Periodicals Postage is PAID in Athens, Georgia
Marketing & Communications University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602-1999
Assistant professor focuses research on environmental drivers of disease FACULTY PROFILE
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St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig to perform Nov. 16 in Hodgson Concert Hall
November 13, 2017
Vol. 45, No. 16
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Economic developer training helps state attract new industry Sonia Altizer
Marie-Claude Boudreau
Jody Clay-Warner
Mary Hondalus
Maria Len-Rios
By Christopher James chtjames@uga.edu
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories about UGA and economic development in rural Georgia.
Nancy Manley
Amanda Murdie
Emilie Smith
Shavannor Smith
Taking the lead
Nine faculty members named 2017-2018 Women’s Leadership Fellows By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Nine University of Georgia faculty members have been named to the 2017-2018 class of the university’s Women’s Leadership Fellows Program. Faculty members in the 20172018 cohort include representatives from eight schools and colleges. During the yearlong program, they will meet monthly to learn from senior administrators on campus as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields. The program, which was created in 2015 as part of the university’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, also features a concluding weekend retreat for more in-depth learning. “Developing a diverse and talented pipeline of people who
can excel in formal and informal leadership roles is vital to maintaining the university’s extraordinary upward trajectory,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “I am delighted to welcome the 2017-2018 class of Women’s Leadership Fellows into the program, and I know that they will make even greater contributions to the University of Georgia in the coming years.” The 2017-2018 Women’s Leadership Fellows are: • Sonia Altizer, UGA Athletic Association Professor of Ecology in the Odum School of Ecology. Altizer previously served as an associate dean in ecology and was recognized for her teaching and mentoring by the university and the Honors Program. Her research examines the relationships between infectious disease ecology, animal
behavior and global change. • Marie-Claude (Maric) Boudreau, associate professor and head of the management information systems department in the Terry College of Business. Boudreau’s research focuses on the role of information systems to support environmental sustainability, along with the impact of digitization on individual, group and organizational identity. • Jody Clay-Warner, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and head of the sociology department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Clay-Warner has received several awards for research, teaching and mentorship, including the Owens Creative Research Award. Her research examines responses to injustice. • Mary Hondalus, associate See FELLOWS on page 8
COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
It didn’t take long for Larry Brooks to connect the dots during one of his Georgia Certified Economic Developer classes. Brooks, executive director of the Walker County Development Authority, already was looking for a site to locate a new industry when he attended a financing course offered by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
In the class he learned he could use money from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to purchase land and develop it. Using the SPLOST money allowed Walker County to develop an industrial park, and as a result, Audia International, a plastics manufacturer, nearly doubled the size of the facility it planned for the county. “The program happened to be immediately applicable for what we were doing,” Brooks said. “Audia is now looking at putting up another building. That means new investments, new jobs, new
See TRAINING on page 8
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
USG chancellor, vet med dean will give fall Commencement addresses By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu
University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley will deliver the fall undergraduate Commencement address at the University of Georgia on Dec. 15 in Stegeman Coliseum. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the graduate ceremony to follow at 2:30 p.m. Dr. Lisa K. Nolan, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, will deliver the Commencement address at the graduate ceremony. “There are few—if any—who have done more to elevate public higher education in this state than Chancellor Wrigley,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “It will be a great honor to welcome him back to campus for
Steve Wrigley
Lisa Nolan
Commencement, and I know our graduating seniors will benefit tremendously from his remarks.” Samuel Peraza, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in public relations from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is the student speaker for the undergraduate ceremony. In addition, the university will give two posthumous degrees to Virginia Katelyn Chandler, a bachelor’s See COMMENCEMENT on page 8
PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH, COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
UGA Extension, Rural Georgia Healthy Housing University to hold 2018 Public Health Leadership Academy Advisory Board receive national recognition By Christina Conner
christina.conner25@uga.edu
A team of University of Georgia family and consumer sciences experts has earned a national award for its efforts to create healthier and safer environments for children, both at home and in day care settings. UGA Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agents Keishon Thomas and Mitzi Parker and Extension Housing Specialist Pamela Turner were honored Oct. 19 at the 2017 National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences annual
session in Omaha, Nebraska. They received the National and Southern Region Environmental Education Award for their work with the Rural Georgia Healthy Housing Advisory Board. The award recognizes NEAFCS members for outstanding educational programs conducted for families and/or communities on various environmental issues concerning water quality, air quality, recycling and natural resource conservation. “Rural Georgia Healthy Housing Advisory Board members focus on improving knowledge about how to make changes to the indoor environment that
improve health,” said Turner, who is also an associate professor in the financial planning, housing and consumer economics department in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Extension agents provide programs for child care providers and parents on reducing asthma triggers and poisoning hazards. This has led to action steps that result in healthier and safer environments for children.” Amer ican s spen d about 90 percent of their time indoors, and almost 70 percent of their time in a home, according to the National Human Activity Pattern See EXTENSION on page 8
The University of Georgia is helping to build healthier, stronger communities statewide through a program that combines education with leadership development. The UGA College of Public Health and the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development announced the 2018 Public Health Leadership Academy during the recent annual State of Public Health Conference at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. Starting in February 2018 and continuing through the fall, participants will complete leadership training and experiential learning projects, conduct discussions with national public health leaders and
experts and network with peers to enhance their roles in a collective approach to improving health outcomes in their communities. Georgia Power is providing support for the academy. “Creating a culture of health in Georgia’s communities will require collaboration from community stakeholders and public health professionals alike,” Fanning Institute Director Matt Bishop said. “This academy will build a diverse network of individuals who will both learn about complex public health issues and develop the leadership capacity to work collaboratively to transform the health of their communities.”
See ACADEMY on page 8