2016 Alumni Awards Celebration

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On April 15, the UGA community gathered together in the Tate Student Center to enjoy the 79th annual Alumni Awards Luncheon, and celebrate this year’s group of honorees. Meet this year’s accomplished honorees and learn more about their UGA experiences.

Young Alumni Award

Christie Haynes, a Double Dawg from the Class of 2010 is the president and CEO of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. Christie is a former president of the Student Alumni Council who re-launched the G Book, UGA’s traditions handbook, with another SAC member when they were students. She is a former 40 Under 40 honoree and a past president of SPIA’s Alumni Board.

Support Christie’s passion and make a gift to the School of Public and International Affairs today.

Friend of UGA Award

The 2016 Friend of UGA Award was presented to Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson. Larry is an emeritus trustee of the UGA Foundation and serves on the faculty of the UGA School of Law. Brenda is a current UGA Foundation trustee and chair-elect of the Georgia Museum of Art Board of Advisors.

Would you like to support the Georgia Museum of Art, too? Learn more now.

Alumni Merit Award

Henry D. “Greg” Gregory, Jr. (AB ’06) is a UGA Foundation Trustee who has shown his commitment to the UGA History Department in a number of ways, including the establishment of the Amanda and Greg Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era and his providing financial support for Civil War research on campus.

Are you a Civil War buff? Consider supporting the Amanda and Greg Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era today.

Faculty Service Award

Karen A. Holbrook, former UGA Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, also served as the first female president of The Ohio State University. Holbrook established a number of important initiatives while at UGA, including advocating for new programs in the biomedical and health sciences, which led to the creation of the College of Public Health.

Support the College of Public Health with a gift today.

Alumni Merit Award

The Honorable Saxby Chambliss (BBA ’66) is a long-serving and well-respected politician who retired from public service in 2014 after serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as a U.S. Senator. Recently, he established the Senator Chambliss Leadership Forum to increase students’ exposure to domestic and international politics.

Support students participating in the Senator Chambliss Leadership Forum with a gift today.

 

Interested in learning more about the Alumni Awards and seeing past honorees? Click here.

alumni_awards

Are you a graduate of the University of Georgia? Please take a moment and update your information to stay up-to-date with all things UGA!

 

Commit to G-Day!

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UPDATE:

 

“I just want to tell everybody how great it is to be back home. I love the energy and passion here tonight. We want to see the same energy and passion at the spring game. We want to see 93,000 there to come out and support us.

The easiest thing in recruiting is when your fanbase is united and everybody is pulling in the same direction. That’s what we need, that’s what we want, that’s what we expect. We want to get that done.”

Coach Kirby Smart (BBA ’98)

 

G-Day Schedule

G-Day is April 16, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. 

Admission is free!

1:00 p.m. – Stadium Opens
1:15 p.m. – Flag football game between former football players
2:45 p.m. – Dawg Walk
3:00 p.m. – Team stretch on the field
3:45 p.m. – Ludacris performance
4:00 p.m. – G-Day Spring Football Game

Stadium and Parking

All stadium gates will be open, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Seating throughout the stadium is general admission, with the following exceptions:

  • Sections 135 & 136, Rows 1 – 25
  • Sections 209 – 215
  • Sections 225 – 226

View more details at georgiadogs.com.

Stadium Info

Parking Info

View from the sidelines

Whether you’re at G-Day, watching from home, or on the road, tune in to the official University of Georgia Snapchat accounts listed below. All three accounts will be posting from the sidelines throughout G-Day!

Follow footballuga on Snapchat

Follow the UGA Alumni Association on Snapchat

Follow UGA on Snapchat!

 

Around Campus

Alumni Chapter G-Day Watching Parties

Are you a graduate of the University of Georgia? Please take a moment and update your information to stay up-to-date with all things UGA!

 

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.”

Alumna recognized by L’Oreal Paris’ Women of Worth Program

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In May of 2009, Books for Keeps founder Melaney Smith (BBA ’89) met an Alps Road Elementary second-grader who was disappointed that school was breaking for summer. Why? When school ended, so did her access to books.

Smith wanted to help, and learned that many of the student’s classmates were in a similar situation. Without books, the reading skills some of these second graders had developed during the school year could decline over the summer, a circumstance recognized by educators as “summer slide”.

“I thought, ‘why doesn’t somebody do something about this?’  And then I thought, ‘I am somebody,’” said Smith.

Research led her to Dr. Jennifer Graff, a professor at the University of Georgia College of Education who co-authored a study on the topic.

Adopting the methods used in the study, Smith started Books for Keeps’ primary program: Stop Summer Slide! This flagship initiative provides 12 books to every child in the elementary schools served by Books for Keeps. In 2015, Stop Summer Slide! was offered to students in ten elementary schools, eight in Athens elementary schools and one each in Atlanta and Warrenton.

At the end of each school year, Books for Keeps hosts mock book fairs where the children come to their respective schools’ media center and select the books they would most like to own.

“If we expect them to read at home during the summer with no encouragement from adults, they have to have something they like to read,” Smith said.

Volunteers help children find the books they want, and ask the students questions to align book-collection needs for the following year. All schools in the program have been designated as Title 1 schools, which means 90 to 100 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch, Smith said.

This month, her efforts were rewarded with at $10,000 grant from the L’Oreal Paris’ Women of Worth program. Now Smith is in the running for an additional $25,000 to be determined by public vote and awarded at a ceremony in New York on December 1.

Click here to vote once per day for Smith to help Books for Keeps win $25,000.

Books for Keeps recently completed a plan to expand to all elementary Clarke County schools in Athens and at least five more in Atlanta.

“We don’t add a school until we have community support that we know will last,” she said. “Our expansion funds are seed money, but there has to be community support.”

She hopes exposure from the L’Oreal honor will help spread the word about Books for Keeps, particularly in Atlanta. And she hopes to meet and network with her fellow Women of Worth winners next month in New York.

If you would like to help, consider joining the Books for Keeps initiative by volunteering, donating books, offering a monetary gift, hosting a book drive, or spreading the word through social media and your daily personal interaction with others. Your contributions could make a difference in the life of a child.

umano on Shark Tank

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Alex (BBA ’09) and Jonathan (BBA ’07, AB ’07) Torrey, brothers and co-founders of umano, share a passion for fashion and philanthropy. The brothers founded umano in 2011 in Athens, Georgia, a town they describe as “the place where southern soul meets the heart of indie rock.” The UGA graduates launched their social entrepreneurial venture with one simple idea at the core of their brand: fashion for good.

Through umano, which means ‘human; mankind; to show humanity and act humanely towards others’, Jonathan and Alex are dedicated to elevating everyday fashion essentials to create fashion with a purpose. Despite not having much fashion experience, the brothers set out to create fashion for good because they believe that every kid deserves a chance; it isn’t about geography, color or creed.

Their passion to create great fashion is equaled only by their drive to advocate for education by equipping children in impoverished communities with basic school supplies needed to succeed. umano visits dozens of partner schools in impoverished communities in the United States and abroad. The brand’s “virtuous cycle” starts and ends with a Giving Trip, where umano visits a partner school to give backpacks full of essential school supplies and collect drawings. Kids draw the brand’s signature PocketArt, which is featured on umano’s T-shirts and with every purchase, umano gives a backpack to students in Athens, Harlem, Los Angeles, Mexico and Peru, with a partnership in Haiti set to commence soon.

Friday, November 20 at 9:00 p.m., umano will be featured on the high-stakes reality show Shark Tank on ABC. Shark Tank is a television show that features The Sharks – tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons – as they invest in America’s best businesses and products. The Sharks give people a chance to chase the American dream, and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires. The brothers will pitch their unique concept and try to convince the panel of sharks that their company is worthy of an investment. Tune in to support Alex and Jonathan and see whether or not a Shark will join the umano team!

For more information regarding umano, please visit their website.

Ryan Seacrest to headline UGA’s spring Commencement ceremony

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When Ryan Seacrest takes the stage for the University of Georgia’s spring Commencement ceremony on May 13, 2016, in Sanford Stadium, he will have two tasks—inspire a new class of UGA alumni and receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the university he attended as a freshman.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved Seacrest’s honorary degree during its Oct. 14 meeting. Other than an earned doctorate, the honorary degree is the highest recognition UGA can bestow and is given to recognize a person who has a sustained record of achievements of lasting significance.

Seacrest holds pre-eminent positions in broadcast and cable television, as well as nationally syndicated radio and local radio. He is celebrated internationally as host of the top-rated prime-time talent showcase “American Idol” on Fox. He is host and executive producer of ABC’s annual New Year’s eve program, “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” He also has an agreement with NBCUniversal that includes on-air broadcasting and producing duties across the NBC and E! networks.

On radio, Seacrest is host of “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” his market-topping nationally syndicated Los Angeles morning drive-time show for iHeart Media’s 102.7 KIIS-FM, as well as a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show.

Ryan-Seacrest

Seacrest is being honored by the university for his commitment to youth-oriented initiatives.

Seacrest’s philanthropic efforts include his service as chairman of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, which has opened eight broadcast media centers—known as Seacrest Studios—in pediatric hospitals across the country. Through these studios, patients have the opportunity to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media and are provided with a variety of programming during their hospital stays. Students from local journalism schools intern with the studios to learn about broadcasting, programming and operating a multimedia center. 2015 40 Under 40 honoree Mamie Shepherd (ABJ ’13) is a program coordinator at the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.

“We look forward to welcoming Ryan Seacrest back to the UGA campus,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Through Seacrest Studios, he has channeled his success into a source of comfort and creativity that has positively impacted the lives of pediatric patients and their families while providing significant learning opportunities for students. I am sure he will have a compelling message to deliver as the Commencement speaker.”

Seacrest is also honorary chair of the Grammy Foundation and is on the board of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Seacrest, who attended UGA in 1992, moved to Hollywood to pursue a broadcasting career that he began as a radio intern while attending Dunwoody High School. Twenty-four years later, he is known internationally for his work in television and radio.

Continue reading this story.

Introducing UGA Black Alumni

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The UGA Alumni Association is proud to launch UGA Black Alumni, the official affinity group for black graduates of the University of Georgia. There are other organizations and groups that seek to connect black alumni and students, and this group is another opportunity for those important interactions. UGA has enrolled the most diverse student population in history, and UGA Black Alumni will connect alumni and students with shared experiences to continue building a welcoming and supportive campus community. Get involved and make a difference at your alma mater!

2015 40 Under 40 honoree Arthur Tripp (AB ’09) and former Georgia football player Rennie Curran

If you are passionate about building a welcoming UGA community for all Bulldogs, and enjoy helping fellow alumni connect to their alma mater, you should consider volunteering on the UGA Black Alumni Leadership Council. Completing an interest form is the first step!

If you have questions about UGA Black Alumni, email Realenn Watters (AB ’04) at rwatters@uga.edu.

UGA Alumni Association Supports UGA iGEM’s Competition Success

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UGA iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) was able to come back to Athens with the sweet satisfaction of accomplishment after a successful weekend in Boston at the 2015 iGEM Giant Jamboree, an annual synthetic biology competition put on by MIT. The UGA team brought home the gold for its measurement project and was runner-up in the overall measurement competition. In addition to these two major achievements, the UGA iGEM team developed the first Archaeal Interlab study ever in iGEM history. In other words, the UGA team is the first college team to take on the challenge of extensively studying archaea, single-celled organisms that resemble bacteria. To make their success even better, they competed against 2,700 other attendees and 280 teams and were able to perform at the competition’s highest level.

For this year’s competition, the UGA Alumni Association sponsored UGA iGEM’s trip to Boston. This funding was made possible by generous gifts to the Georgia Fund. The UGA Alumni Association uses private support like this to make an impact on campus and in the lives of students, which often includes supporting student groups on campus!

The UGA iGEM team was created in 2012, and from its start, has been a team destined for success in helping to advance the field of synthetic biology. Within a year’s time, this young team went from being the new, “rookie” team to being a dominant, medal-winning team. This year’s medal is just one to add to their collection and like the others, it is the product of constant efforts, passion and excellence in scientific research. The goal of the UGA iGEM team is to establish the feasibility of Archaea in the field of synthetic biology. The 2015 UGA iGEM team includes 16 students and is led by Rebecca Buchanan, a fifth-year student studying biochemistry and molecular biology.

The purpose behind iGEM’s Giant Jamboree is to raise awareness on synthetic biology research as well as to promote collaborations for the development of practical solutions. The teams are judged on their research novelty, impact toward real world solutions, outreach, collaborations and more. All in all, the students that participated in this year’s competition exemplify UGA’s motto of “to teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things,” and the UGA Alumni Association is honored to have helped them achieve their goals.

UGA alumnus honors wife’s memory through lung cancer awareness efforts

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Today’s guest blog is brought to you by alumnus Blake Varner (BBA ’06). Since losing his wife, Angela Varner (AB ’07), to lung cancer, Blake has dedicated his time to raising awareness and funds for lung cancer research.

One in 14 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You may be surprised to learn that anyone with lungs, regardless of age or smoking history, can get this disease. I’d have never guessed that my wife, Angela, who I met at UGA, would be one of them.

When Angela was diagnosed with cancer, she was an otherwise healthy 29-year-old and an avid tennis player (she played club tennis at UGA). We had no idea that she was sick until she went through testing after giving birth to our second child. What we originally thought was a bad case of bronchitis turned out to be lung cancer.

After four short months and one heck of a fight, we lost Angela to lung cancer last February.

Significant research advances in the past decade have led to better treatments and more options for patients. The earlier lung cancer is found, the more treatment options exist – and the more likely it is that the disease can be cured.

In honor of Angela, I’ve committed to raising awareness and funds for lung cancer research. One of the ways I’ll do this is by participating in the Atlanta Free to Breathe Run/Walk August 22. Free to Breathe is dedicated to doubling lung cancer survival by 2022.

I encourage the UGA community to get involved with a cause you are passionate about, and if you’re able, please consider supporting Free to Breathe. You can sign up for the Run/Walk event at freetobreathe.org as an individual or start a team. Additionally, come play in a memorial golf tournament for Angela on Friday, September 4, before UGA kicks off its football season. A portion of the proceeds will go to Free to Breathe.

Everyone at UGA is welcome to join my 5K team, Built Ange Tough, or participate in the golf tournament. Registration and additional information regarding the golf tournament can be found here. We’d love to have the Bulldog Nation join us in the fight against lung cancer.

Alumna Spotlight: Jennifer Bellamy (ABJ ’08)

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BellamyAlumna Jennifer Bellamy (ABJ ’08) is one of the newest members of the 11Alive Atlanta team. A native Atlantan, Jennifer graduated from UGA with a degree in broadcast news and a minor in Spanish. Her career began in Macon, Georgia, where she worked for 13WMAZ as a reporter, producer, and fill-in anchor. She then joined News19 in Columbia, South Carolina, as a general assignment and political reporter. Jennifer was later promoted to weekend anchor.

Earlier this year, Jennifer was recognized by the 2015 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for Outstanding Local Television Investigative Reporting as a part of the News19 team. She also received a South Carolina Broadcasters Association STAR award for her coverage of South Carolina’s Department of Social Services.

11Alive is home to many Georgia alumni and the UGA Alumni Association is thrilled to see another graduate join its ranks. Congratulations, Jennifer!