Archive for category: UGA News

The University of Georgia moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of Best Public Universities, released on September 13.

“I am pleased that the University of Georgia continues to be recognized as one of the very best public research universities in the nation,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I want to thank our outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters for this achievement. UGA’s upward trajectory is a testament-above all else-to their hard work and dedication to excellence.”

Outstanding performance on key measures of student success contributed to the university’s strong position in the national rankings: UGA’s first-year retention rate increased from 94 percent to a record 95 percent during the rating period, and its six-year graduation rate remained at an all-time high of 85 percent.

Increases in student selectivity measures also led to the top 20 ranking. UGA’s acceptance rate decreased from 56 percent to 53 percent during the rating period; the percentage of students in the top 10 percent of their high school class increased from 52 percent to 53 percent, and test scores for the 25th-75th SAT/ACT percentile increased as well.

These measures reflect the continuing rise in the quality of the student body at UGA as well as a steady increase in the number of applications for admission. This fall marked the fourth consecutive year in which the incoming class of first-year students set a record for academic quality, and applications for fall admission reached an all-time high this year at nearly 23,000, surpassing last year’s record total.

“It’s no surprise that demand for a UGA education continues to surge,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Our long tradition of excellence and bold new academic initiatives have created an unparalleled learning environment that fosters the highest levels of student success.”

Read the rest of this story.

For a third consecutive year, the University of Georgia has set a record in fundraising, bringing in $183.8 million in new gifts and commitments during fiscal year 2016.

This year’s historic total represents a 28 percent increase over the previous year’s record of $144.2 million. Gifts were raised from a record number of 67,435 contributors.

Private funding supports the university at every level. During the 2015-16 academic year, private donations helped to fund more than 6,100 scholarships for UGA students. Donations to UGA also help the university recruit and retain outstanding faculty, enhance the student experience and expand the research enterprise.

“This major accomplishment speaks to the unyielding commitment of the UGA community to elevate our great university to new heights of excellence,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I am deeply appreciative of everyone who generously contributed their financial resources. I also am grateful to our development team; the UGA Foundation trustees; leaders of our schools, colleges, and other units; and to our outstanding faculty, staff and students. The hard work and dedication of all of these individuals-and many others-made this significant achievement possible.”

View the complete release.

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!

To 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.