University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: Vaccine mandate for some USG workers, more student loan changes
By Eric Stirgus
It’s just mid-October, and it’s already been quite a busy time on Georgia’s college campuses. Last week was full of several important developments, many coming from the two-day state Board of Regents meeting held at Georgia Tech. Here’s a look at some news from the meeting, a few federal policies that will impact Georgia and how a few schools are involved in some innovative approaches to improve student performance in this edition of AJC On Campus.
Post-tenure review. What’s next? …Vaccine mandate in USG, for some …USG gala fundraising haul …KSU presidential search waiver …USG tobacco surcharge complaint …The $10 million challenge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of West Georgia raises money for scholarships with new children’s book
By Eric Stirgus
Every superhero has an origin story. So what about college mascots? When University of West Georgia first lady Tressa Kelly toured the campus shortly after arriving at the school last year with her husband, Brendan, they decided it was time to tell the origin story of its mascot “Wolfie.” Kelly and some university employees last year began writing a children’s book about Wolfie, with plans to give all proceeds from book sales to the university’s student scholarship fund.
Rockdale Newton Citizen
UGA’s MBA program ranked No. 3 among public business schools
J. Merritt Melancon
The Executive MBA Program at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business is ranked one of the nation’s best in a global survey of EMBA programs published by the Financial Times. The program is ranked No. 11 among EMBA programs in the United States. Among public business schools, the Terry EMBA ranks No. 3, and it’s the highest-ranked EMBA program in Georgia. Terry’s Executive MBA scored its highest marks for the post-graduate career advancement reported by the program’s recent graduates. For career progress, the Financial Times ranked Terry’s Atlanta-based program No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 3 in the world.
The Red & Black
UGA linguistics scholar conducts research on Southern Latinx community
Stephen Whiten
Shannon Rodríguez, a linguistics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia, works to combine the intersections of linguistics and Latinx culture in the South. Despite many linguistics studies being done on the Latinx and Southern United States communities as separate entities, Rodríguez is studying how these two intertwine. She studies Latinx people who were raised in the Southern U.S. and determines how their dialects correlate to different aspects of their identities. Latino refers to people with origins in Latin America, and Latinx is a gender neutral term that has arisen in recent years. This article utilizes both, as there is no one single way to identify people within this community.
WJBF
Cyber Center gets praise from Georgia State Senator Butch Miller during visit
Georgia State Senator Butch Miller, candidate for Lieutenant Governor, recently met with local leaders about the Cyber Center. “The people of Georgia and the people of the United States of America will greatly benefit from the technology, from the research, and from the dedication of the individuals and the companies working at the Cyber Center. The Cyber Center is going to continue to move Augusta forward and the Augusta region forward in a very, very positive way. What we have here is a benchmark, we have a formula, we have a plan that we’re going to expertly execute by the experts that are in this Cyber Center right here in Augusta, Georgia, and we’re going to duplicate those efforts throughout the state and the nation,” said Miller. Miller says Augusta, and the region, have been positively impacted by the Cyber Center which has brought in new jobs, investments, technology, and more.
WJCL
Missing: Police searching for former Georgia Southern football standout who disappeared
John Wesley Kennedy III is 5’10” and around 180 pounds and was last seen wearing light colored shorts and a t-shirt.
Graham Cawthon, Digital Media Manager
Police in Garden City are asking for the public’s help finding a missing man. John Wesley Kennedy III, 23, was reported missing Sunday around 1:30 p.m. He was last seen leaving his apartment off Kessler Avenue. Kennedy was a former standout football player at Benedictine Military School and Georgia Southern University.
The Augusta Chronicle
Murder, she wrote: Augusta University professor’s book examines, defines homicide
Joe Hotchkiss
Dr. Kim Davies’ job can be absolute murder. But she won’t always be the first to tell you. “Sometimes I’m quiet about what I study because at a dinner party or something they all just start talking to me,” she said. “Even if I try to be quiet because I’m not always that outgoing – as a sociologist I like to sit and watch – they just start talking to me if they know I know something about murder.” Davies – dean of Augusta University’s Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – literally wrote the book on the subject. Her past research into gender transitioned into a closer look at domestic violence, then at murder.
Grice Connect
Georgia Southern University celebrates ‘40 Under 40’ Class of 2021
The Georgia Southern University Alumni Association “40 Under 40” Class of 2021 was recognized recently in a ceremony at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. The annual honor recognizes young alumni who have made significant strides in business, leadership, community, educational or philanthropic endeavors. Retired Army Lt. Gen. and alumnus Leslie Smith (‘85) first welcomed the group.
The Georgia Virtue
USG Foundation Raises More Than $625k For Need-Based Scholarships
The 17th annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala on Wednesday evening raised more than $625,000 from generous sponsors and a live auction to support and provide need-based scholarships for University System of Georgia (USG) students across the state. Hosted by the USG Foundation, the annual event included Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp as well as supporters, donors, alumni, legislators, members of the Board of Regents and presidents from USG’s 26 public colleges and universities.
The Optimist Daily
Mustard plant could be the solution to greener aviation fuel
Aviation accounts for about three percent of all global emissions, but coming up with more sustainable fuel sources would significantly gut down on the industry’s footprint. Researchers from the University of Georgia think they have a green fuel solution with the development of a fuel based on oil obtained from Brassica carinata, a non-edible oilseed crop. The oilseed crop is a type of mustard plant, and according to the study by scientist Puneet Dwivedi, could reduce carbon emissions from planes by up to 68 percent.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Oct. 18)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,253,140
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 23,958 | 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:
Higher Ed Dive
Graduate school applications rose 7.3% in fall 2020, report finds
Natalie Schwartz, Reporter
The council’s latest annual survey includes responses from 558 higher education institutions, which collectively enrolled more than 1.7 million graduate students. It bolsters previous data showing that graduate enrollment rose after the pandemic broke out while undergraduate enrollment suffered. Total graduate enrollment rose 2.5%, driven by a 6.1% increase in domestic students. However, travel restrictions and other pandemic-related disruptions coincided with a 9.7% overall decline in international graduate students. First-time enrollment saw a particularly large boost during the pandemic. Similar to previous surveys, the three most popular graduate fields were business, education and health sciences, which collectively represented 45% of first-time enrollment.
Inside Higher Ed
Senate Appropriators Give Slightly Less to Higher Ed Than House
By Alexis Gravely
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday released a draft of its funding bill for federal higher education programs that mirrors the priorities of the House’s version, though with slightly lower investments. Over all, the legislation for fiscal year 2022 provides $26.4 billion for federal student aid programs and another $3.38 billion for higher education programs, an increase of about $842 million from fiscal year 2021. The funding levels in the House version were $27.2 billion and $3.43 billion, respectively. The maximum Pell Grant award would be increased by $400 to $6,895, the same as what President Biden proposed in his budget request. Campus-based student aid programs, including the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program and Federal Work-Study program, would see a boost in funding of about $65 million more than fiscal year 2021.
Inside Higher Ed
Study Models Surveillance Testing on Fully Vaccinated Campus
By Elizabeth Redden
A new mathematical modeling study finds that surveillance testing on college campuses with a 100 percent vaccinated population may still play an important role in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 “in all but the most optimistic conditions” for vaccine effectiveness. The study published in JAMA Health Forum found that in simulations with 90 percent vaccine effectiveness, weekly surveillance testing was linked to only a marginal reduction in virus transmission on a 5,000-student campus with a 100 percent vaccination rate. But at 50 or 75 percent vaccine effectiveness, researchers estimated that surveillance testing reduced infections by as much as 93.6 percent. The study, which was completed before the widespread emergence of the Delta variant, cited research showing the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be about 90 percent effective in blocking infection and transmission, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s effectiveness was estimated at about 67 percent.