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Alumni Association’s executive director ushering in new era of giving CAMPUS NEWS
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Twin sisters to perform concert April 7 in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall
March 30, 2015
Vol. 42, No. 31
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camiew@uga.edu
Andrew Davis Tucker
Georgia’s first lady, Sandra Deal, shown reading to pre-K students in UGA’s Child Development Lab, says the key to success as an adult is a good education as a child.
Reading ‘Discovery’ Georgia’s first lady visits UGA as part of statewide literacy campaign
jcpowell@uga.edu
Georgia’s first lady, Sandra Deal, read to pre-K students in UGA’s Child Development Lab at the McPhaul Center March 16 as part of the Read Across Georgia campaign. Deal, a former sixth-grade teacher and the daughter of educators, went all out with facial expressions and sound effects to engage the group of 4- and 5-year-olds who gathered to hear her read T.J.’s Discovery, a new book written by teachers at the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School. To date, Deal has spoken to students in all 159 Georgia counties
4&5
President, provost launch Women’s Leadership Initiative By Camie Williams
By Cal Powell
UGA GUIDE
and more than 430 schools as part of a campaign to promote literacy. She spent more than an hour visiting and reading to the students at the Child Development Lab, a unit of the human development and family science department within the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “I feel like the key to (being successful) is getting a good education when you’re young,” Deal said. “That’s why I’ve taken the opportunity to read to young children rather than work with the older children since I’ve been first lady. I feel like the foundation is just so very, very important. Pre-K is where we start.” After reading to the McPhaul students, Deal invited Chelsea
Jarrell, park manager at the nearby Victoria Bryant State Park, to speak to the students about various outdoor activities available to them that promote family interaction. As she left, Deal was presented with a handmade sign from Amelia Spell, one of the McPhaul Center students, signed by her and her classmates. Deal visited with students at Athens’ Chase Street Elementary School and Madison County’s Ila Elementary School later in the day. The Read Across Georgia campaign was launched in 2012 and supports Gov. Nathan Deal’s Grade Level Reading Initiative, which aims to have all Georgia third-graders reading at grade level or better by the end of third grade.
COMMENCEMENT
In the latest in a series of efforts to foster gender equity at UGA, President Jere W. Morehead and Provost Pamela Whitten have launched an initiative to enhance the representation of women in leadership roles on campus. The Women’s Leadership Initiative will address issues such as recruitment and hiring, career development, work-life balance and leadership development. “Improving gender equity in higher education leadership is an issue of national concern,” Morehead said. “At the University
of Georgia, we are striving to be part of the solution to this issue by creating a campus environment that supports women in their preparation for critical leadership positions.” The initiative will be supported initially by a 10-member planning committee, and a larger implementation committee will be formed at a later date. Whitten invites faculty and staff to share their ideas by contacting her at pwhitten@uga.edu. “Every member of the university community should experience an environment that allows them to achieve their See INITIATIVE on page 8
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
UGA administrator named associate VP for instruction By Tracy N. Coley tcoley@uga.edu
Naomi Norman, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and veteran administrator in the classics department in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has been named associate vice president for instruction. The appointment is effective April 1. Norman has served as department head in classics for the last several years and has been a faculty member in the Franklin College since 1980. She is a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and served as a Senior Teaching Fellow in 2008-2009. “Dr. Norman has a longstanding record of academic leadership
and administration,” said Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction. “She is passionate about providing meaningful learning Naomi Norman experiences to students and brings a wealth of knowledge and university experience to the position. We are looking forward to having Dr. Norman’s leadership in the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.” As associate vice president for instruction, Norman will work with Shrivastav and Ronald Cervero,
See INSTRUCTION on page 8
GRADUATE SCHOOL
‘GMA’ anchor, founding director of CITS DeKalb County superintendent will address university’s spring graduates to deliver annual Early Lecture By Stephanie Schupska schupska@uga.edu
Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach will give undergraduates one final charge on May 8 before UGA sends its newest alumni off with a fireworks farewell. The spring Commencement ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in Sanford Stadium. The graduate ceremony, which will feature University Professor Emeritus Gary Bertsch, who is now chairman of the international advisory group TradeSecure LLC, will be held at 10 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Tickets are not required for either ceremony.
Amy Robach
Gary Bertsch
“Amy Robach is a veteran television journalist with national and international recognition. She also is one of the University of Georgia’s most accomplished alumni,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “We are honored to welcome her back to campus to deliver the Commencement address and look forward to hearing
her inspirational message to our graduating seniors.” A 1995 alumna of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Robach has been a news anchor for ABC’s Good Morning America since March 2014. During her time at ABC News— she originally joined the network as a correspondent based in New York—she has traveled nationally and internationally to cover major news events. Robach has reported and hosted several 20/20 programs for ABC News, including ones on polygamist leader Warren Jeffs for “Breaking Polygamy: Secrets of the Sect” and See COMMENCEMENT on page 8
By Kristen Cameron kcam@uga.edu
Michael L. Thurmond, the superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, will deliver the 15th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture April 1. The lecture, which will be take place at 3 p.m. in the Tate Student Center Theatre, is open free to the public. Thurmond, an Athens native, was appointed superintendent of the DeKalb County School System in 2013 to address accreditation issues. Under his leadership, the system’s accreditation was upgraded in 2014. He is currently on leave from the law firm of Butler Wooten
Cheeley and Peak while he serves as superintendent. T h u r mond was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1986. He Michael Thurmond was the first African-American elected from Clarke County since Reconstruction. After his tenure in the General Assembly,Thurmond wasappointed to direct Georgia’s transition from the Welfare-to-Work program
See EARLY on page 8