Leaving Mercedes Benz Stadium triumphant SEC champions, we UGA fans reveled in yet another banner year for the Dawgs. There’s just been something about this year: the unexpected greatness of a team that seems bound by a rare mix of talent and commitment, of size and speed to be sure, but also of grit and accountability to teammate. It’s the stuff of the very best teams, the ones that raise SEC banners in Sanford Stadium.

I’m struck by how similar I feel about the team we’ve been fortunate enough to build at Grady College. We’re in the middle of our very own recruiting season, to further torture the football analogy, interviewing candidates for faculty positions. Each candidate spends time with me during their two-day interview process, and every one of them has asked me a variation of this question: “How do you build such a collegial, productive culture?”

I didn’t build it. It was built years ago. Our job is to maintain and improve it, and to hire faculty with a true passion for teaching as well as research or practice. We take that mission very seriously. It’s the most important thing we do – hiring the next generation of Grady faculty and staff. Alumni play a critical role, ensuring that the standard is maintained, keeping us current, and introducing us to new trends in the marketplace that we need to bring into our classrooms. It’s all a virtuous cycle.

As I write this, I can say that I’ve never had a better team. This is a world-class faculty, buoyed by a staff that shares the mission. I’ve worked and learned at six different universities, and never, ever have I witnessed a connectedness like there is here. Grady College is just a different place.

So, as we approach the holiday season, let me send thanks to each of you. You all have a vital role to play on this team, one that is always striving to attain greater heights. Let’s keep hanging banners together!

Dean Charles Davis (MA '92)

Booker T. Mattison, an assistant professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at Grady College, was tapped to write and direct “The Sound of Christmas,” a holiday film  on the streaming service BET+.  It stars Grammy-winning recording artist Ne-Yo and Serayah (“Empire”) in a story about a widower who falls in love with a music teacher who brings love and music back to the family during the holidays.

The musical is based on the novel, “The Replacement Wife,” by Tiffany L. Warren, who is a friend of Mattison’s. She recommended Mattison to write and direct.

Lindsay Richman, a senior public relations major from Alpharetta, Georgia, has been named the senior speaker during the fall 2022 Grady College Convocation.  Michael Banks, a senior journalism major and Grady College Ambassador from Suwanee, Georgia, has been named the University of Georgia student speaker for the fall 2022 undergraduate commencement ceremony. 

Richman will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in Spanish. She is a Dean’s List and Hope Scholarship recipient.

Banks, a Jere W. Morehead Honors College student, will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs.