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
Cairo’s MacCartney accepts role as acting chancellor of university system
By Kevin Price
Teresa MacCartney has fond memories of growing up in Cairo. Those days laid the foundation of a career that has led her to become the acting chancellor of the University System of Georgia. MacCartney was appointed as the acting chancellor by the Board of Regents while it looks for a permanent replacement for Steve Wrigley, who retired on July 1. MacCartney is only the second woman to lead the USG. Corlis Cummings was the interim chancellor in 2005. As the acting chancellor, MacCartney manages 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48.000 faculty and staff and 341,000 students.
NBC News
Why tenure is so important — yet rare — for Black professors
“It’s very disheartening when we work hard and do all we’re supposed to do and don’t get tenured,” said one professor.
By Curtis Bunn
In the three years between leaving NASA as a research meteorologist and landing at the University of Georgia’s atmospheric sciences program, James Marshall Shepherd ascended the academic ladder there, further solidifying his authority in the field of weather and climate change. In that short period of time he was even granted tenure. This quick ascension is unique among academics at any college, but particularly rare for a Black professor at a predominately white institution. But the depth of Shepherd’s accomplishments made his ascension to the professorial pinnacle undeniable. “The University of Georgia has been very gracious and even stepped up to ensure I know they appreciate what I have brought to the school,” said Shepherd, who joined the university in 2006. “At the same time, I know that historically it hasn’t been the same experience for other Black professors at other predominantly white schools.” The goal of obtaining tenure for Black professors has thrust into the spotlight by two high-profile confrontations that played out in public.
Tifton CEO
ABAC to Honor Cordell, Spinks at Georgia Museum of Agriculture July 23
Two icons in the history of Tifton will be honored on July 23 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture. The Tom M. Cordell Conference Center and the Ford B. Spinks Exhibit Hall will both be dedicated in the 3 p.m. ceremony at the main exhibit hall in the Georgia Museum of Agriculture. ABAC President David Bridges said the recognition for Cordell and Spinks is well deserved. …The Tom M. Cordell Conference Center honors the longtime Dean and Coordinator of Continuing Education at ABAC. …The Ford B. Spinks Exhibit Hall recognizes an ABAC alumnus who was a key influencer in the establishment of the Georgia Agrirama in Tifton in 1976 and a strong supporter of the State Museum of Agriculture when it became a part of ABAC in 2010.
Athens CEO
USPOULTRY Supports UGA Department of Poultry Science
Maria M. Lameiras
Ongoing support from the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY) and the USPOULTRY Foundation will help the University of Georgia Department of Poultry Science grow its impact on students and on the poultry industry. USPOULTRY, which has pledged $125,000 over five years to student recruitment funds for the department, has contributed approximately more than $6.5 million in research funding and student recruitment grants since 1994. These special grants provide the department with readily available funds to identify and recruit students pursuing poultry science degrees and conduct research that has helped improve the poultry industry.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated’ burdens busy US hospitals
By Heather Hollingsworth and Josh Funk, Associated Press
The COVID-19 comeback across the U.S. is putting pressure on hospitals at a time when some of them are busy just trying to catch up on surgeries and other procedures that were put on hold during the pandemic
The COVID-19 comeback across the U.S. is putting pressure on hospitals at a time when some of them are busy just trying to catch up on surgeries and other procedures that were put on hold during the pandemic. With the highly contagious delta variant spreading rapidly, cases in the U.S. are up around 70% over the last week, hospital admissions have climbed about 36% and deaths rose by 26%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Some hospitals are reporting record or near-record patient volumes. But even for those that aren’t, this round of the pandemic is proving tougher in some ways, hospital and health officials said. Staff members are worn out, and finding traveling nurses to boost their ranks can be tough. …In Georgia, Augusta University Medical Center is “busting at the seams” as it handles medical procedures postponed because of the pandemic and deals with a spike in respiratory illnesses that usually hit in the wintertime, said Dr. Phillip Coule, chief medical officer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia settles lawsuit with medical prison whistleblower
Georgia will pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit by a physician who drew attention to unsanitary conditions at Augusta State Medical Prison
Georgia will pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a physician who drew attention to unsanitary conditions at Augusta State Medical Prison. Dr. Timothy Young said in the suit that he faced retaliation for being a whistleblower. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the state will pay $300,000 on behalf of defendants Georgia Correctional HealthCare, which provides medical care at the prison; its statewide medical director, Dr. Billy Nichols; and the medical prison’s warden, Ted Philbin. …Georgia Correctional HealthCare is a branch of Augusta University. Christen Engle, the university’s vice president of communications and marketing, declined to comment.
Other News:
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?
910,556 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES
1,145,976 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES
Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?
18,617 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS
21,558 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS
Albany Herald
Delta variant threatens window of herd immunity opportunity
By Carlton Fletcher
here is an ominous undertone, a touch of frustration mixed with the surface optimism, as Scott Steiner and Dr. Eddie Black talk about the emergence of the so-called delta variant of the coronavirus that has emerged as the latest health emergency related to the pandemic that has gripped the world for almost a year and a half. Both talk of a narrow window of opportunity that, because of some people’s reluctance to take vaccinations that have so far proved adept at stopping the spread of the virus, may be closing. …A recent CDC report showed that the delta variant, which is rampant in certain areas of states like Florida and Missouri, has led to measurable increases in positive COVID-19 cases in 47 states. In Georgia, positive tests increased by 143% over a 10-day period. And while both Black and Steiner said that specific test kits are needed to determine if an infected person has the delta variant of the virus, they both have a wary eye on local increases.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Report says fewer students — especially low-income and minority students — are filling out the form.
By Scott Jaschik
The high school Class of 2021 completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at a rate 4.8 percent lower than the year before, according to a report being released today by the National College Attainment Network. Those figures are as of July 2.
Inside Higher Ed
President Biden has pledged to appeal a federal judge’s ruling against the program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation.
By Elizabeth Redden
President Biden says the Department of Justice will appeal a federal judge’s ruling against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides protection against deportation to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants known as Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. without documentation as children. The judge ruled the program, which also provides the immigrants work authorization, illegal and ordered the Biden administration not to approve any new applications for the program. The ruling does not immediately affect current DACA recipients. Biden said in a statement Saturday that the ruling “relegates hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to an uncertain future.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
U. of South Carolina Wants to Rename Buildings. State Politics Will Stop It.
By Sarah Brown
A commission at the University of South Carolina recommended on Friday that the names of 11 people who were slaveowners, fought for the Confederacy, or held racist beliefs be removed from campus buildings, including that of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, who supported segregation for much of his political career. To many on the flagship campus, in Columbia, it felt like a victory at first. But there’s no political path forward to actually removing Thurmond’s name or any others, at least for now. University leaders say their hands are tied by a state law — the Heritage Act — that requires a two-thirds supermajority of the state legislature, controlled by Republicans, to approve any changes in the names of public buildings. Current legislative leaders have made clear that such proposals won’t go anywhere.
Inside Higher Ed
AAUP says COVID-19 and years of unstable funding have led to “an existential threat to shared governance and academic freedom.”
By Scott Jaschik
The American Association of University Professors sees “an existential threat to shared governance and academic freedom” resulting from the economic and other hardships facing most faculty members, according to a new report. The report builds on a report the AAUP issued in April on faculty salaries for the year (which fell, when adjusted for inflation, for the first time since 2011-12) but adds additional information on how COVID-19 affected the faculty and an analysis of trends affecting adjunct faculty. … The report is a reminder to academe not to judge the health of institutions (or faculties) on the basis of news coverage of the wealthiest institutions. Generally, those colleges and universities — public and private alike — did well. But other colleges did not fare as well. For example, the top 10 private universities in faculty salaries in 2020-21 all had average salaries of over $200,000. Columbia University led the way at $280,800. But according to the report, more than half of all colleges and universities froze (or cut) salaries in response to the pandemic, and more than a quarter cut benefits.
Inside Higher Ed
Medical College Group Urges Vaccine Requirements for Employees
By Scott Jaschik
The Association of American Medical Colleges is urging members to require vaccinations for employees. David J. Skorton, the president, said, “Across the country, we are seeing increasing evidence that those currently unvaccinated continue to be at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 and are the overwhelming majority of new hospitalizations. This, along with the continued resurgence of COVID-19 cases related to lack of vaccination and exacerbated by novel viral variants, such as the Delta variant, has emphasized the critical need to continue to get individuals vaccinated and mitigate the spread of the virus.
Inside Higher Ed
U of California to Require COVID Vaccines for Fall
By Elizabeth Redden
The University of California moved up the timeline for its COVID-19 vaccination requirement on Thursday, saying it will require faculty, students and staff to be vaccinated two weeks before the start of the fall term. Previously, the university system said it would wait on full approval from the Food and Drug Administration before its COVID-19 vaccine requirement would go into effect. The three vaccines available to the public in the U.S. are approved through the FDA’s emergency use authorization process.