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‘Everyone matters’: New Recreational Sports director focuses on service CAMPUS NEWS
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Director of bands to make debut at Oct. 9 Hodgson Wind Ensemble concert Vol. 42, No. 11
www.columns.uga.edu
October 6, 2014
UGA GUIDE
4&5
Hiring initiative brings 12 faculty with dual appointments to UGA By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
Andrew Davis Tucker
UGA President Jere W. Morehead congratulates President Emeritus Michael F. Adams as Mary Adams joins the Sept. 26 festivities with her husband in the Peabody Boardroom at the Administration Building.
Picture perfect
Portrait of President Emeritus Michael F. Adams unveiled By Stephanie Schupska schupska@uga.edu
The portrait of Michael F. Adams was dedicated Sept. 26 in the Administration Building. Adams served as UGA president from 1997 to 2013 and now is designated president emeritus. “It is a tradition at the University of Georgia to honor former university presidents with a portrait that will hang in our historic Administration Building, the home of the Office of the President since 2000,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead at the ceremony. “Dr. Adams, we all are grateful for the 16 years you committed to serving America’s first state-chartered university, and we thank you.” Adams’ portrait was painted by Ross R. Rossin, a Bulgarian-born American oil portrait artist who
now lives in Atlanta. “One of my favorite authors, Wendell Berry, said, ‘The thing being made in a university is humanity.’ I believe he is correct,” Adams said. “The things that I will remember the most from my time here are the many friendships, the wonderful and collegial faculty relations on most days and the quality of students we are privileged to work with.” Adams joined UGA after serving as president of Centre College in Kentucky for nine years. Under his leadership, the university established five new colleges and schools—the School of Public and International Affairs and the College of Environment and Design in 2001, the College of Public Health in 2005, the Odum School of Ecology in 2007 and the College of Engineering in 2012. He worked
with the university’s partners in Augusta to bring medical education to Athens through the Georgia Regents University/UGA Medical Partnership in 2010. He also added academic programs in Gwinnett, Griffin, Tifton and Buckhead. The university campus added 6.2 million square feet of building space under Adams’ administration. Improvements completed during his tenure include the Miller Learning Center in 2003; the Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences in 2006; the Lamar Dodd School of Art, opened on East Campus in 2008; the Georgia Museum of Art expansion in 2011; and the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries in 2012. Adams also helped the university establish permanent residential See PORTRAIT on page 8
southeastern conference symposium
SEC Symposium attendees examine public health challenges of preventing obesity The 2014 Southeastern onference Symposium, held C Sept. 21-23 in Atlanta, included an SEC Presidents, Chancellors and Provosts Reception where all symposium participants had an opportunity to meet and visit with senior leaders from around the SEC. Several SEC presidents and chancellors attended the event, including UGA President Jere W.
Morehead, who was serving as the institution’s provost when the SEC Symposium first was contemplated in 2010. “I thought at that time and think even more so today as the president of the University of Georgia that it is very important for the Southeastern Conference to showcase the outstanding work that is going on at each of our institutions, not only in athletics,
but also in the academic life of our institutions,” Morehead said. “What you find at a symposium like this one is evidence that all of us clearly understand that the SEC has, among its members, some of the finest institutions in the country.” The annual symposium is designed to address a significant scholarly issue by using the range See SYMPOSIUM on page 8
UGA has created new learning opportunities for students and laid the groundwork for critical research advances through an initiative that has resulted in 12 interdisciplinary faculty hires to date, with more on the way. Launched in 2013, the Presidential Interdisciplinary Hiring Initiative has created new faculty positions in mobile health computing technology, poultry health and production, biological imaging and brain mapping, digital humanities, housing for older adults and several other areas. UGA actively is recruiting for four additional positions to bring the total number of new interdisciplinary hires to 16.
Melissa Hallow
Brian Jordan
“The challenges facing our state and the world are becoming increasingly more complex,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “It is the role of the University of Georgia, as a leading research university, to respond to these challenges with innovative solutions. The faculty members hired through this initiative are positioned to build partnerships
See INITIATIVE on page 8
Office of Institutional Diversity
University receives national award for its diversity efforts By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
UGA has been named a 2014 recipient of the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, a national recognition for its efforts to foster an inclusive, diverse campus. UGA was one of 83 institutions honored this year with the HEED Award, the only designation of its kind awarded to institutions that exhibit outstanding efforts and success in the area of diversity and inclusion throughout their campuses. “At the University of Georgia, we value inclusion as a fundamental
element in a vibrant and connected academic community,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I am pleased that UGA’s success in creating a welcoming campus that promotes educational growth and understanding is being recognized through this national award.” As a recipient, the university will be featured in the November issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversityfocused magazine and website in higher education. “We are proud that the University of Georgia is being recognized for its commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Michelle Garfield
See AWARD on page 8
School of Public and International Affairs
Las Vegas city administrator to give 2014 Getzen Lecture By Caroline Paczkowski cparis@uga.edu
Las Vegas City Manager Elizabeth Fretwell will deliver the School of Public and International Affairs’ annual Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability. Fretwell’s lecture, “The City of Las Vegas, Accountable and Not Sinful...SHHH Don’t Tell Our Visitors,” will be delivered Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel. It is open free to the public. Fretwell has dedicated her career to building effective government in southern Nevada, where she has worked for the last
20 years. Since 2009, Fretwell has led Las Vegas as city manager and oversees a municipality of more than 3,000 employElizabeth Fretwell ees. Issues of accountability, responsibility and transparency are central to her work in administering a major governmental organization—especially as it has struggled to rebuild after the financial and mortgage crises of 2008.
See LECTURE on page 8
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Oct. 6, 2014 columns.uga.edu
Around academe
Enrollment up at US grad schools
According to a new report from the Council of Graduate Schools, first-time enrollment at U.S. graduate schools increased by 1 percent between fall 2012 and 2013. That increase was driven primarily by an 11.5 percent growth in new international students. About one in five new students at U.S. graduate schools is on a temporary visa. The report found a 0.9 percent decrease in U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Total enrollment at U.S. graduate schools, which includes part-time enrollees, fell by 0.2 percent between fall 2012 and 2013.
University of East London gives 4,000 of its students free tablet devices The University of East London will give 4,000 of its students tablets with digital textbooks pre-loaded, according to the BBC. Equipping all its new intake with the device will cost the university more than $3.2 million, and the students will be able to keep the tablet devices when they graduate. The Samsung Note 8 devices will come loaded with information about starting university and online library resources. There also will be “core e-textbooks” included, with the aim of reducing the initial cost of buying books.
News to Use
Help ‘clear the air’ at UGA
UGA joined other public colleges and universities Oct. 1 in a campaign to “clear the air” for each person studying on, working at or visiting a campus in the University System of Georgia. UGA’s Clear the Air website at http://uga. edu/tobacco-free offers tips to help tobacco users successfully break the habit. They include: • Set a target date (birthday, anniversary) to quit. UGA faculty, staff and students also can make an appointment with a tobacco cessation specialist at the University Health Center. • Consider the situations that will trigger the desire to smoke. While quitting, you should keep tobacco products out of reach to avoid temptation. In addition to drinking water often and eating a lower fat diet, tobacco users also should get plenty of sleep. • Begin increasing physical activity to keep metabolic rate higher, reduce tension and increase energy level. • Reward yourself by putting the money that would have been spent on tobacco in a jar every day and then buy yourself a weekly treat. Or save the money for a major purchase. Tobacco users also can stop by the health promotion department, located on the first floor of the University Health Center, and pick up a “Quit Kit,” which includes written material on quitting. Source: UGA’s Clear the Air campaign
For more information on UGA’s energy initiatives and programs, see discover.uga.edu.
Office of International Education
Fair will showcase opportunities to study, intern, travel, volunteer abroad By Martina Kloss martina@uga.edu
UGA will hold its 30th annual Study Abroad Fair Oct. 9-10 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center. Organized by the Office of International Education, the fair will feature opportunities for students to study, intern, travel or volunteer abroad. Some 80 exhibitors will showcase programs led by UGA faculty, at UGA residential centers, at international partner universities and those offered by both external providers and other organizations involved in international education. The fair will provide students with the opportunity to explore multiple program options, pre-departure preparation, dates and costs as well as practical information about pursuing academic or work experiences abroad. It is open free to the public. “The Study Abroad Fair is a unique two-day event designed to help students get a feel for various global opportunities available to them during their time at UGA by simply browsing various tables and speaking with exhibitors,” said Yana Cornish, director of education abroad in the Office of International Education. “I hope many will take advantage of this event.” In 2013, the fair attracted 85 program exhibitors representing all regions of the world and was visited by nearly 1,500 attendees. “We are thrilled to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the UGA Study Abroad Fair, bringing the campus community together to celebrate education
The Study Abroad Fair will feature information for students pursuing academic or work experiences abroad. Exhibitors will show programs offered at UGA and by others.
abroad and introducing UGA students to a variety of international opportunities,” said Laura Paris, education abroad adviser. Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, will make opening remarks Oct. 9 at noon. Hairy Dawg, the costumed UGA mascot, will make an appearance between noon and 3 p.m. on both days of the fair. On Oct. 10, International Coffee Hour will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Taste of Home Café on the fourth floor of the Tate Student
school of public and international affairs
Yale political scientist to discuss congressional-presidential relations at Parthemos Lecture By Caroline Paczkowski cparis@uga.edu
David Mayhew, one of the world’s pre-eminent authorities on the U.S. Congress and American political parties, will deliver the annual George S. Parthemos Lecture Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 271 of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. His lecture, “What Does a President’s Fourth Congress Look Like?” will address what President Barack Obama can expect from Congress after this year’s midterm elections. The lecture is hosted by the political science department within the UGA School of Public and International Affairs. “We are excited to host one of the most important political scientists of our generation,” said John Maltese, head of the political science department. “The topic of Mayhew’s public lecture is a particularly timely topic of great importance, and his visit is a fantastic opportunity for our students to interact with an iconic figure in our discipline.” Mayhew, the Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been a member of the board of overseers of the National Election Studies of the Center for Political Studies and has served as a Guggenheim Fellow, a Hoover National Fellow, a Sherman Fairchild Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and an
American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. He received the Samuel J. Eldersveld Career Achievement Award from the American Political Science AssociaDavid Mayhew tion in 2004. “Dr. Mayhew’s visit continues in the tradition of bringing extremely influential and highly regarded scholars to campus to honor the memory of Professor George Parthemos,” said Stefanie Lindquist, dean of the School of Public and International Affairs. “We are thrilled that David Mayhew has accepted the invitation to share his expertise with the UGA community.” It’s been 40 years since the publication of Mayhew’s landmark book, Congress: The Electoral Connection, which is one of the most widely read and cited books in political science. His other award-winning books include Divided We Govern and Partisan Balance: Why Political Parties Don’t Kill the U.S. Constitution. The Parthemos Lecture honors the late political science professor who taught at UGA from 1953 until his death in 1984. During his career at the university, Parthemos served as an Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor, head of the political science department and vice president for instruction. In 1987, his wife, the late Georgia Parthemos, honored her husband by establishing this lecture series.
Center. The event is hosted by UGA International Student Life. The Office of International Education encourages students interested in going or studying abroad to apply for a passport, which can be done at Passport Services, Room 375 Tate Student Center. The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 706-542-3040, email passport@uga.edu or see http://tate.uga. edu/passport/.
ON THE WEB
http://studyabroadfair.weebly.com/
grady college
New lab to teach students about mobile reporting By Keith Herndon klhern@uga.edu
The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has launched a Mobile News Lab for students to research and develop newsgathering and reporting techniques designed specifically for smartphones and tablets. Students will work on projects coordinated with professional news organizations including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN. Projects will include topics from politics and business to sports and entertainment. Sponsored by the James M. Cox Jr. Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership, the Mobile News Lab has affiliated with the Metro Atlanta Chamber, a chamber of commerce. Students completing projects through the Mobile News Lab will earn a MAC certificate of achievement in recognition of their innovative career preparation. “News organizations tell us that mobile devices now account for onethird to half of their audiences, challenging journalists to find new ways for storytelling,” said Charles Davis, dean of the Grady College. “As a leading institution training future journalists, we must respond. The Mobile News Lab will engage students with digital platforms through a systematic training program, and we appreciate the support of the Metro Atlanta Chamber in this workforce development initiative.” Faculty members directing the student projects include Keith Herndon, visiting professor; Mark Johnson, senior lecturer; and Bartosz Wojdynski, assistant professor.
RESEARCH news
columns.uga.edu Oct. 6, 2014
3
Digest Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium to be held Oct. 9
Peter Frey
Zhen Fu, a professor and veterinary virologist in the department of pathology of the College of Veterinary Medicine, co-authored a study which determined a cure for rabies for humans may be possible.
Breaking down barriers Virus-neutralizing antibodies in the central nervous system may be cure for rabies
By Molly Berg
mberg14@uga.edu
Rabies, a neurological disease that has long challenged researchers, remains fatal for those who develop it. A cure for rabies may be possible, according to a new UGA study, if virus-neutralizing antibodies can pass through the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system, remove the rabies virus and reverse the disease process. The study, co-authored by Zhen F. Fu, a professor and veterinary virologist in the department of pathology of the College of Veterinary Medicine, is available online and will be published in the print edition of Antiviral Research this month. In the study, the researchers tested how virus-neutralizing antibodies could cure rabies if passed through the bloodbrain barrier. The blood-brain barrier physically separates the peripheral
organs (heart, lung, liver, etc.) from the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord). Antibodies are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier; only certain nutrients can pass through it. “Prior studies showed that antibodies were needed to cure rabies,” Fu said. “The blood-brain barrier is very difficult to pass through. The human body works to protect itself and not allow harmful molecules to pass through. We have to find a way to enhance the blood-brain barrier permeability to allow the antibodies to pass through it so we can cure rabies.” The research team used mice to test whether virus-neutralizing antibodies, administered intravenously, can cross the blood-brain barrier and remove rabies virus from the central nervous system. The findings indicate that antibodies, when given in combination with drugs that make the blood-brain barrier more permeable, could remove the
virus from the central nervous system before the disease process sets in and symptoms manifest. A longtime rabies researcher, Fu believes this study is a big step toward a cure for rabies in humans. “This could lead to virusneutralizing antibody therapy for people,” he said. “It’s hard to see patients deal with this fatal disease. We hope this leads to better treatment and the eventual cure of patients with rabies.” Co-authors include Chien-Tsun Huang and Qingqing Chai, both doctoral students in Fu’s lab (Chai is now a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University); Ming Zhou and Zhenguang Li, both visiting scientists from China; Ying Huang and Guoging Zhang, both postdoctoral research scientists in Fu’s lab; and Hua Wu, a scientist at State Key Laboratory of Special Economic Animal Molecular Biology in China.
ODUM SCHOOL OF ECOLOGY
Study: Species going extinct faster than in prehuman times By Beth Gavrilles bethgav@uga.edu
UGA ecologists John Gittleman and Patrick Stephens are contributors to a major new study that finds that species are going extinct 1,000 times faster now than during prehuman times—a significantly higher rate than previously estimated. The study, which was led by Jurriaan M. de Vos of Brown University, appears in the journal Conservation Biology. The researchers were able to establish the faster current extinction rate by pinning down a more accurate prehuman, or background, rate, explaining that estimating recent rates is straightforward, but establishing a background rate for comparison is not. “Being able to look at the prehuman, or background, rate of extinction is important,” said Gittleman, dean of the Odum School of Ecology and UGA Foundation Professor of Ecology. “We now know that the current rate of extinction is worse than we thought because the background rate is an order of magnitude slower than the original
estimate. Having a real rate of extinction will allow us to look at causal mechanisms much more carefully.” They found that the background rate of extinction was slower before humans existed by comparing the number of species that died out with the number of new species that emerged. The researchers calculated that the background rate of extinction was 0.1 extinctions per million species years—meaning that one out of every 10 million species on Earth became extinct each year during that time. The previous estimate was one extinction per million species years. That estimate skewed the current rate, making it appear to be only 100 times faster during human times. With the new data, the researchers hypothesize not only that current extinction rates are 1,000 times higher than natural background rates of extinction but that future rates are likely to be 10,000 times higher. The earlier estimate was calculated in 1995 by a team of researchers that included Gittleman and was led by another co-author on the new study, Stuart Pimm of Duke University. It was based chiefly on an examination of the
fossil record. The current study makes use of new techniques and databases that were not available when the earlier estimate was made. Like the previous study, it incorporates the fossil record, but also uses novel analytical computer models to estimate extinction rates from phylogenetic, or evolutionary, trees—essentially maps of the genetic history of a group of organisms. In this new, more rigorous study, both sets of evidence converge on the same—lower—estimate of the normal background rate of extinction. “Twenty years ago, not to mention during Darwin’s time, most evolutionary trees had missing branches and missing species,” Gittleman said.“Now we’ve got much more comprehensive evolutionary trees where all the species are included, mainly due to much better molecular techniques.” One such tree, which Gittleman helped construct, traces the evolutionary history of the world’s known mammal species. It was used in the new study as a source of high-quality data to ensure that the analytical models were accurate.
The College of Veterinary Medicine will host its annual Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium Oct. 9. The event is open free to the public. The symposium will open at 10 a.m. with a brief welcome followed by a keynote address from Jamie Modiano, a professor of comparative oncology and director of the Animal Cancer Care and Research Program at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Modiano’s talk, “Curiosity and Finding a Cure for Cancer,” will focus on what motivates people to do biomedical research and how evidence-based approaches fueled by curiosity drive innovation and advances in medical science. Other symposium speakers include faculty from the UGA veterinary medicine college. Simon Platt, a professor of neurology and neurosurgery, will discuss his research on canine brain tumors and how his work also may help humans. John Peroni, an associate professor of large animal surgery, will discuss his studies on bone fracture repair. Scott Brown, a professor of small animal medicine, and James Moore, a professor of large animal medicine, will discuss their work on the development of novel electronic educational tools in veterinary medicine. With the exception of the keynote address, all scheduled lectures will be held from 3:15-4:15 p.m. Registration for the symposium will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the event. More information about the symposium is at http://t.uga.edu/TH.
Comparative literature department to host language and literature forum
The comparative literature department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences will host the fifth annual Southeast African Language and Literature Forum Oct. 10-12 in Room 142 of the Tate Student Center. The keynote address, “African Languages and African Development in the 21st Century,” will be delivered by Gabriel Ruhumbika, a professor of comparative literature at UGA, at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 10. The conference is free, but registration is required. The theme of this year’s conference is “Using Language and Literature to Enhance Cultural Understanding.” The forum aims to promote the study, teaching, research and overall sustainable development of African languages and literature. It provides a platform for strengthening the teaching of African languages and literature in the southeastern region of the U.S. The conference is sponsored by the comparative literature department and the African Studies Institute. More information is at http://www.cmlt. uga.edu/.
Performing Arts Center announces postponement, rescheduled event
Two programming changes have been made for the Performing Arts Center’s current season. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Oct. 12 concert in Hodgson Concert Hall has been postponed due to the stalled contract negotiations between Atlanta Symphony management and players. Updates will be announced as additional information becomes available. Garrison Keillor’s Athens performance has been rescheduled for Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Keillor originally was booked for Sept. 24 but had to postpone his appearance due to surgery. Tickets purchased for Sept. 24 will be good for the Jan. 26 performance. Additional tickets are available for the Jan. 26 performance. Tickets are $50 to $75 with special discounts for UGA students and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia by the UGA News Service. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.
For a complete listing of events 7 8 5 at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/). I
The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
UGAGUIDE
MUSIC TO OUR EARS
btyler@uga.edu
Director of Bands Cynthia Johnston Turner will make her debut with the Hodgson Wind Ensemble in an Oct. 9 concert.
Director of bands to make her debut with Hodgson Wind Ensemble
By Joshua Cutchin jcutchin@uga.edu
The 2nd Thursday Scholarship Concert Series continues Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall with the Hodgson Wind Ensemble. Tickets for the performance are $18, $5 for students and can be obtained via the UGA Performing Arts Center box office. The ensemble, led by new Director of Bands Cynthia Johnston Turner, will present a program of music written entirely by American composers. Selections include Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 2,” John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” “Slava!” and “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story, both compositions by Leonard Bernstein. “Jazz is America’s music, and the work of Bernstein and Adams tap into that genre,” said Turner, who began her position at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music this fall. “It’s exciting, gritty music with artistic value that appeals
The Prints of Mary Wallace Kirk. Through Oct. 12. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Making Masters 2014. Through Oct. 18. An annual exhibition of work by Master of Fine Arts graduate students. Madison Museum of Fine Art, 300 Hancock St., Madison, Georgia. Shapes That Talk to Me. Through Oct. 19. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Landscapes of the Hereafter: Three Historic Cemeteries in Athens, Ga. Oct. 9 through Nov. 7. (See story, right). XL. Through Nov. 16. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Wild Flowers, Wild Places. Oct. 12 through Nov. 23. Carol and Hugh Nourse are freelance photographers specializing in plants and their habitats in Georgia and the Southeast. Visitor Center and Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu. An Archaeologist’s Eye: The Parthenon Drawings of Katherine A. Schwab. Through Dec. 7. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.
Willson Sculpture Garden, Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 7:30 a.m. McPhaul Child Development Building. 706-542-9979. School of law Dean Candidate Presentation Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, currently the holder of the Herman E. Talmadge Chair of Law and associate dean for faculty development in the UGA School of Law. 12:30 p.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall. Workshop “Writing (and Rewriting) Multiple-Choice Test Items.” 2 p.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu. Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 2:30 p.m. Myers Hall. 706-542-9979.
Vince Dooley: A Retrospective, 1954-1988. Through Dec. 15. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123, hasty@uga.edu.
Recital Guest artist Jemmie Robertson, who teaches trombone at Eastern Illinois University, will be joined by Jamie Ryan on percussion. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-4752, musicpr@ uga.edu.
Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene. Through Jan. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. (See story, above right).
Guest Lecture “Facing Our Food,” Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. 7 p.m. 148 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796, sos@uga.edu.
The ... of E6, part of Athens Celebrates Elephant Six. Through Jan. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@ uga.edu. (See story, above right). Food, Power and Politics: The Story of School Lunch. Through May 15. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Terra Verte. Through May 31. Jane and Harry
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 8 a.m. Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. 706-542-9979. Ecology Seminar “Science, Pseudoscience and All That Jazz:
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by University Public Affairs. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available on the Web at calendar.uga.edu/.
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Athens’ Elephant Six
By Bobby Tyler
EXHIBITIONS
4&5
WHAT'S HANGIN'
Grammy-winning Juilliard String Quartet to give Oct. 7 concert at Performing Arts Center The Performing Arts Center will present the Juilliard String Quartet Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The program will feature Anton Webern’s “Five Movements for String Quartet,” Alban Berg’s “String Quartet, Op. 3” and Franz Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden.” Tickets for the concert are $40 with discounts for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. Founded in 1946, the Juilliard String Quartet (pictured below) is one of the world’s most versatile and respected classical music ensembles. The New York Times has written, “The Juilliard String Quartet, in its more than 50 years, has made it a point of honor to approach contemporary pieces with the same care and respect as it would established classics, and to approach antique masterworks with the sense of excitement and adventure it would the newly minted.” The Juilliard String Quartet has won four Grammy Awards, for its recordings of the Bartok and Schoenberg Quartets, as well as those of Debussy, Ravel and Beethoven. In 2011, the quartet became the first classical music ensemble to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Juilliard String Quartet’s concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today.
columns.uga.edu Oct. 6, 2014
to this country’s aesthetic, and their inclusion makes for an uplifting, fun performance.” The concert also will feature graduate conducting students Tyler Ehrlich and Jack Eaddy Jr., as well as special guest soloist Pamela Mia Paul for the Georgia premiere of Steven Bryant’s “Concerto for Piano.” The renaming of the UGA Wind Ensemble to the Hodgson Wind Ensemble represents the new direction and vision Turner has for the group. In addition to this rebranding, Turner has changed the ensemble’s structure, reducing the number of performers to one per part. “Excellence has its place,” Turner said. “These are the finest wind musicians here, and reducing the instrumentation encourages more ownership and responsibility, in addition to pushing students to be more sensitive musicians. It’s structured like a chamber ensemble—though that doesn’t mean we still can’t get quite loud when appropriate.”
Revisiting the Demarcation Problem,” Massimo Pigliucci, City University of New York. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu.
Film Screening Cesar Chavez. Part of Hispanic Heritage Month. 7 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. 706-542-5773, dora@uga.edu.
Tree Identification Workshop To be held Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m. in October and November. 5 p.m. Oconee Forest Park. williams@warnell.uga.edu.
UGA vs. Oxford Union Debate 7 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-2244, oxford@uga. edu.
Film Screening Chocó. Also to be shown Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Museum of Art. This film is the story of a young Colombian woman who raises her children alone by working in a gold mine. Part of Hispanic Heritage Month. $9.75; $7.50 for students. 8 p.m. Ciné, 234 W. Hancock Ave. ximenagp@uga.edu. Concert The Juilliard String Quartet. $40. 8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400, ugaarts@uga.edu. (See story, above left).
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8 Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 8:30 a.m. Business Services. 706-542-9979. Ecology/ICON Conservation Seminar “Microbial Responses to Perturbations in the Environment: Tipping Points Versus Adaptation,” Samantha Joye, marine science, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. 1:25 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu. Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 2:30 p.m. Coca-Cola Lounge, Sanford Hall. 706-542-9979. Guest Lecture “100 Years Since the Great War: Is Southeastern Europe Still Doomed by Gavrilo Princip’s Bullets?,” Tvrtko Jakovina, University of Zagreb. 4:30 p.m. 350 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2448, langston@uga.edu.
The Hodgson Wind Ensemble has earned an international reputation for its artistry, with membership including only the most accomplished music majors. In recent years the group has toured throughout the U.S. as well as Argentina, France and Switzerland. Established in 1980, the 2nd Thursday Scholarship Concert Series offers showcase performances by UGA students and faculty the second Thursday of each month throughout the academic year. Proceeds from individual ticket sales and season subscriptions help fund yearlong academic scholarships and assistantships for students and present donors the opportunity to sponsor individual students of the music school at several levels of giving. The next concert in the series will be in Hodgson Hall Nov. 5-7 at 7:30 p.m., when the UGA Opera Theatre presents Hansel and Gretel. Subscriptions to the series are on sale from the UGA Performing Arts Center box office at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400.
2nd Thursday Concert Hodgson Wind Ensemble, led by new Director of Bands Cynthia Johnston Turner. $18; $5 with a UGA student ID. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu. (See story, above).
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 Flu Shot Clinic Insurance accepted. $10-$30; See https:// www.uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza. html for exact pricing. 8 a.m. Aderhold Hall. 706-542-9979.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 Campaign for Charities Kickoff Breakfast 7:30 a.m. Georgia Center. Fall Semester Midterm Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium 10 a.m. College of Veterinary Medicine. (See Digest, page 3). 30th Annual Study Abroad Fair Through Oct. 10. Noon. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. 706-542-2900, goabroad@ uga.edu. (See story, page 2). Engineering Graduate Seminar “ENGR 8950 Fall 2014 Engineering Seminar,” Craig Wiegert, associate professor of physics. 12:30 p.m. Driftmier Auditorium, Driftmier Engineering Center. 706-542-4023, wiegert@physast.uga.edu. Award-Winning Faculty Series “Large Classes, Big Challenges,” James F. Hamilton. 3 p.m. Special collections libraries auditorium. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga. edu. ‘An Evening in the Garden’ Participants will take a stroll through the Trial Gardens while experiencing a taste of the Mediterranean. $7 donation is requested. 6:30 p.m. Trial Gardens. 770-298-9151, trial-gardens@uga.edu. Lecture “Economics of the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels,” Daniel M. Everett, computer science department, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Part of the Anthropocene Lecture Series. 7 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-1693, biomngr@uga.edu.
Languages and Literature Forum Conference Through Oct. 12. Room 142 Tate Student Center. 706-542-9587, magandad@uga. edu. (See Digest, page 3). Lecture “The Queer Politics of A Cappella: The Flirtations,” Matthew Jones, women’s studies. Part of the Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 12:20 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846, tlhat@uga.edu. Guest Lecture Sarah Fishburne, director of trend and design for Home Depot, will speak to the Trend Forecasting class. 12:20 p.m. 348 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-4884, eichelb@ uga.edu. Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability Speaker: Elizabeth Fretwell, Las Vegas city manager and UGA alumna. 2 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-6511, dbrazzel@uga.edu. (See story, page 1). Geography Colloquium “From Vulnerability, Resilience, Sustainability to Coupled Natural-Human Systems: A Geospatial Research Agenda,” Nina Lam, Louisiana State University. 3:15 p.m. 200C Geography and Geology. 706-542-2856. 90 Carlton: Autumn The Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art present a quarterly reception featuring the fall exhibitions. $5; free for Friends of the
The Georgia Museum of Art is presenting the exhibition The…of E6, part of Athens Celebrates Elephant Six through Jan. 4. The exhibition celebrates the visual art associated with the Elephant Six music collective that defined the 1990s indie and psychedelic rock scene in Athens. It will include album covers, show posters and representations of theatrical stage presences by bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System. Works of art inspired by Elephant Six also will be on display. The…of E6 is part of a citywide celebration that commemorates Elephant Six’s contributions to Athens through a seasonlong series of exhibitions, screenings and events. Other participating venues include ATHICA, the Lyndon House Arts Center, Glass Cube@Hotel Indigo, Ciné and the Oconee Campus of the University of North Georgia. “For many of us, the scene surrounding the collective defined Athens of the 1990s; not just the music, but the entire creative endeavor and its collaborative spirit,” said Lynn Boland, curator of the exhibition at the museum. “I would say it largely defined my formative years and it has been a great honor and undeniable pleasure to work on this exhibition. Also, ATHICA founder and director emerita Lizzie Zucker-Saltz deserves great praise for spearheading this effort throughout Athens.” —Jess Hennenfent
Boxers and Backbeats The Georgia Museum of Art will feature the exhibition Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene through Jan. 4. Organized by Lynn Boland, the Pierre Daura Curator of European Art at the museum, Boxers and Backbeats features a series of portraits of boxers and musicians painted by David Xavier Harrigan, also known as Tomata du Plenty (1948-2000), in the mid1990s as well as prints and zines from other artists including Gary Panter, Mark Vallen, Winston Smith and Raymond Pettibon to provide an authentic look at the influences of the early West Coast punk scene. Gordon W. Bailey, a collector, donated a number of works by du Plenty in honor of Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the members of the band R.E.M., which provided the impetus for the exhibition. Du Plenty helped build the Seattle punk scene in the early 1970s with the Ze Whiz Kidz counterculture drag theater group. He then helped form the acclaimed L.A. synth-punk art band the Screamers. Du Plenty began painting in 1982 after finding an old set of paints and brushes in an alley behind Hollywood Boulevard. His lack of formal training gave him an outsider status in the art world that he embraced. He claimed he would rather sell 100 paintings for $25 each than one picture for $2,500. Panter designed the Screamers logo, Vallen produced fanzines and album covers, Smith created designs for the Dead Kennedys of San Francisco and Raymond Pettibon designed the logo and other graphics for the L.A. groups Black Flag and the Minutemen. —Elizabeth Poland
‘Landscapes of the Hereafter’
The Circle Gallery at the College of Environment and Design will feature three historic Athens cemeteries—Old Athens Cemetery, Oconee Hill Cemetery and Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery—in a new exhibit. The exhibit, Landscapes of the Hereafter: Three Historic Cemeteries in Athens, Ga., will be on display Oct. 9 through Nov. 7. A free public opening reception will be held Oct. 9 from 4:30-6 p.m. In addition to photographs of these cemeteries, the exhibit also will examine the relationship between burial grounds and the disciplines of landscape architecture and historic preservation. Graduate students in the College of Environment and Design will be assisting curator Janine Duncan in creating the show. Duncan is the preservation planner for UGA’s Facilities Management Division. All three cemeteries featured are on the National Register of Historic Places and tell interesting stories about Athens’ past. This exhibit is underwritten with generous support from the Friends of Oconee Hill Cemetery. —Melissa Tufts
Georgia Museum of Art members. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, mlachow@uga.edu.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 Family Day: Art and Music Participants will learn how art and music intertwine by exploring the exhibitions Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene and The ... of E6, part of Athens Celebrates Elephant Six for inspiration. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, mlachow@uga.edu.
Faculty Recital Michael Heald, violin professor. The performance will feature pianist Peter Miyamoto as well as friends and faculty. 8 p.m. Ramsey Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13
School of law Dean Candidate Presentation Oct. 15. A presentation by Lonnie T. Brown Jr., holder of the A. Gus Cleveland Distinguished Chair of Legal Ethics and Professionalism and associate dean for academic affairs in the UGA School of Law. 12:30 p.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall.
School of law Dean Candidate Presentation A presentation by Michael J. Gerhardt, currently the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Center on Law and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. 12:30 p.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall. Athens Music Industry Panel Discussion Hosted by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. The panel, featuring music industry
To submit a listing for the master calendar and columns Post event information first to the Master Calendar website (calendar.uga.edu/). Listings for Columns are taken from the Master Calendar 12 days before the publication date. Events not posted by then may not be printed in Columns.
specialists David Barbe, Bertis Downs and Velena Vego, is sponsored by the school’s Music in the Real World course. 5 p.m. Edge Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu.
Any additional information about the event may be sent directly to Columns. Email is preferred (columns@uga.edu), but materials can be mailed to Columns, News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.
Coming Up
George S. Parthemos Lecture Oct. 15. “What Does a President’s Fourth Congress Look Like?,” David Mayhew, Yale University. 3:30 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-2057, jmaltese@uga.edu. (See story, page 2).
Next columns deadlines Oct. 8 (for Oct. 20 issue) Oct. 15 (for Oct. 27 issue) Oct. 22 (for Nov. 3 issue)
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Oct. 6, 2014 columns.uga.edu
Kim Coder, a professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, received the Award of Merit from the International Society of Arboriculture for his service and commitment to community forestry. The Award of Merit is the highest global award the organization confers to arborists and urban foresters. An internationally renowned tree health expert, Coder has been with the Warnell School since 1985. He has had a long career focusing on tree health and biology, community forestry, arboriculture, urban forest ecology and cultural and psychological connection to trees. He has been honored numerous times in the past three decades, receiving state, national and international recognition for his career-long dedication to the field of arboriculture. Brenda Cude, a professor of financial planning, housing and consumer economics in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, was appointed by the U.S. Treasury Department to the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. She is one of two consumer advocates on the comBrenda Cude mittee; the other 19 members are state regulators, insurance executives and an insurance professor. James “Jim” C. Smith, a faculty member in the School of Law, was named president-elect of the Association for Law, Property and Society. Smith’s term will run to 2015, and he will serve as president from 2015 to 2016. He most recently served as treasurer for the organization. James Smith The Association for Law, Property and Society is a membership organization for scholars doing interdisciplinary legal scholarship on all aspects of property law and policy, including real, personal, intellectual, intangible, cultural, personal and other forms of property. Next spring the association’s annual meeting will be held at the UGA School of Law. Matthew Lee Smith, an assistant professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health, was accepted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Health Behavior. He will be inducted at the organization’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in March. Fellow status is merit-based and awarded to AAHB members who have contributed significantly to the advancement of knowledge in health behavior, health education or health promotion through research. To be named an AAHB Fellow, a researcher must have published a minimum of 50 original data-based research papers in national or international journals. A Fellow also must have presented at least 75 scientific papers at professional meetings and received 25 research grants or a total of $1.5 million in grants as a principal investigator. Confirmation as a Fellow also requires a two-thirds majority vote by the AAHB board of directors. Librarian Tim Smolko won the Association for Recorded Sound Collections’ 2014 award for best historical research in recorded rock music. Smolko is the author of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play: Inside Two Long Songs, which explores the British progressive rock band’s concept albums. Started in 1991, the ARSC awards are presented to authors and publishers of books, articles, liner notes and monographs in recognition of outstanding published research in the field of recorded sound. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Andrew Davis Tucker
April Myers, a senior accountant in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, recently won bake-offs for her cakes. She also uses the treats to raise money for the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support.
Accountant bakes cakes to raise money to support cancer patients By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
April Myers’ recipe for life includes handfuls of commitment to her work at UGA, heaping support from family and friends and plenty of spoonfuls of sugar to sweeten a cause. Two years after the death of her father following a battle with cancer, Myers has tripled her fundraising efforts for the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support by using her passion for baking to support its efforts. The senior accountant in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Myers donates her time and the ingredients while seeking $25 donations for her “Cakes for a Cause.” Co-workers in New College love to taste test the recipes, from her fresh strawberry and peach cakes—which won awards at Jaemor Farms’ bake-offs earlier this year—to her most recent confectionery concoction, carrot cake. During the weekdays, Myers focuses on numbers, managing 74 state and foundation accounts, signing off on P-card purchases, processing check requests and handling payroll. She also posts open positions and manages the paperwork for new or departing
employees. Myers said her work has little to do with her hobby, although she does her fair share of number crunching when she splits recipes or makes other changes. Most of all, though, her work ethic and tenacity carry over to her baking and fundraising. “My goal is to help other people,” Myers said of both purposes in her life. “That’s what I like to do.” After joining UGA 12 years ago in the payroll department, Myers has worked her way up, teaching herself new skills and being flexible enough to work in multiple departments along the way. Joining the Provost’s Office two years ago, the Royston woman multitasks at work the same way she moves between baking layers and frosting in her kitchen. Careful to handle state and foundation funds properly, Myers knows the importance of fundraising. That is why she got involved in the organization that helped her father so much during his cancer battle. And she isn’t shy about seeking donations for the annual In Their Shoes Walk, a half-marathon scheduled for Oct. 25. “It’s a long way,” Myers said of the walk, which she prepares for by participating in training walks, riding her
Facts
April Myers Senior Accountant Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost At UGA: 12 years
bike, walking and working out at the Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities. “The point behind the halfmarathon walk is you are walking in a cancer patient’s shoes. It symbolizes the long road cancer patients must endure during their battle with cancer.” Myers thinks of her father while she walks and while she bakes—especially when she’s making his favorite, key lime cake. Myers raised more than $1,500 in her first two years participating in the event, but with the addition of her cakes this year, her donations have topped $3,600 as of last month. That isn’t counting the $1,200 in ingredients that she purchased on her own. “I don’t quit,” Myers said of her fundraising goal, although the phrase also could be said of her work at UGA. “I’ve made a lifelong, year-round commitment.”
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Nibbelink to head Center for Integrative Conservation Research; Heynen to take over as head of ICON program By Sandi Martin
smartin@warnell.uga.edu
UGA’s Center for Integrative Conservation Research has tapped Nate Nibbelink to lead its efforts to support innovative approaches to conservation and sustainability challenges. Nibbelink, an associate professor of spatial ecology and geographic information science in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has been on the center’s executive committee since 2009 and has been serving as the graduate coordinator for the Integrative Conservation doctoral program, known as ICON. Nibbelink succeeds Pete Brosius, who has been the director of the center since it was founded in 2007 to support and promote conservation research, bringing researchers from different
academic fields across UGA together, including the social and biological sciences. As director of the center, Nibbelink said he will focus on broadening faculty connections across campus and work to increase the amount of interdisciplinary research and instruction at UGA. “We hope to provide small grants to catalyze collaborations that are likely to bring new ideas and perspectives to bear on difficult conservation and sustainability problems,” said Nibbelink, whose current research investigates the influence of human development and climate change on animal movement and habitat use. Nik Heynen, a professor in the geography department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, will succeed Nibbelink as director and graduate coordinator of the ICON program,
which was established in 2011 by center-affiliated faculty members to attract the most competitive students to work with faculty on contemporary sustainability challenges. These challenges range from the effects of sea level rise on both species and coastal residents in Georgia to the trade-offs associated with the sustainability of grassland ecosystems and the livelihoods of Maasai people in Kenya. One of Heynen’s primary goals as the new ICON graduate coordinator will be to build a strong funding base and recruit exceptional doctoral students from the U.S. and abroad. Heynen’s research focuses on urban political ecology. Since 2010 he has been the director of the Coweeta Listening Project and actively involved in the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research Project.
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
‘Everyone matters’
columns.uga.edu Oct. 6, 2014
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PSO Georgia Sea Grant, UGA planning team wins award
New Recreational Sports director focuses on improving customer service
By Michele Nicole Johnson
By Matt Chambers
A Georgia Sea Grant and UGA planning team that guided the creation of the Tybee Island Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan has been given the National Sea Grant’s highest extension honor, the Superior Outreach Programming Award. The award recognizes superior leadership, teamwork and accomplishment by Sea Grant extension personnel engaged in an exceptional outreach program. It was presented to Georgia Sea Grant and its partners UGA Marine Extension, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the College of Environment and Design and the Lamar Dodd School of Art at a reception Sept. 11 during the annual Sea Grant Week national conference in Clearwater, Florida. “Throughout the development of the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan, stakeholders have been engaged through town hall meetings, Web postings and presentations at city council meetings, and the response has been both enthusiastic and encouraging,” said Jason Buelterman, the mayor of Tybee Island. “As residents of a barrier island on the front lines of sea level rise, we have all become more attuned to the reality of what is happening and the need to act quickly to protect our community for future generations.” The Tybee Island project was funded by NOAA’s National Sea Grant Program’s Coastal Communities Climate Adaptation Initiative grant, which helps enhance planning for climate adaptation in coastal communities. Although the project is ongoing, the work with Tybee Island already is serving as a model for other coastal communities throughout the South including St. Marys, Georgia; Hyde County, North Carolina; Monroe County, Florida; and the city of Islamorada, Florida. More than 3,000 people have been reached through this project, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, who visited Tybee during his Southeast Climate Road Trip and applauded Tybee Island’s efforts on the Senate floor.
mattdc@uga.edu
As Keith Wenrich was about to leave Gym West on the first floor of the Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities, he came across a lost first-year student who was looking for an elliptical machine to exercise on. Packed bags and car keys in tow, Wenrich decided to help the student by walking her up the stairs and across the building to ensure she got where she wanted to go. Positive customer service interactions like that are a big focus for Wenrich, who took over in July as director of the Department of Recreational Sports, which is part of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. “One of our visions is that everyone matters,” Wenrich said. “If we can provide great customer service, then anyone who comes here is going to tell their friends they had a good experience.” Providing good customer service, Wenrich says, is all about breaking down barriers and helping tone down the intimidation factor that comes from entering the 420,000-square-foot facility that contains five gymnasia, three swimming pools, three multipurpose rooms, a climbing wall, 10 racquetball courts, two international squash courts, a strength and conditioning room, a 1/8-mile jogging track, an outdoor equipment rental room, an outdoor resource center and more. “There’s this perception of these unwritten signs on the front door of Ramsey that say: ‘Only the fit are allowed,’” Wenrich said. “What I really want to do is break those signs down and try to get people to know we are for everyone; we want everyone to participate.” Wenrich already has put in place some initiatives to encourage participation and make the facility more welcoming. This semester, customer service representatives have been welcoming visitors with high-fives and working to make
weekly reader
Penn Center: A History Preserved By Orville Vernon Burton and Wilbur Cross University of Georgia Press $24.95
Courtney Rosen
Keith Wenrich, director of the Department of Recreational Sports, which is part of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, said that providing good customer service is all about breaking down barriers and helping tone down the intimidation factor of the Ramsey Student Center.
the Ramsey members feel more comfortable by doing things such as demonstrating proper technique for the biometric hand scanners in the facility’s lobby. Wenrich also has trained his staff to help anyone who looks lost or might need assistance. A new online sales system, Fusion, also has boosted service and access to the center, Wenrich said. Ramsey members now can sign up for classes or intramural sports online any time. “That’s what students want— they want to be able to look at their phone at 2 a.m. and sign up for intramurals or a class,” Wenrich said. The system, combined with some tablets, also allows for a more streamlined process for intramural rosters, accident reports and work orders. Fusion also will allow departmental staff to track participation rates, information that can be used to better tailor offerings.
Book tells story behind first school for former slaves The Gullah people of St. Helena Island still say that their people wanted to “catch the learning” after Northern abolitionists founded Penn School in 1862, less than six months after the Union army captured the South Carolina sea islands. In Penn Center: A History Preserved, Orville Vernon Burton and Wilbur Cross tell a broad story that ranges across the past 150 years to reacquaint readers with the far-reaching impact of a place where many daring and innovative social justice endeavors had their beginnings. Here is all of Penn Center’s rich past and present, as told through the experiences of its longtime Gullah inhabitants and countless visitors.
In an effort to better serve its members, more students have been added to the student advisory board, which hears ideas from the department and provides feedback about services and facilities. Wenrich also is working on small lunchtime meetings with some of his more than 500 student staff members. Recreational Sports has other changes in the pipeline, too. A new challenge course with a zipline will be opening in early spring. The lobby of the Ramsey Center will be getting a makeover in early summer, and the building will be getting some aesthetic updates over time. Wenrich also wants to work on raising money to provide scholarships to some of the student staff members in the “RamFam.” “I’ve met with people who graduated years ago, and they’re still talking about their experiences
working at the Ramsey Center,” he said. “We’re telling them now that they can help others do the same with things like book money, scholarships or even helping send them to a professional conference. I would love to be able to give back to student staff that way.” With all the changes, Wenrich is aiming to create excitement, smiles and memories among those on campus. “Some people think all we do is put balls out in the middle of a court, but we’re way more than that,” he said. “We take people on trips, and they’re building relationships. We provide experiences and challenges that people have never had before as well as management experience for our student staff. “The relationships and memories that are built here are things that will last and they’ll remember for 20 years,” he also said.
Cybersights
UGA mobile app launches on Android UGA launched its first official mobile app for Android last month. The app, which also was updated for iOS, includes a map of campus with the ability to select points of interest, such as computer labs, parking decks, bike repair stations and print kiosks. It features daily menus at UGA dining commons, recreational sports schedules, athletic scores, access to the university’s learning management system and more. The app can track campus buses, show 360-degree photos of each campus bus stop and a listing of buses scheduled to arrive. The same app features are available to mobile users on both Apple and Android phones. The app is available to download from Google Play for Android devices and the App Store for iOS devices.
michelej@uga.edu
ABOUT COLUMNS Columns is available to the campus community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (second-class delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format. Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu
Editor Juliett Dinkins Art Director Kris Barratt Photo Editor Paul Efland Senior Reporter Aaron Hale Reporter Matt Chambers The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia. I
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PORTRAIT from page 1
INITIATIVE from page 1 across traditional disciplinary lines to tackle society’s most pressing issues.” “Our new interdisciplinary faculty hires will play an important role in enhancing the impact of the university’s research and service, and they will provide our students with exciting new learning opportunities,” said Provost Pamela Whitten, who holds joint appointments in three departments in three different colleges at UGA. Whitten noted that the university’s growing complement of faculty who are at the forefront of research both within and across disciplines enables the institution to more effectively address large-scale challenges that require multifaceted solutions. The new interdisciplinary hires enhance the university’s ability to attract grant funding, as federal and private funding agencies increasingly have emphasized the value of interdisciplinary research in recent years. And the range of perspectives that interdisciplinary faculty provide also helps prepare students for success. Melissa Hallow, an assistant professor with a dual appointment in the College of Engineering and the College of Public Health, is one of the 12 new faculty hired through the initiative. She creates computer models that predict how diseases such as diabetes will respond to drug therapies and will teach engineering courses as well as public health courses in chronic disease epidemiology and clinical trail design. Over the long term, she hopes to develop new courses based on her expertise in pharmacometrics—the study of variation in how individuals respond to drugs and other compounds—and possibly a certificate program that would give students knowledge and experiences that are in high demand in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in public health. “UGA has a very diverse set of resources to draw from,” Hallow said. Like Hallow, Brian Jordan sees his work as an opportunity to create synergies between fields. Jordan holds a joint appointment in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College of Veterinary
Medicine, and he said that his interdisciplinary position enables him to bridge the gap between two very important aspects of poultry health—disease and management— that are often viewed separately. “I will be able to investigate how factors in both areas affect each other,” Jordan said, “leading to a more comprehensive understanding of poultry health.” Additional faculty hires to date through the Presidential Interdisciplinary Hiring Initiative are: • Dalia Abbas, sustainability science and renewable energy, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and Savannah River Ecology Lab. • Jill Anderson, molecular ecology and global change, Odum School of Ecology and genetics department, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. • Suzanne Birch, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, anthropology and geography, departments, Franklin College. • Heidi Ewen, housing for older adults, Institute of Gerontology, College of Public Health, and housing and consumer sciences department, College of Family and Consumer Sciences. • Courtney Murdock, emerging infectious diseases and vector ecology, pathology department, College of Veterinary Medicine and Odum School. • Scott Nesbit, digital humanities, College of Environment and Design and history department, Franklin College. • Peter O’Connell, classical rhetoric, classics and communication studies departments, Franklin College. • Shannon Quinn, biological imaging and brain mapping, computer science and cellular biology departments, Franklin College. • Elisabeth Sattler, multidisciplinary education, clinical and administrative pharmacy department, College of Pharmacy, and foods and nutrition, FACS. • Laura Zimmermann, international political economy, economics department, Terry College of Business, and international affairs, School of Public and International Affairs.
Bulletin Board Walk-in flu shot clinics
The University Health Center will hold walk-in clinics for flu vaccines Oct. 8, 15 and 22 from 4-6 p.m. The walk-in clinics are open to faculty and staff members (and their dependents older than 13) who have a valid UGA ID. Cost for the regular dose shot is $30; the high-dose shot for those older than 65 is $35. Appointments, which are recommended, can be made by calling the Allergy/Travel Clinic at 706-542-5575. More information is at https://www. uhs.uga.edu/healthtopics/influenza.html.
University Woman’s Club
The University Woman’s Club will meet Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Central Presbyterian Church, 380 Alps Road. Guest speaker for the meeting will be Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. As part of her discussion, “Today’s Students and Future Directions for UGA,” Whitten will talk about what social research has revealed about the a ttitudes and ambitions of Millenials (the generation born between 1981 and 2000) and how UGA is adapting to deliver a full educational experience that consistently exceeds student expectations.
Grant proposal deadline
The Center for Teaching and Learning announces a second round of
fiscal year 2015 Learning Technologies Grant funding opportunities. The CTL is seeking proposals designed to enhance teaching and learning at UGA. Projects must focus on the innovative use of technology to assist students in meeting the educational objectives of their academic programs and courses. For this round of funding, the maximum funding for an individual project is $10,000. The deadline for this second round of proposals is Oct. 24. Awards will be announced no later than Nov. 17. Funds, which must be spent by June 30, will be disbursed after selected projects are announced. Complete details, including proposal requirements and the submission process, are at http://www.ctl. uga.edu/ltg.
Dream Award nominations
Nominations are being accepted until Oct. 31 for the 2015 President’s Fulfilling the Dream Awards, which will be presented Jan. 23 at the 12th annual Freedom Breakfast. The event, sponsored by UGA, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and the Clarke County School District, commemorates the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Download the nomination packet at http://t.uga.edu/Vv. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
sites in Oxford, England; Cortona, Italy; and San Luis, Costa Rica. “UGA took huge strides under Dr. Adams, and his record of accomplishment speaks for itself,” said John Spalding, chairman of the UGA Foundation. Adams also was committed to historic preservation. The buildings on North Campus renovated and restored under his direction included Moore College, Old College,
New College, Candler Hall, Demosthenian Hall, Phi Kappa Hall and the Administration Building. “Mary and I care deeply about the future of this place,” Adams said in conclusion. “We wish all of you well who will carry on this great work. I truly believe that the future of this state and region is intricately intertwined with the health and leadership of this university.”
LECTURE from page 1 She received both her bachelor’s degree in 1989 and master’s in public administration in 1991 from UGA. “We are thrilled that our accomplished alumna Elizabeth Fretwell will deliver the Getzen Lecture this year,” said Stefanie Lindquist, dean of the School of Public and International Affairs. “She is a model leader in local government, having initiated innovative economic development programs in Las Vegas that have made a huge difference in a city particularly affected by the 2008 financial crisis. I guarantee her talk will be enlightening for anyone interested in learning about effective governance in an era otherwise
complicated by gridlock and polarization.” Co-hosted by the public administration and policy department, the lecture will be streamed live at www.ctl.uga.edu/eventstream. The Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability is made possible by UGA alumni Katherine Getzen Willoughby and Dan Hall Willoughby Jr. in honor of her parents, Evangeline Sferes Getzen and Forrest William Getzen, lifelong advocates of public service and education. Previous speakers include Adm. Than Allan, Sen. Johnny Isakson, Rep. Newt Gingrich and David Walker, former director of the Government Accountability Office.
SYMPOSIUM from page 1
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of disciplinary strengths represented by the SEC’s 14 member universities. This year’s symposium focused on “Prevention of Obesity: Overcoming a 21st Century Public Health Challenge.” University of Arkansas Chancellor David Gearhart, the current vice president of the SEC and the liaison to SECU, provided opening comments for the symposium and was on hand at the reception. He said he believes the opportunity to bring together many of the top minds from SEC institutions will have a major impact on finding solutions for important challenges facing the Southeast. “This symposium allows the universities to bring together some of the top researchers, some of the top minds, on the topic of obesity prevention to talk about these terrible problems facing the American public,” Gearhart said. “Our universities have some of the best researchers anywhere in the nation on this particular topic.” In addition to the presidents and chancellors, several SEC provosts also were on hand, including Joe Glover from the University of Florida, who was a part of the original SEC Academic Consortium (precursor to SECU) board of directors. Glover said the cross-disciplinary approach employed by the SEC Symposium in addressing a big-picture issue is one of the keys to its success. “If you look at any big problems that face us as a society, none of the big problems are going to be solved by an individual discipline,” Glover said. “They all require the contributions of faculty from many different disciplines. As a consequence, we all need to learn to work together and bring our individual talents to bear on different aspects of a problem.” Susan Martin, provost of the University of Tennessee, has seen firsthand the benefits that attending the symposium has had on faculty members and students from SEC institutions. “It’s been obvious to me through my interaction with our faculty and students—seeing them in action—that they have wonderful opportunities here for collaboration with other research practitioners,” Martin said. “There really is a wide range of people here. It’s a nice way to have a much richer discussion about the research that they are doing.” While the SEC is well known for the success of the athletics programs of its institutions, the SEC Symposium is another way to emphasize the academic strength of each university and the commitment the SEC has made to the overall success of each institution and its students. “I think everyone knows that the SEC leads the nation in the quality of its athletics programs, but we’ve also got an important story to tell about the quality of our academic programs,” Morehead said. “This symposium helps tell that story.”
Cook, associate provost and chief diversity officer. “Across our campuses, there are individuals at all levels working to ensure that UGA is a welcoming and inclusive place where everyone and anyone can be successful. This award shines the light on the richness of our diversity and the strength of our community.” UGA’s efforts include initiatives to recruit diverse students, faculty and staff and to improve graduation rates of underrepresented groups. In addition, the university offers numerous diversity-related events, curricular offerings and training and certificate programs for faculty and staff. “This national recognition highlights the successes that are possible when faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni work together with a shared sense of purpose,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. “It also serves as a reminder that the different perspectives, beliefs and backgrounds that members of the campus community bring to UGA help make it a world-class institution of higher education.” Efforts to improve graduation rates among UGA students from underrepresented groups include: • The Georgia African American Male Experience, a program designed to increase the enrollment of black males at UGA, which has helped the group achieve a graduation rate of 77 percent, a higher rate than many peer universities across the nation; • UGA Prep, a National Institutes of Healthfunded program for students from underrepresented backgrounds intended to equip students to become the next generation of biomedical researchers; • Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation that has helped increase enrollment of minority students in science, technology, engineering and math fields; and • BreakThru, a collaborative initiative with the Georgia Institute of Technology that works with students with learning disabilities to promote universal learning and accessibility to STEM-based degrees. In addition to diversity training for faculty and staff and a requirement that all students take a course that explores cultural diversity, the university offers the UGA Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program—which has reached about 650 faculty members and staffers in the past three years across three UGA campuses—as well as a lunchtime series called Dialogues in Diversity, which was created in 2012. The university also offers more than a dozen multicultural/diversity events each year for students, faculty and the community, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast, the International Street Festival, the Holmes-Hunter Lecture—which honors the first African-American students to enroll at UGA—and other special events.