UGA names building for Sanford and Barbara Orkin

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This article was originally published on UGA Today on February 15, 2018.

Writer: David Dodson, Terry College of Business (ABJ ’89)

Third and final phase of the Business Learning Community will open in 2019

The next building to become part of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business will be named for Sanford and Barbara Orkin of Atlanta.

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has approved naming one of the two buildings currently under construction in the third and final phase of the Business Learning Community for the Orkins in recognition of their longstanding support of UGA, including a $5 million gift to the Terry College of Business.

“Sanford and Barbara Orkin’s tremendous generosity will leave an enduring legacy at the University of Georgia,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Their latest gift, which will further enhance the learning environment on our campus, demonstrates their unyielding commitment to supporting the endeavors of our students, faculty and staff.”

The building to be named Sanford and Barbara Orkin Hall—located at the corner of Baxter and Hull streets—will include a large auditorium, undergraduate classrooms, a behavioral lab, a computer lab for marketing research, interview suites and faculty and administrative offices.

“Throughout this building campaign and the construction that followed, creating a modern and vibrant learning community for the Terry College of Business has been our primary goal,” said Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “We are so grateful to the Orkins for their philanthropic investment in the college’s future, and we look forward to opening and dedicating the final two buildings of the Business Learning Community next year.”

Sanford and Barbara Orkin both attended UGA. Drafted into military service while still a student, Sanford Orkin joined his family’s pest control business after returning from the Korean War and served as president. Following the sale of Orkin Pest Control to Rollins Inc. in 1964, he maintained real estate and business interests in Atlanta and volunteered his time and support to UGA in numerous ways, including as a trustee of the UGA Foundation and UGA Real Estate Foundation.

“Barbara and I love the University of Georgia and are so pleased to continue our support of its academic mission to educate future leaders for the state and nation,” Sanford Orkin said.

The Orkins’ most recent gift extends a remarkable legacy of giving to UGA. The couple has endowed a $1 million scholarship fund for low-income students, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar position in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and supported the School of Law, the College of Education, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the College of Public Health, UGA Athletics and other academic initiatives.

Phase III of the Business Learning Community is currently under construction. Phase II was completed in 2017.

The university broke ground on Phase III construction of the Business Learning Community in October 2017 after the dedication of Amos Hall, Benson Hall and Moore-Rooker Hall. Terry College faculty and staff moved into the Phase II buildings last summer, and classes began this past fall. Phase I (Correll Hall) was funded entirely by private contributions and opened in 2015. Phase II and III are the result of a public-private partnership between the state of Georgia and hundreds of donors. The Business Learning Community represents one of the largest capital projects in the University System’s history.

UGA reports 96 percent career outcomes rate for Class of 2017

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This article was originally published on UGA Today on February 15, 2018.

Writer: Danielle Bezila

Results are 11 percent higher than the national average

University of Georgia research shows that 96 percent of recent graduates are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduating. UGA’s career outcomes rate for the Class of 2017 is 11 percent higher than the national average.

Of those students:
• 63 percent were employed full time;
• 20 percent were attending graduate school; and
• Approximately 12 percent were self-employed, interning full time or were employed part time.

“UGA’s high career outcomes rate demonstrates our university’s commitment to providing students with opportunities to learn in and beyond the classroom,” said Scott Williams, executive director of the Career Center. “Combined with our strong academics, the experiential learning requirement provides students with hands-on experiences, such as internships, equipping them with the skills and experiences that make them more competitive in the job market.”

The UGA Class of 2017 was hired by 2,925 unique employers, including Fortune 500 companies, across all 50 states and in 37 countries. Of the full-time employed graduates, 72 percent accepted employment within Georgia. Top employers for the Class of 2017 include AT&T, Chick-fil-A, IBM, Georgia-Pacific and UPS.

“Our state benefits from being home to so many successful companies—companies that want to hire our students,” said Jill Walton, UGA’s executive director of corporate and foundation relations. “UGA is committed to serving our state through educating tomorrow’s leaders.”

These graduates are working in all sectors of the economy—66 percent in business, 24 percent in education, 6 percent in government and 4 percent in nonprofits.

“UGA students are pursuing careers in diverse industries, career areas and geographic locations,” Williams said. “We are proud that our students continue to secure positions with top companies, as well as enter highly selective graduate and professional programs.”

The 20 percent of graduates who are continuing their education are attending top graduate schools such as Columbia University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CareerOutcomes-Infographic-Classof2017_Page_2-1140x1440

UGA’s career outcomes rate for the Class of 2017 is 11 percent higher than the national average.

The career outcomes rate is the percentage of students who are employed, continuing their education or not seeking employment within six months after graduation. The UGA Career Center calculates the career outcomes rate each January by leveraging information from a variety of sources. This year, the Career Center was able to collect data on 88 percent of 2017 graduates, 26 percent higher than the national average, which helps provide a more accurate snapshot of UGA students’ employment status. Outcomes data was collected using the following sources: survey, phone calls, employer reporting, departmental collaboration, LinkedIn and the National Student Clearinghouse.

More details about UGA’s Class of 2017 career outcomes, is online.

More about hiring UGA graduates is online.

Do you want to help support student success at UGA and ensure students are prepared for professional interviews? Make a gift to the Dawgs Suit Up Scholarship, which allows students to attend the Dawgs Suit Up Event and receive professional interview attire free of charge from JCPenney.

UGA Career Center 
The University of Georgia Career Center provides a range of services, helping students identify potential careers, connecting them with employers for job interviews and internships and much more. The Career Center’s home, Clark Howell Hall, provides spaces for career advising, networking events and job interviews.

Bulldog Love Stories

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Meet TJ Snowden, Vice President of the Black Alumni Leadership Council

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In October 2015, the UGA Alumni Association launched the UGA Black Alumni Affinity Group, which is led by the Black Alumni Leadership Council. The council seeks to connect with black alumni and students through shared experiences, and to continue building a welcoming and supporting campus community. TJ Snowden (BSED ’04, EDD ’19) is vice president of the Black Alumni Leadership Council, and we recently interviewed him to learn more about his UGA experience and what drives him to stay connected to the university.

When did you graduate from UGA and what did you do after college?

I graduated from UGA in 2004 with a degree in sports communications. After more than three years of work in retail management and collections, I returned to UGA to work as a financial aid counselor in 2007. In 2012, my wife Lesley and I moved to Washington, D.C. where I continued my career in higher education and graduated with a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Trinity Washington University in 2015. Currently, I am the director of financial aid at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. and a second-year doctoral student in UGA’s Student Affairs Leadership Program.

How did you get involved with the Alumni Association?

I reconnected with a great group of UGA black alumni in D.C. where I learned that UGA was developing the Black Alumni Affinity Group. As my wife and I were planning to move back to Atlanta in 2016, it just so happened that Realenn Watters (AB ’04), a friend and alumna, was working for the Alumni Association and encouraged me to apply for a position.

Which Black Alumni event are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of the work we have been able to do with the Admitted Student Reception. In two years, we have helped move the diversity needle at UGA, bringing in one of the most diverse incoming classes in 2017. Equally as important, the Black Alumni Leadership Council has been able to secure more than 40 black alumni at each of these events to welcome these new students of color to the Bulldog Nation.

 

TJ Snowden

How has serving on the leadership council benefited you?

Participating in the Black Alumni Leadership Council has allowed me tap into a larger network of UGA black alumni to help further our cause of recognizing and supporting black excellence at our alma mater.

What is the most important experience you learned as a student?

Embrace the space, and I mean that metaphorically. UGA is a special place, and a number of my greatest memories as a student came from getting involved on campus. Some 13 years after I graduated from undergrad, I still relish those experiences gained and relationships I cultivated. It was an environment that I was under-prepared for when I entered. Thankfully, I found ways to contribute to the university community, and more importantly, the Black UGA community, as a member of the Zeta Iota chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

What is one piece of advice you would give to UGA students?

Network. There is only so much that a resume, diagnostic test or GPA can tell about your ability to excel at a task or job. Having someone who can vouch for your character and potential speaks volumes. Dawgs take care of Dawgs.

UGA is committed to its students and mission as a land and sea grant university. What is your commitment?

I’m committed to increasing diversity and black philanthropy at UGA. UGA has only been integrated for a little more than 57 years, so there is a need to develop and sustain philanthropic efforts among black students and alumni to aid UGA in its support of students of color.