USG e-clips for November 12, 2021

University System News:

Savannah CEO

The USG Board of Regents Elects Officers for 2022

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) today elected Regent Harold Reynolds to a one-year term as the Board’s chair and Regent Erin Hames to a one-year term as the Board’s vice chair. Reynolds will serve as Board chair from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022. …Regent Hames will serve as vice chair of the Board from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2022.

Albany Herald

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Presidential Search Committees named

From staff reports

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has named the two committees to conduct a national search for the next president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. President David Bridges has announced his retirement after 17 years. “ABAC has benefited from 17 years of strong leadership under President Bridges and is the heart of Georgia’s rural community as the state’s leading agriculture college,” acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney said. “Its next leader must continue to focus on supporting students for success in the 21st century through its innovative industry partnerships, community involvement and unique mission. I’m grateful to the committee members for joining us in this effort and look forward to seeing the results of their work.” The search and screening of candidates is the responsibility of the campus-based Presidential Search and Screen Committee and will guide the first stage of the search.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

AJC On Campus: Supply chain crunch; Chancellor defends tenure review

By Eric Stirgus

Georgia college leaders have grappled with many challenges since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than a year ago, such as providing resources to keep students safe and offering more mental health services. The latest issue is how the supply chain slowdown is impacting college construction costs. Here’s a breakdown of one recent supply chain issue, how local schools celebrated Veterans Day and new research exploring whether colleges are practicing grade inflation in this edition of AJC On Campus: Supply chain woes; Acting chancellor defends post-tenure review; Clayton State’s enrollment goal; Veterans Day; Grade inflation by colleges?; Kennesaw State’s $1 million grant for youth suicide, drug prevention; Pepsi donates $250,000 to Atlanta Metropolitan State College; New Regents leadership

Daily Citizen-News

Agreement with UGA gives Dalton State College students an easier path to become a pharmacist

A person desiring to be a pharmacist can now do so in as little as six years thanks to an agreement that allows students to begin their college education at Dalton State College and complete the pharmacist requirements through the University of Georgia (UGA). Students can complete an associate degree with a focus in pre-pharmacy at Dalton State and will be given priority application status, receiving a guaranteed interview from UGA’s doctor of pharmacy program, according to the agreement signed by both colleges recently.

WJBF

MCG students to finish school in three years, work in underserved areas

by: Chloe Salsameda

…Vo and Bugheni recognized this need and wanted to fill it. They applied and were accepted into the Peach State Scholar Program at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). They, and their six classmates, will finish medical school in three years instead of four years. After they graduate from MCG and complete a residency program, they will work in an underserved or rural community in Georgia. … According to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workers, there were eight counties in the state without a physician in 2017. 63 counties did not have a pediatrician. …Vo and Bugheni have already gone into some of these communities and have seen the need for healthcare firsthand. For them, it’s a no brainer that is where they want to begin their careers.

Albany Herald

PHOTOS: Albany State University Veteran Luncheon with the President

Photos contributed by Reginald Christian

Albany State University hosted a luncheon with President Marion Ross Fedrick to honor faculty, staff, and students who have served our nation on Wednesday, November 10, 2021.

WGXA

‘Sacrifices of so many have shaped the world’: Veterans Day ceremony held at Coleman Hill

by Haley Garrett

Veterans were honored in Macon-Bibb County during a memorial that took place on Coleman Hill. This is the 6th year it has been held and both Middle Georgia State University and Macon-Bibb County co-hosted the Veterans Day ceremony. This memorial placed an emphasis on the sacrifices made by the 151st Machine Gun Battalion, 42nd Rainbow Division, members of which lost their lives in WWI. The Coleman Hill monument was actually constructed in memory of those battalion members. MGA President Dr. Christopher Blake says they were so pleased to partner once again with Macon-Bibb County for this ceremony.

Macon Telegraph

Honoring those who served: Middle Georgians commemorate Veterans Day

By Caleb Slinkard

Ceremonies across Middle Georgia honored U.S. military veterans with annual Veterans Day celebrations. Macon-Bibb County, Warner Robins, Robins Air Force Base, Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia Military College and other organizations hosted events. …Middle Georgia State University President Dr. Christopher Blake discussed the importance of Veterans Day, also known as Remembrance Day. The ceremony, held at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, was initially known as Armistice Day and celebrated the end of World War I. “The 151st Machine Gun Battalion of the 42nd Rainbow division were primarily local Macon men who went to serve between 1917 and 1918 on the Western Front in Flanders,” he said. “In that short time, these men who we remember today made the ultimate sacrifice, they lost their lives fighting in that dreadful war, known at the time as the War to End All Wars.

The Brunswick News

College, Frederica Academy host Veterans Day ceremonies

By Lauren McDonald

Nelbert St. Clair was in his car at 6 a.m. driving to work in Reno, Nev., when he first heard news of the 9/11 attacks. St. Clair, who at that time worked for the Nevada National Guard, noticed the radio news broadcast had gone strangely silent. Then the announcer’s voice returned. “His name was Bill, and he said, ‘We’ve got some shocking news. Two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center towers,’” St. Clair recalled Thursday during a Veterans Day ceremony at College of Coastal Georgia. …St. Clair was one of many veterans who shared their stories and reflected on their time serving in the United States military during Veterans Day events throughout the Golden Isles on Thursday. …Michelle Johnston, president of the college, said she feels fortunate to live in a community that appreciates its veterans. “The college has a long history also of supporting our veterans in pursuit of their education,” she said. Military Times Magazines has recognized CCGA for the past six years as a “Best for Vets” institution, Johnston said.

Savannah Morning News

U.S. Navy vet: Savannah has a unique, historical relationship with veterans

Savannah’s Memorial hospital was founded by veterans and has long been dedicated to employing former servicemen and servicewomen.

Dr. Ramon Meguiar

This is an op-ed by Dr. Ramon Meguiar, chief medical officer at Memorial Health University Medical Center and a U.S. Navy veteran.

I’ve always felt a sense of duty to care for others. Growing up in Georgia, I saw the challenges that many faced in receiving health care and taking care of themselves. It instilled in me the belief that everyone deserves care and treatment, regardless of their background. This sentiment is what led me to attend Georgia State College and the University of Georgia before later earning my medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. It is also what led me to join the U.S. Navy, completing my internship and residency training at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Columbus CEO

CSU Alum, Army Veteran Illustrates Google Search Veterans Day Image

Staff Report

Columbus State alumnus and Army veteran Steve Tette’s work is being seen by hundreds of millions of Google users on Thursday, Nov. 11. The American realist artist was chosen to design the “Google Doodle” for Veterans Day. The doodles are a Google program to alter the search engine’s logo in celebration of holidays, anniversaries and the lives of influential individuals. …Tette’s Veterans Day painting has even more meaning because he spent 20 years serving in the Army before retiring and pursuing art. He earned his associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees at CSU and says the education he received made him a stronger artist.

See also:

WTOC

Holiday lighting ceremony held at Georgia Southern University

WGAU Radio

UGA COVID vaccine clinic today in Lawrenceville

University partners with Gwinnett Co Health Dept.

By Tim Bryant

The University of Georgia hosts a coronavirus vaccine clinic on its campus in Gwinnett County: it is underway at noon at the UGA campus in Lawrenceville.

From the UGA master calendar…

The Gwinnett campus has partnered with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) and the Gwinnett County Health Department to bring COVID-19 vaccines to the Gwinnett campus. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the public are welcome to come and receive their Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration in advance is encouraged. Registration can be completed online by going to rebrand.ly/covidvaccineclinic, selecting the Gwinnett Campus location, and completing the form.

The Emory Wheel

Emory, Georgia Tech researchers develop AI-tool to predict COVID-19 symptoms

by Lauren Baydaline

Researchers at Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) published a paper on Oct. 21 detailing an artificial intelligence-based tool that is able to predict COVID-19 symptoms and suggest specific FDA-approved drugs. These researchers developed MOATAI-VIR (Mode of Action proteins and Targeted therapeutic discovery driven by Artificial Intelligence for Viruses) in the hopes of improving COVID-19 patient outcomes. Regents’ Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech Jeffrey Skolnick said that the algorithm can predict the most probable drugs for a doctor to prescribe to treat a disease.

The Augusta Chronicle

‘If you can find the cancer early on’: Underused lung cancer screening could save lives

Tom Corwin

It was only at the hospital, after collapsing from the fluid that squeezed her heart, that Amy Loiacono, 65, learned what was truly wrong with her. “It’s definitely cancer, it’s this big and you probably have 3-6 months to live,” the doctor told her as she sat alone in the room at Doctors Hospital of Augusta. “And of course, my first reaction was tears started streaming.” Most lung cancer patients like Loiacono are only diagnosed after the cancer has spread and it is far more difficult to treat, said Dr. Nagla Abdel Karim, a medical oncologist specializing in lung cancer at Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. But if more high-risk patients took advantage of screening, their cancer could be caught earlier and their prognoses improved.

Hypepotamus

Meet The Georgia Tech Ph.D. Student Using Fitbit To Improve Postpartum Care

by Maija Ehlinger

It was the Downtown Atlanta skyline that first captured Sherilyn Francis’ heart. “I happened to come to Atlanta one day on a whim and when I saw the cityscape driving through downtown…it was absolutely beautiful and said I have to move here,” she told Hypepotamus. Move she did, and now Francis, current Ph.D. student in the Human-Centered Computing program at Georgia Tech, is working at the intersection of technology and public health to improve maternal health equity across the state. Francis is a research assistant on Preventing Maternal Mortality Using Mobile Technology (PM3), which is housed in the Georgia Tech Wellness Technology Lab. The Lab brings together an impressive group of scientists and healthcare researchers from Emory, Morehouse, and Georgia Tech, all of whom are dedicated to advancing women’s health equity. She jumped right into work with PM3 and in her first semester, Francis is one of six researchers from across the country to earn a Fitbit Health Equity Research Award.

Medical Xpress

Researchers reveal surprising findings on how salt affects blood flow in the brain

A first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at Georgia State reveals surprising new information about the relationship between neuron activity and blood flow deep in the brain, as well as how the brain is affected by salt consumption. …To study this relationship in deep brain regions, an interdisciplinary team of scientists led by Dr. Javier Stern, professor of neuroscience at Georgia State and director of the university’s Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, developed a novel approach that combines surgical techniques and state-of-the-art neuroimaging. The team focused on the hypothalamus, a deep brain region involved in critical body functions including drinking, eating, body temperature regulation and reproduction. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, examined how blood flow to the hypothalamus changed in response to salt intake.

WCJB

Caris’ Precision Oncology Alliance Welcomes The Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University

The Georgia Cancer Center seamlessly brings together high-quality clinical care with translational research in its role as the cancer center for the state’s academic medical center at Augusta University

Caris Life Sciences® (Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare, announced today that the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University has joined Caris’ Precision Oncology Alliance™ (POA). The POA is a growing network of leading cancer centers across the globe that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. POA members work together to establish and optimize standards of care for molecular testing through innovative research focused on predictive and prognostic markers that improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

Morgan County Citizen

High-tech, semiconductor plant coming to Covington, Newton County

By Tim Darnell Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service

A $473 million first-of-its-kind semiconductor plant will be opening in Newton County, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced Thursday morning.

SKC, a subsidiary of SK Group, and several business partners will manufacture glass-based substrates for semiconductor chips in Covington. The venture will create more than 400 new jobs. The plant will be developed on the SKC property, located at 3000 SKC Drive in Covington. The company will primarily be hiring high-tech engineers, skilled technicians, and other semiconductor field-experienced talent. The company expects to ramp up production by late summer 2023. A ceremonial memorandum of understanding was signed between the state and SKC solidifying the project and location. After various related work in multiple countries, Dr. Sung Jin Kim, SKC’s director of new business development, served as a research professor at Georgia Tech from 2012-2015. Kim helped develop this glass substrate technology.

Brinkwire

On Mars, microbes are being used to provide biofuel for rockets.

By Roberto Silman

On Mars, microbes are being used to provide biofuel for rockets. A recent study proposes a biotechnology method for producing rocket fuel on Mars. On, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers proposed a proposal for making Martian rocket fuel that might be used to return future astronauts to Earth.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

College degree: A good investment but not without risks

Get Schooled with Maureen Downey

New research paper advises students on making one of life’s biggest financial decisions

The parents on tony campus tours who dare to ask admissions directors whether their colleges can assure their child will graduate into a high-paying job often get an icy response: “If you are sending them here to get a job, you are sending them to the wrong place.” …Carnevale is the co-author of a new research paper, “Navigating the College-to-Career Pathway: The 10 Rules of Moving from Youth Dependency to Adult.” The paper reaffirms the economic benefits of college, but warns the payoff depends on what students study and the careers they enter. States are now required to publish average earnings by program and campus. On Georgia’s site you can see a University of Georgia philosophy graduate has median earnings of $38,395 five years after graduation. In contrast, a UGA computer science grad has median earnings of $89,266 at the five-year mark and a business school grad earns $74,652.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Opinion: Board of Regents ignorant of their own ignorance

Get Schooled with Maureen Downey

Professor says political appointees lack background to decide tenure

In a guest column, Georgia State University professor Peter Lindsay questions how the Board of Regents — without any in-depth experience among its political appointees in teaching at the college level — is qualified to insert itself in the tenure review process. Lindsay is a professor of political science and philosophy. He received his master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Toronto and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Before coming to Georgia State, he held positions at the University of Toronto, Harvard University and the University of New Hampshire. His research focuses on matters of economic justice, as well as pedagogy in higher education. He is the author of two books, “Creative Individualism: The Democratic Vision of C. B. Macpherson” and “The Craft of University Teaching.”

By Peter Lindsay

The Red & Black

OPINION: Without tenure, UGA professors won’t stay

James DeBetta

The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved some long-discussed and controversial changes to their post-tenure review. The biggest and most pressing change is far lower standards for firing tenured professors. Now, at the University of Georgia and other USG institutions, you can be fired virtually without cause — even if you have tenure. Essentially, a tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for explicit cause or under extraordinary circumstances. The United States has a uniquely robust tenure system that allows professors much-needed job security. The system works to prevent professors from being fired simply because a younger, less experienced person is willing to work for less money than the tenured professor, just as an example. You might be wondering, what’s the point of tenure if you can be let go without reason? So are the professors — that’s exactly why the recent changes are so devastating and being met with negativity. The Board of Regents’ approval of these changes contradicts the very point of tenure.

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Coronavirus in Georgia: COVID-19 Dashboard

Latest stats and the news on the coronavirus outbreak

Q: What is the latest on confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in Georgia?

1,149,836 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

1,482,678 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES

Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?

20,534 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS

23,694 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS

Higher Education News:

Patch

Gwinnett County Public Schools: November Is Georgia Apply To College Month

The Georgia Apply to College initiative is a statewide campaign to provide all Georgia high school seniors with the opportunity to apply to college, providing additional assistance to first-generation college applicants and underrepresented students as they navigate the application process. Across the district, Gwinnett high schools are conducting special events to help our seniors complete online applications. During the November college-going campaign, a number of Georgia colleges and universities waive application fees for high school seniors applying for enrollment for Fall 2022.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Sloan Foundation Reports Reveal Individual, Not Systemic Changes in STEM Research and Funding

Liann Herder

Philanthropic funding remains concentrated at the same elite institutions in larger proportions, and there is not enough research on systemic solutions that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). That’s the key findings of two new reports released by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The reports, Assessing the Landscape for DEI Efforts in U.S. Stem Graduate Education and Investments in DEI within STEM Higher Education Pathways, found gaps in funding transparency and that more research was being done to identify barriers as opposed to how to remove them at an institutional level. Dr. Tashera Gale Sloan partnered with Higher Ed Insight (HEI), a research company that uses a DEI lens to asses and implement programs that improve education or workforce outcomes.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Tenured, Trapped, and Miserable in the Humanities

Why are so many tenured professors unhappy with their jobs yet unable to change careers?

By William Pannapacker/William Pannapacker is on leave as a professor of English at Hope College, in Michigan, and now lives in Chicago.

Is the chronic morale problem in the humanities — and many allied fields — attributable to tenured professors feeling trapped in positions they no longer want? Earlier this fall, I wrote about my decision to go on leave (from my tenured post at a midwestern liberal-arts college where I’ve worked for 21 years) in order to write, retrain, and look for new career opportunities in Chicago. The many responses that column received emphasized two themes: how unhappy many professors are (even the lucky ones with tenure), and how those professors feel unable to change their circumstances. I raised this issue in a recent survey on Twitter: “What makes it so hard to leave academe?” Nearly 200 responses from a self-selected group are not solid data, of course, but they are suggestive and worth reflecting upon:

GHC Inform

GHC EMAIL DIGEST (FACULTY & STAFF)

USG e-clips for November 12, 2021