Updates from S. Jack Hu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

University of Georgia
Advancing Excellence: Updates from S. Jack Hu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

November 29, 2023

The University of Georgia offers valuable educational experiences that prepare our students for innovation and success as they take on their futures. In that spirit of academic excellence, we received the welcome news that UGA Morehead Honors College student and Foundation Fellow Mariah Cady was one of 32 students nationwide to be named a 2024 Rhodes Scholar. Her selection makes UGA the only school in the SEC and one of only five public universities in the U.S. to have a Rhodes recipient this year.

 

Cady is currently a student in the UGA Russian Flagship Program and is studying in Kazakhstan at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University as a Boren Scholar. Earlier this year she studied in Germany on an international student exchange.

 

Study abroad experiences such as Cady’s reflect our university’s tradition of excellence in international education and global engagement. The 2023 Open Doors report recently ranked UGA as No. 6 nationally for the total number of students studying abroad and No. 3 for student participation in short-term study abroad programs among doctoral institutions in the U.S. With our strong culture of more than 130 faculty-led study abroad programs, UGA is not only recognized nationally but is also the leading institution in Georgia for study abroad participation.  

 

We are grateful as UGA continues to receive major gifts that help fund our institution’s innovative teaching, research and service. This month, the Isakson Initiative donated $1.4 million to the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine for the creation of two endowed distinguished professorships held by Arthi Kanthasamy and Jason Richardson in the Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research. This ongoing support from the Isakson Initiative is invaluable in advancing UGA research into neurocognitive diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

 

November has also been a celebration of the outstanding arts programming and research at UGA with the 12th annual Spotlight on the Arts festival. Thank you to Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Jeanette Taylor and the UGA Arts Council for their leadership and coordination in making this festival possible. I encourage each of you to remain engaged with the arts throughout the year.

 

This holiday season is a time for gratefulness and reflection, and I am thankful to be part of the UGA community alongside each of you.

 

Sincerely,

S. Jack Hu

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

 

 
Amelia Lyons checks for disease and trims dead leaves while working as an intern at Stonewall Creek

TEACHING

UGA’s Winegrowers of Georgia student internships provide hands-on experience

The Winegrowers of Georgia Internship program is a collaboration between UGA and Georgia wine producer associations. Students apply and interview for paid internships where they study viticulture and enology (the science and study of wine and winemaking) with Georgia winery owners while fulfilling the university’s experiential learning requirement.

Hairy Dawg interacts with attendees in the Sculpture Garden at the Georgia Museum of Art's 75th anniversary celebration.

RESEARCH

After 75 years, Georgia Museum of Art still expanding its research ecosystem on campus

Art research at UGA and the Georgia Museum of Art runs the gamut of exploration: identifying cultural significance based on a piece of art’s historical context, but also how it was made, how it traveled over time, how it was preserved and how its meaning changed over each of these points of reference.

A UGA student volunteer helps a Clarke County elementary school student wrap one of her presents.

SERVICE

UGA students take local kids holiday shopping

More than 700 University of Georgia students volunteered on Nov. 5 at Shop with a Bulldawg’s annual event day. SWAB is a student-run nonprofit that partners with Athens-Clarke County elementary schools each year to take children holiday shopping and enjoy a day of activities with UGA student volunteers. This year, 400 children from 15 elementary schools across the county participated.

 

RESOURCES 

Image: Student intern working in UGArden

Service-Learning Transportation, Support and Community Partner Grants

The Office of Service-Learning currently offers funding in support of three initiatives: transportation to off-campus service-learning sites, service-learning course support grants, and support for community partners who serve as co-educators/guest speakers in service-learning courses.

Image: Students walking down a sidewalk with fall foliage around them.

Dawn D. Bennett Alexander Inclusive Community Award

This award is presented to a faculty member who has made a considerable contribution to promoting a culture of inclusion within and beyond the classroom at UGA. Each dean, director, or vice president of a school, college, or other unit may nominate up to two faculty members by December 13, 2023.

Image: Sun shining through the trees and pampas grass

Engaged Scholar Award

Established in 2008, this annual award recognizes a tenured faculty member for contributions to advancing public service, outreach, and community engagement at UGA. Nominations for the 2024 Engaged Scholar Award are due to the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach by December 15, 2023.

Image: Outside of Delta Hall, UGA's Washington D.C. facility.

National Service and Engagement Faculty Travel Grants

The National Service and Engagement Faculty Travel Grants program offers support to faculty to share their expertise with elected officials and federal agencies in service of our nation. The award covers transportation and lodging, with award amounts typically less than $1,000.

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University of Georgia Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

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