University System News:
11 Alive
UGA enrollment bounces back, surpasses 40,000 for first time
As universities struggle to retain students, the University of Georgia is tallying is its highest enrollment yet.
Author: Gabriella Nunez
As college enrollment numbers take a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Georgia is bouncing back and chalking in its largest-ever student body. University officials said 40,118 students enrolled for the Fall 2021 semester. That number includes undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Fall 2021 is the first time enrollment for UGA surpassed 40,000, according to enrollment data.
The George-Anne
Georgia Southern Hosts Stress Free Festival Amid Finals
Massage therapists & therapy dogs were highlights of the event
Duncan Sligh, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Georgia Southern’s University Programming Board (UPB) and the Campus Recreation and Intramurals (CRI) department hosted a Stress Free Festival in the Student Union Ballroom on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The festival was held the day before finals week began, and offered students a variety of ways to decompress and relax before braving the challenges of finals and winter break travel plans. The festival offered massages from licensed massage therapists, manicures, therapy dogs and mini horses, meditation opportunities, sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, coloring books and other activities for students to participate in.
Savannah Morning News
TSPLOST, health care, education: Business community lists priorities for Georgia Legislature
Will Peebles
…The “Eggs and Issues” event, hosted by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, is an annual forum involving Chatham County’s two state senators and six House representatives and chamber members. The chamber’s governmental affairs committee unveils a list “legislative priorities” and “key pro-business policies and positions” at the meeting and each of the eight legislators offer brief remarks previewing the upcoming legislative session, which opens on Jan. 10, 2022. …Education
Support for Savannah-area universities and technical colleges was a popular topic among the legislators. Edna Jackson hopes to join the House Committee on Higher Education and champion several college funding items listed as legislative priorities. Savannah State University has asked for $6 million for infrastructure improvements as well as financial support for the rebuilding and restructuring of the College of Education, the marine sciences program and homeland security and emergency management program. Georgia Southern University has requested $2.8 million for the Armstrong campus science lab center renovation and $3.3 million to install the necessary equipment for the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center on the Statesboro campus.
Albany Herald
UGA completes Phase 1 of I-STEM research complex
From staff reports
The University of Georgia held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the Interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Research Complex on Nov. 30. The 100,000-square-foot I-STEM Research Building 1 features flexible, open lab spaces designed to promote collaboration and elevate UGA’s expanding lab-intensive research activities, particularly within the disciplines of chemistry, engineering and material sciences. It soon will be united with a Phase 2 building, which is currently under construction.
Albany Herald
Nine students selected as Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College ag leaders
From staff reports
Nine students have been selected as School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) Leaders at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. SANR Leaders include Chrys Milner, an agricultural education major from Tifton; Brittany Braddy, an agricultural education major from Mount Vernon; Charley Lollis, an agricultural communication major from Perry; Lindsey Winzell, an agricultural education major from Cairo; Caleb Warren, an agribusiness major from Warner Robins; Justin Nichols, an agricultural education major with an agricultural studies concentration and a minor in agricultural communication from Rochelle; Ivey Cook, an agricultural education major from Ty; Bridget Dixon, an agricultural communication major from Kite; and Jamya Barnett, an agriculture major from Wauchula, Fla. SANR Academic and Career Coordinator Suzanne Bentley said the students play a key role in the growth of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The Times
From humble beginnings, UNG grad receives foreign affairs fellowship
Ben Anderson
From an immigrant family of humble means, Katherine Torres will soon be working for the U.S. State Department as the first University of North Georgia alumna to win the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. Funded by the State Department, the fellowship prepares students for foreign service careers. Torres will receive up to $42,000 annually for two years to complete a master’s degree program and participate in two summer internships. In return, she has agreed to work with the Department of State’s Foreign Service for at least five years. She does not yet know where she will pursue her master’s or where she will be stationed and in what role.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Innovation for entrepreneurs, the arts and an old tennis center take root in Gwinnett
By Doug DeLoach – Contributing Writer
Innovative economic development activity in Gwinnett County takes many forms. Current programs and projects include: a large, multi-million-dollar mixed-use development on the site of a former Olympic tennis venue; an entrepreneurial services and small business incubator in a renovated daycare center; and the county’s first-ever arts funding initiative. …To operate the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center, the county is contracted with Georgia Gwinnett College. Center manager Stephanie Sokenis handles daily operations at the facility with supervision by Center Director Phillip Hartley, associate professor of marketing and global business at Georgia Gwinnett College. From the county side, Farmer brings policy direction and strategic guidance.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Viewpoint: Partnership Gwinnett sets sights on next five years
By Andrew Carnes is vice president of economic development with Partnership Gwinnett.
Heading into our 15-year anniversary, Partnership Gwinnett overcame the 2008 Great Recession and the 2020 unprecedented global health and economic crisis to produce over $3.5 billion of capital investment and more than 30,000 new jobs in Gwinnett County. That does not happen by chance. It happens when the community has ownership of the strategy and supports our strong business community. Partnership Gwinnett has seen considerable success over its short lifespan due to the passion of our team, our cities, CID and county partners, and our community. …Talent development strengthens our competitiveness and is the single greatest selling point for our community. From Gwinnett Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College and UGA Gwinnett Campus to our award-winning K-12 school system, talent is paramount to any successful community and economic development program.
WSAV
City seeks feedback on future use of Savannah’s Water Works building
by: Molly Curley
The city of Savannah is taking community feedback through Friday, Dec. 17, on the future development of the historic Water Works building. It’s located on the city’s westside at the northwest corner of Gwinnett Street and Stiles Avenue adjacent to the new Enmarket arena. Officials say the city hopes to repurpose the building for community use while maintaining its historical integrity. Developments would be made not only to the Water Works building but some surrounding structures and outdoor areas, too. The city is partnering with Georgia Southern University’s Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research (CBAER) to conduct a feasibility study on the area, including market analysis, recommendations and best practices, financial projections, resident feedback and a roadmap to make the project a reality. In partnership with Savannah State University, the city has set up an online survey at savannahga.gov/waterworkssurvey to gather input.
The Augusta Chronicle
A new generation of HIV infections, and a new mission for Augusta AIDS ministry
Susan McCord
One of the area’s oldest organizations dedicated to serving people with HIV is changing its mission, 40 years since the first U.S. case. St. Stephen’s Ministry of Augusta was founded more than three decades ago when AIDS, the disease caused by HIV, was still known as an untreatable killer. …Augusta University’s Equality Clinic is currently treating approximately 1,200 HIV patients, and of the 98% on antiretroviral treatment, nearly 89% are at a “nearly-undetectable state,” said AU family medicine resident Soren Estvold. Around 39% of new cases are Black, gay men between 20-29 years old, he said. “That generation doesn’t know how scary the 1980s and 1990s were. It doesn’t have those fears,” Estvold said. The demographics of the second-largest group of newly infected people are unknown, while the third most prevalent are transgender, he said.
Seed World
New “Onion Devourer” Bacteria Found by UGA Researchers
By Compiled by Staff
University of Georgia researchers have identified a new species of bacteria, which they have named Pseudomonas alliivorans — from “allium vorans,” which translates as onion devourer or eater. As part of a multistate, four-year project, UGA Cooperative Extension vegetable disease specialist Bhabesh Dutta and his team surveyed onions at every stage of production — from seedling to mature bulb and all the way to storage — to understand what diseases are present, how they manifest and what can be done to prevent them. In the paper published in Systematic and Applied Microbiology, the researchers describe how they found bacteria during the onion seedling stage that looked just like the type that causes bacterial streak and bulb rot, known as Pseudomonas viridiflava. However, when they analyzed the DNA of these bacteria, they were surprised to see that they were not the familiar bacteria — or indeed any known bacteria — but a new species.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Family reaches $1 million settlement in Georgia Tech student leader’s death
By Eric Stirgus
Georgia officials have agreed to pay $1 million to the family of a Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed by a campus police officer four years ago, the family’s attorneys announced Thursday. Scout Schultz’s parents said the officer, Tyler Beck, used excessive force when he fatally wounded Schultz, 21, near the student’s dorm on Sept. 16, 2017. Schultz had previously sought mental health counseling from Georgia Tech and with professionals off campus. The family sued in September 2019.
Capitol Beat News Service
University professors urging Board of Regents to rescind changes to faculty tenure
by Dave Williams
Eight Southern state chapters of a national organization of university professors are asking the University System of Georgia to rescind changes in tenure policies they argue would essentially abolish the tenure system. The system’s Board of Regents voted in October to replace a system that permits professors to be fired only for a specific cause following a peer review with a system that lets professors be dismissed if they fail to take corrective steps following two consecutive subpar reviews. “The board’s new procedure for post-tenure review exposes faculty to censorship, ideological bias and notoriously fickle criteria like student evaluations and ‘performance,’ ” leaders of the eight state chapters of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Awrote in a letter Wednesday to Teresa MacCartney, the university system’s acting chancellor. “When implemented, the University System of Georgia will no longer have tenure and, therefore, meaningful academic freedom will cease to exist.” The letter went on to warn that the new policy will discourage professors from wishing to come to Georgia and motivate those already in the system to leave.
Article also appeared in:
Marietta Daily Journal
University professors group urging Board of Regents to rescind changes to faulty tenure
Axios Atlanta
Buildings honoring Confederates, segregationists won’t get renamed
Thomas Wheatley
Buildings named after Confederate leaders, segregationists and proponents of slavery at Georgia’s public university system will not be changed, despite recommendations presented by an advisory group convened by the Board of Regents. Why it matters: Elected officials, sports teams and institutions across the country are being forced to confront a long history of glorifying and celebrating men, women and organizations that upheld white supremacy, advocated for slavery and opposed desegregation.
The Times
Details scant after UNG student reports a homicide, sexual assault occurred in 2017 off campus
Nick Watson
A University of North Georgia student reported to campus authorities on Tuesday that a homicide and sexual assault occurred in 2017, according to university officials. Details on the case have been scarce as the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office shared a clarification on its social media pages this week. The Sheriff’s Office said the university’s Office of Public Safety received a report of an “alleged sexual assault and homicide that occurred in 2017, not on UNG campus.” “There is no immediate threat to safety for the university community,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “In accordance with Clery Act protocols, a report of the alleged incident has been included in UNG’s crime log, which has been updated to reflect that the alleged incident occurred off-campus sometime in 2017.”
WSB-TV
Eight arrested in Georgia College fraternity hazing incident
By The Associated Press
Eight people have been arrested on various criminal charges after they were allegedly involved in a hazing incident at a fraternity at Georgia College and State University, officials said. One college student was hospitalized for alcohol-related sickness after an alleged incident of hazing on Nov. 10 at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house in Milledgeville, according to The Union-Recorder. The student has since resumed classes, Georgia College President Cathy Cox said.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 2)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,287,554
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 25,768 | 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
Ga. health officials say state better prepared for omicron, other variants
By Helena Oliviero and Ariel Hart
As more cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 are identified in the U.S, there’s little doubt this new coronavirus strain will be detected in Georgia any day now. Georgia’s public health experts say they’re still searching for the heavily mutated variant and learning about the threat it might pose, but they’re calling for caution, not panic. They say we have far more tools — especially testing, vaccines, and mask-wearing — to battle and weather this new threat, as well as future variants, which almost certainly lie ahead.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest COVID variant raises urgency for young children to be vaccinated
By Helena Oliviero and John Perry
Even before the omicron variant was detected, Georgia parents were taking their time seeking the shots for children
As a new and fast-spreading variant sparks global concern, public health officials are renewing calls for adults — and children — to get vaccinated. But the pace of vaccinating children in Georgia, especially younger children, lags behind the national average. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said this week the new omicron variant makes getting children and teens vaccinated more urgent.
Higher Education News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Auditors find high default rate in Georgia student loan program
By Eric Stirgus
About one-third of borrowers have defaulted on student loans provided through a state program despite its low interest rate, according to a report by Georgia auditors released this week. The 64-page report by the state’s Department of Audits and Accounts found many borrowers in Georgia’s 1% interest rate Student Access Loan (SAL) program are having trouble making payments. Officials fear that may threaten the program’s viability. The national default rate for federal borrowers is about 10%, auditors noted. “Due to their higher default rates, the population SAL serves creates an inherent risk to SAL’s ability to generate enough cash flow to meet the current need without state appropriations,” the auditors wrote. The state program was created in 2012, in part to fill the gap in student aid resulting from changes to Georgia’s merit-based HOPE Scholarship. State lawmakers reduced benefits for students who did not meet the new academic requirements.
Inside Higher Ed
Report: Who Stops Out of College and Why?
By Sara Weissman
Students who stop out of college are disproportionately women, low income and working students, according to a new study by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and StraighterLine, an online education provider. The survey of adults ages 20 to 34 who completed some college but earned no degree aims to answer four questions, StraighterLine chief learning officer Amy Smith said in a press release. “Who leaves college? Why do they leave? Who comes back? How do we get them back?” The majority of survey respondents—63 percent—were women. More than half were full-time employees, and 65 percent had household incomes of $50,000 or below.
Inside Higher Ed
Annual Survey of Earned Doctorates shows drop in number of Ph.D.s awarded in 2020. It’s still too early to tell how COVID-19 impacted Ph.D. attainment, however.
By Colleen Flaherty
The number of doctorate recipients declined slightly in 2020, to 55,283 Ph.D.s across fields, from 55,614 in 2019. This is the first drop since 2017, according to new data from the National Science Foundation’s annual Survey of Earned Doctorates. This year’s survey covers the 2020 academic year, from July 2019 to the end of the June 2020, so some but not all of the survey period covered the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s almost certain that COVID-19 played a role in how many students were able to finish their Ph.D.s toward the end of the survey period, but it’s unclear from the data how big a role. The NSF’s forthcoming 2021 survey will ask specific questions about the pandemic, so more will be known then. COVID-19’s impact will be seen for years after that, as well, given that numerous graduate programs suspended or reduced admissions due to the virus.
Inside Higher Ed
NCAA Division I Athletes Maintain High Graduation Rate
By Maria Carrasco
Ninety percent of Division I athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association graduated within six years of starting college, according to the NCAA’s 2021 report on graduate success rates, or GSR. That remains unchanged from 2020. Division I athletes also maintained the same national graduation rate as last year—69 percent—which is one percentage point higher than that of the overall student body. Looking at different populations, Black Division I student athletes had a GSR of 80 percent and Hispanic/Latino student athletes graduated at a rate of 88 percent. Women Division I athletes graduated at a higher rate than their male counterparts, 94 percent to 85 percent; both exceeded the GSR of the general student body, which was 71 percent for women and 65 percent for men.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Report: How U.S. college, university boards stack up for diversity
By Hilary Burns – Editor, The National Observer Higher Education,
Despite progress, college and university boards are still not representative of the students they serve, according to new research. People identifying as racial and ethnic minorities accounted for about 30% of board seats at public colleges and universities and 17% at private schools, according to a new report from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Meanwhile, 41% of students at public institutions and 34.8% of students at private colleges identify as nonwhite. “We think that having diverse boards really helps in terms of understanding the challenges, goals, aspirations and the needs of the communities,” said Merrill Schwartz, AGB’s senior vice president of content and program strategy, in an interview with The Business Journals. “In general, it leads to more creative and better solutions.” The association’s research of hundreds of schools found that women accounted for 37% of public university board seats in 2020 and 36% of private college board seats, up from 12% in 1969 when AGB started tracking such metrics.