University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Regents name two UGA buildings after barrier-breaking Black students
By Eric Stirgus
Board also approves naming roadway after late state senator and his wife
The Georgia Board of Regents approved the University of Georgia’s proposal Tuesday to name two campus buildings after Black graduates who made history at the school. The university’s science library will be named in memory of Shirley Mathis McBay, the first Black student to earn a doctorate from UGA in 1966. McBay, who became a math professor at Spelman College and championed the need for diversity in the STEM fields, died two weeks ago. She was 86. The board approved UGA’s plan to name a 525-unit student residential hall under construction after Harold A. Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo and Kerry Rushin Miller, the first Black students to enroll as freshmen and complete their undergraduate degrees. Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of their enrollment.
Forbes
University System Of Georgia Has Remarkable Success With Its Alternative To Remedial Education
Michael T. Nietzel, Senior Contributor
I am a former university president who writes about higher education.
A new report released today by Complete College America (CCA) highlights the impressive success of an alternative to traditional remedial education being used by the University System of Georgia (USG). The report analyzes the outcomes of 26,000 USG students enrolled in corequisite support, an increasingly popular model that’s replacing traditional remedial coursework at colleges across the nation. …After introducing corequisite support statewide in 2018-19, USG has now offered the approach to more than 26,000 students attending the 26 institutions in the system. They include small, medium, and large colleges; open access and highly selective schools; community colleges; research universities; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. …Calling the results from USG “ remarkable,” CCA President Yolanda Watson Spiva, said. “All groups of students, including Black and Latinx students, students experiencing poverty, and first-generation college students, are passing gateway courses at the same rates. We are ecstatic about the results of this research and look forward to implementing additional strategies to benefit these groups of students, with USG and others.”
11 Alive
UGA sees new gains in early applicants
The university said it received a record number of applications for early admission.
Author: Gabriella Nunez
A record number of students decided early on that they wanted to be a Bulldog, according to the University of Georgia’s applicant data. The university announced Tuesday that it has already accepted 8,900 students for the undergraduate Class of 2026 after sifting through the highest number of early applicants the school has ever seen. UGA received 21,500 applications for early admission during this college admissions cycle, according to a news release. Last year 20,870 students applied early decision, a university spokesperson said.
WABE
Dancing Georgia Tech robots and Kennesaw State dancers meet in new performance
Molly Samuel
The idea of “dancing robots” may conjure an image of ungainly things lumbering around, but a new collaboration between Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State has elegant robots moving in concert with human dancers. The dance, called FOREST, is on video, and a different performance involving the robot dancers will be performed live this Saturday at Georgia Tech. The idea of the project is to build trust between humans and the machines, said Gil Weinberg, director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology.
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia federal judge issues injunction on federal vaccination mandate
Sandy Hodson
A federal judge has ruled in favor of Georgia and other states in the legal battle over enforcement of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors. In a 28-page order released today, U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker granted Georgia and other states a preliminary injunction which halts enforcement of President Biden’s executive order that required all federal contractors to have their employees vaccinated. …On Oct. 29, Georgia was joined by several other states in a federal lawsuit filed in Augusta seeking to stop the mandate. Friday, Baker held a hearing in Statesboro on the request for a temporary injunction. He took the case under advisement and issued his decision today. Among the witnesses was Jason Guilbeauld, director of post-award services at Augusta University where more than $17 million a year in revenue comes from federal contracts, according to Baker’s order. He said about 5,802 employees work on federal contracts. In early November, AU President Brooks Keel said that number was 5,711. According to the University’s Fast Facts data, the University employees 12,116 employees. So far, 61% of employees have provided proof of vaccinations, according to the case filings.
See also:
Georgia Recorder
Georgia judge blocks Biden vaccine mandate for federal contractors
Americus Times-Recorder
Georgia Southwestern to address nursing shortage with new nursing program
By Ken Gustafson
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) will launch a new academic degree, an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN), set to begin Fall 2022. The two-year program comes in response to regional industry workforce needs and the critical nationwide nursing shortage, with Georgia projected to have the sixth worst nursing shortage by the year 2030. Obtaining an ASN degree at GSW will allow students to complete a full educational pathway to pursue their education step-by-step and enter the workforce sooner as a registered nurse (RN). Registered nursing is the fourth-most in-demand job in the American workforce. Healthcare facilities are searching for skilled RNs as they face increased patient demand for care with the pandemic speeding this along.
Gwinnett Daily Post
UGA Rural Scholars Program makes a big campus feel smaller
By Leigh Beeson CAES News
Growing up in a small rural town isn’t for everyone. But for Gracie Grimes, her little hometown of just over 4,000 people was a haven. “Not many people get to experience the constant love and support and encouragement that an entire town gives you,” said Grimes, a first-year animal science major at the University of Georgia. …And for Grimes, the town fostered a love of agriculture that she was determined to share. “Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in the entire world and our most important industry,” she said. “The mentality that agriculture is just farming has to change. It’s so much more than that.” That passion, coupled with her excellent academics, helped Grimes earn one of four spots in the first cohort of the University of Georgia’s Rural Scholars Program. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences scholarship helps students from rural areas of the state succeed by providing financial support and easing the transition from small-town living to a university setting.
Columbus CEO
Columbus State Extends Operating Hours for Select Campus Services
Columbus State University is extending its operating hours on Tuesdays for certain offices and services beginning Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. University leaders hope the extended hours will make these campus services more accessible to its current students as well as area residents and prospective students.
WGAU Radio
UNG lines up commencement speakers
Three speakers to address Class of ‘21
By Tim Bryant
The University of North Georgia lines up three speakers for its December 17 commencement exercises: doctors Katherine Adams, Timothy May, and Bryson Payne will address UNG’s Class of 2021 in ceremonies that will take place on the North Georgia campus in Dahlonega.
Grice Connect
Cherie Dennis, Sachin Shailendra and Vic Reynolds will serve as speakers for Georgia Southern University’s Fall 2021 Commencement ceremonies on Dec. 11, 13 and 14. Georgia Southern University will hold three commencement ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate students from each of the University’s 10 colleges. … Monday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m.
Ceremony in Statesboro for undergraduate and graduate students in the Parker College of Business, Waters College of Health Professions, College of Education, and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
Sachin Shailendra, chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, will speak to graduates at the first Fall 2021 Commencement ceremony in Statesboro.
Gwinnett Daily Post
By Curt Yeomans
A quote from Dr. Seuss, a nod to Georgia Gwinnett College’s slogan and references from Gwinnett County State Court Judge Veronica Cope’s own life story. That is how Cope delivered a simple message to Georgia Gwinnett College’s newest graduates at the Gas South Arena on Tuesday morning: don’t let anything stand in the way of accomplishing their goals. Cope, who is the second African-American elected to serve as a State Court judge in Gwinnett, served as the college’s graduation speaker at GGC’s fall commencement ceremony at the arena. …GGC conferred degrees on more than 600 students during the commencement ceremony.
accessWDUN
UNG Commandant of Cadets speaks on Pearl Harbor’s 80th anniversary
By Austin Eller Anchor/Reporter
Tuesday marked the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and University of North Georgia Commandant of Cadets retired Col. Joe Matthews said it is important to remember the legacy of that deadly day. Matthews, who was stationed in Hawaii for three years from 2016 to 2019, said the history behind Dec. 7, 1941, permeated into his specific career field.
Rome News-Tribune
Darlington launches student leadership program in partnership with UGA
By Olivia Morley
Darlington School is partnering with the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development to incorporate a new leadership program into its curriculum. The Darlington School Leadership Institute will be introduced to the seventh and eighth grade classes this winter, but will eventually become a part of grades 9 through 12 as well. The mission of the program is to “help create an engaged and confident citizenry by training and equipping students with inclusive and comprehensive leadership skills and provide opportunities for service and action so that students are prepared for a diverse and ever-changing world,” according to Head of School Brent Bell. Bell said faculty has been working with representatives from UGA since last year and the new program is finally ready to launch.
The Augusta Chronicle
AU President Keel suspends vaccine deadline for all AU and AU Health employees
Sandy Hodson
The vaccine deadline for AU Health employees and all Augusta University employees has been suspended. In an announcement today, President Brooks Keel said the vaccine deadlines for both group of employees – approximately 12,000 people – was suspended in light of federal court rulings that granted injunction to President Biden’s executive orders requiring healthcare workers and federal contract employees to be fully vaccinated by next month. The most recent court ruling was issued in a federal lawsuit filed by Georgia and several other states in the Augusta federal court. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker granted an injunction against the enforcement of the vaccine mandate for federal contractors Monday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Georgia professor says he quit over lack of COVID safety
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
He says System didn’t let him set reasonable safety guidelines
Georgia College & State University faculty member James Schiffman resigned this week, leaving a job he loved and expected to remain at for at least two more years. A veteran journalist who worked at CNN and the Wall Street Journal, Schiffman quit over COVID-19 policies that he believes endanger faculty, staff and students at Georgia’s public colleges.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 6)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,290,778
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 25,824 | 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.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Study Explores Ties Between College Selectivity and Income
By Scott Jaschik
A new study from Northwestern University examines the relationship between income, college selectivity and majors. “Public discussion tends to assume that majors will lead to remunerative careers if they are vocationally oriented and math-intensive but are less practically valuable if they are academic and focused on verbal skills,” the report says. “Our results support some of these assumptions and cast doubt on others. Majors do matter a great deal. In general, the highest-paid majors are those that are occupationally specific and lead to math-intensive jobs. However, career paths can require both math and writing skills: often the most valuable majors lead to jobs that require both skills, and the least valuable lead to jobs that require neither. Majors that are occupationally distinct are often math-intensive, but the association is not perfect.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The American College Health Association Is Out With New Covid Guidelines. Here’s What They Say.
By Francie Diep
The American College Health Association released on Monday its latest recommendations for Covid-19 policy on college campuses. The guidelines come as the country prepares to enter its second pandemic winter, and the world awaits more news on whether the Omicron variant is more infectious or deadly than its predecessors. The American College Health Association leans strongly in favor of vaccinating as many people on campus as possible. In addition, the guidelines say that familiar Covid-mitigation measures — masking, social distancing, testing, and contact tracing — should remain in place, to varying degrees, depending on local circumstances. “The pandemic has not ended and so we need to continue to put the appropriate mitigation strategies in place,” said Anita Barkin, co-chair of the association’s Covid-19 task force.
Inside Higher Ed
More Colleges Require COVID-19 Booster Vaccines
By Elizabeth Redden
More colleges have announced requirements that students and in some cases employees receive COVID-19 vaccine booster shots after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its guidance to recommend that all adults receive a booster shot six months after completing a two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccine series or two months after receiving a single Johnson & Jonson vaccine.
Inside Higher Ed
University of Southern California Student Has Omicron Variant
By Scott Jaschik
A University of Southern California student has contracted the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The university said the student had flown domestically.
Inside Higher Ed
What Blockbuster Coaching Contracts Mean for Higher Ed
Massive contracts for college football coaches have prompted criticism from some administrators and elected officials, but economists note such paydays have been building to this level for years.
By Josh Moody
With the college football season winding down, schools are making the usual moves hiring and firing coaches. But eye-popping numbers have emerged from contracts at three major programs where football coaches are set to earn salaries that outpace some of their NFL counterparts.