University System News:
WGAU Radio
UGA task force to look for lessons learned during pandemic
Panel is comprised of more than two dozen faculty, staff, and students
By Sam Fahmy, UGA Today
As the University of Georgia prepares for a full return to normal campus operations this fall, it is also looking back to identify how lessons learned from a year and a half of teaching during the COVID pandemic can enhance the learning environment. The Task Force on the Future of Teaching and Learning at UGA, charged by Provost S. Jack Hu and Vice President for Instruction Rahul Shrivastav, is composed of 27 faculty, staff and students from across the institution. Its members will meet regularly over the next several months and are scheduled to deliver a report on their findings at the end of fall semester.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
UGA, Tech athletes partner with new Atlanta startup to cash in on NIL
By Eric Jackson – Sports Business Reporter
Let the games begin. Georgia college athletes are free to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) starting today. Over 20 athletes from the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have agreed to sign up with Fans Meet Idols, said Atlanta entrepreneur Steve Kennedy, who’s startup allows athletes to create their own storefronts and offer autographs and merchandise. A few have already launched their storefronts while the rest are expected to activate after the holiday weekend. UGA pitcher Jaden Woods and Tech volleyball player Kayla Kaiser are among local athletes already offering personalized audio and video messages.
AP News
With a growing need to better understand the many links between heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death worldwide, the American Heart Association – the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives – announced today grants focused on this area of scientific research. More than $11 million in research grants are awarded to four multidisciplinary teams to create the Association’s newest Strategically Focused Research Network on disparities in cardio-oncology. Specifically, these teams will develop breakthrough solutions to better identify and address how the combination of these diseases disproportionately affects underrepresented populations. Research teams at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Boston University School of Medicine, the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Pennsylvania will receive more than $2.7 million each for their individual projects aimed at reducing critical deficiencies related to disparities in cardio-oncology and increasing the understanding of the causes, consequences, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease among cancer patients and cancer survivors from diverse populations.
Georgia Department of Community Health
Gov. Kemp Appoints Dep. Chief of Staff to Lead Department of Community Health
On June 22, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced his Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Caylee Noggle, would begin serving as the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) on July 1. …She also served as Coordinator of First Year and Academic Support Programs at the University of West Georgia. … Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Governor’s Office, Ryan Loke, will join Caylee Noggle at DCH as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Health Policy Officer, also effective July 1. …He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Political Science and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health.
Augusta CEO
MCG’s Ledford Named Hames Distinguished Chair
Jennifer Hilliard Scott
Dr. Christy J.W. Ledford, professor and research director in the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, has been named Curtis G. Hames, MD, Distinguished Chair in Family Medicine. Ledford also is director of MCG’s HamesNet, an Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality practice-based research network, or PBRN. These networks, some of which have existed for more than 20 years, are groups of primary care clinicians and practices working together to answer community-based health care questions and translate research findings into practice.
Higher Ed Dive
Georgia’s college system still hasn’t named a permanent chancellor. What’s next?
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Reporter
Dive Insight:
USG is one of the most prominent public higher education networks in the U.S., and it has been closely watched for its consolidation efforts and student success initiatives. It enrolls around 341,000 students. Wrigley announced his retirement in January after serving in the chancellor role since 2017. Despite the system’s prestige, its regent board has run into trouble naming his replacement. …It’s unclear what the regents’ next steps are. A system spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday on how many candidates the board is currently considering or how long MacCartney would be in the post.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 30)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 18,496 | 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: 903,423 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp ends Georgia’s pandemic emergency declaration as state gets ‘back to normal’
By Greg Bluestein, Ariel Hart
Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday officially ended the 15-month state of emergency that gave him far-reaching authority to respond to the coronavirus pandemic as the state’s fight against the disease improves. The governor signed an executive order that lifts the state’s declaration of a public health emergency while also keeping many key elements in place, such as looser restrictions on medical licensing and more flexibility to distribute federal aid.
U.S. News & World Report
Could the ‘Mono’ Virus Be Driving Long-Haul COVID?
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
Some folks suffering COVID long-haul symptoms might actually be experiencing an attack of fatigue-inducing Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a new study argues. Two-thirds of a group of 30 COVID long-haul patients had high levels of Epstein-Barr antibodies, suggesting that EBV lying dormant in their bodies had been reactivated by their coronavirus infection, researchers reported. … More than 95% of adults carry Epstein-Barr, which is a herpesvirus, the researchers said in background notes. The virus is the most common cause of mononucleosis, a disease that also leaves its sufferers persistently exhausted.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
An experiment suggests colleges can help students bypass remedial courses for college-level classes by using algorithms instead of placement tests to predict academic outcomes.
By Sara Weissman
At more than 70 percent of colleges, placement tests determine whether students need to take remedial courses. If those tests are inaccurate, students may find themselves incorrectly placed on a remedial track and enrolled in noncredit classes that delay them from earning their degrees and increase the cost of their education. A working paper, one in a series released by the National Bureau of Economic Research in June, suggests that placement tests could be replaced by an algorithm that uses a more wide-ranging set of measures to predict whether a student would succeed in credit-bearing college courses.
Inside Higher Ed
Corporate Recruiter Survey Finds Demand for M.B.A. Graduates
By Elizabeth Redden
Nine out of 10 corporate recruiters expect demand for business school graduates to increase or remain stable over the next five years, according to a new survey of corporate recruiters from the Graduate Management Admission Council. The survey found that the median salary for M.B.A.s is projected to return to its pre-pandemic level, $115,000, after dipping to $105,000 three months into the pandemic.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside the Numbers of One State’s Plan to Consolidate Its Public System of Higher Ed
By Audrey Williams June
About a year ago, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or Passhe, took the first step toward merging six of the 14 universities in a system that has weathered enrollment declines and financial pressures for a decade. And as early as next month, the system’s Board of Governors could take a final vote on plans to make those six universities into two. California, Clarion, and Edinboro Universities would become one institution in western Pennsylvania. Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield Universities would become one institution in the state’s northeast. All the campuses would remain open, but with a new name for each group of three institutions.