University System News
The Cobb County Courier
By Larry Felton Johnson
Marietta-based Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System (AUHS) have signed a letter of intent to form a partnership that, according to the news release from Wellstar, could result in the Medical College of Georgia becoming one of the largest public medical schools in the U.S. Augusta University is part of the University System of Georgia and is the home of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). MCG is the state’s only public medical college.
See also:
WRDW
What will AU-Wellstar hospital merger mean for you?
By Staff and wire reports
Associated Press
Atlanta group could take over Augusta University hospitals
By Jeff Amy
The Coastal Courier
GSU launches engineering mentorship program
Special to the Courier
Savannah-area high school students are getting a first-hand look at engineering concepts through the Eagle Engineering Ambassadors (EAA) program, a new NASA-funded mentorship program that partners students in Georgia Southern University’s Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing with teams of high school students. The new program, much like its predecessor the Engineering Design Challenge (EDC), introduces high schoolers to engineering concepts through hands-on projects and mentorship from Georgia Southern students.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Henry partnership to benefit local nursing
By Monroe Roark
A new partnership between Piedmont Henry Hospital, Gordon State College and Henry County Schools is intended to create a pool of future nurses from among local students. The leaders of the three institutions – school district superintendent Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis, GSC president Dr. Kirk Nooks and Piedmont Henry CEO Dr. Lily Henson – signed a memorandum of understanding forming a Community Innovation Campus partnership, according to a Dec. 7 announcement.
11 Alive
By Makayla Richards, Sydney Spencer
Virtual reality headsets, 3D printing, and even typewriters are available to just about any Georgian with a flash of a card. The often-overlooked resources, along with several other aids, are dedicated to serving the community’s needs through the Georgia Public Library Services (GPLS).
FOX 5
Burst pipes damage multiple dorms at Georgia State University
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
A number of dorms at Georgia State University were flooded after the freezing weather caused pipes in the building to burst Tuesday. The school says three of the Georgia State’s housing facilities – University Commons A, Commons D, and Piedmont Central, were affected by water damage from the burst pipes. Officials told FOX 5 less than 5% of the rooms for students who live on campus were affected by the pipe problems.
Other News
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rivian project gets federal wetlands permit, site work to expand
By Zachary Hansen and Drew Kann
Rivian’s $5 billion electric vehicle factory planned for a rural site an hour east of Atlanta cleared a major environmental hurdle Wednesday, when the federal government granted the project a key permit allowing grading to begin on the entire 2,000-acre site. The clearance — called a 404 permit — was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was required because portions of the site contain federally protected streams and wetlands.
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia establishes its own health-insurance portal, Georgia Access
By Rebecca Grapevine
After failing to win federal approval to exit the federal insurance marketplace earlier this year, Georgia has established its own health-insurance portal directing people to private insurers and brokers to buy health insurance. The new website, called Georgia Access, includes links to 10 health-insurance companies – including big players such as United, Kaiser Permanente, and Aetna – as well as seven online brokers, organizations that help people shop for and enroll in health insurance.
The Ledger-Enquirer
Studio deal promises more movie and TV productions to be filmed in Columbus
By Mark Rice
The number of movies and television shows filmed in Columbus is expected to increase exponentially, starting next year, now that a production company cofounded by a former Fort Benning soldier has reached agreement with W.C. Bradley Real Estate to manage its Flat Rock Studio. Catalyst Productions cofounder and CEO John Mock, a retired U.S. Army captain, confirmed the deal in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer.
Wired
Humans and AI Will Understand Each Other Better Than Ever
By Mustafa Suleyman
Artificial intelligence has promised much, but there has been something holding it back from being used successfully by billions of people: a frustrating struggle for humans and machines to understand one another in natural language. This is now changing, thanks to the arrival of large language models powered by transformer architectures, one of the most important AI breakthroughs in the past 20 years.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle
Pay was a big challenge in 2022. It’s likely 2023 will bring more of the same.
By Andy Medici
From increasing salary expectations to pay transparency pushes, pay was a big challenge in 2022. Experts say 2023 will bring more of the same.
Fast Company
The tech we’re most looking forward to in 2023
By Chris Morris
One of the nice things about the tech world is just when you think things have reached their peak, a new summit appears in the distance. 2022 had plenty of new tech, from smart watches that can call for help if you’re in an accident to art created by artificial intelligence that we all couldn’t keep from showing off to the world. And while some of the real treasures of 2023 won’t be unveiled until CES in January (or later), there are already several things that have us eager to learn more.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘It’s just a steppingstone’: Two programs try cash to alleviate poverty
By Katherine Landergan
In 2015, Nora Williams escaped the home that was making her sick. But Williams’ chronic illness from living in an infested home meant she was unable to work. Then, this September, Williams had a breakthrough: she qualified for a program that would give her cash, with virtually no strings attached. Williams is part of a pilot program for hundreds of Black women in Georgia that is looking for answers to a simple question – what happens when a person living in poverty is suddenly gifted more than $20,000 over two years?
Higher Education News
Higher Ed Dive
Rising debt levels could hurt graduate programs’ ROI, report finds
By Natalie Schwartz
Borrowers are taking on more debt to complete their graduate degrees, potentially eroding their return on investment, according to a recent analysis from the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank. The median debt among borrowers who completed master’s degrees nearly doubled in under two decades after adjusting for inflation, rising to $60,945 in 2016 from $36,157 in 2000.
Higher Ed Dive
Utah will no longer require a bachelor’s degree for most state jobs
By Kathryn Moody
Utah will no longer require a bachelor’s degree for most state government jobs, Gov. Spencer Cox announced Dec. 13. Ninety-eight percent of state executive branch jobs do not require a degree. Hiring managers and committees are instead instructed to consider comparable experience as “equal to educational qualifications at every step in the evaluation and recruiting process,” according to the announcement.
Inside Higher Ed
By Scott Jaschik
A former coach of fencing at Harvard University was cleared Wednesday of charges that he took a bribe from the wealthy father of two students to have them admitted. Peter Brand, the former coach, was charged under federal law with accepting bribes to get the two sons of Jie (Jack) Zhao admitted to the university. Zhao, who was charged with making the bribes, was also acquitted Wednesday.