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shpo student historic preservation organization
The Student Historic Preservation Organization at UGA serves all undergraduate and graduate students interested in historic sites and landscapes. The 2022-2023 officers placed special emphasis on increasing outreach to undergraduate students and graduate students outside of the MHP program. They also provided supplemental instruction to MHP students through volunteer opportunities and worked to strengthen the connection between preservation professionals and students.
Throughout the year, SHPO hosted a Coffee Talks series where students and guests— professors and staff whose careers involve preservation—had conversations over coffee in the new MHP space in Caldwell Hall. SHPO also hosted several other social events and organized a group tour of the Church-Waddel-Brumby House.
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Zaklina Grgic, a PhD student in the College of Environment and Design, said of her SHPO experience, “Being a new international student at UGA, I can’t emphasize enough how much being a member elevated my experience here. I didn’t even know a degree in historic preservation existed. The planner in me is happy to expand my appreciation for history beyond my previous understanding. Through events like the coffee hour, I get to learn and hear about professions that I wouldn’t know about otherwise.”
SHPO maintains a close relationship with Historic Athens, the city’s main historic preservation non-profit, and members volunteered at some of their annual events including Porch Fest, the Winter Gala, and Mardi Gras. SHPO also coordinated with the Center for Community Design and Preservation and the City of Thomaston, Georgia to work on a façade design charette for their historic downtown this March.
There is even more in store for SHPO at UGA as members look forward to organizing and attending the annual Cultural Dinner and a May Day Picnic in the Founders Memorial Garden this spring. To contact us with opportunities or join our organization, send us an email at shpo@uga.edu and follow us on Instagram @shpo_uga for updates.
