University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Atlanta HBCUs conduct weekly testing; Mastercard’s $5 million grant
By Eric Stirgus
It’s been about a month since the fall semester began at Atlanta-area college and universities, and the coronavirus pandemic is continuing to prompt adjustments by some schools. In this edition of AJC On Campus, we report on COVID-19 testing requirements at some local colleges and universities. We also take a look at how a group of state lawmakers in studying one of the biggest costs to students attending the state’s University System, how one college is trying to help Afghan refugees and some diversity developments at another university. …Georgia Senate leaders review high student fees …Coming up
Kennesaw State University is set Thursday to celebrate the naming of the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences and recognize its namesake donor.
accessWDUN
UNG nursing students prepare to “fill in the gap” at local hospitals
By Lauren Hunter Multimedia Journalist
A national shortage of nurses is causing a strain on hospitals managing an influx of COVID-19 cases. While a shortage of nurses is not a new problem, according to Carolyn DeSandre, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions at the University of North Georgia, the issue has been made more apparent by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, nursing students at UNG are getting the hands-on learning they need to step in and help immediately after graduation. Some of them are already on the front lines supporting full-time healthcare providers. DeSandre said the university has partnerships with several healthcare systems that get students working in a hospital room before they even graduate.
See also:
Gainesville Times
Nursing students offer message of hope to frontline workers: ‘Help is coming’
Daily Citizen-News
Margaret Venable: College and community thrive with mutual support
From the moment a group of community leaders envisioned the impact a college could have in Northwest Georgia, we have had your support. We began 60 years ago — as Dalton Junior College — to provide access to local students to attend college close to home. This meant higher education was available to more people. Local college graduates could fulfill our workforce needs and provide an educated population to become the next generation of community leaders. That’s still who we are today at Dalton State College. We believe education should be available to everyone who wants to work for it. And we’re able to continue to grow while still staying true to who we are because of your support.
Albany Herald
UGA students turn military containers into useful art
By Shannah Montgomery CAES News
Surplus military shipping containers have new life as food storage units at the University of Georgia’s UGArden, part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, thanks to students from the Lamar Dodd School of Art and a few gallons of paint. Once covered in camouflage, the containers now are bright green with colorful flowers, butterflies, bees and vegetables — peppers, carrots, beets and tomatoes — painted on the sides. The repurposed storage units hold produce grown at the student-run garden for use by the UGA Public Service and Outreach Office of Service-Learning’s Campus Kitchen, another student-run group that provides meals to older adults in the Athens area. The artists were part of the Ideas and Creative Exploration Arts Initiative at the School of Art, a network of faculty, students and community members from all disciplines of the visual and performing arts in addition to other disciplines in the humanities and sciences.
WGAU Radio
UGA professor gets $1.9 million federal grant
Funding from Human Resources and Services Administration
By Tim Bryant
University of Georgia education professor Bernadette Heckman gets a $1.9 million grant from the federal government’s Human Resources and Services Administration, funding that will look help with research aimed at enhancing the state’s behavioral health workforce.
The West Georgian
RICHARDS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS WILL HOLD STUDY ABROAD TRIP IN 2022
By Emily Allen
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Richards College of Business can now proceed with their Study Abroad trip for spring break 2022. In the past University of West Georgia has sent management and marketing students around the world to give students the chance and ability to engage in local customs and cultural contexts. The Richards College of Business Study Abroad program gives each student a chance to help their career, add to their resume and increase their social skills. “Richards College of Business has been doing the Study Abroad program for about 14 years uninterrupted until the last two years,” said Erich Bergiel, Professor in the Management Department. “We had a virtual study abroad last year due to COVID-19. This [school] year we are scheduled to go to South Korea during spring break in the spring of 2022.”
WGAU Radio
Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Plan was adopted in May
By Sam Fahmy, UGA Today
A long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence bolstered by an ambitious new five-year plan has earned the University of Georgia national recognition for the eighth consecutive year. The INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. UGA has earned this national honor each year since 2014.
EurekAlert!
Physician-scientists want to find a signal that a person with schizophrenia is also headed toward metabolic syndrome, which increases their risk of also developing cardiovascular disease, and which can result from treatment for their brain disorder. Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors — things like high blood pressure, high blood glucose and a larger waist circumference — widely associated with inflammation and cardiovascular disease, both of which are widely associated with schizophrenia, says Dr. Brian Miller, psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
The Center Square
High student fees paying off Georgia public university debt
Students at Georgia’s public universities are paying hundreds of dollars each semester to help schools with debt accrued from the last recession, a University System of Georgia (USG) official said. Sen. Sally Harrell, D-Atlanta, who initiated the launch of the Senate Study Committee on University Fees, said the fees placed more financial weight on state scholarship recipients and part-time students. USG students are subject to mandatory fees for activities, athletics, health, wellness, facilities, transportation, parking and technology, but Harrell took issue with institutional fees Wednesday during a committee meeting. Acting USG Chancellor Teresa McCartney said the USG Board of Regents created the institutional fees in 2009 to offset state budget cuts caused by the Great Recession.
The Augusta Chronicle
Learning to read is tough, and many of Augusta’s students are far behind
Miguel Legoas
For children who are under-performing, reading should take place before tutoring in any other subject, according to Russell Joel Brown, program director for the after-school program Boys With A Future in Harrisburg. “As I see it, if you have an eighth-grader reading on a kindergarten level, there’s no point in doing anything other than reading and math,” Brown said. “You can’t do well in anything in life if you can’t read.” The national organization ProLiteracy reported that between 2019 and 2020, more than 11,000 students got a new or better job as a result of increased literacy skills. …Augusta University Literacy Center says access to books also plays an important role in fostering reading and partners with the Books for Shay program to collect and distribute new and gently used books for K-5 schoolchildren. In 2021, Books for Shay collected and distributed more than 5,000 books.
Douglas Now
DOUGLAS POLICE INVESTIGATING NON-FATAL SHOOTING ON SHIRLEY AVENUE
Written by Robert Preston
A South Georgia State College student is in custody after a non-fatal shooting took place Thursday night on South Shirley Avenue. According to reports obtained from the Douglas Police Department, officers responded to Coffee Regional Medical Center to investigate the shooting of Damion Harrell, who had been shot in the right wrist while riding in an older model green Toyota. The report states that Harrell said he had been riding with another person who he only knew as Fred when Harrell was shot while sitting in the passenger side of the Toyota. Harrell stated that the heard about five gunshots then realized he was hit in the wrist.
Gwinnett Daily Post
‘I don’t think they are going anywhere’ —Joro spiders not dangerous but are here to stay
By Collin Elder Special to the Daily Post
The wide mountains of the lower Appalachia teem with insects and arthropods of a wide variety. Lately, however, a new breed of spider has invaded the forests and lawns of north Georgia and Gwinnett County. Jorō spiders, a species of orb weaver spider that hailed from Asiatic countries like China and Japan, now dominates the homes of Georgians. But what are these new components of the ecosystem? Christopher Brown, Ph.D. and professor of biology at Georgia Gwinnett College, weighs in with the facts. Brown specializes in both zoology and animal behavior and offers a solid voice on the topic.
Southeast AG NET
Cotton Diseases a Factor for Georgia Producers
By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait caution growers about various diseases that could be problematic over the final weeks of this year’s production season. Kemerait said the excessive rains this summer have sparked three diseases that growers need to be wary of.
The Washington Post
UN chief urges ‘rapid’ emission cuts to curb climate change
By Frank Jordans and Jamey Keaten | AP
The head of the United Nations called Thursday for “immediate, rapid and large-scale” cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to curb global warming and avert climate disaster. Ahead of the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting next week, Antonio Guterres warned governments that climate change is proceeding faster than predicted and fossil fuel emissions have already bounced back from a pandemic dip. Speaking at the launch of a U.N.-backed report summarizing current efforts to tackle climate change, Guterres said recent extreme weather — from Hurricane Ida in the United States to floods in western Europe and the deadly heatwave in the Pacific Northwest — showed no country is safe from climate-related disasters. … “Unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, we will be unable to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit),” said Guterres. “The consequences will be catastrophic.” …The United States, Britain and the European Union have already made pledges that — if implemented — would help avert dangerous planetary warming, said Mann. Kim Cobb, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech, was equally reassured that the 1.5C target isn’t out of reach.
Newsweek
Excavation Trip to Search for Flight Surgeon Missing in Vietnam War Postponed Due to COVID
By Meghan Roos
A woman whose brother went missing in action during the Vietnam War was hopeful her family would get some closure this fall, but an excavation trip planned for the area where his plane is believed to have crashed has recently become one of the latest postponements attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. JoAnne Shirley said her brother, Maj. Bobby Marvin Jones, is believed to have gone missing at Bach Ma Mountain in South Vietnam on November 28, 1972. Jones, whom Shirley describes as a “great” older brother with whom she had “a very close relationship,” was 27 years old and had only been in the U.S. Air Force for about two months at the time the F4D aircraft he was traveling in disappeared from radar.
…Prior to joining the Air Force, Jones graduated from the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia, after which he completed a one-year internship at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Shirley said Jones had a “very low” draft number, so he decided to join the Air Force before beginning his residency.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Ga. should do more to protect health at public universities
By Jack Bernard
FROM A FORMER HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE
“I don’t believe we need to have a dictatorship in government telling what local school systems need to do, what private businesses need to do, what nonprofits need to do, or what individuals should do.”
Gov. Brian Kemp in August 2021, regarding masking and vaccinations. Gov. Kemp has also said, “We protect the innocent. We champion the vulnerable.” Of course, that was in 2019 when he signed the abortion law, whereby the state of Georgia outlawed nearly all abortions. Kemp did not seem to mind having “a dictatorship in government” when it comes to telling women what to do with their bodies. So why won’t he take a stand on vaccinations and masking for Georgia’s universities? Other states have. …When you look at Georgia’s situation objectively, it is surprising that the University of Georgia (UGA) is not requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks and be vaccinated. Instead, UGA is encouraging getting shots and wearing masks by offering financial incentives. The lack of a mandate is especially concerning given that UGA prides itself as a top-ranked research university with a top-ranked college of public health and a medical program with Augusta University Medical College. But UGA’s decisions are not being based on science. They are being based on politics.
Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus State COVID cases decline but faculty say ‘necessary safeguards’ aren’t in place
By Brittany Mcgee
Columbus State University is one of multiple Georgia colleges seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases on its campus, according to the University System of Georgia. Two weeks ago, CSU faculty led a demonstration calling for tighter coronavirus protocols on campus. The demonstration followed an open letter from acting USG Chancellor Teresa MacCartney that stood by the system’s current COVID guidelines in response to concerns from CSU faculty. “The declines come as USG institutions statewide have ramped up vaccination campaigns for their campus communities and stressed continuing health and safety protocols,” the news release from USG says.
WTOC
Elected leaders join mask protest outside GSU Armstrong campus
By Sean Evans
Groups on campuses across Georgia continued a week of protests and demonstrations against what they say are a lack of COVID-19 safeguards at schools under the University System of Georgia. Today, elected officials joined the protestors at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus.
Fox 28 Savannah
GSU employees, city leaders join statewide protest for mask mandates on college campuses
by Destiny Wiggins
Georgia Southern University, along with 17 other Georgia colleges, joined a weeklong series of protests this week. A protest that is calling on the University System of Georgia and the Board of Regents, demanding a mask mandate on college campuses. “Schools all around the state, apart of the university system of Georgia, have at the same time, every day this week, protested against the complete lack of even the most minimal COVID policies. That the Board of Regents and the University of Georgia system refuses to enact,” said Dr. Ned Rinalducci, GSU associate professor. Alderwoman Linda Wilder-Bryan was in attendance, showing her support. She said that in her district, children under 12, who aren’t able to get vaccinated, are getting sick, going home and spreading it to those with weaker immune systems.
Athens Banner-Herald
Protesters at UGA, other schools end week-long push for COVID-19 mandates. What’s next?
Stephanie Allen
Statewide protests on university campuses in Georgia concluded Friday with demonstrators continuing to demand COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates. Through the American Association of University Professors and the United Campus Workers of Georgia, protesters gathered for a week-long series of demonstrations that began Monday. Faculty, students and others joined the protests at the University of Georgia. The protest had two demands: a requirement to wear masks in all campus buildings and a vaccine mandate with regular testing for anyone who was exempt.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia professor: ‘We are teaching in COVID factories’
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Georgia College prof: Policies of Board of Regents are negligent, immoral and at odds with science
An associate professor in communications at Georgia College & State University, James Schiffman wrote a column today that speaks for the hundreds of faculty members pleading with the University System of Georgia to impose a mask mandate. Several recent national polls show widespread student support for masks. Most U.S. colleges require masks inside classrooms. And more than 1,000 campuses have COVID-19 vaccine requirements of least some students or employees. The state of Georgia is outside the norm in making masks optional at its public campuses, a decision the Board of Regents made to appease Gov. Brian Kemp. The decision has led professors to retire early, resign and, in at least one case, to be fired.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Sept. 17)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,181,648
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 21,235 | 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.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Colleges Seek Virtual Mental Health Services
New digital and telehealth options make it easier for students living off campus — even in a different state — to access their institution’s mental health resources.
By Maria Carrasco
The COVID-19 pandemic created a greater need for college mental health services as students struggled with the social and economic consequences of shuttered campuses, online learning and, in some cases, the illness or death of loved ones. Now, as most institutions resume more normal in-person operations, they are leaning on telehealth mental health services to deliver help to students, whether they are on campus or off.
Inside Higher Ed
Admissions Survey in a Wild Year
By Scott Jaschik
The 2020-21 year was a shock to the entire system of higher education. Admissions was hurt throughout, beginning as students were sent home and banned from campuses (before the 2020-21 year had even started), making it impossible for many students to see the campuses at which they would enroll. In the fall of 2020, many campuses remained closed to in-person instruction (and campus visits by prospective students). Even as some campuses started to reopen in the spring of 2021 and vaccines started to become available, many campuses were operating on anything but a normal schedule. With all of these challenges, how did admissions fare? And how did that the challenges of the last year reshape the landscape for admissions? In our survey of 206 admissions officials, Inside Higher Ed found:
Inside Higher Ed
A Win for Pandemic-Impacted PIs
Following criticism that its policy on extensions for early-career scientists disproportionately impacted women, whose careers have already been unevenly affected by COVID-19, the National Institutes of Health changes course.
By Colleen Flaherty
The National Institutes of Health on Friday revised its early-stage investigator, or ESI, policy to allow those working on previously granted extensions to request more time as ESIs, due to COVID-19 or other “life events.” Prior to the policy adjustment, many women said they’d been denied pandemic-related extension requests because they’d already been granted extensions due to childbirth. This raised questions about the NIH’s stated commitment to supporting women in science, specifically to women who run academic labs as principal investigators (PIs).
Inside Higher Ed
Survey: Students Support Vaccines, Mask Mandates
By Scott Jaschik
A new survey has found that students support vaccine and mask requirements. College Pulse conducted the survey for Kaplan. Of the 1,001 college students across the United States polled this month, 72 percent support colleges requiring students to be vaccinated if they want to attend in-person classes. This is a slight increase from a previous Inside Higher Ed/College Pulse Student Voice survey completed in May, which was sponsored by Kaplan, when 69 percent supported a vaccine mandate.
Inside Higher Ed
Veterans’ Ed Law May Have Consequences for Foreign Recruiting
By Elizabeth Redden
International higher education groups are lobbying for changes to a new veterans’ education law, the THRIVE Act, that they say could dissuade colleges from using commissioned agents in international student recruiting out of fear of losing access to GI Bill benefits. As NAFSA: Association of International Educators explained in an analysis published last week, the law, signed in June, “instructs the State agencies that approve courses of study for GI Bill purposes to take action that could include not approving a school’s new programs of study or disapproving previously-approved programs of study” if the agencies determine that the institution, or an entity it contracts with, engages in incentive-based student recruitment. The Higher Education Act also includes a prohibition on incentive-based compensation in student recruiting, but it includes a carve-out for recruiting students internationally.
Inside Higher Ed
Reshaping the Federal-State Partnership in Higher Ed: The Key Podcast
By Doug Lederman
The Biden administration has promised once-in-a-generation investments and changes in higher education. Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives this month would take meaningful steps in that direction. This week’s episode of the Key podcast digs into what could end up being one of the most significant pieces of federal higher education policy making in many years: the Build Back Better Act. It includes America’s College Promise, Biden’s plan to make community college tuition-free; significantly expanded funding for Pell Grants; and, for the first time, a fund that would give colleges incentives for retaining their students and ensuring that they graduate. It would also reshape the relationship between federal and state governments, through a partnership that would give state governments billions but require a lot from them in return. The episode includes conversations with Michele Streeter, associate director of policy and advocacy at the Institute for College Access and Success; Jee Hang Lee, senior vice president (and incoming president) at the Association of Community College Trustees; and Will Doyle, a professor of higher education at Vanderbilt University.