University System News:
Forbes
Public Colleges Look For State Funding Increases In 2022
Michael T. Nietzel, Senior Contributor
With state coffers enjoying record surpluses and tax revenues exceeding budget estimates, 2022 is shaping up to be a year in which higher education leaders will bid for large increases in funding for the state. ‘State for public institutions and state financial aid programs. This is a big turnaround from the past two years, when many institutions have faced shrinking budgets, campus cutbacks, and limited funding. …Higher education officials in several other states have also submitted requests for significant increases in funding for the coming year. In Georgia, for example, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents has already approved a request for $ 2.57 billion for fiscal year 2023, which is an increase of $ 108.1 million from its current budget. . The increases include $ 99.4 million to cover growth in student enrollments and approximately $ 9 million for employee and retiree health insurance plans.
Inside Higher Ed
A state law called for cutting back on remedial education at California Community Colleges, but many colleges still offer these courses. Higher ed advocates say the classes keep students from earning degrees. Frustrated students agree.
By Sara Weissman
…The law changing remedial coursework requirements calls on colleges to “maximize the probability” that a student will take and complete transfer-level English and math classes within a year and to use metrics such as high school coursework or GPA to place students into credit-bearing courses. (The law went into effect in 2018, after a California State University system executive order was issued eliminating placement tests and replacing them with multiple metrics to determine which classes students should take. The order also removed stand-alone developmental education prerequisite courses at CSU campuses.) …Other college and university systems elsewhere in the country have also reduced remedial courses in the last decade. Florida adopted a law getting rid of remedial courses in 2013, and the University System of Georgia started transitioning to the corequisite model in fall 2018.
Rome News-Tribune
Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions a person will make for their education, impacting everything from future earnings and employment to potential student loan debt and social circles. While every student wants to get the best education they possibly can, there are myriad other considerations to take into account: location, size, diversity, areas of focus, study abroad opportunities—the list goes on. While best college lists are often topped with the same handful of expensive Ivy League schools, the U.S. is home to more than 4,000 degree-granting schools spread out across all 50 states and several territories, with amazing education offerings for students of every age. Stacker compiled a list of the best colleges in Georgia using rankings from Niche.
#10. Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville)
– Acceptance rate: 80% (1110-1260 SAT)
– Net Price: $20,823
#9. Georgia State University (Atlanta)
– Acceptance rate: 76% (1060-1250 SAT)
– Net Price: $14,136
#8. Georgia Southern University (Statesboro)
– Acceptance rate: 54% (1050-1200 SAT)
– Net Price: $15,374
#3. University of Georgia (Athens)
– Acceptance rate: 45% (1240-1420 SAT)
– Net Price: $15,961
#1. Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)
– Acceptance rate: 21% (1300-1510 SAT)
– Net Price: $16,883
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Student-parents get a boost at KSU
By H.M. Cauley
Claudia Davis is a juggler: She balances working on a degree at Kennesaw State, being a single mom to her son and working full-time for the Gwinnett County Health Department. When KSU launched a support program for students who are parents, Davis welcomed the help. …Davis joined the group organized by Allison Garefino, KSU’s clinical director of Children and Family programs. …Garefino said out of KSU’s 43,000 student population, about 20% are raising a child, either as a biological parent or an aunt, uncle, grandparent or sibling. Based on those numbers, she applied for and won a $20,000 grant to launch a support program for that demographic. She and a team of 15 trained undergrad mentors and social work graduate students recently completed the third semester of working with about 30 student-parents. Each term, the group has tackled topics such as mental health, social capital, early childhood education, financial literacy, budgeting and employment opportunities.
Moultrie Observer
UGA helps Colquitt County develop future leaders
In fall 2018, Colquitt County eighth grader Jayden Smith wasn’t sure about giving up his Saturdays to participate in a new program called Leadership Legends, presented by the University of Georgia. Three years later, he is glad he did. “Over the last three years, this program has helped me learn where I can give back to my community and use skills and values to influence future generations and show them the importance of hard work and giving back,” Smith said. Smith and the rest of the 13-member inaugural UGA Leadership Legends class graduated during a virtual ceremony in September. Developed by the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach, Leadership Legends prepares young African American males in Colquitt County to be future leaders in their community.
Clayton News-Daily
‘Dumb luck’ leads UGA Food Science professor to her calling
By Claire Sanders CAES News
During her final year as a student at Washington State University, Faith Critzer found that she needed one elective to complete her bachelor’s degree in animal science. Critzer was required to take a course outside the animal science department, so she selected an introductory food science course that fit her schedule. That one elective course changed the entire course of her education and career. …Although she had previously considered pursuing a career in veterinary medicine, Critzer chose to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in food science and technology. …At UGA, Critzer’s research focuses primarily on food safety in fresh produce, and in particular, mitigation of the pathogens that can cause outbreaks of foodborne illness. Her expertise in this critical area of research earned her a position on the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment. The FAO and WHO are specialized agencies of the United Nations.
Savannah Morning News
Barbara Rupnik uses sign language to communicate with her Savannah students
Bianca Moorman
After Barbara Rupnik’s dream working for NASA didn’t work out, she fell in love in with American Sign Language after having two professors who communicated with ASL. …Rupnik is one of five finalists competing for the title of the 2022-23 teacher of the year for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS). She will compete in a process that will involve classroom observations and panel interviews over the past couple of months. …She also teaches a sign language course at Georgia Southern University.
The Champion Newspaper
UGA partnership will bring sports broadcasting to SWD
Southwest DeKalb High School will offer a sports broadcasting program to high school seniors thanks to a partnership with University of Georgia and the Carmical Sports Media Institute at Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication. …The program gives students experience that will aid those who go into sports broadcasting and help level the playing field for local seniors, according to Carmical Sports Media Institute Assistant Director Carlo Finlay
yahoo!news
Are ‘Rural Emergency Hospitals’ on the horizon?
Carlton Fletcher, The Albany Herald, Ga.
The concept isn’t exactly new. Free-standing ERs — affiliated with hospitals but not physically connected to them — have cropped up in many areas, generally in suburban or urban locations where large numbers of local residents have private insurance. They provide emergency medical services apart from a regular hospital location. Now federal health officials are developing plans for something similar, but in a different setting. …Shorter med school: The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University is shortening its med school curriculum to three years from four for students who want to work in primary care in rural or underserved areas. “It’s a really good deal,” Scotty Hall, who grew up in the small town of Dexter in Central Georgia, said. Scholarships are available for tuition as well. Peach State Health Plan, run by Centene, has contributed $5.2 million to the MCG program. Mercer offers a similar shortened curriculum for med students.
yahoo!news
Acts of Kindness: Stories of the community helping one another during the pandemic
In times like these, the good in people shines. Since March 2020, the MDJ has been reporting on acts of kindness, goodwill and generosity during the coronavirus pandemic. …The Partnership, located at 1100 Circle 75 Parkway SE, Suite 930 in the Cumberland area, announced they provided nearly $30,000 in financial support for community programming and initiatives across the Southeast. Heavily engaged in volunteerism and philanthropy, The Partnership focused support during 2021 on higher education, elementary school programming, non-profits, and youth development organizations. Selected organizations initiatives provided scholarship support, life-skill trainings, educational, and behavioral services, with a majority servicing underserved communities of women and at-risk youth affected by homelessness, unemployment, and challenged hardships. Organizations supported by The Partnership included the University of West Georgia, Sanders Elementary School in Austell, Down 7 Up 8 Inc., and the Georgia Middle School Athletic Association.
WGAU
UGA research provides insight into cancer progression
Studies in University’s College of Engineering
By Carolyn Crist, UGA Today
When cancer develops, tumor cells can break away from the original mass, circulate through the bloodstream and invade other parts of the body. Higher numbers of circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, often correlate with worse outcomes and higher death rates for patients. CTCs are notoriously difficult to track and study — but a team at the University of Georgia has developed patented technology that could help researchers investigate these cells and better understand the mechanics of metastatic cancer.
capradio
4 of the biggest archeological advancements of 2021 — including one ‘game changer’
By Michael Levitt | NPR
…How to not lose track of our tracks
Dr. Suzanne Pilaar Birch is an associate professor of archaeology and geography at the University of Georgia in Athens. She chose to feature a paper published recently in Nature about a renewed analysis of footprints discovered in the 1970s in Tanzania. Researchers returned to the site and upon reexamination determined that the tracks belonged to an early hominin species, not to an animal species like a bear, as was previously thought. The prints, which are an estimated 3.6 million years old, are the oldest evidence of bipedal locomotion of a human ancestor. NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce covered these findings earlier this month. However, Pilaar Birch highlighted this story not because of its extraordinary findings, but rather for how it highlights the need for better preservation of our archaeological assets.
The Dispatch
‘Ugly’ mud may hold key to saving vital ecosystems off Georgia, Carolinas coastlines
Sammy Fretwell, Raleigh News & Observer
Seen from above, the salt marsh on the backside of Jekyll Island looks healthy, green and vibrant, its spartina grass rippling in the Georgia breeze. But a closer look reveals a nasty scar covering a section of once-thriving marsh. The federal government smothered five acres of the tideland in 2019 when it pumped black muck from a nearby dredging project onto the watery savanna. It was part of an experiment that left some locals grumbling about an unsightly mess in a scenic wetland – and yet, the work might one day save many of the marshes that define the South Atlantic coast. At least that’s what scientists hope. …This year, scientists from the University of South Carolina, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Georgia Southern University have been monitoring the five acres of Jekyll Island salt marsh to see if there are signs of recovery since the marsh was coated with mud two years ago.
WTOC
By Dal Cannady
College communities like Statesboro could see a rise in COVID cases when students return over the next week or so. The Bulloch County public safety director said he’s watching and waiting and hoping this surge doesn’t repeat what they saw in the fall. Ted Wynn says the county saw 56 new cases from Monday to Tuesday and the infection rate is nearly 17 percent when they hope to keep it at five percent or less. One of his concerns is the influx of people when 20,000 Georgia Southern students return to the community and the number who might return to school exposed or infected.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Georgia schools embrace wait-and-see approach to omicron
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
As cases surge, schools must balance staying open with safety concerns
Nationwide, most schools resuming classes amid the onslaught of the highly contagious omicron variant are embracing the approach espoused by former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio: “Stay safe, stay open.” That’s easier to do in New York where all school employees must be vaccinated. The New York City system — the nation’s largest with nearly a million students — will distribute at-home testing kits to all students in classrooms with exposures. …Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey embrace a more hands-off approach to omicron, calling for monitoring rather than mandating. …The University System of Georgia has forbidden mask mandates on the campuses of its 26 public institutions, a policy that could contribute to a rough start to the new semester as COVID-19 cases skyrocket among younger people. …The University of Georgia administration has been silent on any new COVID protocols, said math professor Joseph Fu, whose decision to ignore policy and mandate masks in his classes has earned student accolades. “I think the mood among faculty is quiet dread. On the plus side, at least we know what to expect now: I haven’t heard any of the fantasies that preceded the past few semesters, that we would go online, or could win a vaccine or mask mandate.”
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 3)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,420,034
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 26,425 | 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
Where to find the new COVID pills: about 50 in Georgia have them
By Helena Oliviero
Alex Willis, owner of a pharmacy in south Georgia, was eagerly waiting Monday for his first shipments of a potentially game-changing COVID-19 treatment in pill form. The two new antiviral pills — both of which require a doctor’s prescription — could be a powerful tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as the omicron variant has spiked the number of new infections. The tablet form of treatment is convenient, can be picked up at a pharmacy and taken at home. All previously authorized drugs for COVID-19 require an IV or injection administered by a medical professional.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Dealing With COVID-19, in January
Omicron’s arrival leads many colleges to shift plans for the semester that starts today on many campuses. Some colleges face criticism for doing so, and some face criticism for not making changes.
By Scott Jaschik
Remember the start of the fall semester, when college presidents spoke about how their institutions could resume normal operations? Fast-forward to the last weeks of December, and it’s clear the pandemic isn’t close to being gone. Omicron, a variant of the coronavirus, has spread in the United States and is now the dominant form of SARS-CoV-2 found here. Many colleges, especially those where the winter quarter or spring semester begins today, are adjusting their academic calendars. Some colleges are holding a few weeks of classes online, and some of those colleges are discouraging students from returning to campus. Other colleges have delayed the start of their semesters. Some are switching the start of the semester to online only.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Four trends US college campuses should be tracking in 2022
By Hilary Burns – Editor, The National Observer Higher Education,
With all of the challenges and obstacles that have been thrown at campuses in the past two years, it’s no wonder that college president turnover has been on the rise. Crisis management has become the name of the game for college and university leaders, and higher-ed experts don’t expect that to change in the New Year. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to keep college leaders on their toes as the Omicron variant surges across the country and students continue to report increasing mental health challenges — just two of the ongoing challenges for university presidents. The Business Journals spoke with higher-ed watchers and insiders to understand what we should be keeping an eye on in 2022. Here are the takeaways: