News from the Office of Institutional Diversity at the University of Georgia |
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Volume 23 • No. 2 • Spring 2024
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The University of Georgia has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in recent weeks. We received approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to establish an independent School of Medicine at UGA, our economic impact reached a record $8.1 billion, and we were recognized nationally for our Active Learning Initiative through an article
published on the front page of The Chronicle of Higher Education. In this same span of time, tragedy struck our campus in ways that we haven’t experienced in decades. We lost precious lives, vitriolic remarks on social media have negatively impacted members of our community, and individuals across our campus continue to deal with fear, grief, and uncertainty.
In times like these, community is vitally important. For years we have worked to foster a community at the University of Georgia that is built on civility, respect for each other and our differences, and an unyielding pursuit of creating an institution that is better tomorrow than we are today. This commitment remains strong, and I want to let each and every one of you know that you are valued members of our community, are supported in your academic pursuits, and feel the sense of safety and security that we foster at this institution. Your safety is one of our top priorities, and as outlined in a recent announcement to campus, the institution is making a significant investment in further safety upgrades across campus.
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Christopher Rhee, a second year medical student currently enrolled in the AU/UGA Medical Partnership, examines a patient as part of his training. |
With its vote on Feb. 13, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents authorized the University of Georgia to establish a new independent School of Medicine in Athens. The UGA School of Medicine will build on the success of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, which has been educating physicians in Athens since 2010. MORE
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UGA’s Arch highlighted by early morning sunlight. |
As part of its ongoing, exhaustive effort to continually promote campus safety, the University of Georgia announced several additional measures to further strengthen campus security on its Athens campus. The measures, totaling more than $7.3 million, bring UGA’s total investment in safety and security enhancements during the past eight years to more than $23 million. MORE
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Renowned journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault described Dr. Helene Gayle, the 11th president of Spelman College and public health expert, as a source and a sister. The two have known each other for more than 30 years and took the stage at the UGA Chapel for a fireside chat for the 2024 Holmes-Hunter Lecture, which has been held annually since 1985. MORE
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UGA’s first-year retention rate rose to nearly 95%, and the university’s six-year completion rate held steady at 88%, matching the record high set in 2022. Also, the four-year completion rate shows nearly three-quarters of UGA students graduate within four years. On each metric, UGA continues to outpace its peers. MORE
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Mary Frances Early set an example by helping to integrate UGA in 1961, and her friend Yvette K. Daniels laid out the roadmap to being a quiet trailblazer as the keynote speaker of the 24th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture. The lecture series honors Early’s legacy and recognizes her dedication to making UGA an institution of higher learning for all people. MORE
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Created by the University of Georgia and the Clarke County School District, Georgia Possible began as an initiative from University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead that helps high school students envision their futures. Launched in 2019, an inaugural class of 36 students graduated from the program in April 2022. MORE
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At the kickoff of Youth LEAD Georgia, participants experienced the UGA indoor ropes course where UGA faculty and staff led them through team building activities. |
Thirty high school students from across Georgia are developing leadership skills and building knowledge about the state through a statewide youth leadership program at the University of Georgia. A partnership among UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A Inc. and The Same House organization, Youth LEAD Georgia is designed to equip youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to be the future leaders of the state. MORE
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Shown, from left, are UGA President Jere W. Morehead with Andrea Dennis, the Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander Inclusive Community Award winner; keynote speaker T. Dallas Smith, founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith & Company; and the 2024 President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award winners Terris Thomas, Caleb Snead and Brian Leffler. |
The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast celebrated its 20th anniversary at UGA by looking forward with the theme, “The Power of the Dream: Building a Legacy for Generations.” Keynote speaker T. Dallas Smith, founder and CEO at T. Dallas Smith & Company and member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, shared how his own family’s legacy shaped him. MORE
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| Wisnu Pradana
As a language and literacy educator and doctoral student in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, Pradana aims not only to educate but also support students from all backgrounds. Through International Student Life, he developed ISL Circles to ease students’ transition to UGA and the U.S. MORE
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Emmy Peach
When Peach took the stage at TEDxUGA, she was ready to tell the audience about a topic of personal importance — autism in girls and women. In a year, the UGA student’s message has reached more than 100,000 viewers through the TEDx Talks YouTube Channel. MORE
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| Aleah Wilkins
As assistant manager at Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Science Learning Center, Wilkins supervises and trains more than 20 student employees. She believes connecting with students and coaching their development impacts their success. MORE
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Andrew Johnson
A first-generation college student who worked in an auto body shop while falling in love with literature, Johnson’s unconventional academic path and eclectic interests laid the foundation for his career as the emerging technologies librarian who leads the Makerspace at the McBay Science Library. MORE
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If you asked Proctor to describe herself in just a few words, it would be lifelong learner. And as a clinical assistant professor in the UGA College of Public Health, each day brings something new to learn. Helping public health students, many of whom will go on to work as health educators, clinicians and community health professions, get comfortable with discussing hard topics is one of Proctor’s top goals as a teacher. MORE
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Most social work students can’t say they unraveled a sleeping bag and mosquito net at night to complete their required internships. Sinha can, and he spent more than his fair share of his internship in some of India’s coldest December nights and 110-degree summer evenings. The UGA assistant professor’s passion for working with people and his research interests all have roots in those formative years as a graduate student with a bedroll, and he hopes to use those experiences for the betterment of others. MORE
| Giving to the Office of Institutional Diversity
A contribution to the Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) will help support a variety of initiatives that foster diversity at UGA. OID provides and supports programming, such as recruitment and retention efforts, scholarship funding, pre-collegiate learning opportunities, and faculty and student mentoring events.
Please contact us at (706) 583-8195 or at diverse@uga.edu to discuss ways to give and we will work to ensure your charitable giving needs are met.
To donate online or learn more, go to https://diversity.uga.edu/about/giving_to_diversity/. |
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