August 16, 2024
It’s great to see the energy and enthusiasm on campus! Earlier this week, the class of 2028 began their first semester at the University of Georgia alongside returning undergraduate and graduate students and more than 2,000 transfer students. Selected from more than 43,000 applicants, the 6,175 first-year students are among the most academically qualified classes in UGA history and represent 463 Georgia high schools, 144 Georgia counties, 44 states and 12 nations.
We also welcomed 213 new faculty members to our campus. Of that group, 142 are full-time and 66 are tenure-track or tenured faculty. Earlier this month, 30 faculty members traveled across the state on the 2024 New Faculty Tour. The tour introduces new faculty to the state’s economy, geography, people and culture while highlighting UGA’s extensive public service and outreach efforts throughout Georgia. New UGA faculty also gathered for a two-day orientation to learn more about the university and the resources we have to support faculty success. We appreciate the contributions of all faculty to our triparte mission of teaching, research and service.
Over the summer, progress continued on the UGA School of Medicine. A design firm has been hired for the new medical education and research building and is preparing early design proposals. Dr. Shelley Nuss, founding dean of the school, is leading the preparation of materials to seek accreditation and has hired several key administrators and faculty.
We are also seeing the results of the university’s $7.3 million investment in security initiatives over the past year. Faculty, staff and students may notice these efforts throughout campus in the form of new signs and perimeter fencing, lighting upgrades, emergency call stations and automatic license plate readers.
As we look to the future, UGA will continue to build on the progress of past years and pursue excellence through our teaching, research and service. Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Princeton Review recently ranked UGA as one of the nation’s best value colleges for providing excellent education and career preparation. We also ranked in the top 20 for alumni networks, internships and financial aid.
It is an honor to work alongside each of you, and I am looking forward to another successful year ahead. Thank you for your dedicated service to our campus community.
Sincerely,
