University System News:
WTOC
Georgia Southern’s 3 campuses ready to get back to face-to-face classes
By Dal Cannady
Next month, 27,000 students will start the Fall semester across three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, and Hinesville. Georgia Southern University students return to classes Aug. 11. GSU’s president says they’ll see some differences from the past year of pandemic protocols. “A regular schedule of classes with face-to-face offerings will be closer to the mix we had in 2019,” President Dr. Kyle Marrero said. They’ll continue to offer COVID testing and more.
The Red & Black
St. Mary’s Hospital & AU/UGA Medical Partnership welcome new residents
Simran Kaur Malhotra | Health Editor
On Monday, St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens and the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership released a press release highlighting their 12 new residents accepted into the Internal Medicine Residency Program. These residents come from various medical schools nationally and globally, holding Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees. Residency is a three-year program with increasing levels of independence and is the final stage in a medical school graduate’s internal medicine education, according to the press release. At the end of the three-year program, residents will take their licensure exam and either go into practice or continue training for a specialty. The Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s, the major participating site, collaborated on the Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern Contributes Nearly $90 Million Economic Impact on Region
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is an essential economic powerhouse for the region, contributing $89.7 million to Georgia’s economic output in fiscal year 2020. The University System of Georgia (USG) and its 26 institutions served as a significant source of stability and played a critical role in the state’s recovery with an $18.6 billion statewide economic impact. While the USG’s economic impact was up 0.6 percent from fiscal year 2019, Georgia Southwestern’s was down slightly at 1.2 percent from last year’s total. The new detailed report released by the USG revealed that GSW generated 1,091 full- and part-time jobs, and GSW-related spending produced nearly $87.4 million.
Athens CEO
UGA Raises $205.2 Million in FY21
Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic, friends of the University of Georgia came together during fiscal year 2021 to support students and the university, resulting in a total of $205.2 million given to UGA, including over $10 million to the campaign that created the Jere W. Morehead Honors College.
“To see this level of support during such a pivotal time is truly inspiring,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “My heartfelt thanks to every person who gave. They helped our students, faculty and staff persevere through unprecedented challenges, and they are ensuring that as we overcome those challenges, we will emerge ready to further strengthen UGA’s commitments to our students, community, state and world.” The $205.2 million came from a total of 69,573 donors. UGA’s three-year rolling average, which averages the three most recent years of giving, held steady at over $200 million. The university’s alumni participation rate, the percentage of UGA alumni who made a gift to the university in the past year, increased to a record 15.2%, up from 12.8% in FY20.
Augusta CEO
UGA Program Certifies Ecotourism Guides at the Georgia Coast
Emily Kenworthy
Osprey diving for fish, roseate spoonbills foraging in tidal creeks and American oystercatchers tending to their nests on barrier islands are just a few things visitors may see while exploring the Georgia coast by water. A new certification program developed by the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, in collaboration with Manomet, Inc., is ensuring that ecotour guides educate visitors about nature and how to protect it. Led by UGA marine educators, the Coastal Awareness and Responsible Ecotourism, or CARE, program provides ecotour companies with tools to implement best practices when it comes to water-based tourism activities.
The Augusta Chronicle
Stem cell transplants for children coming to Augusta soon
Tom Corwin
Dr. Amir Khan, chief of pediatric hematology/oncology at Augusta University, will be helping to establish the first bone marrow transplant program for kids in Augusta, which will benefit patients at Children’s Hospital of Georgia. For decades, children and families in the Augusta area who needed a stem cell transplant to fight cancer or other serious ailments had to leave town, often for months at a time. That could change soon with a new program at Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Dr. Amir Mian, the new chief of pediatric hematology/oncology at MCG, will also be the director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program. Mian, who is coming from a successful program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said the timing is good to start the program in Augusta.
Middle Georgia CEO
Macon Volunteer Clinic Partners with UGA for Online Food ETalk Program
Macon Volunteer Clinic announces a new collaboration that brings nutrition education to its patients. Through the University of Georgia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (UGA SNAP-Ed), MVC patients now have access to Food eTalk, an evidence-based, online nutrition education program – made especially for those who want free ideas on how to keep their families healthy with nutritious food choices on a budget.
Technology.Org
New composite material has potential for medical use
University of Georgia researchers have developed a new material with properties ideal for medical products such as masks and bandages. It’s also better for the environment than the materials in current use. Using nonwoven fabrics—fabrics produced by bonding fibre without weaving or knitting—the team led by Gajanan Bhat was able to make composite materials that are stretchable, breathable and absorbent, properties ideal for medical products. Incorporating cotton also makes the resulting material comfortable on the skin (an important factor in medical applications) and easier to compost, hence more sustainable compared to similar products currently in the market.
WJBF
AU Health mask requirement to be reinstated due to prevalence of the Delta variant
by: Dawn Wise
In collaboration with their infectious disease experts, AU Health has been monitoring COVID-19 cases closely and has seen an increase in the COVID-19 Delta variant. The majority of cases are those who are unvaccinated. The institution will reinstate the universal masking policy out of an abundance of caution, effective Friday morning, July 23, at 7 a.m.
WRBL
Colleges and COVID-19: How the pandemic is changing orientation
by: Sarah Gray Barr
More than six million applications were submitted through Common App, a college admission application, for the 2020-2021 submission cycle. In turn, colleges are readying themselves for the onslaught of students, especially in the new student orientation process, designed with COVID-19 in mind. University of Georgia student Kate Cartwright is one of the roughly 13,700 first-years admitted for incoming 2024 class. While UGA offered both virtual and in-person orientation, Cartwright opted for in-person because she wanted to meet her fellow first-year students.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated July 22)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 18,655 | 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: 916,373
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
As Fall Semester Approaches, Institutions Struggle to Address Student Mental Health Concerns
by Liann Herder
With the pandemic still in full swing and the student mental health crisis continuing to worsen, how should colleges prepare for the coming year? That’s the question that higher education leaders are contemplating. According to the American College Health Association and National College Health Assessment, in fall 2020, at least 27% of college-aged students reported receiving psychological or mental health assistance within 12 months of being surveyed. Thirty-one percent (31%) said that anxiety had a negative effect on their academic life; 23% said they were affected by depression.
Inside Higher Ed
Continuing Relief for Borrowers?
Advocates and lawmakers say allowing student loan payments to resume Oct. 1 could lead to “disaster.”
By Alexis Gravely
Calls are continuing to grow for the Biden administration to extend the student loan repayment “pause” that expires at the end of September, as recent survey data show that borrowers aren’t prepared for payments to resume, while the Department of Education has yet to communicate a decision with the deadline fast approaching. An analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that two-thirds of respondents to a survey conducted this past spring said it would be difficult for them to afford payments if they resumed a month from the date they took the survey. The majority of the borrowers have used the money they’ve saved from not making loan payments to cover needed expenses or pay down other debt, according to the results. In another survey, conducted by Student Debt Crisis, 90 percent of the nearly 24,000 borrowers surveyed said they were not ready to resume payments in October. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, and borrowers are still in need of continued relief, said executive director Natalia Abrams and program director Cody Hounanian.