STRENGTHENING
PARTNERSHIPS
WITH COMMUNITIES
ACROSS GEORGIA AND
AROUND THE WORLD

STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES ACROSS GEORGIA AND AROUND THE WORLD

THE SUCCESS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS.

That’s why we prioritize supporting and empowering communities in Georgia and around the world.

Our commitment to service begins in Athens but extends far beyond our state lines. From campuses in Washington, D.C., to Cortona, Italy, we strive to expand collaboration and accessibility through research, scholarship, technical assistance, and training.

CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATION

UGA has been recognized as a community-engaged institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for a second time. The University first received the award in 2010. Since then, the number of service-learning courses at UGA has more than doubled, and experiential learning opportunities have expanded exponentially. In the 2019-20 academic year, over 7,100 students performed 336,000 hours of service.

GEORGIA COMMUNITY

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Supported by the Georgia Power Foundation and UGA, Archway Partnership community Thomson-McDuffie County launched an on-site training program for local high school students. The welding program at Thomson High School (shown above) aims to address the growing shortage of skilled workers in the region. Welding instructors encourage students to participate in competitions, which can result in scholarships. They also help students with job placement after graduation. This year, 15 students completed the welding program.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Teacher shortages are a growing problem in rural communities, especially when it comes to special education. Julie Rigdon, of Waycross, learned of a lack of educators for students with visual impairments in South Georgia. She decided to do something about it. Rigdon enrolled in UGA’s online Bachelor of Science in Special Education program, a two-year program that suited her family’s needs. After finishing the degree, she became the visual impairment teacher for Ware, Clinch, Brantley, and Bacon counties. She helps students read Braille and develop skills to meet their needs. UGA offers online bachelor’s and master’s programs to help Georgians in every county have access to flexible, quality education.

Julie Rigdon portrait
$6.5B

$6.5 BILLION IMPACT ON GEORGIA IN 2019

OVERALL UGA ECONOMIC IMPACT

PARTNERSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD

The University of Georgia is and will always be Georgia’s university. However, the impact of our mission and research continues to expand on a global scale. Collaborations between the University and other institutions across the country and around the world are resulting in life-changing findings and life-saving treatments and therapeutics.

David Okech portrait

THE IMPACT OF OUR MISSION AND RESEARCH CONTINUES TO EXPAND ON A GLOBAL SCALE.

Researcher David Okech received a $15.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of State to combat human trafficking. Okech, an associate professor of Social Work, will use the funds to scale up the UGA-based African programming and research initiative to end slavery, an anti-trafficking effort in Sierra Leone and Guinea, and expand the project to neighboring Senegal. The data collected for the project will inform government policy and provide evidence to improve programs for trafficking survivors.