UGA News

Daniel Brown honored as 2025 Seawell Faculty Award recipient  

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Daniel Brown (BBA ’02), senior lecturer in the Risk Management and Insurance program at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, is the 2025 recipient of UGA’s Lee Anne Seawell Faculty Recognition Award.   

Faculty who receive this honor, given annually by the UGA Career Center, are selected via feedback from the Career Center’s annual Career Outcomes Survey. The survey gave members of the Class of 2024 the opportunity to identify a faculty or staff member who had a positive influence on their career development.    

Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Georgia and his master’s in business administration from Georgia College and State University. After spending 15 years in the insurance industry, he transitioned to education. Now, with seven years of experience as a professor at UGA, Brown teaches four courses each fall and spring semester. Brown is a career champion for students, consistently going the extra mile to support them in their career journeys.   

“I feel lucky to have a job that I love — a ‘get to’ job. I get to go to work every day, and I want to help students find their own ‘get to’ job,” said Brown. “To do that, I need to connect with students. I share a lot of personal stories in the classroom, both wins and failures, and my hope is that this helps them see me as a person they can relate to. From there, I hope it can help them find careers that will become their own ‘get to’ job.”   

Daniel Brown holding the Seawell Faculty Recognition Award plaque. (Submitted photo)

In recent years, Brown has supported the Risk Management and Insurance department in organizing their own career fair. The RMI Careers Day brings together over 80 employers and more than 400 RMI students, offering a platform for employers to connect with and interview students seeking both internship opportunities and full-time positions.    

Brown credits much of his teaching style to the professors who were role models during his time as a student at UGA. He remembers Kevin Ellis, whose personable approach and impactful advice have stayed with him over the years, as well as Mark Huber (PHD ’98), whose lessons continue to shape Brown’s approach to navigating careers today.   

“I looked up to them, and part of me aspired to be like them, which I think played a big role in leading me to this position,” said Brown. “I’ve tried to model my approach in the classroom after theirs because it resonated with me at the time. Based on feedback from students today, it seems to connect with them as well.”   

The late Lee Anne Seawell endowed this faculty recognition award, which has been presented annually since 2017. Seawell joined UGA in 1947 as one of the university’s first female administrators, and she worked in career services and student financial aid until her retirement in 1987.   

“Since becoming UGA faculty, one of my primary goals has been to engage with students,” said Brown. “This award recognizes connecting with students and helping them find careers. I am very honored to receive this award and appreciative to Lee Anne Seawell for endowing this award.”  

For more information on the career outcomes of UGA’s Class of 2024, visit https://career.uga.edu/outcomes.   

Bulldogs contribute 13,026 gifts in 24 hours

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UGA Class of 2024 achieves 95% career outcomes rate

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New data released by the University of Georgia Career Center shows that 95% of UGA’s Class of 2024 were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation.

The Class of 2024 is the 8th class of the last 10 to post a career outcomes rate of 95% or higher.

“Year after year, the success of our students demonstrates the remarkable value of a UGA education,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our faculty and staff, our hardworking graduates are well prepared to launch their careers and embrace their role as the next generation of leaders.”

Among the graduates in the Class of 2024, 61% were employed full-time, 25% were continuing their education and 9% were engaged in post-graduate internships, fellowships, residencies, postdoctoral research, part-time jobs or said they were not currently seeking employment.

Many of the employed graduates are applying their talents to the benefit of the Peach State: 70% took on positions based in Georgia.

In addition, Class of 2024 graduates accepted employment with companies representing a variety of industry sectors, from health care to business, finance to transportation, and all points in between.

“The University of Georgia continues to prepare outstanding graduates who leave this institution ready to lead and serve across industry sectors,” said Scott Williams, executive director of the UGA Career Center. “My thanks to all the campus partners who facilitate the career readiness of our students as well as our corporate partners who continue to look to UGA for top talent.”

The UGA Career Center calculates the career outcomes rate each January by collecting information from surveys, phone calls, employer reporting, UGA departments, the National Student Clearinghouse and social media websites such as LinkedIn. The current data is based on the known career outcomes of 8,498 graduates from the Class of 2024.

For more information about the Class of 2024 career outcomes, visit career.uga.edu/outcomes.

To learn about hiring UGA graduates, visit hireuga.com.

UGA dedicates Ralston Center for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

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This story, written by Cal Powell, was originally published on the FACS website on Dec. 9, 2024.

On the day he announced sweeping reforms to the failed healthcare delivery system for Georgians with mental health challenges, the late state representative David Ralston (JD ’80) simply said, “Hope won.”

The bill Ralston championed in 2022 addressed systemic barriers to the quality and delivery of behavioral health services and required insurance companies to cover mental health and substance abuse issues as they would physical illnesses.

“Countless Georgians will know we have heard their despair and frustration,” said Ralston, then speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives who died not long after the signing of the legislation.

The University of Georgia is building on Ralston’s legacy with the establishment of the David Ralston Center for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Housed in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), the Ralston Center will prepare future professionals for careers in the behavioral health and developmental and intellectual disabilities fields with the goal of creating a pipeline to provide a community-based system of care.

UGA President Jere Morehead (JD ’80) joined FACS Dean Anisa Zvonkovic and Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, at a dedication ceremony announcing the Ralston Center on Sunday. The state legislature allocated $1.5 million for the establishment of the Ralston Center in its 2025 budget.

Morehead acknowledged Ralston’s lasting impact on UGA and the state in remarks made during the dedication ceremony, which was hosted in conjunction with the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, an orientation for new legislators sponsored by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Morehead noted he and Ralston were classmates at the UGA School of Law and close friends.

“David was a person with the highest integrity, an inspiring work ethic and a tremendous concern for others,” Morehead said. “As a political leader, he worked across the aisle to pass measures that would benefit all Georgians, as he did for mental health care reform. I think he would be proud of the Ralston Center, and I appreciate every state leader who played a role in its creation.”

Both Morehead and Zvonkovic noted the university’s strengths in teaching, research and outreach and its ability to leverage an existing network of collaborators make it an ideal home for the new center.

“The center will reflect former speaker Ralston’s vision for a behavioral health system that provides sustained support based on the strengths, wellness and goals of the person and is built on existing networks, resources and treatment options throughout the state,” Zvonkovic said. “As we launch the center, we are eager to collaborate with faculty across the entire University System of Georgia to coordinate curriculum offerings and other trainings to assist the state to be able to establish the workforce for these issues.”

Tanner, who chaired the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation committee formed in 2019 to produce recommendations that led to the legislation, said addressing those workforce needs will be a priority for the center.

“Put simply, hiring and retaining top quality talent in the mental health care sector is the greatest challenge facing our system of care,” Tanner said. “We do not have enough trained, licensed clinicians to meet demand. As UGA’s faculty and administration stand up the Ralston Center, I am certain they will keep this fact top of mind and use the center to help us meet the extraordinary workforce demands we face.”

Tanner added that the establishment of the center at UGA is a fitting continuation of Ralston’s vision.

“Speaker Ralston knew this effort would take years to bring to complete fruition,” he said. “His vision went beyond the role of legislature – it extended to our university system and the pivotal role UGA will play in this work. Ultimately, I think he would see this center’s establishment as one more step toward success – a milestone on a long but worthwhile journey to improve the lives of Georgians.”

Donors set new UGA fundraising record

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Former dean establishes UGA college’s first chair

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UGA donors’ 11,711 gifts break single-day record

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UGA’s Mariah Cady named a 2024 Rhodes Scholar

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On-campus festival celebrates the arts

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UGA three-year fundraising average hits record $235.1 million

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Donors have long been a powerful source of progress at the University of Georgia, and the past year was no exception. Private donations to UGA in fiscal year 2023 reached $242.8 million, the second-highest fundraising total in the university’s history.

“I want to express my sincere thanks to each and every donor for helping us continue to elevate the University of Georgia to new heights,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “UGA would be a vastly different place without the generous support of our alumni, friends and the UGA Foundation. Private giving helps faculty members raise the bar in their fields, helps connect communities across Georgia to university resources, and helps students achieve things they never thought possible.”

From July 2022 to June 2023, 71,223 donors contributed to UGA, resulting in the third consecutive year—and sixth year of the last seven—that donations have surpassed $200 million. The university’s three-year rolling average, which averages the three most recent years of giving, rose to a record $235.1 million—the third consecutive year this number has risen and the sixth consecutive year it has exceeded $200 million.

“What is so special about the UGA community is that their support is not just strong, it is always so consistent” said Neal Quirk, who chaired the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees during FY23. “Year in and year out, our donors give generously, and that reliable support is so very valuable. No matter what economic conditions arise, the university and its students can thrive thanks to the backing of our great alumni and friends. It makes our entire board very grateful and very proud.”

Over the course of the year, donors endowed 16 faculty positions, bringing UGA’s total to 356, and created 158 scholarship funds. In total, private giving established 301 endowed funds, which will provide reliable, long-term funding to a multitude of areas at the university.

But these numbers tell just a small part of the story. Donor support for UGA took many forms during the 2023 fiscal year. Among them:

  • The UGA College of Engineering is significantly expanding its work in electric mobility thanks to a $5 million investment from Georgia Power Company—the largest single gift ever made to the college. This funding will create scholarships for students pursuing an e-mobility certificate, support e-mobility research and facilitate a statewide e-mobility network and community partnerships.
  • A new, women-directed fundraising group, Georgia Women Give, launched in March to invite more women to become philanthropists and deepen their engagement with UGA. Since then, the group of 75 founding donors have raised over $1.8 million, all directed to three funds supporting scholarships, study away and UGA priority areas.
  • The UGA Poultry Science Building continued to receive significant support, including the largest single gift toward the building to date: a $3 million pledge from the Luther and Susie Harrison Foundation. The building—a 70,000+ square foot, state-of-the-art facility on D.W. Brooks Drive—will help make UGA the global epicenter of poultry science. Its doors will open this fall, with classes beginning in spring 2024.
  • A gift of $1.5 million that, along with a previous commitment, established the John and Alice Sands Offensive Coordinator position on the football team.
  • Chick-fil-A pledged $1.5 million to develop a new statewide youth leadership program and annual summit. The Youth LEAD Georgia program will provide college- and career-readiness through leadership development for 30 to 40 rising Georgia high school sophomores and juniors each year, and the summit will take place at UGA, bringing together high school students from each of Georgia’s 159 counties.

The University of Georgia’s annual Dawg Day of Giving provided perhaps the best example of how widespread support for UGA has become. On March 30, donors contributed 11,091 gifts to UGA in 24 hours, setting a single-day giving record at the university for the second year in a row. Donors hailed from all 50 states, and their gifts totaled $5.6 million.

The annual Senior Signature student giving campaign also set a record this year, with 3,377 members of the Class of 2023 donating to the class gift program, which has been in place since 1991. Parents of UGA students set high watermarks as well when the Parents Leadership Council both raised and awarded over $1 million to benefit campus organizations.

“UGA’s status as a powerhouse of academics and athletics relies so much on donor support. We just can’t thank our generous supporters enough,” said Jill S. Walton, interim vice president for development and alumni relations. “Our successes are in large part thanks to them, so watching that support grow is exciting—just imagine where our students, our university and our state will go next.”