University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With flush state coffers, Kemp backs $1.6B in tax refunds
Gov. Brian Kemp plans to dip into the state’s flush coffers in the thick of his reelection campaign to finance tax refunds for state taxpayers, boost funding for the higher education system and explore deeper cuts to Georgia’s income tax rate. Crediting “conservative leadership” for the state’s fiscal standing, the Republican unveiled a budget plan Wednesday that calls for $1.6 billion worth of refunds. That would mean all Georgians who file their income taxes in April would receive a refund: $250 for single filers and $500 for joint filers. “I believe that when government takes in more money than it needs, surplus funds should be sent back to the hardworking men and women who keep our state moving forward,” he said. “Because that’s your money, not the government’s.” Kemp also said he would restore $262 million in austerity cuts to the higher education system, which would allow the tech system to offer more programs in high-demand fields and remove a fee on university students that was first imposed during the Great Recession.
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Capitol Beat
Kemp proposes refunds for Georgia income taxpayers
AP News
Kemp seeks $1.6B in Georgia tax rebates worth $250 or $500
Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia Highlands College presidential search committees named
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 Georgia Highlands College. Dana Nichols currently serves as interim president. “GHC’s next leader has a great opportunity to build on its mission to help students in northwest Georgia earn their degrees and learn the skills they need to join the state’s workforce and grow their careers,” Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney said. “This is critical work, and I’m grateful to committee members for their time and commitment toward what I know will be a successful search.” 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. Members are as follows:
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Valdosta Today
USG selects Presidential Search and Screen Committee
Presidential search committees have been selected to conduct a national search for the next Georgia Highlands College president.
The Newnan Times-Herald
UWG launches new computing degree
The University of West Georgia is launching a new Bachelor of Science in computing degree in response to industry needs. Approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, the new degree is housed in the College of Arts, Culture and Scientific Inquiry and supplements the existing offerings in the University’s Department of Computing and Mathematics.
Valdosta Daily Times
Valdosta State University earned multiple highly ranked spots on Intelligent.com’s list of the nation’s Best Online Degrees of 2022. Intelligent.com researchers analyzed academic programs at thousands of colleges and universities across the United States, scoring them on course strength, faculty, reputation, flexibility, student readiness, return on investment, cost and student engagement, university officials said in a statement. The higher education experts at Intelligent.com said VSU “offers flexible distance learning that appeals to busy adults as well as hybrid models that include on-campus and online formats.” They also recognized VSU’s efforts to “help students enhance and develop advanced skills for a variety of in-demand positions.” “VSU is committed to making its highly ranked online degree programs accessible to as many people as possible and is always looking for ways to meet the changing needs of learners in Georgia and beyond,” university officials said.
Fox 28 Savannah
Savannah State University returns to in-person classes for spring semester
by Destiny Wiggins
Savannah State University students and faculty returned to campus on Monday for the spring semester. Annette Ogletree-McDougal, SSU Marketing & Communications Vice President said allowing students to interact with professors personally makes a big difference in their learning.
Patch
Georgia Southern University was selected as a finalist for the Chapter of the Year awarded by Student Veterans of America (SVA), an organization focused on advocating for and advancing resources for veterans in higher education. The University has SVA chapters on the Statesboro Campus and Armstrong Campus in Savannah, both of which were recognized with the award. …While this is the first time Georgia Southern has been a contender for this acknowledgement, the University has a tradition of being recognized for its investment in the military community.
Albany Herald
UGA awarded $1.2 million grant to fight soybean cyst nematode
By Maria M. Lameiras CAES News
University of Georgia plant pathology researcher Melissa Mitchum will co-direct a $1.2 million award from the joint National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Plant-Biotic Interactions Program to help combat a devastating soybean pathogen with colleagues at the University of Missouri. The soybean cyst nematode, a microscopic roundworm, is responsible for annual crop losses of $1 billion in the U.S. alone. Mitchum, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will co-direct the four-year award with MU biochemistry researcher Lesa Beamer.
The Tifton Gazette
Atlantic City Boys concert coming to S.Ga.
From the sounds of the Beach Boys to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the harmonies promise to ring out loud and true when the Atlantic City Boys bring a mix of world-class vocals and interactive comedy to the Tift Theater. The show is set for 7:30 p.m., Jan. 20 for the ABAC at the Tift concert series, college officials said in a statement. …Sponsored by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the ABAC at the Tift series presents original artists and tribute bands representing some of the greatest performers of rock and roll, soul, and rhythm and blues.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Public Schools’ human resources chief leaving for Georgia Tech
By Vanessa McCray
The head of Atlanta Public Schools’ human resources department is taking a new job at Georgia Tech. Skye Duckett was hired by APS in 2014. She was among a handful of administrators that followed former Superintendent Meria Carstarphen to Atlanta from the Austin, Texas, school system. Duckett starts a new job as Georgia Tech’s vice president and chief human resources officer on Jan. 31, according to a news release.
WGAU Radio
UGA scientists identity gene that could pose global threat
Research in University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety
By Jennifer Reynolds, UGA Today
A gene that causes bacteria to be resistant to one of the world’s most important antibiotics, colistin, has been detected in sewer water in Georgia. The presence of the MCR-9 gene is a major concern for public health because it causes antimicrobial resistance, a problem that the World Health Organization has declared “one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.” Researchers from the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety collected sewage water from an urban setting in Georgia to test for the MCR gene in naturally present bacteria. Led by College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences assistant professor Issmat Kassem, whose research focuses on MCR’s presence around the world, the team was surprised at how quickly they detected MCR — they found evidence of the gene in the first sample they took. Kassem said that demonstrates that the gene is becoming established in the U.S.
Athens CEO
UGA Study: Sports Teams Instill Sense of Hope During Pandemic
Kathryn Kao
Involvement with sport brands may enhance psychological well-being
Sport fans share a special bond with their favorite teams, especially during times of crisis.
In the wake of COVID-19, sport brands that post frequent and transparent responses focused on fostering a sense of togetherness in their communities are more likely to instill feelings in their fans of hope and security, according to a new study by the University of Georgia. The study further emphasized that the relationship between fans and sport brands is a two-way street: fans enhance sport brands’ financial and reputational health, while brands contribute to fans’ psychological well-being through various means.
yahoo!news
Opposing sides battle in court over spaceport
Gordon Jackson, The Brunswick News, Ga.
A Superior Court judge will make a decision by Jan. 23 that will determine if Camden County can purchase land for its planned spaceport. Brunswick Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Stephen Scarlett announced his plans for a decision after listening to arguments Tuesday from opponents and county officials on the issue. Camden County Attorney John Meyers argued the request by opponents for a countywide referendum to determine if the voters should decide if the county should be allowed to purchase the property from Union Carbide is too late. …Howard referenced a University of Georgia poll showing a majority of county residents support a spaceport and a Georgia Southern University study showing an annual $22.5 million impact on the region’s economy. If the judge rules in favor of spaceport opponents, the money already spent would be wasted, Howard said.
WGAU Radio
UGA economists offer coastal forecast
Economic Outlook Luncheon at Jekyll Convention Center
By Tim Bryant
Economists from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business travel to the coast today: they will deliver their economic forecast for the Golden Isles in a noon-hour luncheon at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Today’s trip to Glynn County is part of an annual swing around the state for those UGA economists.
From the UGA master calendar…
The 2022 Georgia Economic Outlook brings the expertise of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business to attendees across the state, offering specific and reliable insights into next year’s economy. The annual series provides a timely look at the nation’s economic trajectory, the trends shaping our state’s fiscal outlook, and what to expect in your local area from forecasts based on data and analysis from the Selig Center for Economic Growth.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Where Research Spending Keeps Going Up
By Audrey Williams June
In the 2020 fiscal year, the Johns Hopkins University spent more on research and development than any other U.S. higher-education institution, concluding a decade during which research spending at the university grew by roughly $1 billion. According to newly released data from the National Science Foundation, Hopkins — which has led the nation’s colleges and universities in research spending for more than 40 years — had research-and-development expenditures of $3.1 billion. The figure includes $1.9 billion in funding for its Applied Physics Laboratory. At all U.S. colleges and universities, research-and-development spending totaled $86.4 billion in 2020 — up 3.3 percent from the prior fiscal year. The increase is the lowest since the 2015 fiscal year, the foundation said in a report on its annual Higher Education Research and Development Survey, which is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. …The largest share of research funding, 53 percent, came from the federal government.
The $1 Billion-Plus Club
The 21 institutions that spent at least $1 billion on research accounted for a third of such spending in higher education in the 2020 fiscal year.
Page 2 of 2
Rank Institution 2020 FY (in billions)
19 Georgia Institute of Technology $1.049
The George-Anne
Ga Southern Offering Free Testing on Armstrong Campus
Duncan Sligh, Editor-in-Chief
Georgia Southern will be offering free COVID-19 tests to students and faculty with an Eagle ID at the Armstrong Center, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. New students need to acquire a physical form of their Eagle ID to present to the nursing staff to receive their swab. New students who do not have their card or a picture will not be tested.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia universities report spike in COVID-19 cases
By Eric Stirgus
Many of Georgia’s largest public universities are reporting a significant increase in new COVID-19 cases as classes resume this week. The largest increase occurred at the University of Georgia. The state’s flagship university reported Wednesday 804 cases between Jan. 3-9, more than three times the total from the prior seven-day period of 251 new cases. The numbers do not include any reported cases since Monday, when classes began there for the spring semester.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 11)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,590,529
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 26,621 | 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
Georgia hospitals warn of ripple effects from COVID surge
By Ariel Hart, J. Scott Trubey, Helena Oliviero
Any hope that the coronavirus’ milder omicron variant would lead to a smaller wave of patients has evaporated in the post-holiday peak of patients needing hospital care in metro Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia. COVID-19′s holiday surge is once again swamping Georgia emergency rooms and filling some ICUs. But this surge is different than others, as the highly contagious omicron sweeps across the state. While omicron in most cases is milder — especially for the vaccinated and boosted — the sheer number of people catching this variant is putting extreme pressure on an already strained health care system.
MSN
Covid remains infectious for at least five minutes in bathrooms
Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Mailonline
Covid may linger and remain infectious in shower and steam rooms for at least 20 minutes after an infected person has left, a study suggests. Bristol University researchers found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus thrives in humid or damp environments. Until now, studies into how infectious the coronavirus is in various settings relied on an imprecise method that involved spraying viral particles into sealed drums. But they didn’t accurately replicate the nuances that occur when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes in a real-world environment. Now scientists have developed what is thought to be the most accurate method of monitoring this process. They found that as the virus particles leaves the moist conditions of the lungs and become airborne they quickly dry out.
Lots of Campuses Are Starting the Semester Online or Late. Here’s Why Some Aren’t.
By Nell Gluckman
With the more-transmissible Omicron variant driving record Covid-19 case counts across the country, many colleges have opted to start the spring semester online or delay the date at which students, staff, and faculty members should come back altogether. Those campuses have grabbed headlines this month, but most colleges are still planning to forge ahead with their spring-2022 plans and are at various stages of opening up for an in-person semester or quarter.
Chronicle of Higher Education
How to Help Your Students Prepare for Life After College
Career advising for undergraduates is not just the job of campus counselors. Faculty members can — and should — play a role.
By Rachel Toor
Experiential learning is all the rage on college campuses. Recognizing that students need real-world work experience in college, many institutions are using innovative ideas to integrate career services into the curriculum. But when it comes time to apply for jobs, many students don’t take advantage of the help that’s on offer in the campus career-services office. Instead students often turn to the people they know best on the campus: their professors.