August 26th, 2010
Our sympathies go out to the family of former Georgia Supreme Court justice George T. Smith ‘48, who died Monday at the age of 93. After serving in World War II, Judge Smith graduated from UGA’s law school and began his career as the city attorney of Cairo, Ga. In 1959, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he served as speaker from 1963 to 1966. A year later he was elected lieutenant governor, an office he held until 1971. Judge Smith served on the Georgia Court of Appeals from 1976 to 1980 at which time he began an 11-year stint on the state’s highest court. Although he retired from state service at age 75, Judge Smith continued his private law practice in Marietta for nearly 20 more years. Funeral services will take place today at noon at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.
August 25th, 2010
Dr. Mike Zager ‘79 received the surprise of his life this month when the Veterinary Research Office at the Georgia Aquarium was named in his honor. As you can see, Mike -a veterinarian from Ellijay- did not know this was coming.
The Aquarium and the UGA College of VetMed have a partnership where our students go to participate and work at the Atlanta facility. Mike and his wife, Cindy ‘79, met while they were in school at UGA. They have two daughters, Caroline ‘09 and Katie ‘11. Congratulations, Mike.
August 24th, 2010
You never know where you’re going to end up after earning a valuable UGA degree. Lisa Ryan Howard graduated from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1992 with a degree in advertising. After stints as an account manager at People, advertising director at Jane and W magazines, and most recently as chief revenue officer of Fairchild Publishing, Lisa has been named publisher of Billboard, a weekly magazine dedicated to the music industry. While in Athens, Lisa was a member of the Bulldog swim team and received a UGA Scholar Athlete award in 1989.
August 23rd, 2010
Bulldog fans from all across the state and region braved the wet weather last Saturday to attend Picture Day, the annual ultimate fan day. Hundreds of faithful stood in line to have pictures taken with and Bulldog items signed by their favorite players. This young Bulldog was all smiles after getting his Georgia football signed by starting quarterback Aaron Murray. I hear that stand-in mascot, Russ, was a big hit as well. The first game is just around the corner; UGA hosts Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 4. Special thanks to Blane Marable ‘81, ‘82, ‘85 for letting us use one of his great photos from Picture Day 2010.
August 20th, 2010
Calling all Northern and Southern California UGA alums. This Sunday, Aug. 22, we will have two events planned for Golden State alumni.
Our SoCal Alumni Chapter will hold a summer picnic at 12:30 at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. There are more than 2,300 Bulldogs calling Southern California home, so plan on getting together with fellow alums for a great afternoon of food, fun and fellowship. For more information, click here.
Later that evening our Sacramento Alumni Club will have a gathering at the home of Richard ‘88 and Gloria ‘89 Costigan where they will host a red and black celebration. With nearly 300 UGA grads living in Northern California, I hope you’ll make plans Sunday evening to join other Bulldogs in a festive atmosphere. Click here for more information.
August 19th, 2010
A large crowd of administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends gathered yesterday for the dedication of the newest student living facility on campus. More than 500 upperclassmen call Building 1516 their home away from home. It offers “spacious residential and community areas in a retro-modern design, and incorporates eco-friendly programs into everyday life for a complete ‘living green’ experience,” according to a UGA news release.
In his remarks President Adams said it’s proven that students make better grades when they live on campus. Student speaker Devin Jones said a big attraction for today’s student is the university’s committment to sustainability. But he also said having a private bathroom, as Building 1516 offers, is a big plus, too! Special thanks to photographer Jay Thomas ‘82 for letting us use his beautiful pictures of this super new residence hall. For information about Building 1516, click here.
August 18th, 2010
Greetings to the University of Georgia Community…
I want to welcome each of you as we kick off this Fall 2010 semester. We are already off to an exciting start.
Even before these first days of classes, the campus has been buzzing with activity. Students have been moving into their residence halls, which include a brand new, LEED-certified facility on East Campus. They are returning to find New College, the third-oldest campus building, renovated and filled with academic affairs professionals eager and prepared to help with advising and support. Our graduate students and international students have been engaged in orientation programs designed to acclimate them to their new environment here in Athens. Just one week ago, we welcomed 40 students into the inaugural class of the MCG/UGA Medical Partnership and, with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s help, cut the ribbon on an interim facility. The UGA School of Law, College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine also have started their respective academic terms and have welcomed strong, diverse classes.
We begin the fall term with undergraduate and graduate classes that are UGA’s most academically competitive and most diverse in its 225-year history. Our students today hail from every county in the state, every state in the Union and more than 140 countries around the globe. In recent years, the UGA student body has produced Rhodes Scholars, Truman Scholars, Goldwater Scholars, Academic All-Americans, Fulbright Fellows and Olympic medalists. This institution is dedicated to fostering a university community that provides students with a top-quality education and prepares them to be future leaders.
As proud as we are of our students, we are equally proud of the accomplishments of our faculty, which includes internationally recognized chemists, ecologists, legal scholars, biotechnologists, and authorities in American poetry, fiction, literary criticism and art history among leaders in many other disciplines. Our faculty has returned from their summer activities, which included engaging in research that will enhance their teaching, providing instruction in courses during summer session or leading programs at one of many UGA study abroad sites. I know they arrive on campus with a new sense of vigor. Students enrolled here will encounter faculty whose research and teaching are changing the way we think and live.
We begin the year with new dedication to having more instructors in the classrooms, smaller class sizes and more sections offered thanks to our continuing commitment to a faculty hiring initiative. With the help of the deans of the school and colleges, Provost Jere Morehead has guided an effort to hire 25 new faculty, and we are moving forward with adding 25 more faculty in the coming year.
Faculty members, returning and new, are supported by a talented professional staff dedicated to UGA’s success and helping fulfill the institution’s instructional, research and service missions. The members of our staff provide strength, stability and support for the entire academic enterprise. Even during challenging times, your commitment to keeping our university community clean, safe, operational and efficient helps sustain us.
As we begin this new academic term, I want to say to you how pleased I am that each and every one of you is a member of the University of Georgia community. We have the students, faculty, staff, facilities and support to be considered one of America’s best public universities. You have worked with passion and pride to provide the best quality instruction, research and service to our state and community. It is through our continued achievements together that we are able to advance the University of Georgia’s service to the citizens of this great state even beyond the levels achieved thus far in its storied 225-year history.
Warmest regards.
Michael F. Adams
President
August 18th, 2010
One of the oldest buildings on our beautiful campus was rededicated yesterday after an extensive renovation. Built in the early 1800s, New College has housed many offices and departments over the last two centuries, including the Schools of Education and Pharmacy and, most recently, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. New College will now house the Offices of the Vice President for Instruction, Academic Fiscal Affairs, Faculty Affairs and Academic Planning. It also will house a state-of-the-art classroom, in a move to bring instruction back to North Campus. “New College has been and always will be a historic symbol of our humble, yet academic roots. If acdemia is indeed sacred, then we have truly restored a shrine,” said SGA president Josh Delaney at yesterday’s rededication ceremony.
August 17th, 2010
Former UGA golfer Bubba Watson ‘08 came within a whisker of winning his first-ever major golf tournament last weekend, losing in a three-hole playoff to Martin Kaymer. At the end of regulation play at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin the two golfers were tied at 11-under par. On the third playoff hole, Bubba’s ball found water which lead to a bogey and a victory for the 25-year-old German. But you’d never know Bubba lost the tournament because the 2nd place finish secured his spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. This has been a good summer for Bubba on the golf course. In late June he won the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Connecticut. Congratulations.
August 16th, 2010
As the first day of school gets underway across campus, I want to welcome back students to their home away from home for the next few years. We had a chance to meet many of the incoming freshmen this summer during orientation with our Student Alumni Association pizza parties. As you can see they were a huge success with the class of 2014, which numbers a little more than 4,700 students. With regard to the freshman class, they are strong academically, coming in at a 3.83 GPA and an SAT average of 1264. 525 of these students are enrolled in UGA’s nationally recognized Honors Program where the average GPA is 4.06 and SAT mean is 1471. 13% of the new class is from outside Georgia, with 200 freshmen coming from 51 different countries. It’s a great day to be on campus!
