UGA seeking nominations for annual Footsteps Award

The University of Georgia is accepting nominations for its Footsteps Award. This annual award recognizes a UGA graduate each year who is following in the pioneering footsteps of Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Hamilton Holmes and Mary Frances Early.

Members of the UGA community are invited to submit nominations for the Footsteps Award by completing a short form available online at alumni.uga.edu/footstepsnomination. The nomination period ends on Dec. 4, and the recipient will be announced on Jan. 9, the 62nd anniversary of the day Hunter-Gault and Holmes, the first African American students at UGA, enrolled in classes.

The honoree must be a UGA graduate who has made a significant positive impact in human rights, race relations or education in their community. Selected by a committee of UGA faculty, staff and students, the award recipient will be presented with the award during the 2023 Holmes-Hunter Lecture in February.

“This award reflects the pride we have in our alumni who are seeking to improve their communities both personally and professionally,” said Meredith Gurley Johnson, executive director of alumni relations at UGA. “They are an outstanding representation of a University of Georgia education, and the Footsteps Award is just one way for us to honor their tremendous work and commitment.”

In February 2022, the inaugural Footsteps Award was presented to Eugenia Harvey, chief diversity equity and inclusion officer for the WNET Group and a 1982 UGA graduate.