PROMOTING EXCELLENCE
IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
EVEN AS COVID-19 HAS DRAMATICALLY TRANSFORMED HOW WE TEACH, SERVE, AND RESEARCH—IN SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM WAYS—THE UNIVERSITY CONTINUES TO PUSH FORWARD ITS BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
We will continue to adapt and prepare for present and future challenges, all while continuing to take the University to new heights.
This bold vision starts with our commitment to enabling students to do more, achieve more, and become more. Already, the University of Georgia boasts one of the most vibrant educational environments in the world thanks to our groundbreaking Experiential Learning Initiative, our culture of teaching excellence, and our world-class facilities.
So, where do we go from here?
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We are strengthening the range of hands-on learning opportunities through our Experiential Learning Initiative.
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We are enhancing instructional support for our faculty.
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We are continuing to modernize our classrooms and laboratories.
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We are deepening our commitment to access and success for underrepresented and other underserved students.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The decade ahead will call upon our students to work effectively in diverse teams, to see problems from multiple angles, to think critically and creatively, and to manage complex projects. Experiential learning remains one of the best ways to develop these skills. Today, we are a national leader in this area, but we must stay at the forefront for the sake of our students and their futures.
We do that by forging new industry partnerships, by strengthening our study abroad programs, and by expanding opportunities for students to become innovators and entrepreneurs.
EXPERIENCE ABROAD
The University of Georgia is ranked 13th in the nation for the number of students who study abroad, thanks to the more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students taking advantage of international learning Opportunities each year.
The global pandemic has forced a disappointing temporary shutdown of travel programs. However, we are committed to expanding global opportunities for all students—with particular consideration for students of color as well as rural, first-generation, and other underserved populations—when it is safe to travel again.
VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS
A team from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library started the Black Alumni Oral History Project. The project helps current students collect the personal recollections of Black UGA alumni (particularly those who studied in the 1960s and 1970s) so they can share and document their oral histories. “Being involved with this project has helped me grow personally,” said Ashley Carter AB ’20, who conducted interviews as a student. “Hearing these stories has made me a lot more enlightened, more awakened.” The Voice for the Voiceless grant was established by one of UGA’s first Black students, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and her husband, Ron Gault.
EXPANDED GEORGIA FILM INDUSTRY
In 2019, the University launched the Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television, and Digital Media program—thanks to a partnership with the Georgia Film Academy and Pinewood Forest. Beginning this fall, students will take classes in an academic setting during the first year and—in conjunction with Pinewood Studios—produce projects in a major studio setting during the second year. It represents an important step in the evolution of film studies at UGA, helping meet the demand in Georgia for world-class writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, and other key personnel.
HONORING A GROUNDBREAKER
In February, the University of Georgia celebrated Mary Frances Early, UGA’s first African American graduate and a pioneering music educator, through the naming of the Mary Frances Early College of Education.
“I had to make a contribution to help make our state better, and the thing I knew I could do was go to school. So that’s what I did,” Early said. “To have the College of Education named in my honor, I can’t even describe how wonderful that is.”
The naming ceremony occurred in conjunction with the 20th annual Mary Frances Early lecture, delivered by Marion Ross Fedrick, president of Albany State University. Fedrick earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and is currently pursuing a doctorate in UGA’s Institute of Higher Education.
“She led like a hero as a servant leader with grace and persistence,” Fedrick said.
Early graduated in 1962 with a master’s degree in music education. She retired in 1994 after 37 years of teaching in Georgia public schools. She later taught at Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University as head of the music department.
I HAD TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO HELP MAKE OUR STATE BETTER, AND THE THING I KNEW I COULD DO WAS GO TO SCHOOL. SO THAT’S WHAT I DID.
Mary Frances Early MMEd '62, EdS '67
NEW APPROACHES
Creating a welcoming and diverse community continues to be a top priority of this institution, and President Morehead has been investing in new initiatives to build one. The New Approaches to Diversity grant program allocates funds for new projects that promote the recruitment, retention, and success of underserved students, including underrepresented, first-generation, and rural students.
This year, UGA supported 25 programs, including an effort to promote graduate education to Latinx students and a series of events to showcase diversity in the fashion industry. The grant program also helped launch the School of Law’s Robinson Scholars program to benefit underrepresented student populations with ties to Georgia. The scholarship was named in honor of slain civil rights leader and 1974 UGA alumnus Robert E. “Robbie” Robinson. The first Robinson Scholars, Luis G. Chavez, Kayla Hope, and Ashleigh Rasheed-Britt, began their legal studies last fall.
MAKING HISTORY
Denise Spangler, dean of the Mary Frances Early College of Education, along with Mary Frances Early and President Morehead on the day of the February naming ceremony.
COMMITTED TO RURAL GEORGIA
The ALL Georgia program serves approximately 4,000 rural students by focusing on immersive campus experiences and leadership development. The goal is to help students acclimate to a large campus with thousands of students. ALL Georgia actively engages more underrepresented students each year, and it also provides scholarship support for students.
ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
I-STEM BUILDING
Phase I of the new Interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (I-STEM) Research Building, expected to open fall 2021, represents the future of research and education in the STEM fields at UGA. With three stories of laboratories and support space, plus a parking deck, the complex will meet the growing demand in STEM education and research, as well as foster interdisciplinary collaboration.
I-STEM is part of a multiyear capital plan to build, renovate, and modernize space devoted to research and innovation in and around Science Hill. Construction of a second I-STEM building is planned to commence later this year, thanks to funding approved by the Georgia General Assembly.
ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSROOM TRANSFORMATION
Ever since the launch of the Active Learning Summer Institute in 2018, UGA has been working with faculty to infuse a hands-on approach into learning. Now, lecture-style classes across campus are being transformed to incorporate active engagement through student-centered approaches, such as group discussions, problem-solving, and simulations. To date, 52 courses comprising 234 class sections have been redesigned through the summer institute. During the fall 2019 semester, more than 9,000 students took redesigned courses.