Happy Founders Day, UGA!

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The UGA Charter was signed on January 27, 1785, establishing the university as the first state-chartered institute of public higher education in America. To celebrate this historic anniversary, the university presents the annual Founders Day Lecture, which celebrates the ideals upon which the UGA was founded: to teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.

The 2016 lecture, “So You Think You’re Smarter than a Robot: The Race between Human Learning and Deep Learning,” will be presented by Thomas C. Reeves, Ph.D., professor emeritus of learning, design and technology at UGA’s College of Education.

Brian Heredia, a member of the Class of 2018, will provide the student response. Brian is a UGA Honors student and serves as an ambassador for the College of Education.

The lecture will be streamed live at www.ctl.uga.edu at 1:30 p.m.

Wish UGA a Happy Birthday on social media using #HBDUGA!

UGA alumnus featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list

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Robert J. Gilliard (Ph D ’14) earned a spot on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30: Science list for his work in the field of scientific research. Robert is a post-doctoral research scientist at Case Western Reserve University where his research and expertise encompass the broad field of chemistry and include synthetic, organic, inorganic, and polymer chemistry.Robert Gilliard

While at UGA, he specialized in organometallic chemistry and his research with Professor Greg Robinson consisted of the stabilization of highly reactive organoberyllium complexes. As a student, Robert was chosen to represent our nation at the Nobel Laureate meeting inLindau, Germany, a global forum that showcases the world’s best and brightest.

Congratulations on all of your success, Robert!

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25 Alumni Named to Georgia Trend’s ‘100 Most Influential Georgians’

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Georgia Trend magazine’s annual list of the state’s most powerful and influential citizens who affect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians has been released. The final list reflects one hundred citizens who reflect leadership, power, and influence in Georgia. This year, twenty five University of Georgia graduates have been recognized for their achievements.

Congratulations to the following alumni on this impressive accomplishment:

Dan Amos (BBA ’73), Chairman and CEO, Aflac Inc, 2011 Bulldog 100 Honoree

Charlie Bethel (BBA ’98, JD ’01), State Senator, District 54, 2013 40 Under 40 Honoree, University of Georgia Blue Key Honor Society’s Young Alumnus Award

Gary W. Black (BSA ’80), Commissioner, Georgia Department of Agriculture

Chris Carr (BBA ’95, JD ’99), Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development, 2011 40 Under 40 Honoree

Nancy Denson (BBA ’90), Mayor, Athens-Clarke County, UGA Alumni Association Big Dawg Award, UGA Arch Award

Jennifer Frum (PHD ’09), Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia

Steve Henson (AB ’81), Minority Leader, State Senate

Henry “Hank” M. Huckaby (PHD ’06), Chancellor, University System of Georgia

Johnny Isakson (BBA ’66), U.S. Senator

Jan Jones (ABJ ’80), Speaker Pro Tempore,Georgia House of Representatives

Brian Kemp (BSA ’87), Secretary of State, State of Georgia

Hala Moddelmog (MA ’81), President and CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber, 2015 Bulldog 100 Honoree, 2015 Alumni of Distinction

Jere W.  Morehead (JD ’80), President, University of Georgia

Charlotte Nash (BBA ’75), Chair, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, President of the ACCG

Jay Powell (JD ’77), State Representative, District 171

David Ralston (JD ’80), Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives

Robert Reichert (BSA ’78), Mayor, Macon-Bibb County

Earl V. Rogers (BBA ’76), President and CEO, Georgia Hospital Association

David Shafer (AB ’88), President Pro Tempore, Georgia Senate

Lynn Smith (BSED ’68), State Representative, District 70, Instrumental in the development of the Legislative Environmental Policy Academy at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government

Kessel D. Stelling Jr. (BBA ’78), Chairman and CEO, Synovus, University of Georgia Blue Key Honor Society Award

Lee Thomas (ABJ ’87), Deputy Commissioner, Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office

Trip Tollison (AB ’95), President and CEO, Savannah Economic Development Authority

Judson Turner (AB ’77), Director, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, 2011 40 Under 40 Honoree

J. Alvin Wilbanks (BSED ’64, MED ’68), CEO and Superintendent, Gwinnett County Public Schools

For more information about the honorees, click here.

UGA alumnus featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list

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Each year, Forbes Magazine recognizes young individuals in a variety of categories who are changing the face of their industries. This year, UGA alumnus Chad Mumm (ABJ ’08) made the30 Under 30: Media list for his impressive work at Vox Media Inc. Chad also co-founded The Verge.

Chad is the creative director of Vox Media and founder of Vox Entertainment, the company’s original production and programming group based in Los Angeles. His work focuses on bridging the gap between digital media, publishing, technology platforms and TV programming through each of Vox’s eight individual media brands.

Congratulations on this impressive accomplishment, Chad!

Written by Whitten: Year-End Gratitude

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ProvostPamelaWhittenTo celebrate the end of the year, the UGA Alumni Association is featuring a post from Written by Whitten, Provost Pamela Whitten’s blog. 

As we approach the end of 2015, the University of Georgia community has so much to be proud of—and so much to look forward to in 2016.

Our students set several new academic records that reflect their extraordinary talent and the outstanding instruction and mentorship they receive from our faculty. Our freshman retention rate, for example, climbed by a full percentage point to reach a record 95.2 percent, and our six-year graduation rate climbed to 85.3 percent.

Students in our Honors Program earned some of the world’s top academic awards—including the Marshall, Truman and Udall Scholarships—and our faculty members received some of the nation’s most competitive teaching awards. In one notable example, UGA was the only university in the nation with two recipients of the Beckman Award for teaching excellence—Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander in the Terry College of Business and Melisa “Misha” Cahnmann-Taylor in the College of Education.

Our research enterprise surged forward, as well, with a 7 percent increase in external funding in the past fiscal year. Some notable grants this year include $18.8 million for Athletic Association Professor Samantha Joye’s ongoing work to investigate the long-term effects of the BP oil spill; an $8.2 million project led by associate professor Ted Futris in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences to improve the lives of children and families in the child welfare system; and a $1.9 million grant to professor Richard Gordon to make UGA’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute a National Resource Center for Latin American Studies. The success of these faculty members and many others in garnering support for their research in an extremely competitive funding environment is an indication of the quality of their work and its impact on our nation and world. Our faculty members are truly leaders in their fields.

Our dedicated faculty and staff in our Public Service and Outreach units reached across the state to strengthen the economy and enhance quality of life. Our Small Business Development Center, one of eight PSO units, worked with more than 4,700 business owners and prospective entrepreneurs to help create more than 3,000 new jobs and launch more than 330 new businesses. Marine Extension recently opened the state’s first oyster hatchery to help revive a once-thriving coastal industry, and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government trained more than 22,000 elected officials and public employees.

And last but certainly not least, our alumni and other supporters helped us achieve a new fundraising record that will result in more scholarship support for students and more endowed chairs to help attract and retain the world’s top faculty.

The accomplishments noted above and the many others that are too numerous to be listed here are the result of the dedication of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and other supporters. As 2015 draws to a close and we prepare for 2016, I’d like to once again express my appreciation for the many people who make the University of Georgia one of the nation’s leading public universities.

End of the Year Reflection

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Meredith GurleyPlease read the following note from Meredith Gurley Johnson (BSFCS ’00), executive director of the UGA Alumni Association:

The year is coming to a close and I am enjoying taking a look back at the previous 12 months – what a year it has been!

The successes we have enjoyed would not be possible without the continued support of our generous donors, loyal alumni, friends, parents, UGA faculty and students. The UGA Alumni Association’s priority is to serve our university by fostering strong relationships between our nearly 300,000 alumni and the university’s exceptional students.

I am personally thankful and proud of the Alumni Association’s staff, board members and volunteers for all that they have accomplished in 2015. Together, we created an updated strategic plan and are proposing new events and activities that will connect alumni to UGA in meaningful ways.

While there is plenty of which we should be proud, we are eagerly looking forward to 2016 and all the “new” that the New Year will bring. We will be launching an updated chapter structure, accompanied by new regional events and programs that will further connect alumni to students and the university. We will also be unveiling a new website and other digital communications resources for alumni and friends.

The work we do influences the lives of young people and that motivates us to accelerate our strategic plan to further engage alumni in the coming years.

Again, I thank those individuals who have helped us achieve so much thus far, and I invite anyone who is passionate about UGA to contact the Alumni Association to find out how they can play a role in what we do.

Happy holidays from the UGA Alumni Association – Go Dawgs!

Alumnus Spotlight: Drew Cronic (BSED ’97)

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Drew Cronic (BSED ’97) was recently honored as the American Football Coaches Association’s NAIA Region 1 Coach of the Year. Cronic has been a member of Reinhardt University’s football program since 2012, and was named head coach in 2015. In the span of a few months, he has led Reinhardt into its best season record yet, with nine wins and just two losses.

Drew Cronic

For Cronic, this passion for athletic achievement is nothing new. While at UGA, he was a member of the football team where he earned varsity letters and Southeastern Conference All-Academic honors in 1996 and 1997. After graduation, Drew continued to pursue his passion as a graduate assistant coach at the University of West Georgia, and continued to develop at other programs, such as Furman, James Madison, and Central High School in Carrolton, Georgia.

Reinhardt Director of Athletics Bill Popp said, “I’m so proud of the accomplishments of our football program, and this is one of those ‘icing on the cake’ moments for Coach Cronic. I could not be more proud of him and the young men on that team for the job they did this year. This is a very well-deserved honor for Drew Cronic.”

On the other hand, Cronic believes that the team won this award, and is looking forward to the future of coaching this young football program.

“Head coaches win awards because assistant coaches and players do an amazing job,” Cronic said. “Really, I consider this a team award. This was the year we were really able to put Reinhardt on the map and start turning some heads around the country.”

University of Georgia alumnus to lead USG Board

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The Board of Regents, the 19-member governing body for the University System of Georgia, elected new officers for 2016 on November 11.

Kessel Stelling (BBA ’78) was elected as chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Stelling, who currently is the Board of Regents’ vice chairman, will begin his one-year term as chairman January 1, 2016.

“In the eight years I’ve served on the Board of Regents, there have been significant positive changes within the University System of Georgia, and I understand we must continue to evolve in order to keep college affordable and ultimately grow our economy by graduating more Georgians,” said Stelling. “I’ve been fortunate to learn from the excellent chairmen who have come before me, and I look forward to serving as chairman of this outstanding board.”

Stelling is the chairman and CEO of Synovus, a financial services company based in Columbus, Georgia with approximately $28 billion in assets. Synovus provides commercial and retail banking, investment, and mortgage services to customers in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. A Georgia native, Stelling is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Terry College of Business, and serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Financial Services Roundtable.

Continue reading this story.

True and loyal be.

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Alma Mater, thee we’ll honor,

True and loyal be,

Ever crowned with praise and glory,

Georgia, hail to thee.

So goes the chorus of the University of Georgia Alma Mater. Words we proudly sing before football games and commencement ceremonies. Do we ever stop to reflect on their meaning?

Today is #GivingTuesday, a national day of philanthropy. Many spent Friday filling shopping bags with gifts, shopping local on Saturday, and scouring the internet for deals yesterday. Today is the first day of December and a symbolic beginning to the season of giving. Let us not forget the individuals and organizations that depend on our generosity to thrive.

UGA can sometimes be forgotten as a nonprofit worthy of that generosity. Tuition and state dollars do not fully fund the research, service and teaching that takes at the university; private giving closes the gap. Those donations fund scholarships for students who cannot afford to attend UGA (even with the HOPE Scholarship), incredible facilities to house endless hours of studying and teaching, events to promote networking and career exploration, and much more!

Today, UGA reminds you to keep it in mind when making your end-of-year gifts – no matter their size. Because when it comes to our alma mater, we hail to thee.

MAKE YOUR GIFT BEFORE MIDNIGHT!

UGA honors The Coca-Cola Foundation for its support of academics

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UGA recently honored The Coca-Cola Foundation for its legacy of supporting academics at the state’s flagship institution of higher education.

In an on-field presentation before the Nov. 21 football game, Coca-Cola representatives-Kirk Glaze, director of community partnerships; Gene Rackley (BBA ’90), director of federal government relations; and Scott Williamson (MMC ’92), vice president of public affairs and communications of Coca-Cola North America-were recognized by UGA officials for The Coca-Cola Foundation’s most recent gift of $1 million.

The money will provide additional funding for the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Program. UGA President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80), Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kelly Kerner and Coca-Cola First-Generation Scholars Angel Hogg ’18 and Michael Williams ’18 joined the representatives from Coca-Cola to accept the gift on behalf of the university.

“We are immensely grateful for the continued support of one of our state’s pre-eminent corporate partners,” Morehead said. “Coca-Cola’s generosity is providing vital support for deserving students from Georgia who are seeking to become the first in their families to earn a college degree.” Continue reading.