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UGA researcher will co-lead all-female Nat Geo expedition to Ganges River CAMPUS NEWS
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New York Philharmonic String Quartet will make Athens debut on May 16 Vol. 46, No. 35
May 13, 2019
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Initiatives underway to advance UGA’s Great Commitments
Peter Frey
Students gathered at Tate Student Center at the University of Georgia to celebrate the launch of the Commit to Georgia Campaign in 2016.
‘Deeply grateful’
Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program creates 400 new need-based scholarships By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu
The Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program has reached its initial goal—creating more than 400 need-based scholarships—13 months ahead of schedule. Through this program, donors are helping to support UGA students with the greatest financial need, one of the top priorities of the Commit to Georgia Campaign. “I am deeply grateful to all of the donors who have made this program a success,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Increasing scholarship support for students has a positive ripple effect on our state and the world. UGA alumni go on to become leaders in all sectors—from business and education to technology and health care—and it all starts with access
to a UGA education.” The GCS Program was announced by Morehead in January 2017. Through the program, the UGA Foundation matches—dollar for dollar—any gift in the amount of $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000 to establish an endowed, need-based scholarship for undergraduate students—creating new, permanent pathways to higher education. More than 270 donors, including individuals, families, corporations and private foundations, have taken advantage of this opportunity to date. Among them are awardwinning correspondent and UGA alumna Deborah Roberts; Georgia business leaders Arthur Blank, Tom Cousins and Pete Correll; UGA Foundation trustees; UGA faculty and staff; and UGA alumni groups. More than $3 million in match money is still available to create
additional scholarships. “I’m excited that we’ve reached our goal, but I’m more excited to see how many more people will get involved,” said Bill Douglas, chair of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees. “UGA’s alumni and friends have proven themselves extremely generous through this program, and I have no doubt that they will continue to support students through Georgia Commitment Scholarships until every last matching dollar is spoken for.” Georgia Commitment Scholarships are awarded by the Office of Student Financial Aid. From that point forward, the endowment grows perpetually, increasing the size of the scholarship award over time and helping generations of students earn UGA degrees. Many of those students are See SCHOLARSHIPS on page 8
UGA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Thanks to the recommendations of a presidential working group, initiatives are now underway at the University of Georgia to further advance the institution’s Great Commitments of healthier people, a more secure future and stronger communities. Included in the plans are an interdisciplinary research seed grant program focused on Great Commitments; an ambassador program designed to connect faculty and their research programs with communities around the state; a student-led service program focused on supporting Georgia communities; and a “tour of Georgia” program for students
aligned with Great Commitments and modeled after the university’s highly successful faculty tour of Georgia. UGA President Jere W. Morehead assembled the working group, which was chaired by Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum, in spring 2018. The group was charged with developing programs to further engage the campus community in the grand challenges of our time. The group submitted its final report and recommendations last fall. “I want to thank Dr. Frum and the entire working group for their
See COMMITMENTS on page 8
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
On its centennial, UGA Tifton campus reflects and looks forward By Clint Thompson cbthomps@uga.edu
For 100 years, the University of Georgia Tifton campus has been committed to agricultural research that benefits the state of Georgia and the world. As the campus turns the page to its next century, UGATifton is focused on cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders who will help feed and clothe a growing population. On May 3, UGA-Tifton held a centennial celebration that was as much a time of hope and excitement in looking to the future as it was a day of reflection on the campus’s past accomplishments. “Agriculture is Georgia’s No. 1 industry, and the UGA Tifton campus has played a vital role in helping our farmers build this industry and sustain its success,” said
President Jere W. Morehead. “I am confident that the positive impact of our faculty, staff and students at UGA-Tifton will be even greater over the next 100 years.” A part of highlighting the campus’s future was a research poster competition of the work being done by undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students at UGA-Tifton in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Students shared their individual projects and met with UGA administrators and industry leaders. “Since the first class of students graduated from UGA-Tifton in 2004, we have seen some of the brightest scholars in the region grow and explore the science of agriculture on our Tifton campus,” said CAES Dean Sam Pardue. See TIFTON on page 8
SCHOOL OF LAW
University announces plans to name football Former governor to give School field after Dooley, former head coach and AD of Law Commencement address University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead and J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity announced a proposal May 2 to create Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, in honor of legendary Bulldogs head football coach and athletics director Vincent J. Dooley. “Coach Dooley’s many contributions to this university can be seen across campus,” said Morehead, “from Georgia athletics, where he achieved unrivaled success, to the learning environment, where today many academic programs and initiatives bear his name, such as the Dooley Library
Endowment Fund to the Dooley Professorship in Horticulture. The university community will continue to benefit from his service and dedication for generations to come.” Pending approval of the plans, an official ceremony to dedicate Dooley Field will take place inside Sanford Stadium prior to the Bulldogs’ 2019 home opener on Sept. 7. “I can think of no better way to open the 2019 home football schedule than dedicating Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium,” said McGarity. “The event will be a moment for the entire Bulldog Nation to collectively say ‘thank you’
to a man who has devoted much of his life to making the Georgia athletics program one of the strongest in the nation.” Because Vince Dooley the proposed naming applies to an exterior campus facility, it will require formal approval by the University of Georgia as well as the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. See DOOLEY on page 8
By Heidi Murphy
hmurphy@uga.edu
Former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal will deliver the University of Georgia School of Law’s Commencement address May 18 in Stegeman Coliseum. Deal served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. Hallmarks of his two-term governorship include the Peach State being named the No. 1 state in the nation for business for six consecutive years and the creation of more than 800,000 private sector jobs. Notably, the state’s job growth outpaced the national average,
while its population jumped from 10th to eighth nationally during this period. After earning both his bachelor’s and law degrees from Mercer University, Deal—a Georgia native—served as a captain in the U.S. Army. He then entered private practice in Gainesville and began his career in public service, where he was a prosecutor, judge, state senator and U.S. congressman for Georgia’s 9th District before becoming governor. Deal’s future plans include teaching and guest lecturing at universities and colleges throughout
See COMMENCEMENT on page 8