Thirty high school students from across Georgia are developing leadership skills and building knowledge about the state through a statewide youth leadership program at the University of Georgia. The 10th and 11th graders from 29 counties, selected from more than 300 nominations, are participating in Youth LEAD Georgia.

A partnership among UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A Inc. and The Same House organization, Youth LEAD Georgia is designed to equip youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to be the future leaders of the state.

A generous $1.5 million pledge from Chick-fil-A to the Fanning Institute is providing financial support for the weekend retreats, bus tour and an annual youth leadership summit that will take place beginning in 2024. Thanks to the support from Chick-fil-A, Youth LEAD Georgia is available at no cost to participants.

The program held its opening retreat Jan. 20-22 at UGA, where participants had an opportunity to meet with UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Leadership is a lifelong calling,” Morehead said. “Though you might be at the start of your journey now, we need young people such as yourselves to step into important roles and learn to become problem solvers. At every level, from your local community to our state, nation and beyond, the future will be determined by individuals and organizations with creative solutions to our toughest problems.”

Two University of Georgia faculty members have been named Regents’ Professors for the widespread reach and impact of their scholarship and creative activity. Regents’ professorships are the highest professorial recognition bestowed by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

The university’s 2023-2024 Regents’ Professors are Diana Downs, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of microbiology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Amanda Murdie, Georgia Athletic Association Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and head of the department of international affairs. Both of their Regents’ professorship appointments will take effect on July 1.

“Drs. Downs and Murdie are widely respected in their fields for the quality and breadth of their outstanding scholarship, teaching and professional service,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “It is an honor to have them as part of our esteemed faculty at the University of Georgia.”

Regents’ Professors receive a permanent increase in salary of $10,000 in the year they are initially appointed. In addition, awardees receive yearly academic support of $5,000 as long as they hold the Regents’ Professorship. 

The study of classical languages at the University of Georgia dates to the university’s founding, when Latin and Greek were required for admission. In the wake of industrialization and the two world wars, higher education in the United States shifted its focus to modern languages.

However, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Classics department at UGA continued to thrive. In the most recent report by the Modern Language Association, UGA was listed as having the largest Latin program in the nation.

The UGA Latin program has been marked by longevity and commitment from faculty and administrators, and it continues to innovate and attract a broad range of students. Under the current head, Mario Erasmo, the Classics department continues to diversify and expand Latin and Classics offerings, maintaining its status as the country’s largest Latin program.

Current initiatives further place UGA Classics among the most innovative and thriving programs in the country. The department leads all Classics programs nationally with three faculty-led study abroad programs that take over 60 students to Europe each summer, including UGA in Rome, one of the two founding study abroad programs at UGA in 1970.

The University of Georgia’s economic impact on the state surged to a record $8.1 billion in 2023, according to a new study that measures the value of the university’s teaching, research and public service.

Growth in the number of alumni at the undergraduate and graduate levels, a thriving research and innovation ecosystem and award-winning public service and outreach programs all contributed to the record level of impact by Georgia’s flagship institution of higher education.

“The results of this study reflect the University of Georgia’s deep commitment, as a land-grant and sea-grant institution, to the state we call home,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Our talented faculty, staff and students are proud to contribute to the economic vitality of Georgia and its citizens.”

The $8.1 billion figure is a conservative estimate of the university’s economic impact, according to Michael Adjemian, a professor in UGA’s department of agricultural and applied economics who has led the study for the past five years. He said the study measures only the easily quantifiable functions of UGA’s teaching, research and service.

A new therapeutic for stroke based on University of Georgia research will soon enter clinical trials. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the new drug, known as AB126, to enter a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of the therapeutic in ischemic stroke patients.

The only treatments currently available are a clot-busting medication that helps restore blood flow to the brain after a stroke or a minimally invasive surgery. But due to time constraints on the procedures and limited access to medical care, most stroke patients won’t receive either.

“Our drug acts differently than current treatments in that it’s not removing the clot; it’s reducing the inflammation in the brain caused by the stroke,” said Steven Stice, director of UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center and co-founder of Aruna Bio, the company behind the new treatment.

While the brain can heal minor injuries on its own, the new medication amps up the body’s ability to clean up the mess caused by the stroke by immediately reducing inflammation and ultimately replacing lost neurons as well.

The University of Georgia bestowed one of its highest honors on Ronald D. Simpson and Rebecca Hanner White in an award ceremony on Jan. 25.

The President’s Medal recognizes individuals, not currently employed at the university, who have made extraordinary contributions to the UGA community by supporting students and academic programs, advancing research or engaging in public service to enhance the quality of life of citizens in Georgia. The honor is awarded annually during the university’s Founders Day celebration.

“This year’s honorees, Dr. Ronald Simpson and Dean Rebecca Hanner White, have been devoted members of the UGA community for decades and have played key roles in establishing some of our most impactful academic programs,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “It has been my great privilege to work with both of them over the course of my career.”

Ronald D. Simpson played a central role in establishing teaching excellence as an integral part of the University of Georgia’s institutional culture. He is a professor emeritus of higher education and science education and director emeritus of UGA’s Office of Instructional Development.

Rebecca Hanner White is regarded as one of the most effective deans and professors in the history of the University of Georgia’s School of Law. She served as dean from 2003 to 2015 and has continued to support the law school and its goals since her retirement in 2016 as dean and J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law emeritus.

Many people in the Athens community are facing food insecurity, and they are served by organizations dedicated to addressing their significant need. The University of Georgia’s Office of Service-Learning (OSL) has established longstanding partnerships with community organizations to help address food insecurity in Athens.

“Food insecurity has been an identified need for a long time, but we saw an increased need during the pandemic that has continued,” said Josh Podvin, OSL’s assistant director for community partnerships. “We think it is a priority to commit staff time to address this ongoing need in our community.”

In September 2023, OSL launched the AmeriCorps Community Food Fellows program to further support these organizations. Leveraging federal AmeriCorps funding, the program has 20 part-time fellows who devote 900 hours of service to local organizations over the course of a year. Seventeen of the fellows are full-time UGA students. Fellows spend their fall semester serving as many organizations as possible and, in the following spring and summer, are imbedded in specific organizations as interns.

Since the program began, the 20 fellows have served daily meals at Our Daily Bread, harvested food at UGArden, packed meals with Campus Kitchen, and delivered meals to families served by the Athens Community Council on Aging. They have provided administrative support, volunteer service and event assistance to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, Farm to Neighborhood, Downtown Academy and the West Broad Farmers Market.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast celebrated its 20th anniversary at the University of Georgia by looking forward with the theme, “The Power of the Dream: Building a Legacy for Generations.”

Keynote speaker T. Dallas Smith, founder and CEO at T. Dallas Smith & Company and member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, shared how his own family’s legacy shaped him and the legacy he hopes to leave. Smith also expressed the value of connecting with people. He said that it’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt and to not be fearful.

The Freedom Breakfast also recognized students, faculty, staff and local community members dedicated to contributing to race relations, justice and human rights with the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award. This year’s recipients were Caleb Snead, who is pursuing both a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and a Master of Public Health through the Double Dawgs program; Brian Leffler, senior lecturer in American Sign Language in the Mary Frances Early College of Education; and Terris Thomas, director of neighborhood engagement for Family Connection-Communities in Schools.

The Dawn D. Bennett Alexander Inclusive Community Award was presented to Andrea Dennis, associate dean for faculty development and John Byrd Martin Chair of Law in the School of Law.

The Georgia Museum of Art received eight different awards from the Southeastern Museums Conference for its outstanding work. The awards were announced at SEMC’s annual meeting held Nov. 13-15, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Tricia Miller, the museum’s deputy director of collections and exhibitions and head registrar, received SEMC’s Museum Leadership Award in recognition of her many years of service and generosity to the field. Initiated in 1994, this award recognizes mid-career museum professionals who have shown significant advancement within the profession by leadership in museum activities at his or her institution, within the museum profession as a whole, and especially in the Southeast region. Award eligibility requires 10 years of experience as a museum staff member and a minimum of five years immediate past tenure with a museum in the SEMC region. Miller has worked at the museum for 25 years.

In the Publication Design Competition, the museum received a gold award in the campaigns category for its 75th anniversary campaign; a bronze in magazines and newsletters for Facet, its quarterly newsletter; a silver for gallery guides for “Jane Manus, Undaunted”; and a bronze for gallery guides for its “Longleaf Lines” coloring book (illustrated by Katie Mulligan). Noelle Shuck, the museum’s graphic designer, designed all four award winners.

The Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources’ Outreach Program recently received the 2023 Family Forest Education Comprehensive Program Award.

The award is given by the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs and the National Woodland Owners Association and are presented to a comprehensive program that exhibits excellence in education programming benefiting family forest owners across the U.S. Programs nominated address critical family forest ownership issues using a wide range of educational approaches.

The 15 faculty and four professional staff members working from four locations throughout Georgia continue to provide effective educational programs and resources to address critical issues faced by the state’s family forest owners ranging from invasive species control to navigating timber tax issues.

Over the last five years, their work is truly comprehensive, involving applied research, family forest owner needs assessments, development of more than 660 publications, conducting 51 programs for more than 2,700 participants, and providing a host of online resources.

The Outreach Program works with more than 45 agencies and organizations annually to educate and provide valuable resources for family forest owners in Georgia and beyond.