Archive for category: UGA News

In the latest in a series of steps to enhance the learning environment, UGA is investing $4.4 million to reduce class sizes by hiring faculty and creating more than 300 new course sections.

“This major initiative demonstrates the University of Georgia’s strong commitment to putting students first,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80). “Reducing the number of large class sections in critical instruction areas will improve student learning and success and further enhance our world-class learning environment.”

The first of the new faculty members will begin teaching this fall, and a total of 56 will be hired in the coming year. By fall 2016, a total of 319 new course sections in 81 majors will be added, the majority of which will have fewer than 20 students.

UGA currently has an 18-1 student/faculty ratio, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten noted that the new courses will help ensure students receive even more personalized attention from their professors.

She added that the push to decrease class sizes at UGA builds upon a series of academic enhancements the institution has implemented in recent years. Last fall, the university hired 10 new faculty to teach in 80 high-demand course sections. In the spring, the university approved a new graduation requirement that will make UGA the largest public university in the nation to require that each of its nearly 27,000 undergraduate students engage in experiential learning-such as internships, research, study abroad or service-learning-prior to graduation.

“UGA offers the broad range of resources and opportunities that a major research university provides as well as personalized and hands-on learning experiences that are typically associated with smaller universities,” Whitten said. “It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s exactly what our world-class students deserve.”

The UGA Alumni Association welcomes Vice President Victor K. Wilson (BSW ’82, MED ’87) as today’s guest blogger. He has some exciting news to share regarding a leadership development opportunity for UGA alumni and friends working in all industries.

I am excited to introduce a new partnership that will ultimately benefit students and aspiring student leaders across UGA.

UGA Student Affairs has joined with the renowned Accelerated Leadership Group (ALG) to launch the UGA Academy for Leadership Excellence. This initiative will enable UGA students and other leaders from all fields the opportunity to develop and hone world-class leadership skills, through the latest practice and research, preparing emerging leaders for future growth in their studies and careers.

For UGA students, the Academy will be part of the Center for Leadership and Service, which empowers students to intentionally engage in leadership learning and practice active citizenship. The Academy will also offer cutting-edge leadership training programs for emerging and front line leaders in business and industry, hosted at UGA.

Preparing students for leadership of local and global communities is one of our highest priorities. This innovative partnership promises some of the best leadership expertise and education to benefit UGA students.

Victor K. Wilson
Vice President for Student Affairs
The University of Georgia

For additional information, visit www.ALGleaders.com/UGA.

To support the university’s new experiential learning initiatives, President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) will personally establish a scholarship fund to help undergraduates participate in and fulfill the new requirements.

The initiative, when implemented in fall 2016, will require undergraduate students to participate in a tailored, hands-on learning opportunity prior to graduation. Undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, internships and other high-impact experiences will meet this requirement.

“I believe I have a special obligation to give back to this great institution, which has given so much to me,” Morehead said. “The experiential learning initiative will further enhance the world-class learning environment at UGA, and I am pleased to be able to support this initiative personally through the establishment of a scholarship fund.”

In addition to support from President Morehead, the experiential learning initiative will also receive financial support in the form of a $1 million endowment from the UGA Athletic Association.

“The athletic association has a strong track record of supporting the university’s most important academic initiatives,” said President Jere W. Morehead, “and none is more relevant to the institution right now than this initiative designed to further enhance student learning at UGA.”

The $1 million gift to establish the endowment for experiential learning will bring the Athletic Association’s total contribution to the university’s academic enterprise to $5 million for this fiscal year.

“We are exceptionally pleased to provide these funds that will support the experiential learning initiative,” said Greg McGarity (ABJ ’76), J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics. “It is one of the university’s most important programs being developed and will be a cornerstone in the undergraduate curriculum for years to come. It’s also another way we can integrate academics and athletics on our campus, continuing the strong partnership around programs that benefit the university.”

When the initiative begins, UGA will become one of the largest public universities to provide experiential learning to all undergraduates.

Wondering what to give to a friend or family member graduating from the University of Georgia next week? Look no further than UGA’s very own Scottish tartan.

Tartan’s pattern of interlocking stripes, often mistaken for plaid, dates back to the third or fourth century A.D. Tartan became so popular in Scottish Highlands culture that commercial weavers began naming the patterns instead of numbering them. Over time, those names began to represent a connection between the wearer and Scottish clans.

Today, tartans can identify individuals as members of certain groups, now including the University of Georgia.

For UGA’s tartan (modeled above by Student Alumni Council member Jasmine Johnson ’16), UGA graduate Walter Estes (AB ’77, MED ’98) developed and donated a tartan design using red and black. The College of Family and Consumer Sciences then secured official recognition by the Scottish Register of Tartans. After approval, a student committee chose the neck tie for men and a silk scarf for women as the ideal products to first be developed from the tartan design. Today, there are several products to choose from, including a pocket square, bow tie, tote bag and cummerbund.

Click here to shop for official UGA tartan products – when you do, the royalties support scholarships and programs for FACS students in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors!