February 28, 2023
I had the pleasure of participating in the Foundation Fellowship Interview Weekend Feb. 24–25 alongside UGA administrators and faculty, trustees and Foundation Fellow alumni. Over 900 extraordinary students applied for UGA’s top academic scholarship this year, and 39 were selected as finalists. These students represent 38 high schools in nine states, and two are currently studying abroad in Germany and Kyrgyzstan. The Foundation Fellowship provides generous funding, stipends for group and individual travel-study, and research and conference grants.
I’m also proud to highlight UGA’s first Active Learning Summit, held Feb. 14 with approximately 270 participants. The summit provided an opportunity to review the ways active learning is already changing instruction across campus and to explore further growth in the areas of instructor development, classroom enhancement possibilities and student leadership.
We have even more to celebrate on the academic front with the upcoming Charter Lecture at 1 p.m. on March 30 at Masters Hall in the Georgia Center. The lecture will be given by UGA’s newest Regents’ Professors: Jenna Jambeck, David P. Landau and Michael Terns. They were each recognized for the national and international reach of their innovative and pace-setting scholarship, and I hope you will join me in learning from them.
I’d also like to recognize the five UGA faculty who have been named new Fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Elected for their extraordinary achievement leading to the advancement of science, these UGA researchers bring the university’s total number of AAAS Fellows to 42.
Next month, UGA will hold its first Humanities Festival from March 15–27. Organized by the newly created UGA Humanities Council, the festival will include more than 20 events focused on humanities research and practices across campus. It is a great opportunity to delve into the interconnectedness and creativity among the humanities and to reflect on how the humanities enhance our academic excellence as a leading public university.
As an institution, we are defined by our commitment to our teaching, research and public service mission. The events and the accomplishments of our faculty and students this past month show how we put our mission into practice, and I’m grateful to each of you for your part in making that a reality.
Sincerely,
