UGA Columns Aug. 16, 2021 - Return to Campus

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Read more about vaccine incentives and where to get vaccines below on Page 1.

Read more about how HVAC upgrades are improving UGA’s buildings on Page 3.

Vol. 49, No. 4

RETURNTOCAMPUS August 16, 2021

news.uga.edu/columns

Hiring initiative in artificial intelligence, data science launches

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

The university is strengthening efforts to protect its community against the COVID-19 virus.

Andrew Davis Tucker

Protecting the campus New steps build on past year’s comprehensive measures to protect students, faculty and staff

As students prepare to return for the fall semester, the University of Georgia is strengthening its measures to protect the university community from the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 virus.

These steps include new incentives to encourage vaccinations, continuation of COVID-19 testing, mandatory reporting of cases via DawgCheck, special cleaning and disinfection protocols that are now standard operating procedures, and major HVAC system improvements that will be ongoing.

Of all these measures, getting vaccinated is paramount.UGA President Jere W. Morehead joined with S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost; Shelley Nuss, campus dean of the Augusta

University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership; and Jennifer Swails, interim executive director for University Health Center, to emphasize that point.

“Without question, the vaccine offers the best defense against the pandemic, and we urge all faculty, staff, and students to get vaccinated, if they are able, either on campus or with a local provider,” they wrote in a memo to the university community.

“Like you, we want the upcoming academic year to be as safe and normal as possible. The best way to achieve that outcome is for every member of our campus community to get vaccinated.”

Based on guidance from the University System of Georgia, UGA cannot require students, faculty or

staff to be vaccinated in order to be on campus, but vaccinations are strongly encouraged.

UGA offers COVID-19 vaccines for all faculty, staff and students at the University Health Center and is incentivizing participation with T-shirts and gift card promotions advertised through social media.

The university also offered vaccine appointments to incoming students during undergraduate orientation, with a shuttle service between the Tate Student Center and UHC for their convenience.

Faculty, staff and students also can take advantage of vaccine clinics being offered this fall at the Tate Center. UHC is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public

See COVID-19 on page 4

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

‘Part of this Bulldog family’: Incoming students reflect on their path to attending UGA this fall

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

The incoming students who comprise the University of Georgia’s Class of 2025 have overcome academic and personal challenges wrought by a pandemic that upended their senior year of high school, but their experiences have only strengthened their commitment to learning, connecting and thriving.

“The COVID-19 pandemic impacted my senior year in both a negative and positive manner,” said Kaylah Percival, who intends to pursue a degree in exercise and sport science. “It was a challenge to learn through Zoom and interact with

people, but it pushed me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to see things in other ways and gave me a new mindset.”

Leticia Nogbe, who intends to major in data science with a minor in business, described her senior year as “a roller coaster.”

“We never knew how long we would be in school for or if we were all going to be sent home again,”she said.

“I also missed out on traditions that make senior year magic, like prom.

“Something that really helped me was giving back to my own community. My marketing class of eight converted our school apparel store into a nonprofit food pantry for COVID-19 relief. We managed

donations, packaged them and delivered them regularly to families all over our school’s zone. It means a lot to be able to contribute, and I always enjoy doing so.”

Many paths to UGA

Students spent countless hours researching their options by visiting websites, touring campuses, and talking to friends and family. “Day in a life” videos on YouTube were sometimes part of the mix, too.

“I knew that the University of Georgia was prestigious and had resources available to students,” said James Hawran, an intended advertising major. “Upon doing further See STUDENTS on page 3

As data science and artificial intelligence transform a range of fields, the University of Georgia is making a significant investment in faculty with expertise in using big data to address some of society’s most urgent challenges.

The Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence aims to recruit 50 faculty members who will educate students and advance research in data science and AI. Rather than being housed exclusively in a single department, however, the majority of UGA’s newly recruited

faculty will focus on the fusion of data science and AI in cross-cutting areas such as infectious diseases, integrative precision agriculture, ethics, cybersecurity, resilient communities and the environment.

“At the University of Georgia, we are constantly seeking opportunities to expand our impact on society, to solve complex challenges and to shape the future,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “This strategic hiring initiative will enable us to do that while building on our excellence in teaching, research and service.”

The cluster hiring initiative, scheduled for completion over a two-year period, stems from the See HIRING on page 3

DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS

UGA raises $205.2 million in FY21

By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu

Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic,friends of the University of Georgia came together during fiscal year 2021 to support students and the university, resulting in a total of $205.2 million given to UGA,including over $10 million to the campaign that created the Jere W. Morehead Honors College.

“To see this level of support during such a pivotal time is truly inspiring,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “My heartfelt thanks to every person who gave. They helped our students, faculty and staff persevere through unprecedented challenges, and they are ensuring that as we

overcome those challenges, we will emerge ready to further strengthen UGA’s commitments to our students, community, state and world.”

The $205.2 million came from a total of 69,573 donors. UGA’s threeyear rolling average, which averages the three most recent years of giving, held steady at over $200 million.The university’s alumni participation rate, the percentage of UGA alumni who made a gift to the university in the past year, increased to a record 15.2%, up from 12.8% in FY20.

“At the start of the fiscal year, I would have said we would be hard-pressed to have the kind of fundraising success we’ve enjoyed in years past, but UGA alumni, donors

See FUNDRAISING on page 4

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

University celebrates successful academic year amid challenges

By James Hataway and Rebecca Vander Plaats jhataway@uga.edu, rebeccavp@uga.edu

The University of Georgia celebrated a number of important accomplishments during the 20202021 academic year despite the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff and students for showing tremendous resilience throughout this difficult year,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Because of them, the university was able not

only to continue its vital mission of teaching, research and service but also to advance a number of strategic initiatives and build on our record of academic excellence.”

Academic excellence

In September, U.S. News & World Report announced that UGA had climbed to No. 15 in its 2021 ranking of the nation’s best public universities, marking the fifth consecutive year that UGA has ranked in the top 20.

Much of this success is due to the university’s extraordinary faculty.

See ACADEMICS on page 4

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2 Aug. 16, 2021 columns.uga.edu

‘Strengthen the culture’

Quality enhancement plan builds on active learning opportunities for students

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

The University of Georgia’s Active Learning Summer Institute has reached nearly 80 faculty members whose redesigned courses have enrolled 28,000 students,and classroom renovations have facilitated greater levels of engagement across campus.

Building on these accomplishments to ensure that even more students benefit from active learning techniques is the focus of the quality enhancement plan that is currently in development as part of UGA’s reaffirmation of accreditation.

“UGA has a long history of excellence in undergraduate instruction,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.“The quality enhancement plan that is currently in development seeks to build on this history to further enhance teaching and learning for students.”

The 2021-2022 academic year marks the university’s next reaffirmation cycle by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. As part of this process, institutions are required to certify compliance with the commission’s standards and to submit a quality enhancement plan to improve student learning and success.

In January 2020, President Jere W. Morehead charged an 11-member QEP topic selection committee primarily composed of faculty and also including student representation.The group’s charge was to identify an area of focus for the QEP that aligned with the university’s 2025 Strategic Plan and related institutional efforts. Promoting active learning—which is defined broadly as the condition under which students think about what they are learning as they are learning it—was a key recommendation of the university’s 2017 Task Force on Student Learning and Success. Following a review of existing UGA programs and opportunities, the topic selection committee homed in on active learning.

The three-week Active Learning Summer Institute, which is hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning and stemmed from a recommendation of the task force, serves as a pilot and foundation for the QEP. ALSI helps faculty redesign their courses to incorporate evidence-based pedagogical techniques that purposefully engage all students in the learning process.

A common misconception aboutALSI is that it focuses simply on activities that faculty can add to their courses. In reality, it helps faculty clearly define desired learning outcomes and how those

Andrew Davis Tucker

From left, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Michele Howard, committee Chair Henry Munneke of the Terry College of Business, Associate Director of Assessment Katherine Burr and Student Affairs Chief of Staff Matthew Waller discussed ideas at a recent meeting.

outcomes can be assessed during instruction through activities such as problem solving,in-class group work,or individual writing and reflection. These assessments provide real-time feedback that helps faculty more effectively reach students.

“I am now much more aware of the students’ development level and where they are in their learning,” said Kenneth White, an assistant professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and 2018 ALSI participant.

Morehead also allocated $1 million in classroom renovation funds based on the task force report. From Park Hall on North Campus to Aderhold Hall on South Campus and in several locations in between, classrooms have been renovated to promote interaction among students and faculty. In Room 331 of the Geography-Geology Building, for example, desks and computers arranged in rows have been replaced with clusters of desks that facilitate group work and make it easier for the instructor to move among the students.

The quality enhancement plan is still in development, but a few themes have already emerged. Rather than instituting a requirement, such as with experiential learning or the First-Year Odyssey Seminar program, the goal of the 2021 QEP is to ensure that students encounter active learning in several of their courses and several times as they progress toward their degrees.

New programs are being considered to support the development of instructors, to prepare students to apply an active learning approach to their studies, and to modernize classrooms.

A rollout of a comprehensive active learning initiative is anticipated for fall 2022.

“Numerous studies have shown that active learning helps students retain, apply and transfer knowledge,” said Henry Munneke, who served as chair of the topic selection committee and now chairs the QEP development and implementation committee. “So our goal for the quality enhancement plan is to strengthen the culture of active learning here at UGA.”

AROUND CAMPUS

Capital projects surge with strong financial support Despite the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers have maintained strong financial support for higher education in Georgia. And the state’s fiscal year 2022 budget, which was signed into law in May of this year, will allow the University of Georgia to continue many critical capital projects designed to modernize campus facilities.

Perhaps the most visible of these projects are Building 2264, the new first-year residence hall under construction at the corner of Cloverhurst Avenue and Baxter Street, and the Interdisciplinary STEM buildings on East Campus Road.

Building 2264 will house first-year students in doubleoccupancy rooms beginning in fall 2022. Construction on the project began in December 2020 and is scheduled to conclude in July 2022, just in time for UGA to welcome the first-year fall class of 2026. It features an exterior courtyard and redesigned bus stop along Cloverhurst Avenue and is the first new residence hall since the construction of Rutherford Hall in 2013.

The Interdisciplinary STEM (or I-STEM) buildings are under construction in two phases. Together, they will expand laboratories for chemistry, engineering and other material sciences. The complex is designed to promote translational UGA photo interdisciplinary research, ultimately advancing economic The first phase of construction continues on the I-STEM buildings on East Campus. development across the state.

These new facilities also will complement infrastructure The FY22 budget also provided $21.7 million in scheduled to begin in spring 2022 with completion in fall 2023. improvements for Science Hill, which will renew research construction funds to build a new Poultry Science BuildThe budget also provided $5 million for the construction and instructional facilities on UGA’s South Campus. Many of ing. The project will increase the size of the department of a multidisciplinary greenhouse complex on UGA’s Athens these buildings date back to the late 1950s and 1960s, and these of poultry science’s facilities to more than 70,000 square campus, which will help bridge the gap between laboratory and renovations will ensure that students, faculty and staff have access feet, modernizing instructional and lab space; providing field experiments conducted by researchers in the College of to modern equipment and space for research and instruction. centralized, student-focused facilities; and helping to attract Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. and retain world-class researchers. The new building will be These are only a few of the major capital projects unlocated on what is currently a parking lot between Boyd and derway on campus. Construction has already begun or Conner Halls. will begin soon on a number of other projects, including Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and State-of-the-art learning labs will bolster the traditional renovations to Driftmier Engineering, improvements to the biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of College of Veterinary Medicine’s anatomy lab, an expansion Georgia by the Division of Marketing & Communications. Periodicals postage classroom experience with production courses, demonstrations of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall and a renovation of the MFA is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to and relevant field-learning exercises and contribute to the deColumns, UGA Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 partment’s expanding FFA, 4-H and other youth programs, as film studio at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass North, Athens, GA 30602-1999. well as assist with student recruitment efforts. Construction is Communication.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT

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columns.uga.edu Aug. 16, 2021

HVAC helpers

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Improving the health and safety of UGA’s buildings Even during non-pandemic times, the continued operation of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (or HVAC) systems on UGA’s campuses takes a coordinated effort.

UGA’s more than 12 million square feet of academic, research, student service, and public service and outreach facilities include 796 air handler units, 130 chillers and 1,506 other refrigerant-based HVAC systems, all maintained by Facilities Management Division staff.

“The entire FMD team has stepped up to the challenge this past year,” said Ralph Johnson, associate vice president for FMD. “The lessons that we learned last year as well as many of the process improvements that the team put into place will continue this fall and well into the future.”

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic—and in addition to the visible campus-wide disinfection activities performed by FMD Building Services—the FMD Operations and Maintenance team implemented measures to increase the daily air changes to more than 5.1 million square feet of campus.

They also installed portable HEPA filtration units in classrooms and inspected all of the campus HVAC systems in preparation for the phased return to campus.At the same time, FMD Project Management and Engineering teams began a planning and design process to continue to upgrade and improve indoor air quality on campus.

According to Jason Lambert, senior director of operations and infrastructure, much effort goes into planning and executing major HVAC projects while still being responsive to the building occupants and minimizing disruptions to UGA’s missions. As students, faculty and staff return to campus this fall, they will likely never know what has happened above the ceilings, behind the walls and in the mechanical rooms over the spring and summer, yet these actions are a point of pride for the FMD team.

“Each project has been selected based on feasibility, speed of implementation and the positive impact that it will have to the campus community,” Lambert said. “While we continually undertake HVAC renewal as part of the maintenance process,

projects that improve ventilation, HVAC reliability and the indoor air quality on campus have taken center stage during the past 18 months and will continue to do so for the near future as we respond to current needs and work to implement strategies that will provide infrastructure resiliency for the future.”

Using funding provided by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, the state of Georgia’s Major Repair and Rehabilitation program and other UGA resources, more than $4 million in targeted HVAC projects were completed in the past year, and more than $7 million of additional projects are planned for the coming year. Forthcoming projects include installing ultraviolet disinfection arrays for 1.3 million square

HIRING from page 1 work of the Task Force on Academic Excellence charged

by Provost S. Jack Hu shortly after he joined UGA in 2019.

Composed of faculty and academic leaders across campus, the task force examined the university’s areas of strength and opportunity to guide strategic investments that maximize the institution’s impact.

“This hiring initiative builds on the expertise of our existing faculty and leverages our strength as a comprehensive research institution with a land-grant mission of service,” Hu said. “It will give students new learning opportunities while sparking transformative discoveries.”

Clusters of expertise

In a reflection of just how integral data science and AI have become to research and discovery, UGA’s 50 new faculty hires will be recruited in eight interdisciplinary clusters that focus on broad themes.

The cluster focused on artificial intelligence, data science and the dynamics of infectious diseases, for example, involves the university’s Odum School of Ecology, College of Public Health, College of Engineering and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. It enhances the research capacity of units such as the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases and the Institute of Bioinformatics as well as the university’s capacity to deliver courses in high-demand subjects such as infectious disease epidemiology.

The Precision One Health Initiative is a partnership of five academic units. It seeks to recruit faculty with expertise in using data science to develop individually tailored prevention and treatment protocols for diseases that include autoimmune and neurogenerative diseases and cancer. The ethical use of data and AI is the focus of another cluster, involving the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Terry College of Business.

STUDENTS

Opportunities for students

The demand for data literacy skills, which include an understanding of how data can be used in multiple disciplines, has risen dramatically in recent years.

Eleven of the top 15 careers in the most recent LinkedIn Emerging Jobs Report are related to AI or data, and the collection and analysis of large data sets is reshaping scores of other fields as well. Consider a marine scientist who uses machine learning to analyze data on ecosystem health, an engineer who designs secure sensors for internet-connected technology, or a pharmaceutical scientist who blends computational and experimental research to develop new therapeutics, to name just a few examples.

At UGA, degree programs in computer science, data science, and cybersecurity and privacy are complemented by certificate programs in informatics and applied data science that are open to students from any major. Interdisciplinary units such as the Georgia Informatics Institutes and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence bring students from different majors together and foster collaboration among faculty in multiple departments.

“The multidisciplinary nature of UGA’s approach to data science and artificial intelligence reflects the fact that data literacy has emerged as an essential component of career success and engaged citizenship,” said Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction.

The hiring initiative in data science and artificial intelligence continues a series of investments in talent that have recruited more than 100 faculty members, in addition to those hired at the school and college level, since 2013. A brain and behavioral health cluster hiring initiative, which began with the recruitment of the inaugural Isakson Chair and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Parkinson’s Research, is also underway based on the work of the task force, as is a hiring initiative focused on integrative precision agriculture.

feet of academic and student service space, replacing air handlers and chillers, and employing industry consultants to retro-commission and optimize existing systems. Overall, these projects will positively affect more than 2.2 million square feet of campus space.

Future efforts by FMD include collaboration with colleagues in the Office of University Architects for Facilities Planning as well as key stakeholders from schools and colleges across campus to continue refining institutional design and construction standards. Since 2012, UGA’s design standards have required that building-scale HVAC systems on campus be equipped with ultraviolet systems integral to the air handling system. Guided by industry standards and lessons learned during the COVID19 pandemic, this collaborative team is working to ensure that UGA remains well positioned to overcome pandemic events while also providing resilient and energy-efficient infrastructure for the future.

“The operational practices and construction projects that we are undertaking today reflect rapidly evolving industry guidance and reaffirm UGA’s commitment to foster a safe and comfortable built environment for campus,” Johnson said.

For more information about FMD’s HVAC program and for an interactive HVAC improvement map, please visit https://www.fmd.uga.edu/buildinghvac/.

UGA AT THE OLYMPICS Georgia athletes won 3 GOLD 2 SILVER

for in a college experience,” said Fortuna, who aims to pursue degrees in political science and international affairs. “I haven’t been on campus yet, but that’s certainly been the case so far.”

Like Fortuna, intended political science major Camille Weindorf said she was looking for a place to challenge herself and grow academically. She found that and something more at UGA. “As soon as I stepped on the campus, I felt an overwhelming sense of community,” she said. “It felt like home; I knew I wanted to be a part of this Bulldog family.”

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research, visiting Athens and making some friends along the way, I became overjoyed with the amount of creative resources.

I have toured a lot of schools. I cannot think of a single one that even comes close to the entrepreneurial center (Studio 225) on Broad Street, which I intend to use extensively.”

Honors student Julian Fortuna said the opportunity to join a community of scholars through the Foundation Fellowship and Stamps Scholars program attracted him to UGA. “I knew the university would provide the combination of financial support, opportunity and community I was looking

Submitted photo

More than $4 million in targeted HVAC projects were completed in the past year.

and

3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd representing

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represented Georgia in the Tokyo Olympics

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4 Aug. 16, 2021 columns.uga.edu COVID-19 from page 1

Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines at the Tate Center in Room 137 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Aug. 19, Aug. 23-26, Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 2. Incentives will be available at the vaccine clinics while supplies last.

UGA also has been participating in and will continue to promote USG’s statewide campaign for students to be vaccinated at any one of 15 participating campuses in the USG that might be closer to their hometowns.

The university also will continue to offer free testing for COVID-19 to all members of the UGA community at the University Health Center and will require any faculty, staff or student who tests positive to report his or her positive test through DawgCheck and follow the guidance provided.

“The protection of the UGA community against the spread of COVID-19 remains a top priority of the University Health Center as we prepare for the start of the academic year,” Swails said.

Residents of on-campus housing who test positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed to stay in their residence hall during their isolation period and will be encouraged to return home.

If this is not a viable option, Student Care and Outreach can arrange for other housing and meal delivery on an individual basis.

As it did last year,the university will hold beds for quarantine and isolation needs of residents of on-campus housing. SCO will continue to notify faculty should students report a positive COVID-19 test result through DawgCheck.

Students living off campus can contact SCO directly if they need specific support with instructor notifications or require any other assistance.

Since the risks of COVID-19 remain high for people who are not fully vaccinated, the University System of Georgia encourages everyone to wear a face covering while inside campus facilities.

UGA has free face coverings still available in several types and designs. Departments that are interested in having masks on hand can order them for faculty and staff in their units. Students who want face coverings can pick them up at Information Desks in the Tate Student Center and the Miller Learning Center.

In addition: • Special cleaning and disinfection protocols put in place last year across the campus community will continue, with particular emphasis on high-touch surface disinfection in all buildings. The Facilities Management Division will continue to restock and supply the existing hand sanitizing stations

“I am excited to have all of our faculty, staff and students back on campus for the fall semester.

Working together, despite these challenging times, we will continue to fulfill UGA’s important contributions to our state, nation and world.”

—President Jere W. Morehead

ACADEMICS from page 1 and wipes for individual use in offices, breakrooms and classrooms.

• The plexiglass shields installed in classrooms, buses, point-of-sale locations and other settings will remain.

• For the past 18 months, FMD has been focused on improving ventilation and indoor air quality across campus. An FMD interactive website illustrates the location of buildings with completed, in-progress or in-design HVAC air quality improvement projects.

• The FMD website has been updated to include additional details regarding completed HVAC system changes implemented since spring 2020. This work includes increased daily air exchanges in 5.1 million square feet of academic and research space and the installation of portable HEPA units in more than 50,000 square feet of classrooms. More than $7 million in targeted projects to improve HVAC systems across campus will be accomplished in the 202122 academic year—all in accordance with CDC, DPH and HVAC industry standards.

• Transportation & Parking Services will continue to use sprayers to sanitize parking deck stairwells overnight as well as inside each bus.

The sprayers contain a solution proven to kill COVID-19. All rails and handles on buses will continue to be wiped down with disinfecting wipes between class breaks.

FUNDRAISING

from page 1

and friends proved, once again, that their commitment to supporting our students, faculty and mission knows no limits,” said Kelly Kerner, vice president for development and alumni relations.

A $10 million fundraising campaign led

by UGA Foundation Trustees and Emeritus Trustees has created new, permanent and robust support for UGA Honors students. In recognition of this transformational support, and at donors’ request, the Honors Program was renamed the Jere W. Morehead Honors College by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. As of Aug. 12, the campaign had reached $10.6 million in donations, and fundraising efforts are ongoing.

The campaign to create the John H. “Johnny”Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Georgia ResearchAlliance Eminent Scholar reached its goal of $4.5 million in private commitments.Thanks to the considerable resources this position provides, UGA was able to bring internationally renowned Parkinson’s researcher Anumantha Kanthasamy from Iowa State to Athens as the first chairholder.

Also,the donor-supported UGA Innovation Hub opened as part of the Innovation District.

UGA donors in FY21 also reaffirmed their commitment to providing support for students with financial need. The Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program, which provides need-based scholarships and special on-campus support to Georgia students, grew to include 600 GCS scholarships and has,to date,accounted for close to $90 million in new commitments to need-based aid. One such commitment was a substantial pledge in June from Mary Virginia Terry, which will support 24 students beginning in the upcoming fall semester.

Private giving’s impact at UGA isn’t limited to high-dollar donations. In FY21, UGA supporters made tens of thousands of gifts of $100 or less. Together, contributions like these were able to improve the university in numerous and varied ways.The “$60-for-60” campaign, as part of UGA’s recognition of the 60th anniversary of desegregation at the university,garnered a record 2,905 gifts to the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund,and a campaign to honor a legendary UGA staffer resulted in the creation of an endowed meal plan scholarship fund.

Donors also were responsible for creating 138 new scholarship funds, and the 11 endowed faculty positions they established brought UGA’s total to 322.

EDITOR’S NOTE: COLUMNS WILL NOT BE PRINTED THIS ACADEMIC YEAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW SPECIAL EDITIONS SUCH AS THIS ONE. TO RECEIVE THE DIGITAL VERSION, EMAIL COLUMNS@UGA.EDU.

This year, three university faculty members—MaryAnn Moran,Gregory H.Robinson and J. Marshall Shepherd—were elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a scientist can earn. In total, 14 current or former UGA faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Shepherd was also elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The university also appointed two new Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholars.

Robin Buell,a renowned plant genomics expert, joined UGA as a professor of crop and soil sciences, and her appointment is co-supported by a contribution from Georgia Seed Development. Anumantha Kanthasamy, who conducts research on Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, was appointed as the first John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar in Parkinson’s Research.

These new additions come at a time when research and development numbers are at an all-time high for the university, topping $495 million in FY20, a 41% increase since 2013.

“The University of Georgia’s growth in research and development is a testament to our extraordinary faculty, who have helped increase the reputation of our university both nationally and internationally,” said S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “These faculty contribute to our instructional mission by bringing state-of-the-art knowledge to the classrooms and to graduate student mentoring.”

This academic year, UGA students were selected for a number of prestigious scholarships, including the Rhodes Scholarship, Gates Cambridge Scholarship,Churchill Scholarship and Schwarzman Scholarship.

The university reached its highest ever four-year completion rate and tied the previous high for its six-year completion rate. UGA also received a record number of applications for admission to the incoming first-year class.

“As the university continues to elevate its academic offerings and support, our students are achieving even higher levels of success, and demand for a UGA education is greater than ever,” said Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction. “Our faculty and staff have shown an unrelenting dedication to supporting students throughout the pandemic, and the university’s investments in enhancing the learning environment, pedagogy and studentfocused services will continue paying dividends for our students well into the future.”

In July 2020, Morehead convened a Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Community to enhance UGA’s learning environment and foster a more diverse and inclusive campus culture.

The university is enacting 16 recommendations from the task force and has adopted a five-year plan to advance diversity and inclusive excellence.The university commemorated the 60th anniversary of the campus’s desegregation throughout the spring semester.

This year, a total of 7,530 students celebrated their graduation in the university’s spring Commencement ceremonies held on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. According to the latest data, 91% of UGA graduates are employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation.

Research and innovation

In April, UGA faculty members were awarded a multi-year contract from the National Institutes of Health worth up to $92 million, making it the second largest research contract in the institution’s history. The funds will establish the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research, or CIDER, to be directed by S. Mark Tompkins, professor of infectious diseases in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and deputy director Pejman Rohani, Regents’ Professor and UGA Athletic Association Professor in Ecology and Infectious Diseases in the Odum School of Ecology and College of Veterinary Medicine.

The contract marks UGA’s second major NIH award for influenza research in less than two years. These awards represent a potential NIH investment of more than $220 million

in UGA’s flu research, which unites scientists from disciplines across campus.

The university was once again ranked No. 1 in the nation on AUTM’s list of U.S. colleges and universities for the number of products developed by industry partners based on UGA research discoveries—the seventh straight year that UGA has placed among the top five schools in the country.

Many of the products that make it to market are developed or perfected in UGA startup companies. Funding for UGA startups has increased by 60%, fueled by strategic investments in the university’s Innovation District.

“The dramatic expansion of externally funded research activities coupled with strategic investments in STEM teaching and research will help us better serve the citizens of Georgia and people throughout the world,” said David Lee, vice president for research, who retired at the end of June. “From the construction of the new I-STEM complex to the expansion of the Innovation District, these investments will allow our faculty to take discoveries made in the laboratory to the market quickly and efficiently.”

Public service and outreach

During the past year, UGA’s Public Service and Outreach units helped small businesses, nonprofits, schools, local governments, economic developers and others across the state cope with the challenges of the pandemic.

From March 2020 through May 2021, the Small Business Development Center, in conjunction with government partners, held more than 500 webinars to assist nearly 6,000 small businesses and nonprofits in obtaining $247 million in federal relief funds.

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government moved many of its popular education programs online and launched a series of webinars designed to help Georgia communities plan their recovery from the pandemic. The Vinson Institute also collaborated with the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative to address gaps in internet coverage throughout the state.

The J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development used the shift to teleworking and virtual learning as an opportunity to expand its reach through online resource guides, video webinars and podcasts.The annual Community Leadership Conference,held in a virtual setting, drew a record number of participants.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia provided a haven for Georgians seeking ways to stay active while limiting exposure to COVID-19.A new entrance and improvements to the half dozen miles of nature trails made the garden more accessible.

“This year provided ample evidence of the University of Georgia’s value as a land-grant and sea-grant institution,”said Jennifer L.Frum, vice president for public service and outreach.

“I am proud of the great lengths to which our faculty, staff and students went to help individuals, communities and organizations across our state not only survive, but thrive, amid the unprecedented circumstances we faced.”

In recognition of UGA’s institution-wide commitment to and strategy for regional economic engagement, growth and opportunity, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities reaffirmed UGA as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University.

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