The challenges were immense and complicated. But in 2020-2021, we were determined to fulfill our teaching, research, and service missions in the face of the global pandemic. Returning to in-person classes and experiential learning was critical, and doing it safely was a complicated undertaking.
Seeking input from teams of faculty, staff, and administrators, the University put systems in place to protect classrooms, workspaces, and the community while preserving the integrity of our learning environment.
We procured tens of thousands of face masks and thermometers, installed tens of thousands of feet of plexiglass shielding, and updated our HVAC systems.
We built a robust surveillance testing system and delivered more than 23,000 vaccinations to our campus community.
We navigated all of this through one of the most challenging budgetary environments we have ever faced.
With commitment, resolve, and donor support, we restored campus operations, protected jobs, and took care of our students for the entire academic year.
“Full recovery of the economy will arrive sooner in Georgia than in the rest of the United States.”
Benjamin C. Ayers
Dean of Terry College of Business
Earl Davis Chair in Taxation
A Year of Recovery
After the COVID-19 economic recession, economists in the Terry College of Business provided some welcome news of hope in December 2020: that Georgia should expect a year of economic recovery.
“Full recovery of the economy will arrive sooner in Georgia than in the rest of the United States,” said Benjamin C. Ayers, dean of the Terry College and the Earl Davis Chair in Taxation.
The University livestreamed the forecast for the first time in 2020. The presentation drew from the Georgia Economic Outlook report, produced by the Terry College’s Selig Center for Economic Growth.
Small Business Pipeline
Throughout the pandemic, UGA’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has extended a lifeline to small businesses across Georgia, like Josie Moss’s Harmony Learning Academy preschool in Lithia Springs. The SBDC, a UGA Public Service and Outreach unit, provides no-cost consulting to small business owners and entrepreneurs. During the pandemic, the SBDC helped them understand their best options for federal aid and develop strategies to weather the storm.
Every Georgian is within
40 miles
of a UGA facility
Expert Opinions
To maintain safe operations in 2020-2021, President Morehead and the senior administrative team needed clear, evidence-based guidance. So they turned to the experts on the University’s Medical Oversight Task Force. Chaired by Garth Russo, executive director of the University Health Center, the task force was comprised of Shelley Nuss, campus dean of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership; Marsha Davis, dean of the College of Public Health; and Lisa Nolan, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The University also relied on the Preventative Measures Advisory Board, a group of 13 faculty and staff experts in infectious disease, medicine, public health, safety protocols, and communications. The advisory board, co-chaired by Dean Nolan and Associate Vice President for Environmental Safety John McCollum, provided training tools and guidelines for the safe resumption of student life, research, and outreach activities.
More than
1,400
local school district employees received COVID-19 shots.
Shots in Arms
Once vaccines were available to teachers, the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership teamed up with the Clarke County School District and the Georgia Department of Public Health to vaccinate local teachers and staff in Athens. More than 1,400 school district employees received COVID-19 shots through that partnership, as well as 250 guardians and students who were 16 and older.
91%
of UGA Class of 2020 grads were employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation.
Despite the last few months of my college career being spent in a virtual environment, the UGA Career Center made every effort to provide the Class of 2020 with the resources we needed to enter the ‘real world’ in these unprecedented times.
Jyoti Mahkijani
BBA '20, Marketing