Progress Report

Guiding Students' Success

The transition to college is difficult for many students. A new type of schedule and a higher level of accountability can be demanding for students who may not have developed strong study skills prior to enrolling at AU. To help students face these challenges, the Academic Success Center (ASC) employs dozens of student tutors, peer mentors, and peer coaches across the core curriculum. In the 2019-2020 academic year, the ASC hosted more than 20,000 visits. The outcomes are showing notable impacts on students' performance in their courses as well as retention in the next academic year when compared to students who did not visit the center. Specifically for the 2019-2020 academic year, that retention comparison was 80% to 67%. More impactful – the personal interaction with knowledgeable and patient tutors that student visitors report as instrumental to their success.

Supporting Students Financially

Working a job while going to school is a balancing act for any student. Financial support through scholarships means students are less likely to have to work and are able to focus more on earning their degree. The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Augusta University $905,444 to increase the number of students earning an undergraduate degree in a STEM discipline. While the grant requires at least 60% of the awarded amount to be designated to student scholarships, almost 80% of the amount Augusta University received is being allotted to scholarships, starting in fall 2020, such as to support talented, financially eligible second-year students as they complete their degrees and ultimately increase the number of STEM graduates. To address the national need to increase the diversity of STEM graduates, almost 50% of the scholarships target students underrepresented in STEM fields, including first-generation students, ethnic minorities, and women. The grant is also being used to help students develop soft skills and classroom and lab skills and includes a program that involves peer, faculty, and community-professional mentorships. Read more about the NSF award.

Through its Cyber Security Scholarship Program, the Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences an amount of funds totaling more than $1.5 million to increase the number of qualified students entering the fields of information assurance, information technology, and cybersecurity to meet the DOD’s increasing dependence on cybersecurity for warfighting and the security of its information infrastructure. These efforts include developing and teaching courses to high-school teachers in the areas of computer science and cybersecurity. Since 2017, a total of 17 students have received this scholarship, including four multi-year recipients. Read more about the 2020 DOD award.

Active Learning Environments

Active collaborative learning environments provide students with genuine exposure to real-world problem solving. Through the collaboration of the College of Allied Health Sciences and the Center for Instructional Innovation, Augusta University’s Innovation Challenge Case Study Competition seeks to provide innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial solutions to a significant real-world health care challenge that affects the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of patients. In spring 2020, teams of three to five students collaborated and showcased their innovative solutions, ideas, and technologies through a virtual Shark Tank-style business pitch competition with up to $3,000 in scholarships. The 2020 event’s challenge focused on solving the discomfort, distress, and anxiety caused by the use of colostomy bags by patients of all ages all over the world. The 2021 event requires students to create innovative solutions to a challenge currently facing communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this experiential learning opportunity, students have the opportunity to attend workshops hosted by industry professionals and consult with key faculty for support. This competition encourages interdisciplinary creativity and gives students out-of-classroom experiences in which they refine critical thinking and presentation skills and have several options to obtain course credit as they seek to improve the quality of life for affected patients.

Staying Busy at the Interdisciplinary Simulation Center

Despite the impacts of COVID-19 that have required low training room capacities, social distancing, and rigorous cleaning and sanitation practices, Augusta University’s Interdisciplinary Simulation Center has stayed busy. The Center serves Augusta University’s Allied Health, Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing programs through simulation services that include high fidelity simulation, skills labs, procedural training, etc. Programs use the Center to orient students to new clinical responsibilities, train new skills, and hone practical skills. The first month of the fall 2020 semester, the Center averaged around 160 students per day in skills labs, simulation training, and clinical skills encounters across the spectrum of healthcare training programs. Read more about the Interdisciplinary Simulation Center.

Growing Leaders with High Impact

When the Certificate of Leadership was first offered in fall 2016, AU's undergraduate students were provided an unprecedented opportunity to develop professional skills above and beyond the knowledge gained through their chosen majors. The first group of Leadership Certificate graduates boast accomplishments that clearly demonstrate their leadership abilities to employers and graduate schools. They represent a broad cross section of majors, hailing from Pamplin College, Hull College, and the College of Science and Mathematics. Learning experiences have included participating in study away/abroad in North Carolina and Ireland, completing internships with AU’s Department of Athletics and SafeHomes of Augusta, and serving as Lt. Officer of CSI Services Group, a securities agency. Some students also complete a Leadership Experience in which they earn credit for time spent in a leadership role. Outcomes of students’ leadership include raising $13,000 for an organization fighting childhood cancer – a record for the organization, spearheading a Princesses and Pi’s event with Alpha Delta Pi to raise $30,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Augusta, and co-founding the Augusta University Professional Sales Club to create a community for young business professionals to learn from sales professionals, network, and gain business skills. We are excited about the future of AU's emerging student leaders.

Producing Critical Thinkers

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) provides students hands-on experience working with the questions, challenges, and processes of their discipline. While CURS celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2018, its Summer Scholars Program (SSP) celebrated 10 years in May 2020. The intensive 9-week program provides intentional mentoring and professional development as well as experiential learning for undergraduates, increases opportunities for underrepresented students to become engaged in research and creative scholarship, and supports high impact scholarly activity to yield significant student development and research achievements while furthering AU’s research productivity. Project topics vary widely: Pain-related Depression of Behavior, Low Energy Photon Interference, Citizen Perceptions of Police, Connecting the Extracellular Matrix to Ciliogenesis, HPV Vaccination Administration by Georgia Health Care Providers, and Quantitative Analyses of African American Poetry. The SSP requires students to work 20 hours each week and provides a stipend. In the summer of 2020, nearly 60 student and faculty collaborators from a variety of disciplines participated in the first virtual Summer Scholars Program event during the pandemic. To apply, visit the SSP’s application webpage.

Growing Honors Program

Augusta University’s Honors Program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to receive advising, instruction, and mentoring from Honors faculty and staff and support to present their research at appropriate state, regional, and national conferences. The fall 2020 semester showed significant increase in students’ enrollment in the Honors Program. By welcoming 123 new students, enrollment for the program became a record high, with core courses at 100% capacity. Specifically for fall 2020, 34 students enrolled in HONR 4000H: Thesis, which shows a 78.9% increase when compared to fall 2019. Read more about the Honors Program.

Filling the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap

Through a two-year, $6 million grant, Augusta University is part of a coalition of 10 designated National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity that will recruit, train, and place transitioning military and first responders into cybersecurity work roles in critical infrastructure sectors. These sectors include areas of energy, defense industrial base, and financial services. The coalition will collaborate with government, nonprofit, and industry partners to align the face-to-face, online, and hybrid program pathways with cybersecurity workforce needs. Read more about AU’s participation in the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program.

Ranking High for High Value Education

Once again, the Washington Monthly annual College Guide and Rankings highlighted Augusta University. The 2020 report included Augusta University in its list of top-25 “Best Bang for the Buck” four-year colleges in the southeast. The report also noted that approximately 30% of the AU’s students are first-generation students. In a prior assessment, Kevin Carey of Washington Monthly noted, “With a focus on in-demand jobs in the health care sector, Augusta graduates earn far more money than our statistical models predict and pay their loans back at a much higher rate, all for an affordable net price of about $10,000 per year for families earning less than $75,000.” As a destination of choice, AU continues to provide new academic program offerings to meet the needs of future students in an affordable manner. Recent programmatic additions include a Master of Science in Biological and Computation Mathematics, Master of Science in Computer Science, Master of Science in Data Science, Bachelor of Arts in Nonprofit Leadership and Administration, and Certificate in Legal Studies. Read more about the 2020 Washington Monthly rating and Augusta University’s degrees and programs.

National Recognition for Chemistry

While we already knew that the College of Science and Mathematics' chemistry degree program was top notch, it was recognized by the world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, in spring 2018. Following several months of self-study, ACS evaluators visited AU in December 2017 to assess the program's adherence to the society's standards. This certification acknowledges the program's accomplished faculty and the preparation of our chemistry graduates for technical employment. Furthermore, the national recognition of the quality of our chemistry program will assist in these recruitment efforts for high quality students.

Leading Educators to Become Innovators

In March 2018, a new leadership position was created to work with deans and academic vice presidents to develop and advance the strategic academic mission of Augusta University. The new Vice President for Instruction and Innovation leads academic support units to support faculty with incorporating high impact practices into instruction and enhancing instructional innovation to positively impact student learning. Dr. Zach Kelehear, former dean of the College of Education and scholar of arts-based leadership, was named to the position. As part of the university mission, the Division for Instruction and Innovation provides guidance and tools for instructional engagement. Part of that engagement includes the use of faculty community collaborations and advisory committee groups to meet students’ academic needs, foster student success, and support faculty growth. Sign up for the division's electronic newsletter, and find out more about the faculty community collaborations and advisory committee groups.

Recruiting for the Cyber Tsunami

With the creation of the Georgia Cyber Center located adjacent to the AU Riverfront Campus, our impact is poised to swell to tsunamic proportions. Following the establishment of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences in summer 2017, Dr. Alexander Schwarzmann, a nationally recognized expert in computer technology whose work primarily focuses on cybersecurity of electronic voting, distributed computing, survivable distributed information systems, and fault-tolerant systems, became the school’s dean in August 2018. Additional faculty continue to be added to the school to support the rapid growth of AU’s computer and cyber sciences programs. The activities of recently recruited faculty include presenting at international conferences, serving on program committees for international workshops and conferences, and conducting research pertaining to high performance computing, parallel machine learning, data privacy in Internet of Things, applied security, etc.

Promoting Teaching Excellence

The Center of Instructional Innovation (CII) consistently seeks new, innovative ways to support Augusta University faculty. Through the Creating Exceptional Learning Spaces series, the CII provides sessions for AU faculty. In the Gamification and the Science of Motivation session, faculty learned about 16 fundamental factors that motivate us and how to use game-based learning, including game mechanics, as a way to engage students. In the Incorporating No Cost/Low Cost Materials in Your Class session, faculty learned about open education resources, such as free or low-cost textbooks, how to incorporate these resources in their courses, and about creating their own materials as class resources. Find out more about the Center for Instructional Innovation.

In response to the use of more online instruction, Augusta University provided training and launched multiple web resources to support student learning and engagement. In preparation for the fall 2020 semester, the Center for Instructional Innovation partnered with the Division of Information Technology to offer online workshops to all AU faculty and instructional staff in the summer of 2020. Through 3 one-week training units offered twice, the online workshops covered a wide range of topics, including AU-approved digital tools for instruction, hybrid and online delivery, and instructional strategies for hybrid and online learning. Eligible faculty earned up to $1,500 in additional pay per training unit completed. Faculty who completed all 3 training units earn an online teaching certification by the Center for Instructional Innovation.

Faculty Support to Increase Experimental Learning

As a part of Augusta University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Learning by Doing, the Education Innovation Fund (EIF) provides grants up to $2,000 to faculty to support undergraduate experiential learning opportunities. Addressing learning outcomes of communication, leadership, professionalism, and teamwork, these experiential learning opportunities include fieldwork, research, and service-learning. Prior EIF-funded experiential learning opportunities for students have included the creation of murals for a local school, digital marketing, and the use of DNA fingerprinting in forensic sciences. Read more about the EIF.

COVID-19

Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular (GEM) Laboratory at Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and his team blazed pathways to detect COVID-19 for the state of Georgia. Until February 29, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was the sole source of testing material, and the state labs were the only ones who could do testing. However, starting on March 19, 2020, the FDA enabled other labs to create and validate their tests. Dr. Kolhe and his team of personnel in the lab, PhDs, lab techs, and administration staff, conducted around-the-clock testing to validate a COVID-19 TEST. After a 90-hour stretch of nonstop validation, the GEM lab personnel successfully developed a test that would be used to support testing across the State of Georgia. Dr. Kolhe also proposed a mass population screening approach through a pooling strategy. This rapid and wide-scale population screening was developed to provide laboratories using RT-PCR–based methods a cheaper, rapid, and accurate pooling strategy to test for SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. This assay strategy would lead to an approximately 5- to 10-fold reduction in the cost of testing of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The leadership and scientific contributions of Dr. Kolhe and his lab personnel led to Dr. Kolhe’s founding of the COVID-19 Host Genome Structural Variant Consortium in the summer of 2020. This consortium includes more than 40 world-renowned scientists and institutions. The GEM lab was also successful in developing a less-invasive saliva testing product, which provides rapid and less-invasive testing to Georgia residents.

Using a design created by the University of South Florida Health, Northwell Health in New York, and a leading 3D printing company called Formlabs, the Dental College of Georgia (DCG) designed and developed 3D nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing. What started as nasal swab production for the Augusta University Medical Center and across the state of Georgia turned into a collaboration with the University of South Florida, United States Army, and Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) team to produce the nasal swabs nationally. Additionally, the DCG conducts a clinical trial with mouthwashes to determine the effectiveness of lowering the mouth's viral load. Read more about the DCG’s 3D nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing.

Human MRI Core

Augusta University invested more than $3 million in purchasing research designated 3 Tesla (3T) MRI.  Located on the first floor of the hospital near the connecting corridor to the old Dental College, this new magnet provides designated access to MRI services for clinical trials, which will optimize MRI access for patients enrolled in clinical trials. The research MRI is “fully loaded” and provides pulse sequences and the equipment necessary for any clinical scan. Several advanced technologies are also available, including MR Elastography, fMRI, and DTI. In support of the fMRI program, a “mock” MRI simulator also allows research participants to train to become acclimated to the scanner's enclosed bore environment. Designated Radiology faculty support the development of research protocols and the magnet sequencing that would be used to obtain images. On-site services include Radiology support staff for MRI sessions and reading and reporting of results by Radiology faculty.

Georgia - Collaborative Cores

Collaboration and access to world-class research technology are essential for AU’s researchers to meet their research objectives. Each research project is unique and may require access to highly specialized essential research services and equipment. To support access to highly specialized research technology, in 2018, AU and seven other universities signed an agreement that extended shared access to technology. Called the Georgia Core Facilities Partnership, the program enables university scientists to use a vast array of high-tech instruments housed in nearly 100 campus facilities across the state.

Investing in Researchers

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is funding several small grants to support students, faculty, and staff development. Among them is a research grant to provide seed funding for faculty whose current work focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) research, as well as a small award to promote the professional development of staff interested in expanding their knowledge, comfort, and skills in DEI, and in encouraging staff scholarship in this area.

Beginning in Academic Year 2020-21, Augusta University’s Career Development Scholar Program aims to develop independent clinician-researchers in basic, translational, and/or clinical areas related to human health. The intense program is similar to existing career development programs within the National Institute of Health (NIH). It requires developing a mentored research project, encouraging projects related to Coronavirus and COVID-19. Scholarship eligibility is based on NIH K-award guidelines. Read more about the Career Development Scholar Program and how to apply. 

Augusta University Research Institute (AURI) Intramural Grant Program has a long history of success. In recent years, this program, which included Bridge, TUPP, ESA, and PSRP programs, provided a fourteen-time return on investment. To expand opportunities and extend funding efforts to a broader variety of research, the AURI Intramural Grant Program was simplified and consolidated in 2018. This new program provides competitive application opportunities for pilot, bridge, translational, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research with fewer restrictions on grant application type. Additionally, the recent addition of the Research, Scholarship & Creative Grant Program (RSCA) provides funding to support research, scholarship, and creative activities related to the arts and humanities: computational, formal, natural, or social sciences; education; cyber; and business.

The Cancer Prevention, Control & Population Health Program at the Georgia Cancer Center focuses on 1) cancer prevention of the primary causative factors of many cancers (i.e., tobacco, obesity, alcohol, etc.), 2) early detection and screening, 3) secondary prevention, and 4) population health that includes community engagement and education to promote cancer awareness and control. Pilot applications for the Pilot Awards Program focus on cancer prevention, control, and/or population health and include human subject research. The program encourages applications between multiple sectors (e.g., academic centers and community health centers or hospitals). Priority is given to projects focused on cancer prevention, control, or population health in minority and underserved communities and addresses health disparity; have identified an extramural grant request for proposal that the application is working towards; and demonstrate interdisciplinary collaboration across departments and/or colleges.

In the fall of 2020, the Institute of Public and Preventive Health (IPPH) launched a Grants Mentoring Program for newer faculty who have not received a significant extramural grant as Principal Investigator previously and whose research interests broadly align with public health. The two-year mentorship provides faculty monetary research and travel support and the opportunity to obtain training through workshops, seminars, and staged guidance on proposal preparation to submit an extramural grant through IPPH. Find out more about IPPH’s two-year Grants Mentoring Program.

Fostering Research Collaboration

To support the improvement of Georgians' health, Augusta University and Georgia State University are partnering to support health research by capitalizing on the expertise and collaboration of faculty. In 2020, the institutions provided four one-year grants totaling nearly $200,000 to support research among faculty from both institutions with a focus on health and health care delivery in Georgia. The grants include research aimed at telestroke therapy in Georgia, virus genetic variation and antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients in Georgia, a mobile health intervention for smoking cessation in rural and urban Georgia, and mobile health services as part of child maltreatment interventions. Read more about the grants available through this partnership.

Recognizing Researchers

The Augusta University Research Institute (AURI) recognizes faculty members with AURI awards each fall for their work to enhance the mission of excellence at Augusta University in research, teaching, and service. Award categories include the Emerging Scientist Award, Distinguished Researcher Award(s), and Lifetime Achievement Award. The AURI award recipients for the fall of 2020 include a 1984 alumnus of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and member of the Georgia Cancer Center (GCC) leadership team who has been a pioneer in developing novel immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer, published more than 125 manuscripts in high-impact journals, and received more than $11 million in research grants. A second 2020 AURI award honors an MCG faculty member who has mentored more than 50 graduate and medical students and has published her research in 182 peer-reviewed journals. A third 2020 award recipient is an MCG and GCC faculty member whose lab studies the role of heat shock proteins in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. She is a world authority on the role of proteins in liver cancer, regularly reviews 19 journals, has published her research in more than 100 publications, and has given more than 130 poster and oral presentations. Read more about past AURI award recipients.

Expansion of Cancer Research

Through unprecedented expansion, the Georgia Cancer Center is providing access to more first-in-the-nation clinical trials, world-renowned experts, and life-saving options. In December 2018, former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal joined AU President Brooks Keel and other state and local leaders formally recognized the opening of the $62.5 million expansion of the M. Bert Storey Research Building at the Georgia Cancer Center. The opening of this building signaled Augusta University and the state of Georgia's commitment to providing patients the most up-to-date cancer treatments. The 4 story, 72,000 square foot expansion added open concept-lab space, shared resources, and special equipment, including 42 additional laboratory benches — enough to support up to 11 new cancer research teams, and the dramatic connector bridge added 68 new offices for both physicians and researchers. This bridge is both a literal bridge between the Georgia Cancer Center Basic Science and Clinical Research Centers and provides improved access for collaboration and innovation in Cancer Research. One example includes a research team consisting of an undergraduate student, graduate student, research assistant, faculty of the Georgia Cancer Center, and a professor at the Medical College of Georgia focused on cancer immunotherapy. This team discovered that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells can stay active longer and mediate tumor killing more effectively when STAT5, a key signaling molecule, is kept in an active form within CAR T cells. Read more about the research team’s findings in their report found in the Science Immunology journal.

Expanding Research Opportunities

The College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) construction on Augusta University’s Health Sciences Campus includes a 125,125 square-foot project to open in summer 2021 and host classes in fall 2021. The Georgia Board of Regents authorized AU to spend university funds to complete the fourth floor's interior build-out as a research space. This structure will include a pedestrian bridge that will connect the new CSM building with the Interdisciplinary Research Building. This connection will foster synergies between undergraduate and graduate research and discovery. The research laboratories and support in the CSM building will equip faculty and students to conduct scientific research and facilitate additional graduate programs. College of Science and Mathematics faculty researchers will benefit from cross-disciplinary interactions and collaborations with colleagues on the Health Sciences Campus, thereby facilitating Augusta University’s evolution toward becoming a comprehensive research university with Carnegie R1 status. Stay up to date on the future College of Science and Mathematics building.

Creating Technology Solutions Research

e-Regulatory and Remote Monitoring Solutions

Electronic regulatory systems are essential to ensure that monitoring patients enrolled in clinical trials continues during social distancing and quarantine requirements. Additionally, the use of electronic regulatory systems allows research teams to conduct FDA-regulated research activities in a manner that is compliant with 21 CFR Part 11. To support these requirements, AU implemented VEEVA SiteVault for electronic regulatory processes. Site Vault replaces manual and paper-based regulatory processes. It allows AU to streamline clinical trials regulatory operations and collaborate more efficiently with sponsors through “SiteConnect,” thereby maximizing patients' focus.

Rybbon

Community participation and engagement in clinical trials are important to AU. Resultantly, there are times when some clinical trials provide financial compensation to acknowledge the time and effort that our community partners have to exert while participating in the research. To provide more meaningful and timely compensation, AU implemented the RYBBON system. The RYBBON system provides immediate electronic gift cards to various vendors and allows investigators to customize the value of the compensation. Gifts are delivered via email or text message to participants, thereby decreasing the administrative efforts for research teams associated with purchasing, tracking, and dispensing plastic gift cards. Additionally, the RYBBON system supports integrations with Qualtrics, thereby recognizing and providing a new way for AU to recognize contributions from a survey and online research.

Streamlining Contracts Process

Research at AU supported by outside entities and/or commercial vendors requires the execution of contracts that establish the rights, responsibilities, obligations, and compensation. The expeditious execution of contracts and identifying the internal AU entity responsible for each type of agreement are essential for efficient research processes. Supportive of this effort, the Front Door Committee developed a contract workflow checklist which identifies the responsible department for various contract types, Sponsored Programs Administration, with the support of Legal Affairs, developed contract templates to optimize contract language use, and DocuSign was implemented to support electronic contract routing. Finally, Sponsored Programs Administration developed and hired a new contract specialist to provide dedicated support for contract negotiations.

Supporting Interdisciplinary Research

Focusing efforts on expanding research opportunities across all AU Colleges/Schools, increasing interdisciplinary research collaborations, and growing the research portfolio at the Summerville Campus are the priority of the Interdisciplinary Research Office. This new research office was opened on the Summerville Campus in 2018. Through the leadership of the new Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research and Manager for Interdisciplinary Research, the Interdisciplinary Research Office focuses on identifying new opportunities for interdisciplinary research, initiating collaborative research groups, such as the Opioid Interdisciplinary Research Group, and supporting faculty in the preparation and submission of their research grants.

Faculty Researchers Join School of Computer and Cyber Sciences

With a goal to add 30 new faculty within three years, the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences (SCCS) has strategically continued to attract first-class applicants with a focus on research. Recently recruited faculty have research backgrounds and interests in various areas, including cybersecurity, algorithmic game theory, and detection of social engineering attacks. One recent recruit has more than 100 technical articles, and another is an author of over 25 research articles and two books. A third recruit is an author of more than 120 research articles appearing in renowned international computer science conferences, such as FOCS, STOC, SODA, PODC, SPAA, and DISC, and in prestigious journals, such as Journal of the ACM, SIAM Journal on Computing, Distributed Computing, Theoretical Computer Science, and Algorithmica. Learn more about the exciting growth at the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences.

Research Faculty Specific Training Program Designed and Delivered

In partnership with Faculty Affairs, the Office of Senior Vice President for Research developed a faculty-focused research training series. Led by subject matter experts across AU, this training program addresses critical concepts and processes involved in faculty research. Classes include 1) Contracts and Agreements, 2) Compliance Programs and Responsibilities, 3) Research Budgets and Finding Funding, and 4) Initiating Research Projects. The Interdisciplinary Research Office has facilitated faculty training to support preparation and application for federally funded research dollars. Other training opportunities by the National Endowment for the Humanities were also provided to support the preparation and submission of new grants.

Effort System

Reducing administrative burden for faculty while ensuring compliance with federal reporting requirements were primary points of emphasis during the FY2019 implementation of a new effort system. The new system improves oversight, decreases the frequency of reporting, and has greater speed and response times than prior systems. Additionally, this new system integrates directly with PSHRMS, decreasing redundant data entry and minimizing manual corrections.

Faculty-Centered Redesign of Research Website

A significant redesign and reorganization of the AU Research website were deployed in 2018. This update addressed the challenge of consolidating research policies, procedures, resources, and accomplishments associated with institutional name changes and integrating research processes across the Summerville and Health Sciences Campuses. The redesign emphasized the organization of research information into thematic research areas, improved navigation, and ensured that current versions of forms, policies, and educational material are accessible to the research community by integrating the version functionality in Box.

Additions to AU Health’s ambulance fleet allow better transport capabilities between hospitals for patients needing the highest level of care. The Mobile Care Team SUVs provide specialized care by making “old school house calls” for patients with chronic conditions who have frequent health care needs, reducing their ER visits. 

The Children’s Hospital of Georgia is dedicated exclusively to the expert care of children. We currently offer pediatric care to all 159 counties in Georgia and beyond. To learn more, read children’s stories through Pediatric Triumphs.

With AU Medical Center’s Meds to Beds program, a hospital pharmacist delivers a patient’s medication directly to the bedside just prior to checkout, helping to reduce readmission rates to the medical center. 

AU Health uses the Tru-D SmartUVC robot to disinfect and sterilize hospital rooms and other clinical areas to ensure a germ-free environment. The use of this infection-prevention technology lowers the risk of contaminated surfaces in the medical center, clinical areas, and the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

AU Health employs a Patient- and Family-Centered Care approach that fosters collaboration among health care providers, patients, and families. Read more about the four principles of this approach that AU Health practices. 

The Medical Associates Patient and Family Advisory Council and the CMC Family Advisory Council exist to support patients and their parents, family members, and guardians to ensure a satisfactory experience through enhancing the care experience, effective programs, family-centered care facilities, etc.

The Georgia Cancer Center provides the region’s only Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy program to treat adult leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, and other blood cancers and disorders.

AU Medical Center provides the area’s highest level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Our PICU is one of only two in the state of Georgia.

AU Medical Center holds accreditations in the following areas:

• American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine accredited in Detailed Fetal Anatomic Ultrasound for OB/GYN
• First Stroke Center to achieve Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center status in the state of Georgia
• Nationally Certified Bariatric and Kidney Transplant Surgery Programs
• The Georgia Cancer Center accredited by the Commission on Cancer
• Only American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 Adult Trauma center in the CSRA, and only verified Level 2 Pediatric Trauma center outside of Atlanta
• American College of Cardiologist (ACC) accredited Cardiac Catheterization Lab and Only ACC accredited Electrophysiology Lab in Georgia
• Accredited Patient-Centered Medical Home for Family Medicine through the National Committee for Quality Assurance

Augusta University’s Interdisciplinary Simulation Center provides excellence in health care education and training, fosters interdisciplinary relationships and activities, and serves as a catalyst to advance health care education.

In its commitment to improve health care across Georgia, the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University received approval from its accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, to redesign its four-year core MD curriculum to three years. This accelerated track will allow more students to be enrolled, addressing the physician shortage in Georgia.

Augusta University’s Professional Scholars Programs allow students to jumpstart their journey to become health care professionals. These programs provide excellent students the opportunity to earn their BS and MD or BS and DMD degrees in the short span of seven years.

AU Health offers same-day and next-day appointments in select clinics.

AU Health continues to expand its footprint to serve the health care needs of the community. With the most recent expansion, Internal Medicine physicians now serve the Grovetown area; additional services at the two Grovetown care centers include walk-in, on-demand care, and scheduled appointments for pediatrics and women’s health.

AU Health’s Orthopedic On-Demand Clinic at West Wheeler is designed as a walk-in clinic for all those unforeseen sports, work, and home-related injuries.

Actions are being taken to renovate existing clinical buildings, including Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospitals. A $62,000 grant by the Roosevelt Warm Springs Foundation to the Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospitals allows the historic cottage to be refurbished and to purchase special equipment for patients. About 340 patients undergo rehabilitation in Warm Springs annually for neuromuscular diseases and stroke, brain, and spinal cord injuries.

In 2019, AU Health finished a complete remodel renovation to its Adult Operating Room to improve the experience of its surgical patients.

New Campus, New School, Greater Impact

As one of the Augusta Metro’s largest employers, AU’s impact on the local and state economy has long been significant throughout our nearly 200 years in operation. With the Georgia Cyber Center on the Nathan Deal Campus for Innovation located on the AU Riverfront Campus, our impact is poised to swell to tsunamic proportions. As one of the Center’s most prominent tenants, the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences has contributed to a re-energized urban center as evidenced by the presence of JagExpress regularly shuttles crossing Broad Street toward the Savannah River. The economic impact of this convergence of academic, industry, and government entities is only beginning to be felt as the Georgia Cyber Center aims to fulfill its vision to revolutionize cybersecurity through unprecedented collaboration and innovation.

Expanding Ambulatory Care

Providing care in the community when and where patients need us most is important to us. By increasing presence in Columbia County and focusing on growing our primary care offerings, Augusta University will meet the demand of a rapidly increasing population. In late 2019, Augusta University Health opened its first Care Center in the region. Augusta University Care Centers are home to primary care physicians and specialists dedicated to our patients’ well-being. With a total of nine Augusta University Care Center locations, we help power the health of our community in a convenient and family-friendly environment.

Highlighting and Promoting Diversity in Our Community

Efforts of diversity reach beyond the campus. For example, the partnership between Augusta University, The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, and Paine College to form the Washington Initiative honors Drs. Justine and Isaiah Washington for the couple’s work in the community. An event that will feature speakers and the dedication of two legacy quilts will be held in the spring of 2021 to celebrate the significant impact the Washingtons had in our community.

Lending a Hand to a Community in Need

Our students, faculty, and staff have multiple opportunities to engage with the community. The Civic Engagement Office, a unit of Student Life and Engagement, provides community service learning experiences for students. Its MLK Day of Service project partnered with the Bridge Ministry of the CSRA to provide 165 “blessing bags” filled with hygiene items, clothing, and non-perishable food items, and its Valentine’s Day project provided over 300 goody bags to local elementary schools.

Through its Cardboard City event, undergraduate students, faculty, and staff participating in the First and Second Year Experience program created their own cardboard “home,” packaged 170 pounds of food, and prepared more than 400 iCare packages for the Salvation Army. Additionally, participants heard from a guest lecturer about the state of homelessness in our community and what they can do to help. Read more about AU’s Civic Engagement Office and First and Second Year Experiences.

Days of Service, Augusta University’s annual community service project, is one of the many ways Augusta University “lends a paw” to the community. In fall 2021, over 1,300 volunteers – students, employees, and families of Augusta University – registered to participate. More than 90 service projects were offered in support of 36 community organizations throughout the CSRA, nearly double the 50 projects and 25 organizations that were sponsored in 2020. Support and comfort items were donated to benefit 250 senior war veterans and the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, and hundreds of patient support items were donated to AU Health, including 150 items benefiting 50+ adult patients; 400 items benefiting 250+ pediatric patients; and 750 items benefiting 300+ cancer patients.

Prepared to Serve Our Community

After responding to back-to-back hurricane disasters in which our faculty, staff, and student volunteers spent long hours caring and serving hurricane evacuees from across the state of Georgia in local shelters, the Augusta University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPaR) partnered with the Office of Volunteer Services and Community Engagement to launch the AU Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The AU MRC trains AU-affiliated volunteers on eleven core competencies and provides them an opportunity to serve in their community during a public health emergency or disaster, while gaining "hands-on," real-life experience in disaster relief and emergency response procedures. The AU MRC plays a critical role in emergency response and public health initiatives on campus and at the local level in our community. We partner closely with the Department of Public Health, the American Red Cross, and the Richmond County Emergency Management Agency to coordinate volunteers and resources during emergency events across our area.

Most recently, CEPaR played a critical role in determining the logistics of COVID-19 testing sites across the state. Read more about CEPaR and its resources. Also, commitment to the community is evident in Augusta University Health’s community clinics taking COVID-19 vaccinations to underserved areas. Cited as a “model for other areas around the state,” AU Health’s collaboration with local churches, such as the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, and the Georgia Department of Public Health provided greater access to COVID-10 vaccines and education.

Revitalization Underway

Officially breaking ground in the spring of 2021, the HUB for Community Innovation is the latest project of the coalition led by the Community Foundation for the CSRA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the CSRA, and the Medical College of Georgia Foundation. Funded through federal grants and private contributions, the project focuses on building and utilizing two facilities to stimulate revitalization in the Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods. As a way to enhance collaboration and make it easier for local residents to access the support they need, one building will provide 33,000 square feet to lodge four local nonprofits that have history of providing services that advance community wellbeing: Augusta Locally Grown, Augusta University Literacy Center, Harrisburg Family Health Care, and RISE Augusta. The second building will provide 16,000 square feet to house a larger headquarters and support center for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the CSRA, enhancing its ability to provide services that focus on youth mentoring, workforce readiness, etc. Read more about Augusta University’s partnership in the HUB for Community Innovation.

Students Caring for the Community

One of the many ways that our students care for the community is through the annual “Give Kids A Smile” event in which students and faculty from The Dental College of Georgia and College of Allied Health Sciences offer oral health screenings and treatments to underserved children in our area. By partnering with the local Communities in Schools chapter, AU dental students, dental hygiene students, faculty, and staff team up to deliver free dental care. Although the event in spring of 2021 was completed on a smaller scale due to the pandemic, years 2019 to 2021 include a total of 208 cleanings, 201 fluoride applications, 435 sealants, 31 fillings, 14 crowns, 36 extractions, and 76 x-rays. The value of the care spanning the three years equates to about $79,000 in dental services that the children may not have been able to afford otherwise.

Dedicated Professionals and Scholars

Augusta University faculty are dedicated to serving in leadership positions in professional organizations across the state and beyond. Dr. Carol Lefebvre, Dean of the Dental College of Georgia, has been a proponent of developing women to be leaders within the specialty and profession. As a long-time active member of the Academy of Prosthodontics, Dr. Lefebvre is leading by example and was named the 101^st president of the Academy of Prosthodontics, becoming the second female appointed to the position. The Academy of Prosthodontics is the oldest specialty organization in prosthetic dentistry. Read more about the Academy of Prosthodontics.

Research conducted by faculty extends beyond classrooms and labs, into local communities and beyond. A division of the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University, the Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) is dedicated to putting social science research to work to serve the common good. In 2021, the Center began supporting a new Race and Social Justice Project. Serving as a CSSR Advisory Board Member, Dr. Williams Hatcher is an award-winning scholar and associate professor of political science. His research focuses on the connection between public administration and the development of local communities. With project “Welfare Reform, Cash Assistance, and Governance,” work by 2021-2022 CSSR Fellow Dr. Rhucha Samudra investigates U.S. cash and food assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Based on a large dataset, her work explores the relationships between governance structure, administrative burdens, clients’ experiences with these programs, and other related outcomes. Read more about the Center for Social Science Research.

30 Poems to Support a Nonprofit Press

For most people, writing poetry — at least good poetry — is far from easy. So imagine accepting a challenge to write 30 poems in 30 days. Anna Harris-Parker, assistant professor of English, did just that. To support the nonprofit Tupelo Press, Ms. Harris-Parker volunteered to write one poem each day through a fundraiser called the 30/30 Project - often referred to as a “poetry marathon” for writers. At first, Harris-Parker admitted that she was a little panicked about committing to raising pledges for Tupelo Press, but she quickly far surpassed her goal to support this independent press. As an Augusta native, Ms. Harris-Parker used a few local references in the poems she wrote for the 30/30 project. For example, in one poem, she wrote about the closing of Crosby’s Women Apparel, a longtime retail store on Broad Street.

Support and Training for Teaching Professionals 

Free to all Augusta University faculty and students and to faculty in public and private schools in twelve surrounding counties, the College of Education’s Impacting Student Learning (ISL) Conference provides a forum for innovative and dedicated educators to grow professionally, learn practical strategies to enhance P-12 student learning, and network with fellow educators. Beginning in 1998 with about 50 local educators, this event averages nearly 800 educators from across the nation. To ensure the pandemic would not step in the way of hosting the event, the Spring 2021 ISL Conference was presented virtually using a no-cost model for all registrants, fostering over 1,900 virtual messages exchanged among attendees and extending its reach internationally to countries that included Jamaica, The Netherlands, Turkey, and Venezuela. Past keynote speakers include Georgia’s 2020 Teacher of the Year and the Director of Communication Crossroads, Inc., who co-developed The SCERTS® Model to support individuals with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities. Stay up to date on the Spring 2022 ISL Conference and the College of Education’s community outreach and professional learning opportunities.

Partnering with Our Cyber Neighbors

At the Nathan Deal Campus for Innovation, the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences (SCCS) is headquartered in the Hull McKnight Building at the Georgia Cyber Center and has some pretty exciting neighbors. Current tenants include government agencies such as the Georgia Cyber Crime Center (G3C) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; international corporations such as Parsons Corporation, BAE Systems, and Peraton; nonprofits such the theClubhou.se and the CSRA Alliance for Fort Eisenhower; and other educational institutions. The presence of this wide array of technology firms and professionals gives our students in SCCS programs unmatched exposure to the possibilities of their chosen field. Additionally, the proximity to these employers provides our students with rich opportunities for experiential learning and internships, including those with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Parsons, and Northrop Grumman. In fiscal year 2021, about 56% of SCCS students who had an internship and took classes at the Georgia Cyber Center completed their internships with one of the resident partners of the Georgia Cyber Center. Read more about the Georgia Cyber Information Warfare Internship and other opportunities.

Serving as the headquarter for the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and as the host for many branches of the U.S. Military, Fort Eisenhower is one of Augusta University’s key cyber collaborators. Whether through SCCS students completing a summer internship at Fort Eisenhower with the Army Cyber Command or through the presence of AU faculty and staff at the Fort Eisenhower site to help military affiliated persons achieve their educational goals, AU’s partnership with Fort Eisenhower is strong and growing. Read more about the academic offerings and support available to our military women and men at Fort Eisenhower

Computer Science and Cyber Camps

Stimulating an early interest in cybersecurity is key in helping to fill the U.S. cybersecurity workforce shortage. Using this strategy and with an approved grant from the Department of Defense, Augusta University’s College of Education and School of Computer and Cyber Sciences teamed up to host T3C: Building Teacher Confidence in Computer Science/Cybersecurity (CS/CY), offering two virtual camps. The first camp trains teachers as a way to enhance exposure to and education on computer science and cybersecurity for P-12 students. Through the grant, participating teachers receive complementary tuition for the course, supplies, and a stipend upon successful course completion. The course shows educators how to implement computer science and cybersecurity content in their classrooms and connects them with cybersecurity professionals, other P-12 CS/CY master teachers, and AU professors to ensure their learning continues even after the course is over. The grant’s second camp provides a virtual, week-long computer science experience for rising fourth- through eighth-graders at a reduced cost. These students learn to use a micro: bit, code, and apply what they learn to problem-solve. Read more about the T3C initiative.

Expanding Our Impact

With a mission focused on cybersecurity education, community outreach, and research, the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences’ Cyber Institute is expanding the future of cyber. Whether through its GenCyber summer cybersecurity camp, CodeHoppers Girls Who Code Club, or partnership with local school systems to provide the NetLab+ platform, the Cyber Institute is taking initiative to train the next generation. The Cyber Institute is also becoming the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences’ center for research efforts focused on election system security, in partnership with the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State.

Housing the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences and the Cyber Institute, the Georgia Cyber Center has been a strong promoter of CyberStart America, which builds upon the prior Girls Go CyberStart and Cyber FastTrack programs. Through the online CyberStart America program, high-school students dive into cybersecurity and computer science to begin developing skills in these fields. The content can be woven naturally into student’s high-school curriculum or extracurricular groups. Read more about the Cyber Institute, Georgia Cyber Center, and CyberStart America program.