September 30, 2024
This past week has been a difficult time for many impacted by Hurricane Helene. The University of Georgia was fortunate to escape the worst of the storm, and our thoughts remain with the communities experiencing extensive and catastrophic damage. Thank you to all the essential personnel including the Office of Emergency Preparedness and UGA Facilities Management Division who helped our community navigate the storm. Beyond the university campus, UGA Extension will continue to assess and provide assistance throughout the state.
This month, U.S. News & World Report released their 2025 rankings, placing UGA at No. 18 among the nation’s best public universities. This is the ninth consecutive year that UGA has placed in the top 20. UGA was also ranked No. 19 nationally among public universities by Forbes and No. 13 in the nation among best value public colleges by The Princeton Review. The consistency of these strong rankings reflect the University of Georgia’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.
UGA’s research enterprise continues to flourish. We recently received a six-year, $18 million award from the National Science Foundation’s BioFoundries program. Lance Wells, Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator at UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, will lead the launch of the BioFoundry: Glycoscience Resources, Education and Training program. The program aims to increase awareness, interest, knowledge and participation in carbohydrate science from the K-12 level to advanced research.
The university has welcomed several distinguished faculty members to campus this semester. Renowned plant genetics researcher Scott Jackson returns to UGA as the inaugural Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Synthetic Biology. From 2011 – 2019, he served as a GRA Eminent Scholar in Plant Functional Genomics. He is the university’s 17th GRA Eminent Scholar.
Prominent physiologist Yana Zavros will join UGA as the inaugural GRA Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine. In addition to being the university’s 18th current GRA Eminent Scholar, she will recruit additional faculty researchers and lead the UGA School of Medicine’s research enterprise.
Also new to campus is Erica Brownfield, new senior associate dean for academic affairs at the UGA School of Medicine. Prior to this role, Brownfield served as Emory University’s associate dean of medical education.
On Nov. 1, newly appointed Executive Director J. Chris Rhodes will take up leadership of the UGA Innovation District. The Innovation District helps the university bring vital discoveries into the marketplace and fulfill UGA’s land-grant mission.
As we continue the semester, there are several opportunities to hear from distinguished scientists, artists and leaders who will speak on campus as part of the fall 2024 Signature Lecture Series. Upcoming speakers include two former U.S. Senators and Intel’s chief technology officer.
Our success as a world-class university would not be possible without your ongoing support of UGA’s teaching, research and service mission. Thank you for your efforts.
Sincerely,
