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Five reasons the University of Georgia is an academic powerhouse

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As the Bulldogs head into the SEC championship, see why UGA is winning both on the field and in the classroom.

This story was originally published by the Division of Marketing and Communications..

1. Our students love it here. Four students apply for every spot in our first-year class and 96 percent return for their second year, well above the 61 percent return national average rate. Oh, and for those four out of every 100 who don’t return, we wish them well because that’s the kind of place we are.

2. Our students love it even when they do leave. A whopping 95 percent of our graduates are either employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation, well above the national average (that makes moms and dads happy, too!).

3.  We’re a trend-setter in higher education. We’re the largest public university nationwide to provide every undergraduate student a hands-on learning experience and we’ve launched more than 100 “Double Dawgs” degree programs where students earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years or less and save money.

4. Our students are smart and they thrive. This year, our enrolling first-year students averaged a straight “A” GPA (yes, that’s 4.0), a 1344 SAT score, and 30 ACT score (there’s really nothing average about any of that). In the past 20 years, we’ve been one of the top three public universities producing Rhodes Scholars because of our dogged focus on enhancing the learning environment — for all our talented students.

5. We’re strong academically and athletically. Forbes ranked us No. 17 in its 2017 list of top colleges that dominate academically and athletically.  We’re ranked as the 16th best national public research university by U.S. News & World Report. We are one of only 10 public universities ranked in the top 20 among Division I schools in both academics and athletics.

Tasty Tailgating: Virginia Willis’ Slow-Cooked Barbecue Pulled Chicken and Slaw

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Virginia Willis (AB ’88), revered chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, has quite a treat for us on this week’s edition of Tasty Tailgating. Read on to learn how to make her Slow-Cooked Barbecue Pulled Chicken and Sassy Slaw!

My slow-cooked barbecue pulled chicken and sassy slaw are the perfect combination for fall tailgating. The tender, juicy chicken can be cooked ahead in the oven or slow cooker and simply held in a insulated container or even reheated in a pot on a portable stovetop. My homemade Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce is made of wholesome ingredients and not filled with sugars and syrups — or things you can’t pronounce! The slaw is packed with fresh vegetables and dressed with an apple-cider vinaigrette  so there’s no food safety worries about a mayonnaise-based dressing. These awesome recipes are both good and good for you — keeping you at your best as you cheer for the red and black! Go Dawgs! 

Chef Virginia Willis’ Slow-Cooked Barbecue Pulled Chicken

Serves 8

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds)
  • Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows), for accompaniment

Slow cooker method: Combine the tomatoes, vinegar, honey, paprika, soy sauce, mustard, and red pepper flakes in the insert of a medium slow cooker. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and cook on low until the chicken is falling apart, about 5 hours. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the tomatoes, vinegar, honey, paprika, soy sauce, mustard, and red pepper flakes in a medium Dutch oven. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the chicken is falling apart, 1½ to 2 hours. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Pulled Chicken

Calories 167 Fat 3 g Carbs 9 g Fiber .7 g Protein 25 g

Chef Virginia Willis’ Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • ½ sweet onion, very finely chopped
  • 1¼ cups reduced-sodium ketchup
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and simmer until soft and melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to simmer, and cook until flavors have smoothed and mellowed, about 10 minutes.Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for months.

Barbecue Sauce (per tablespoon)

Calories 25 Fat .2 g Carbs 6 g Fiber .1 g Protein .2 g

Chef Virginia Willis’ Sassy Slaw

Makes 4 cups to serve 6

I suggest making the dressing first, then setting it aside so you can chop your vegetables.

  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon celery seed
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • ¼ large green cabbage 
(about 1 pound), cored and finely shredded (about 3 cups)
  • ¼ large red cabbage
 (about 1 pound), cored and finely shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 1 stalk celery, thinly cut on the diagonal
  • 1 green onion, trimmed and chopped
  • ½ jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped

Reprinted with permission from Lighten Up, Y’all by Virginia Willis ©
2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House,
Inc. Photography © 2015 by Angie Mosier. For more information please
visit www.virginiawillis.com

Bigger than me: Alumna remembers first game day

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The 2015 football season is days away and the UGA Alumni Association couldn’t be more excited! Many alumni look back fondly on their first game day experience at UGA, what it was like to wake up and find campus covered in a sea of red and black. Today, we are featuring an article from alumna and middle school teacher Rebecca Hendrix (BSED ’08, EDS ’14) wrote to teach her students about the concept of theme.

Lonely.  Very lonely.  Will I make it here?  Do I fit in here?

“So, what are you going to wear to the football game on Saturday, Becca?” asked the pretty girl, Leigh, who lived across the hall from me in Creswell. I thought it was a really silly question. In my mind, football equated to hot dogs, hamburgers, sweat, shorts and T-shirts, and an all-around laid-back, exciting time.

“Um, I don’t know, I guess a Georgia shirt and shorts?” I didn’t have a creative answer to this one. Honestly, I hadn’t put that much thought into it.

“I heard that a lot of girls dress up for the games. I heard that they wear dresses and skirts and stuff,” mentioned Kimberly, another Creswell resident. Our group on the hall was a varied one, a mixed hodge-podge of ladies from all over the country, each very individual, but yet, somehow the same.

“Seriously?  I would never have thought that! Gosh, I don’t even like dressing up for church.” My response tried to shake off the fact that I was actually very nervous about the game on Saturday. This would be my first college football game, and I was beyond excited.  But this whole what-to-wear debate was just a smaller example of the larger issues I had faced during my first three weeks living on campus at UGA. I felt as if college was the middle school of my up-and-coming adult life. I didn’t know anyone, as I had come as the only person from my high school.  I was trying to figure out how to not get lost every day on the thick and twisted bus routes. And now, I was going to have to worry about wearing the wrong thing to a football game?

“I guess I could wear this black skirt I have, and I have a red tank top. That should be OK for the first game. But I’m not wearing heels. No way! There are too many hills; my feet will die!” We agreed in our little group that flip-flops were a definite must; I knew I could splurge on a pair of Georgia flip-flops I had seen at the bookstore just a couple of days ago.

Rebecca A. Hendrix (BSED ’08, EDS ’14) is a sixth grade English/language arts teacher at Ashworth Middle School in Calhoun, Georgia. She is also currently pursuing an Ed.D. in school improvement from the Univerisity of West Georgia.  Ms. Hendrix enjoys writing about her various experiences at UGA, particularly to share the importance of higher education with her students.