University System News:

WJBF

Students show appreciation to respiratory therapists at Augusta University

by: Mike Lepp

Respiratory therapy students at Augusta University are showing their appreciation for practicing respiratory therapists. They delivered gift baskets to the staff at the respiratory therapy department Monday. Respiratory therapists have been on the frontlines of the pandemic for over a year, fighting to treat patients diagnosed with Coronavirus. …The gift baskets were also delivered to University Hospital and Doctors Hospital.

WALB

VSU raises over $100K during annual fundraiser

By Jennifer Morejon

Valdosta State University’s (VSU) 24-hour fundraising campaign that helps raise funds for students, exceeded the school’s expectations this year. The “What A Difference A Day Makes” campaign is an opportunity for Blazer Nation, alumni and the community to come together and support VSU by giving back to the students. The goal for this year was $75,000. However, VSU raised $107,000 through 170 donors. University officials said this annual fundraiser has a huge impact on the VSU community. It raises money for things like scholarships, Blazer athletics, research and other programs.

Gainesville Times

Here’s how a $1.4 million grant UNG received will help Gainesville City Schools

Ben Anderson

The University of North Georgia will partner with Gainesville City Schools in launching a program, called Talent Search, aimed at increasing the number of disadvantaged students who enroll in college and complete their degrees, following a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Patch

UNG : Athletics Raises Fifth-Most Funds For Make-A-Wish

Clark Leonard

The University of North Georgia (UNG) raised more than $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, ranking fifth nationally in Division II for the 2020-21 academic year. UNG raised $10,641.01 and was one of 11 schools to earn a wish reveal on campus. The university was one of seven schools to raise more than $10,000.

Statesboro Herald

COPS grant funds ‘Mental Health First Aid’ for Statesboro-area public safety personnel

Al Hackle/Staff

The U.S. Department of Justice recently awarded the city of Statesboro, on behalf of its Police Department, a $104,046 grant for an effort also involving Georgia Southern University and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office to provide “Mental Health First Aid” instruction to police and other first responders throughout the area.

Valdosta Daily Times

Copeland museum gets financial boost

The law firm of Copeland, Haugabrook & Walker recently donated $50,000 to support the Valdosta State University Copeland African American Museum’s ongoing efforts to preserve and uplift the stories of African American history. “Our contribution to the Copeland African American Museum is our commitment to preserving the history and contributions of African Americans throughout the ages,” said Nathaniel Haugabrook II, attorney. “The memorabilia displayed in the museum is a testament to the intellectual prowess of African Americans and should be an inspiration to all generations, that no matter the obstacle, you can triumph and be victorious if you persevere.” …In 2016, Roy and Cheryl Copeland gifted their entire African American memorabilia collection to VSU’s Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, university officials said in a statement.

Athens Banner-Herald

UGA partners with Lyft for new rideshare program. Here are the details.

The University of Georgia is partnering with Lyft to provide a nightly rideshare program for students with service beginning in the coming weeks. This new program, UGA Ride Smart, represents the latest component of a recently announced $8.5 million investment over the next three years to enhance campus safety. This initiative and others will continue to be evaluated in the coming year to maximize their impact.  Lyft’s service was selected by a team of planners that included leaders of the student body, Student Affairs, Community Relations, UGA Police Department and transportation officials. Up to $1 million annually — $3 million over three years — will go toward an overlapping system in which UGA Ride Smart combines with evolving night bus schedules, the student-run Designated Dawgs ride service, and other efforts to offer the most coverage reasonably possible.

The George-Anne

Dr. Marrero on Mentorship and Fighting Adversity

President Marrero discusses past trials, and how a key mentor helped overcome them

Duncan Sligh and Eden Hodges

President of Georgia Southern University Dr. Kyle Marrero sat down with The George-Anne Inkwell and the George-Anne for his monthly interview with the two publications on Friday, Nov. 5. This interview covered a variety of topics, including the recent Celebrate Together event and the hiring of football head coach Clay Helton. During the interview, Dr. Marrero had an opportunity to open up more about his background, and elaborated on the details of his transition from musician to administrator. One revelatory detail that was mentioned was his change in career came about at least in part due to forces out of his control, as long-undiagnosed acid reflux led to unforeseen damage to his vocal cords and difficulty singing prolifically.

Newsweek

America’s Best Online Learning Schools 2022

Alot of American college and university students are learning online. According to the U.S. Department of Education, as of 2019, the latest year for which figures are available, 79 percent of U.S. colleges offered either standalone courses or entire degree programs online. That figure included about 96 percent of all public two and four-year colleges. As of 2018, the Department estimated, about 7 million college students were taking some or all of their classes online. The pandemic has only added to the growth of online education. By one recent estimate, the number of students enrolled exclusively in online programs had jumped 93 percent from 2019 to 2020. …America’s Best Online Learning Schools 2022 – Colleges

Rank – 8. University of Georgia; 29. Georgia Southern University; 47. Georgia State University; 150. Georgia Gwinnett College

Independent (Ireland)

Plans back on track for Wexford to welcome up to 80 students from Georgia Southern University

Padraig Byrne

BACK in November of 2019, the ribbon was officially cut on Georgia Southern University’s new outreach centre and campus, situated in the old municipal buildings in Wexford town. Representatives from the US university were extremely excited by the possibilities for their Wexford campus, having become the first American public university to open an outreach learning centre in Ireland. There were big plans for 80 students to arrive in Wexford from Savannah the following summer. But then the world changed. Covid-19 hit and all of the best laid plans were scuppered. As travel shutdown, the Wexford building bearing the Georgia Southern logo remained quiet. Thankfully that seems about to change as a delegation from Georgia Southern arrived in Wexford last week to check in with the project, re-affirming their commitment to Wexford and fostering links between Savannah and the south east of Ireland.

Brinkwire

Is It Compatible With Robots? The Interaction of Humans and Robots/AI

By Roberto Silman

It’s HAL 9000’s fault, Clippy’s continuous happy interruptions, or any navigational system that sends delivery drivers to dead ends. People and machines do not always get along in the workplace. However, as more AI systems and robots assist human workers, maintaining trust between them is critical to getting the job done. With the help of the US military, one University of Georgia professor is attempting to close the gap. The United States Army awarded Aaron Schecter, an assistant professor in the Terry College’s department of management information systems, two grants totaling nearly $2 million to explore the interaction between human and robot teams.

Marietta Daily Journal

Kemp, Carr sue over Biden vaccine mandate; court halts measure

By Tim Darnell Capitol Beat News Service

A federal appeals court has halted enforcement of the White House’s employer vaccine mandate a day after Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed a lawsuit against the requirement. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana issued an emergency stay Saturday on President Joe Biden’s mandate that businesses with 100 or more workers be required to vaccinate their workers by Jan. 4, 2022, or face mask requirements and regular tests. Last week, Kemp, Carr and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black filed a separate lawsuit against Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors. Friday’s lawsuit claimed the vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers exceeds the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority and conflicts with the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The mandate was set to be enforced by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

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?

1,149,918 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

1,482,760 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES

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

20,536 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS

23,696 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS

Higher Education News:

Inside Higher Ed

A New Push to Create a 3-Year Degree Option

Higher education thought leaders and colleges are working together to create a three-year bachelor’s degree program that will offer all the value of a four-year degree—for less cost.

By Emma Whitford

…Very few undergraduates complete a bachelor’s degree in three years, said Mikyung Ryu, the director of research publications at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Some, like Seddiq, have succeeded in doing so by overloading on credit hours during the fall and spring semesters, amassing AP credits or forgoing a part-time job to complete general education requirements over the summer. But what if students, via an overhauled undergraduate curriculum, could complete a bachelor’s degree in three years, with summer breaks, holidays and an on-campus experience to boot? That is the question that Robert Zemsky and Lori Carrell have set out to explore. Over the summer and into the fall, Zemsky, a professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, and Carrell, chancellor of the University of Minnesota at Rochester, recruited more than a dozen institutions to explore the option of creating a brand-new three-year bachelor’s degree program on their campuses.

Inside Higher Ed

The Grade Inflation–College Completion Connection

New research argues that increases in GPAs are responsible for the rise in college completion rates since the 1990s.

By Elizabeth Redden

Researchers looking at the link between grade inflation and college completion rates found that grade inflation explains much of the increase in college graduation rates since 1990. “As with many policy levers, grade inflation has costs and benefits,” the authors write in a new article published today in Education Next, a journal focused on educational reform. “We show that it led to an increase in college graduation rates. However, there may be deleterious effects of grade inflation if it changes what is learned in college. Our work highlights the importance of thinking of grading policy as a key decision that colleges make.” The research from Jeffrey T. Denning, an associate professor of economics at Brigham Young University, and four other researchers from Brigham Young, Purdue and Stanford Universities, is also the basis for a forthcoming article in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.