University System News
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern students to return to Armstrong campus with COVID protocols for dorms, classes
By Barbara Augsdorfer
Savannah-area colleges are preparing to welcome students back to on-campus living and classes later this month. Among those welcoming students back to residential halls and in-person classes is Georgia Southern University. The full list of COVID-19 protocols for Georgia Southern University is available on the university’s website at georgiasouthern.edu. The protocols are subject to change based on guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health. At the GSU Armstrong and Statesboro campuses, residential students can begin moving in this weekend. Fall 2021 classes begin at both campuses on Aug. 11. Savannah Morning News reached out to Georgia Southern University via email asking about COVID protocols on campus and received responses from John Lester, GSU vice president of communications and marketing.
Henry Herald
UGA works to protect community against COVID-19
Staff Reports
As students prepare to return for the fall semester, the University of Georgia is strengthening its measures to protect the university community from the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 virus. These steps include new incentives to encourage vaccinations, continuation of COVID-19 testing, mandatory reporting of cases via DawgCheck, special cleaning and disinfection protocols that are now standard operating procedures, and major HVAC system improvements that will be ongoing. Of all these measures, getting vaccinated is paramount. UGA President Jere W. Morehead joined with S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost, Shelley Nuss, campus dean of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, and Jennifer Swails, interim executive director for University Health Center, to emphasize that point last week.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia colleges not requiring masks on campus as cities issue mandates
By Eric Stirgus
Several Georgia universities will continue to encourage, but not require, masks be worn to curb the spread of the coronavirus on their campuses, despite mask mandates and proposed requirements in the cities where the schools are located. The University of Georgia’s COVID-19 guidance update Monday comes as the Athens-Clarke County Commission is set to vote Tuesday on a measure that would require mask usage indoors, though it would allow private businesses to opt out. UGA’s main campus is in Athens. In Atlanta, the home of Georgia Tech, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order last week mandating residents wear a mask when indoors in a public place, even if they have been vaccinated. Georgia Tech President Àngel Cabrera said in a message posted on the school’s website Monday he does not believe the city’s mandate is applicable to the campus. …The University System has not required COVID-19 vaccinations nor issued mask mandates, following guidance from Gov. Brian Kemp and state public health officials. The 26-school system has offered vaccinations on many of its campuses, also encouraging students to get vaccinated on social media.
The story also appeared in the Georgia Recorder.
The Statesboro Herald
East Georgia launches ‘Bobcat to Eagle’ program
Staff Reports
In November 2018, East Georgia State College and Georgia Southern University announced that East Georgia would move its Statesboro campus into the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building. Similarly, the functions of Continuing Education at Georgia Southern University would move to the East Georgia campus on Highway 301 South. Last week, East Georgia announced the move to the Georgia Southern campus is scheduled to be complete by January 2022. East Georgia State’s main campus is in Swainsboro but having the EGSC-Statesboro campus provides an easy transfer pathway to Georgia Southern, said Jessica Williamson, director of EGSC-Statesboro.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah State University clears debts of 220 students with CARES Act funds
By Barbara Augsdorfer
Savannah State University students who may have been financially struggling due to COVID-19, received possibly the best news on Monday afternoon: SSU canceled account balances for more than 200 students enrolled in Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 semesters. Affected students include those whose education was abruptly halted at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. According to a press release issued Monday afternoon, the university said it received substantial support from the federal government under the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The balances of 220 former students were cleared, a total of just over $331,000.
This story also appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Griffin Daily News
Lewis to continue serving as GSC Foundation Chair
Staff Reports
The Gordon State College Foundation recently announced that Derrick Lewis will continue to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees for 2021-22.
Albany CEO
GSW Alumnus Dr. Kenneth Wurtz ’75 Endows Biology Scholarship at University
Staff Reports
Kenneth Wurtz, M.D., endowed a biology scholarship recently at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) commemorating his time there as a student having graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. The Dr. Kenneth Wurtz Biology Scholarship, offered through the GSW Foundation, will provide financial support for students majoring in biology focusing on those who have progressed through introductory courses. The scholarship will be available beginning Fall 2022.
Marietta Daily Journal
Donor establishes endowment to support KSU competition teams, honors students
Staff Reports
Longtime technical manager Jim J. Hills has always been a firm believer that competition breeds ingenuity. While studying at the former Southern Technical Institute, now KSU, he regularly competed in the college’s famed bathtub races, where he honed his engineering skills building motorized tubs he then raced against his classmates. Now, he and his wife, Wanda, aim to inspire the next generation of engineers through a $1 million endowment, the largest single gift in the history of KSU’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, providing support for KSU competition teams and scholarships for engineering students in the university’s Keeping Sights Upward Journey Honors College.
Savannah CEO
Summer Tutoring Program Addressed Pandemic Learning Loss in Regional Schools
Staff Reports
The Regional Education Collaborative, made up of local higher education institutions and K-12 schools, addressed learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic through a summer tutoring program that connected college students to K-12 students in Bulloch County and Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. Students from Georgia Southern University, Ogeechee Technical College, Savannah State University, and Savannah Technical College, provided individualized academic support in the initiative led by Georgia Southern College of Education’s (COE) Elizabeth Williams, Ed.S., and Alisa Leckie, Ph.D. Williams and Leckie recognized the many concerns that resulted from the loss of time in the classroom during the pandemic that spanned from elementary to college students.
The Brunswick News
CCGA students complete learning experience focused on mathematics
By Lauren McDonald
Four students at College of Coastal Georgia embarked on a special journey into the world of mathematics this summer. Darius Hammond, Andrea Olvera, Jayla Maxwell and Jose Cruz-Ramirez worked together for almost two months to create new math, by focusing on quantifying the number of zeros in a certain class of random polynomials and finding a class with more zeros. Their new learning experience was supported through the National Science Foundation via the Mathematical Association of America. The MAA encourages math faculty to apply to host a National Research Experience for Undergraduates Program at their institution.
WGAU Radio
UGA touts partnership with Clarke Co Schools
New Teacher Orientation teams in schools in Athens
By Kathryn Kao, UGA Today
Sometimes the most powerful way to conduct research is to put it in action. This is exactly how doctoral candidate Erica Gilbertson hopes to address a critical need to build a system of high-quality support for new teachers. With the help of an action research team consisting of three faculty members in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, three Clarke County School District administrators and a policy analyst, Gilbertson designed several interventions to help new teachers navigate a particularly challenging school year due to the pandemic. In collaboration with the study, Michael Harris—the former executive director for talent management of the CCSD—formed a new teacher orientation (NTO) team to design, implement and evaluate the district’s induction program.
Albany Herald
Kennesaw student takes fast track to chiropractic goal
By Dave Shelles Special to the Herald
Barrett Upton enjoys staying ahead of the game. He arrived at Kennesaw State in 2018 with college credits in hand through a dual enrollment program. By the end of his sophomore year, he realized that, with diligence, he could finish his undergraduate degree ahead of schedule and get an early start on becoming a chiropractor. …Upton took classes the past two summers and did neuroscience research in the laboratory of associate professor of biology Martin Hudson. This week, he will walk down the aisle at the Convocation Center with his bachelor’s degree in biology. …Upton chose KSU after hearing about the great experiences older relatives enjoyed. Once on campus, he jump-started his college career by participating in the Advanced Majors Program, which offers accelerated classes and a community of like-minded learners for students in the College of Science and Mathematics. He credited the program with keeping him on task and motivated by putting him in contact with other high achievers.
WABE
Still Fast, 25 Years Later: The Science Behind Georgia Tech’s Olympic Pool
By Emil Moffatt
Among the venues that have lasted from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is the swimming pool at Georgia Tech. And after 25 years, it remains state of the art. That’s because of its technology that still provides a competitive edge for those who swim there. When most people watch Olympic swimmers, they mainly focus on the athletes. Georgia Tech Professor Jud Ready and his students, however, look at how the pool is designed. “The course that I teach material science and engineering of sports,” Ready said. “So we cover helmets and shoes and the playing surfaces.” One case study of how engineering and sports come together is the McAuley Aquatic Center at Georgia Tech — originally built for the 1996 Olympic games.
… Because the pool is almost 10 feet deep all the way around, the surface water is hardly disturbed when athletes dive into the water to start the race, Ready said. The pool re-circulates the water from the bottom instead of the sides like a normal pool. It also features gutters on the sides that immediately trap waves so they don’t slosh back toward the swimming lanes. The result, Ready says, is the fastest pool in the United States.
Athens CEO
CAES Researcher Receives $1.75 Million to Study Age-related Disease Resistance
By Leslie Matos
Like people, plants face challenges from microbial pathogens throughout their lifespan. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided Li Yang, an assistant professor of plant immunity at the University of Georgia, with the Maximizing Investors’ Research Award (MIRA) totaling $1.75 million to continue his research on the molecular mechanisms of age-related resistance in plants. The five-year award will be given in yearly increments of $350,000. This age-related resistance study explores plants’ abilities to gain disease resistance to pathogens as the plant matures.
Effingham Herald
Georgia Southern president added to list of forum speakers
Staff Reports
Morris Multimedia is proud to announce Georgia Southern University President Kyle Marrero will be one of the speakers at the inaugural Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum coming to Savannah on Sept. 12 -14, at the Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees’ Garden. Marrero became Georgia Southern University’s 14th president in 2019. As president, he leads the Eagle Nation, a Carnegie R2 institution with a special emphasis on public impact and collaboration that engages 27,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff on three Georgia campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, and Hinesville.
Growing Georgia
Vermeer Loans Bale Wrapper to Woodroof Farm at ABAC
Staff Reports
When it comes to the J.G. Woodroof Farm on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Dr. Mark Kistler wants students to work with the latest and best equipment possible. That’s why he’s so pleased that Vermeer has agreed to a one-year equipment loan of its 2021 Vermeer BW5500 inline bale wrapper. “We are thankful for our longtime corporate partnership with Vermeer,” Kistler, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at ABAC, said. The loan of the 2021 BW5500 inline bale wrapper will enhance both the academic mission of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources as well as the operations of our J.G. Woodroof Farm. Being able to have our students see and use the latest in agricultural equipment will help them to have the knowledge and skills they need for future employment.”
University System News
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Aug. 3)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 942,887
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 18,750 | 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.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia hospitals report spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations
By Yamil Berard, Carrie Teegardin
Front-line workers plead with unvaccinated Georgians to get the shots
A fourth wave of COVID-19 cases is hitting Georgia hospitals, with sharp spikes in cases in the past week igniting concerns of more devastating outbreaks to come. Northeast Georgia Health System as of Monday had 110 confirmed COVID-19 patients in its care. The Gainesville-based system hadn’t seen so many COVID-19 patients since February, officials said. University Hospital in Augusta had three COVID-19 cases as of July 6; the hospital now reports 36 people hospitalized with the disease, a number it hadn’t seen since early March. In Savannah, Memorial Health University Medical Center had 67 cases — the highest number since January, said Dr. Stephen Thacker, associate chief medical officer. Southeast Georgia Health System had 79 cases.
Higher Education News
Inside Higher Ed
Bucking Calls for a Vaccine Mandate
By Elizabeth Redden
Pennsylvania State University is holding firm on its plans to recommend but not require vaccination against COVID-19 on campus this fall, despite a growing chorus of calls from faculty and students for a mandate. “While we are not currently requiring vaccinations, Penn State is not impartial when it comes to getting vaccinated,” Penn State president Eric Barron said Tuesday during a virtual town hall on fall COVID protocols. “The university’s stance is that everyone who can get a vaccine should do so as soon as possible to attain very high vaccination rates on all Penn State campuses.” Penn State officials also announced Tuesday that the university would follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and require masking indoors for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, on Penn State campuses that are located in counties with substantial or high rates of viral transmission, as defined by the CDC.
Inside Higher Ed
Federal Appeals Court Backs Indiana U on Vaccines
By Scott Jaschik
A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal of a district court’s ruling denying an injunction against an Indiana University rule requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit used language in rejecting the appeal that strongly backed Indiana University. Writing for the panel, Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote, “People who do not want to be vaccinated may go elsewhere. Many universities require vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, but many others do not. Plaintiffs have ample educational opportunities.”
Inside Higher Ed
Senators Promote Partnerships to Boost Affordability
By Alexis Gravely
Two senators hoping to establish a federal-state partnership to make college more affordable for students outlined their plan during a webinar hosted Monday by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Senators Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and Susan Collins, the Republican from Maine, said they believe they can get buy-in from states for the Partnerships for Affordability and Student Success, or PASS, Act because their proposed legislation would help states better educate their workforce and, in turn, boost their competitiveness in the global market.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: How to Blur the Line Between High School and College
By Sara Weissman
Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit focused on education and the workforce, released a report Tuesday that argues for a “radical restructuring of education for grades 11-14.” It advocates for a new kind of education institution that is neither high school nor college starting after the second year of high school. These institutions would combine coursework from the last two years of high school with “the more specific education and training of community college” to train students for future careers. Students would graduate with a certificate or associate degree. The report suggests that such an option would eliminate a barrier to college completion by removing the sometimes fraught transition between high school and college and would help prepare students for the workforce starting at age 16. JFF vice president Joel Vargas, a lead author of the report, said broadening college access means not being “hidebound by traditional thinking on the high school-to-college-to-career transition.”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Tuition Insurance Can Help Mitigate Financial Risks in Higher Education
by Liann Herder
In their original 2009 insurance policy plan, GradGuard decided not cover student withdrawal in the case of a pandemic. But as COVID-19 made its grip on the nation clearer, GradGuard’s CEO and co-creator John Fees decided he needed to rewrite the rules. During 2020, GradGuard was the only tuition insurance plan that fully reimbursed student withdrawals due to COVID-19. GradGuard is a program manager that sets students up with insurance that covers 100% of their tuition, room, board, and school fees should that student need to withdraw due to physical injury or illness, chronic illness, or a mental health condition. Most institutions do not offer any return on investment should a student drop out after the first few weeks in the semester. With the cost of higher education continuing to rise, the risk taken by low-income families to invest in higher education has become more serious.