UGA Columns April 3, 2017

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New study tests potential treatment to combat Gulf War illness in veterans RESEARCH NEWS

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University Theatre presents Shakespeare’s play ‘Titus Andronicus’ April 6-15 Vol. 44, No. 31

April 3, 2017

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UGA GUIDE

4&5

UGA priorities in budget passed by General Assembly

By Toby Carr carr@uga.edu

Andrew Davis Tucker

The Commit to Georgia Campaign already is making a positive difference in the lives of UGA students, especially through additional scholarship support.

‘Surging momentum’

Commit to Georgia Campaign off to strong start

By Katie DeGenova kdgen@uga.edu

In the year the public phase of the Commit to Georgia Campaign was announced, the University of Georgia is on course to set yet another new record in annual fundraising, breaking last year’s historic total of $183.8 million by a significant margin. This achievement would mark the fourth consecutive year that a new record has been established.

“Our alumni and friends have rallied behind this ambitious campaign to support the university at unprecedented levels,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “While much hard work remains in the final three months of the fiscal year and in the years ahead, I am pleased with the surging momentum driving the campaign forward.

Typically, the year the public phase is announced is the peak year, and

we are excited to be on track in that regard.”

Morehead noted that the campaign already is making a positive difference in the lives of UGA students, especially through additional scholarship support. Donors have responded enthusiastically to the new Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program, through which the UGA Foundation will match any gift to the university in the amount of $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000 to endow a need-based scholarship.

Nearly 70 new need-based scholarships already have been established since the program was unveiled during the annual State of the University Address just over two months ago, and more than 40 of these scholarships already have been awarded for the fall 2017 semester to admitted students with unmet financial need. For the recipients, a scholarship may remove

significant financial barriers and make it possible to choose UGA over another institution.

UGA sophomore and scholarship recipient Connie Hauser knows firsthand the transformational impact scholarships can make on students.

“The scholarship I have received over the past two years has made me realize that all of my hard work was not for nothing,” said Hauser. “It really made me feel that somebody believed in me and knew that I had the potential to do great things.”

The Commit to Georgia Campaign also is helping students to participate in high-impact learning experiences that align with their academic goals and career aspirations. Alumni and friends have established an endowed scholarship fund to support the university’s new experiential learning See CAMPAIGN on page 8

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Key UGA priorities were included in the FY18 budget proposal approved by the Georgia General Assembly.

The proposed budget includes a 2 percent merit-based pay increase for state employees, which would allow the university to establish a pool for salary increases for faculty and staff for the fourth consecutive year.

The budget proposal also includes $18 million for the construction of Phase III of the Business Learning Community.

The third and final phase of the BLC will include modern classrooms and other learning spaces designed to deliver the highest quality business education and promote collaboration among faculty and students. The proposed state funds would be matched by $21 million in private support, bringing the total cost of all three phases of the BLC project to a nearly 50-50 match between state and private support.

In addition, the General Assembly proposal included $4.6 million to support the planning and design of an

See BUDGET on page 8

GRADUATE SCHOOL, GAPS, OID

Former US surgeon general will give Mary Frances Early Lecture

By Kristen Cameron kcam@uga.edu

Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, the 15th U.S. surgeon general and the first African-American woman to hold that post, will deliver the 17th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture April 5 at 3 p.m. in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium at the Georgia Museum of Art. She will speak on “Bridging the Gap in Higher Education.”

The event is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow.

Nominated as surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service by President Bill Clinton in July 1993, Elders was sworn in Sept. 8, 1993. During the Senate confirmation hearings, Elders stated, “I want to change the way we think about health by putting prevention first. I want to be the voice

and vision of the poor and powerless. I want to change concern about social problems that affect health into commitment.

And I would Joycelyn Elders like to make every child born in America a wanted child.”

Elders is currently a Distinguished Professor of Public Health in the University of Arkansas School of Public Health and a Distinguished Professor in the Clinton School of Public Policy.

After graduation in 1960 from the University of Arkansas Medical School, which she attended on the G.I. Bill, Elders interned See LECTURE on page 8

GRADUATE SCHOOL

$1.5 million gift will enhance university’s Students, alumni offered record proactive alcohol education at Fontaine Center number of NSF grad fellowships

By Stan Jackson ugastan@uga.edu

UGA will enhance its alcohol education and prevention programs thanks to a $1.5 million gift from Jack and Nancy Fontaine of Houston, Texas. The donation is their latest in nearly $6 million of support to the Fontaine Center for alcohol awareness and education since the center’s establishment 11 years ago.

This gift will allow the Fontaine Center to increase the capacity of its Collegiate Recovery Community, as well as expand its proactive educational programming both on

campus and throughout the state.

Jack Fontaine notes that the center has come a long way in its first decade, in both quantity and quality of service.

“When we first started, we had a few counselors and two to three weeks’ wait time,” he said. “We were reactionary, and now we’ve grown to be proactive.”

Following an expansion of the University Health Center building in 2009 the Fontaine Center gained prominent and additional space and has grown to better meet the needs of UGA’s students.

Liz Prince, who has served as director of the Fontaine Center

since 2012, described the Fontaine’s Center’s growth from assisting with individual cases of alcohol abuse to its current comprehensive programming that covers other drugs like marijuana and prescription drugs, as well as issues of interpersonal violence and sexual assault response.

“We’re able to address things that really impact students where there’s an intersection between alcohol and drugs and violence,” she said.

Now the center offers a “spectrum of services,” including prevention, early intervention and recovery support. They are also able to put See GIFT on page 8

By Kristina Griffith

kristina.griffith17@uga.edu

A record number of University of Georgia students and alumni have been awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships this year.

Twenty UGA students and alumni were among the 2,000 fellows selected from over 13,000 applicants nationwide for the 2017 competition. NSF Graduate Research Fellowships recognize and support outstanding graduate students in STEM-science, technology, engineering and mathematics-disciplines. Fellows

benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.

“The University of Georgia continues to raise the bar for excellence in the STEM disciplines,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I am proud of these 20 outstanding students and alumni whose research will help to

See FELLOWSHIPS on page 8

2 April 3, 2017 columns.uga.edu NYU encourages students to graduate faster to offset rising attendance costs

Around academe

New York University is tackling its escalating attendance costs by encouraging students to graduate in less than four years, according to a recent New York Times article.

One in five NYU students already graduate in less time than it normally takes to earn a traditional undergraduate degree. One year at the university can cost upwards of $65,000, including tuition, fees, and room and board.

Harvard Law to allow GRE scores for admission in lieu of traditional LSAT

In an effort to lessen the financial burden of applying to different graduate programs, Harvard Law School will begin accepting Graduate Record Examination scores in addition to the traditional LSAT scores in fall 2017, according to a news release issued by Harvard Law Today.

The GRE is accepted at many graduate institutions and is offered more frequently throughout the year than the LSAT, which is specific to law schools. The university’s decision is in keeping with a recent Harvard Law School study that found the GRE accurately predicted first-year law students’ grades to the same level as the LSAT.

USC on track to raise $6 billion

The University of Southern California, which launched a campaign in 2011 to raise $6 billion, is on track to reach and possibly surpass that goal by the deadline of 2018, according to an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

USC plans to extend the campaign, which has received donations from more than 322,000 donors, the majority of whom are not alumni.

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INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

McBee lecturer discusses growing disparities among four-year colleges

By Sharron Hannon shannon@uga.edu

Charles Clotfelter has been examining data on America’s four-year colleges, both public and private, throughout the course of his academic career, producing books like Big Time Sports in American Universities and After Brown: The Rise and Retreat of School Desegregation.

His most recent project—the subject of a forthcoming book as well as the annual McBee Lecture he delivered on campus March 17—is “Unequal Colleges in the Age of Disparity.”

Clotfelter, the Z. Smith Reynolds Professor of Public Policy Studies and professor of economics and law at Duke University, has been studying “the market for baccalaureate degrees.” The ultimate product—the degree—differs substantially across colleges and universities, he said, for two reasons: first, because institutions are not all trying to do the same thing, and second, because of their “unequal capacities for excellence.”

Indeed, Clotfelter’s analysis suggests that the gap between institutions with the most resources and those with the least has widened over the past 40 years.

“Colleges were and are unequal,” he said, “and these disparities have grown deeper.”

He notes that endowments at the most selective public and private institutions have increased significantly, while other institutions have mostly lost ground—producing a staggering difference in net assets per student.

Schools with the most resources tend to be the most attractive to students and families and can continue to be

Chad Osburn

Charles Clotfelter, right, delivered the McBee Lecture, named for Louise McBee, center.

Libby Morris, left, IHE director, introduced McBee at the event.

the most selective, thus perpetuating the cycle.

These market inequities have farreaching social and economic impacts, Clotfelter argued, noting that “socioeconomic class bias is a persistent aspect of who goes to college and who graduates.” Children of parents with financial means are better prepared for college by virtue of having taken SAT prep courses and having been steered to AP classes and high school experiences that are attractive on admissions applications, he said. Among other contributing factors helping maintain this economic stratification are admissions practices that favor children of alumni and increases in merit scholarships not based on need.

Conversely, Clotfelter noted, eliminating legacy as a factor in admissions, restructuring financial aid to put more emphasis on need and making a special

DIVISION OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

effort to recruit bright students from underserved areas can reduce economic stratification.

“Institutions have the potential to creatively rethink what they’re doing,” he said.

The McBee Lecture Series was launched in 1989 under the auspices of the Institute of Higher Education and honors Louise McBee, who held leadership positions for more than 25 years at the University of Georgia before serving for more than a decade as a champion for higher education in the Georgia General Assembly.

McBee attended the lecture and was introduced by IHE director Libby Morris as “a role model for us all and a bellwether for equity and inclusion.”

A video archive of Clotfelter’s talk and other lectures from the past several years can be found on the IHE website (ihe.uga.edu).

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

WUGA 91.7 celebrates Nominations being accepted for 2017 New 30 years on the air Faculty Tour of Georgia

By Jim Lichtenwalter james.lichenwal25@uga.edu

This fall, WUGA 91.7 officially will celebrate 30 years of being on the air. The NPR-affiliated station first went live on the morning of Aug. 28, 1987, and has been serving the Athens community ever since, offering both national and local programming.

“There is no other radio station in this area that provides the kind of content that this station does,” said Jimmy Sanders, WUGA 91.7’s general manager.

“The community values this radio station and recognizes how unique it is.”

Beginning this spring, several events are planned to commemorate the radio station’s 30th anniversary.

On April 7, WUGA 91.7 will host the national radio show eTown and record an episode at the Georgia Theater.

Hosted by Nick and Helen Forster, eTown is broadcast across the U.S. and features live musical performances interspersed with interviews and conversations with the musicians.

This special recording session will feature the popular blues-rock musician JJ Grey and the Georgia-based folk band Cicada Rhythm. During the recording, any mistakes or missteps will be re-recorded and edited out of the final product. Once finished, the episode will be broadcast to more than 300 radio stations across the country.

Other events include an open house on Aug. 24 at the radio station, which is located in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. On Aug. 28, the day the station first went live, there will be an anniversary gala featuring Steve Inskeep, the host of Morning Edition on NPR. Later in the fall, WUGA 91.7 will co-host the annual Athens Jazz Festival.

Tickets for the eTown show are $28 and $50 (VIP). They are available at georgiatheater.com. The taping will begin at 7 p.m. Stay tuned to WUGA 91.7 for more details.

Academic and outreach faculty members who have been at UGA fewer than two years are invited to kick off the fall semester with a five-day trip around Georgia learning about its history, culture, people and economic drivers.

The 2017 tour, Aug. 7-11, will visit 14 cities, passing through 43 counties. Highlights will include stops at the Georgia Capitol and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta; historic Senoia, where The Walking Dead is filmed; the Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center on the UGA Griffin campus; the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth; Skidaway Island, historic Wormsloe, Gulfstream Aerospace and the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah; and Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega.

The primary goal of the tour is to help new UGA faculty members better understand the geography, demographics and diversity of the state. However, the tour also allows faculty to network and develop professional relationships with peers across campus. New faculty will become familiar with UGA’s land-grant mission and will be able to better identify research and instructional opportunities related to Georgia.

The New Faculty Tour is coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and is made possible by major support from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.Additional sponsors include the UGA Alumni Association, the UGA Foundation and a multitude of other units and supporters of UGA. Participants must be nominated by department heads and deans by May 1. More information and nomination forms are available at http://outreach.uga.edu/programs/ new-faculty-tour-nominations/.

Selected faculty members will hear back by the first of June and will be asked to provide personal and academic information for inclusion in a booklet that will be distributed to everyone on the tour. Those not selected will be placed on a standby list and called should anyone drop out.

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu April 3, 2017

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Digest Inaugural Acropolis: Athens’ Innovation Festival taking place during month of April

Amy Ware

Nick Filipov, an associate professor in the physiology and pharmacology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is testing a potential treatment for Gulf War illness.

Fighting back

New study tests potential treatment to combat Gulf War illness

By Elizabeth Fite ecfite@uga.edu

An estimated 25 percent of the 700,000 troops who engaged in the fierce battles of Operation Desert Storm and related Gulf War combat during 1990-91 are fighting a different, but relentless foe: Gulf War illness.

“Substantial cognitive, learning and motor deficits are among the most profound and debilitating effects of Gulf War illness,” said Nick Filipov, an associate professor in the physiology and pharmacology department in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Other symptoms include extensive pain, headache, fatigue, breathing problems, gastrointestinal issues and skin abnormalities.

While there is some debate on the causes of Gulf War illness, research indicates that soldiers participating in the war experienced unprecedented exposures to pesticides, nerve-agents and other chemicals, which combined with the stresses of war, are likely to blame for the illness.

But, said Filipov, “The most pressing issue is that veterans with Gulf War illness are growing older, so the

cognitive symptoms will be amplified as age takes a toll on the brain.”

Now, funded by a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Filipov and colleagues are testing a potential treatment that may allow these veterans to fight back.

“A major research interest of mine is how the brain and the immune system function and malfunction in health and disease,” said Filipov, who also studies Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases with ties to environmental contaminants. “There’s increasing evidence that the immune system is dysfunctional in the veterans with Gulf War illness, and perhaps neuroinflammation plays an important part in the manifestations of the disease.”

Other members of the research team include John Wagner, a professor in the physiology and pharmacology department, and Don Harn, a professor in the infectious diseases department.

The researchers will administer a novel sugar-based molecule developed

by Harn to mice with exposures similar to those of veterans with Gulf War illness. This molecule, which is likely safe because it’s found in human milk, already has been tested in a disease model

for multiple sclerosis. The investigators expect to reduce or improve Gulf War illness-associated cognitive decline by restoring the immune system’s function and mitigating inflammation in the brain.

The study will look at two established models of Gulf War illness: one that involves timed exposures to a pesticide and the anti-nerve gas medication given to Gulf troops, and a second model that incorporates exposure to a nerve gas surrogate, the chemical insect repellent DEET, and stress, in addition to the same exposures as the first group. The researchers will analyze the exposures’ immediate effects and administer treatment several months after all exposures have ended.

“Just as Gulf War veterans are being treated for their illness years after they were exposed to chemicals during the war, the mice in our study will experience a delay before they are treated,” Filipov said.

The researchers will assess the treatment’s effectiveness in improving brain function and restoring the immune system through behavioral, cellular and molecular testing. Results are expected in approximately two years.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATE RESEARCH CENTER

UGA scientists study how plants decipher complex, molecular messages for recognizing good bacteria

By Elizabeth Fite ecfite@uga.edu

Bacteria can be a plant’s friend or foe and recognizing the difference is essential for survival. But while plants are able to decipher complex, molecular messages, University of Georgia scientists are working with international collaborators to understand how.

The team from UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center Analytical Services; the University of Otago, New Zealand; Aarhus University, Denmark; and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark published findings in 2015 in the journal Nature.

They studied how legumes, a family of plants that includes soybeans, alfalfa and peas, recognize rhizobia, friendly bacteria that live in the soil. The plant allows these bacteria to enter through its roots, forming a symbiotic relationship that helps convert atmospheric

nitrogen into ammonia, which facilitates growth.

The team found a protein receptor for an exopolysaccharide that is secreted by the bacteria and allows the plant and bacteria to communicate by exchanging chemical signals. Now the researchers have identified the structure of that important exopolysaccharide, and they published their findings this past fall in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“Understanding the molecular details of how plants and microbes recognize each other will help us understand the very complex defense mechanism of plants, which will lead to methods to improve the health—and therefore the yield—of important crop plants,” said Russell Carlson, emeritus professor of

biochemistry and molecular biology at the CCRC and one of the paper’s authors.

A photo of the e­ xopolysaccharide, taken by the CCRC’s Stefan E ­ berhard, Artur Muszynski and co-author ­Christian T. Hjuler, is featured on the cover of the journal.

“Now having defined the structure, we can look closer at the unique building blocks and the roles they play in microbe-plant molecular cross-talk,” said Muszynski, an associate research scientist at the CCRC and lead author of the recent structural study.

This work was conducted through the Center for Plant and Microbial Complex Carbohydrates and the ­Analytical Service and Training Laboratory at the CCRC and The Centre for ­Carbohydrate Recognition and Signalling at Aarhus University in Denmark, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Danish National Research Foundation.

Acropolis: Athens’ Innovation Festival, a monthlong celebration of energetic creators and forwardthinkers in the Athens community, is now underway.

The festival is an initiative of the Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department, which is joined by representatives from local government, small businesses, academics, startups, educators and more in organizing events throughout April to celebrate the innovative Athenian spirit.

UGA faculty, staff and students who serve on the Acropolis 2017 planning committee include David Sutherland of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program; Michele Horn, director of brand strategy in the Division of Marketing & Communications; Bob Pinckney, director of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program; Maddie Larson with the UGA Entrepreneurship Program; Matt Miller, president of UGA’s Society of Entrepreneurs; Jared Bybee, director of Thinc. UGA; Tyler Duggins, a program coordinator for UGA’s Innovation Gateway; and Stefan Schulze, associate director of UGA’s Innovation Gateway.

Scheduled events include a 10-year anniversary celebration at the Athens Farmers Market on April 5, two TED-style talks co-hosted by Georgia Bio and UGA’s Innovation Gateway at the Southern Brewing Company on April 11, UGA’s Next Top Entrepreneur at Hotel Indigo’s Rialto Room on April 12, UGA’s Idea Accelerator Demo Day on April 13, Terry College Young Alumni Board Entrepreneurship Panel on April 12, the Grady College’s Entrepreneurial Journalism Symposium on April 12, Athens Science Cafe and the AFM at Creature Comforts on April 12, and the second installment of My Athens’ Go Getters breakfast lecture series. A detailed list of events is at http://www.athensacropol.is.

Plans moving forward on Baldwin Hall site research; faculty ideas encouraged

As a follow-up to last week’s announcement, the University of Georgia is moving forward with plans to facilitate additional research to learn more about the individuals whose gravesites were discovered during the construction of the Baldwin Hall expansion.

This next phase of research is being coordinated by UGA’s Vice President for Research David Lee with the goal of better understanding the lives of the individuals and how they came to be buried at the Baldwin Hall site. Faculty members with ideas for research are encouraged to contact Lee at 706-542-5969 or dclee@uga.edu

UGA will host a two-day international conference on multicultural migrant fictions

A State-of-the-Art conference on multicultural migrant fictions will be held April 10-11 in Room 227 of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Open free to the public, the international conference specifically deals with Italian-, Jewish- and Indian-American immigrant literatures. It focuses on how this literature represents these various immigrant populations and on how these ethnic groups have been commodified and marketed in American culture.

Featured speakers include Marina Camboni, Valerio De Angelis and Tatiana Petrovitch Njegosh from the University of Macerata in Italy; Paolo Simonetti of Sapienza University of Rome; Marta Skwara of the University of Szczecin in Poland; Harish Trivedi from the University of Delhi in India; Deepika Bahri of Emory University; Mary Jo Bono of the State University of New York, Stony Brook; and Fred Gardaphe of the City University of New York.

UGA speakers include Doris Kadish, Distinguished Research Professor Emerita of Romance languages and women’s studies; David Schiller, associate professor emeritus in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music; Marjanne Gooze, associate professor of Germanic and Slavic studies; Dorothy Figueira, Distinguished Research Professor of Comparative Literature; and John Lowe, the Barbara Methvin Professor of English.

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 Division of Marketing & Communications. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.

For a complete listing of events at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the web (calendar.uga.edu/­).

The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified.

Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.

UGAGUIDE

EXHIBITIONS

To Spin a Yarn: Distaffs, Folk Art and Material Culture.

Through April 16. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Advanced and Irascible. Through April 30. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Expanding Tradition: Selections from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection. Through May 7. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Equality Under the Law: History of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Through May 12. ­Hargrett Library Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Necessary Words & Images: 70 Years of The Georgia Review.

Through May 12. ­Hargrett Library Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Michael Ellison: Urban Impressions. Through May 21. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu A Championship Tradition: The NCAA Tennis Tournament in Athens. Through May 30. Rotunda, special collections libraries.

706-542-5788. hasty@uga.edu On the Stump—What Does it Take to Get Elected in Georgia?

Through Aug. 18. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu

MONDAY, APRIL 3

STUDY ABROAD ALUMNI SPEAKER In a Q&A and lecture format, Michelle Blue will talk about how her study abroad in Ghana influenced her to co-found Bene Scarves. 7 p.m. 213 Miller Learning Center. 908-229-8679. eab55766@uga.edu

TUESDAY, APRIL 4 WORKSHOP “Best Practices in Analyzing and Displaying Qualitative Data” will describe the process of organizing and extracting findings from qualitative data, giving participants tools to tackle their own projects. 2 p.m. N6 Instructional Plaza. lcoco@uga.edu TUESDAY TOUR AT TWO Guided tour of the exhibit galleries of the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Participants should meet in the rotunda on the second floor of the special collections libraries. 2 p.m. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Trait-based Demography: Linking Individuals, Populations and Communities in Varying Environments,” Stephen Ellner, Cornell University. Reception follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu CONCERT The Hodgson Wind Ensemble performs its final recital of the 2016-2017 season with works from Hodgson School alum Cody Brookshire, Hodgson School Assistant Professor of Composition Peter Lane, Ron Nelson, Augusta Read Thomas, Mike Titlebaum and Michael Torke in a concert titled “All That Jazz.” Tickets are available at pac.uga.edu or the PAC box office. $12; $6 with a UGA student ID. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall.

706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform an allRachmaninoff concert April 9 at 3:30 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to perform all-Rachmaninoff program April 9

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra April 9 at 3:30 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Joseph Young will conduct an all-Rachmaninoff program that includes Vocalise and Symphonic Dances. Guest pianist Stephen Hough will join the orchestra for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Young is currently the assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. His numerous conducting engagements have included the Colorado Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Germany’s Bamberger Symphoniker, Portugal’s Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto Casa da Musica and the Orquesta Sinfonica y Coro de RTVE in Madrid. He returns to Hodgson Concert Hall where he conducted the Atlanta Symphony’s popular New Year’s Eve concert.

Hough is not only a distinguished pianist but also an accomplished writer and composer. In 2001, he was the first classical artist to receive a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and in 2013, he was named a Commander of the British Empire.

He regularly writes for The Guardian, The Times, Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, and he recently completed his first novel, The Final Retreat.

Hough’s international appearances this season include recitals in Sweden, the U.K. and Mexico and performances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Sao Paulo Symphony.

He has recorded more than 50 albums for the Hyperion label.

Tickets for the concert are $62 to $72 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student.

A pre-concert lecture will be given by Ken Meltzer, author of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s program notes and host of the weekly radio show Meet the Classics on Atlanta’s AM-1690. The lecture begins at 2:45 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

MARY FRANCES EARLY LECTURE “Bridging the Gap in Higher Education,” Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former surgeon general of the U.S. Part of the Signature Lecture series. Sponsored by the Graduate School, Graduate and Professional Scholars and the Office of Institutional Diversity. 3 p.m.

M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. (See story, page 1.)

HUGH HODGSON FACULTY SERIES CONCERT The UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s Reid Messich, assistant professor of oboe, will conclude the Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series. $12; $6 with UGA student ID. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

THURSDAY, APRIL 6 LECTURE Jay Wiggins, Glynn County emergency manager, will give a lecture titled “Hurricane Matthew: Responding to an Emergency” about the preparation, response and recovery to the hurricane, including what was done well and lessons learned for future emergencies. This is an Academic Professional Security Series Lecture. 10 a.m. 137 Tate Student Center. 706-542-5845. jmnewton@uga.edu THE BTE EXPERIENCE: A CELEBRATION OF DIVERSITY Opening night of The BTE Experience: A Celebration of Diversity, a three-day festival that will be a showcase of multiple different organizations and performers across campus in celebration of the arts. $5, one night/student; $8, one night/nonstudent; $12, festival price (all three nights)/student; $20, festival price (all three nights)/nonstudent. 7 p.m. Festival runs at 7 p.m. April 7-9 and 3:30 p.m. April 9. Morton Theatre, 195 W. Washington St. 770-366-6610. bte@uga.edu

FRIDAY, APRIL 7 WOMEN’S GOLF LIZ MURPHEY COLLEGIATE CLASSIC Through April 9. UGA Golf Course. 706-542-1621.

IPBGG-GSA PLANT SALE Fundraising event for the IPBGG GSA. Students and greenhouse technicians work together to order, grow and sell vegetable plants to the local community. $2.50 per plant. Buy five plants, get one free. 9 a.m. D.W. Brooks Mall. ugapbgg@gmail.com FRIENDS FIRST FRIDAY: SPRING PLANT SALE Shelly Prescott, director of horticulture, will share information about special plants that will be available for purchase at the garden’s spring plant sale. $12. 9 a.m. Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6138. lpbryant@uga.edu INSECT ZOO OPEN HOUSE The Bug Dawgs and the UGA entomology department will host the 31st annual Insect Zoo Open House. 10 a.m. Miller Plant Sciences lawn. entomolo@uga.edu UGA RELAY FOR LIFE 7 p.m. Intramural Fields.

CONCERT The UGA African American Choral Ensemble will perform.

8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

SATURDAY, APRIL 8 PLANTAPALOOZA 8 a.m. State Botanical Garden, Trial Gardens. trial-gardens@uga.edu (See photo, right.)

Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available at calendar.uga.edu/.

columns.uga.edu April 3, 2017

4&5

University Theatre takes revenge in next staging

By Scout Storey

hobbit87@uga.edu

The University Theatre will present Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare, directed by Ray Paolino. Performances will be held in the Fine Arts Theatre April 6-8 and 12-14 at 8 p.m. and April 15 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and can be purchased at drama.uga.edu/box-office, by phone at 706-542-4400 or in person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Center box office.

Shakespeare’s most violent play, Titus Andronicus enacts a downward spiral of vengeance, spilling a cascade of blood from the first scene to its gory end sprinkled with startlingly outrageous humor along the way. When Rome’s great general Titus (MFA acting candidate John Terry) returns from a lifetime of war against the Goths, he hopes for a comfortable retirement. However, Tamora (MFA acting candidate Taylor Wood), former Queen of Goths, swears vengeance and destruction upon the entire family of her old enemy.

Madness ensues, figuratively and literally, along with evil plots including bloody murder and worse.

“It’s Shakespeare’s Game of Thrones,” said David Saltz, head of the theatre and film studies department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s appalling, riveting and wickedly fun to watch. And, of course, in Shakespearean tragedy, like in the Game of Thrones, ‘you win or you die’—and there can only be one winner.”

“I want it to reflect what’s happening in the world today,” said director and associate professor Paolino.

“We’re talking about honor killings, and those are fairly contemporary in certain parts of the world.

We’re talking about genocide; that’s been going on for centuries and continues. There’s an animosity with the fear of the ‘other’ that’s always under the surface, even now. So it’s an important part of our lives, even though we’d like to feel like we’re civilized.”

However, Paolino emphasizes that the story is not all blood and vengeance; it is also the story of a

Shakespeare’s most violent play, Titus Andronicus enacts a downward spiral of vengeance, spilling a cascade of blood from the first scene to its gory end sprinkled with startlingly outrageous humor along the way.

family who, through loss, learns the preciousness of the bonds they share.

“As the play goes on, Titus goes from a warrior who’s facing retirement, yet still relies upon his power to control his family and others around him, to a caring grandfather who appreciates what he has around him. That’s something that strikes me as a grandfather and a parent,” he said.

In the staging, Paolino endeavors to connect

directly with the audience, as possible only through the live relationship between actor and audience. He points out that Shakespeare’s actors could see and personally interact with their audience.

“I want to encourage that direct communication,” he said. “I’m not interested in this illusion of a fictional world of characters that we’re seeing behind a veil and can’t let them know that we’re watching them.”

BASEBALL UGA and Missouri will conclude their SEC baseball series with the first public event at SunTrust Park, the new 41,000-seat home of the Atlanta Braves, to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. $15. 1:30 p.m. SunTrust Park, Atlanta. 706-542-1231.

SUNDAY, APRIL 9 CONCERT Joseph Young conducts an all-Rachmaninoff concert with pianist Stephen Hough as soloist in the Piano Concerto No. 1.

The program also includes Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise and the Symphonic Dances. $62-$72; $6 with UGA student ID. 3 p.m.

Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu (See story, left.)

MONDAY, APRIL 10 MULTICULTURAL MIGRANT FICTIONS CONFERENCE Through April 11. This conference seeks to bring together international and U.S. scholars working in the field of multiculturalism, especially the immigrant narratives of Italian-, Jewish- and Indian-American literatures. 277 special collections libraries.

706-542-2748. figueira@uga.edu (See Digest, page 3.)

WORKSHOP “Launching a Successful FYO Seminar” will examine UGA’s First-Year Odyssey’s program goals as well as best practices in how to design and structure a successful FYO course.

Faculty will leave with practical assignments and goals for the first weeks of their FYO seminar and beyond. 9:30 a.m.

N6 Instructional Plaza. edwatson@uga.edu

Plantapalooza! to be held April 8

Plantapalooza!, featuring plant sales by the State Botanical Garden (2450 S. Milledge Ave.), the Trial Gardens at UGA (220 W. Green St.), and the UGA Horticulture Club (111 Riverbend Rd.), will take place April 8 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Each sale offers a different experience. What makes this event so special is the large variety of traditional and unique plants that may be difficult to find anywhere else. Horticulture professors, garden curators and Master Gardeners also are available to answer questions and help with selections. More information is available at 706-542-6014 or plantapalooza.uga.edu.

PASSOVER Jewish religious observance.

CONCERT One of UGA’s large wind bands, the Symphonic Band, will perform. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

COMING UP SIGNATURE LECTURE April 11. “Unearthing Georgia’s Deep Hispanic Heritage: Still Digging on St. Catherines Island,” David Hurst Thomas, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History.

Part of the Signature Lecture Series. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, special collections libraries. 706-542-9449. dadaniel@uga.edu BIOFERMENTATION EVENT April 11. Network with leading professionals in the Athens life sciences community. Two TED-style talks will be followed by a reception that will provide an opportunity to interact with the speakers and others in the North Georgia life science and biotech industries, discuss issues affecting the growing industry and form new relationships. For registration and pricing, visit www.gabio.org. 5 p.m. Southern Brewing Company, 231 Collins Industrial Blvd. 706-542-9272. danielse@uga.edu CONCERT April 11. Jazz Ensemble I, the Hodgson School’s advanced level big band, and Jazz Ensemble II, the introductory level ensemble at the Hodgson School, will perform. 6 p.m.

Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

Dance department to present annual spring concert April 6-8

The dance department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences will present its annual spring dance concert, Repertory on Common Ground, featuring choreography by dance faculty and guest artists. Experience the rich array of dance styles and genres, with original choreography that is entertaining, thought-provoking and a delight for the senses. Performances are April 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. and April 8 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the New Dance Theatre in the dance building. Tickets are $16, $12 for students and seniors and $5 for groups of eight or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 706-542-4400 or visit pac.uga.edu or dance.uga.edu.

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.

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, Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES April 5 (for April 17 issue) April 12 (for April 24 issue) April 19 (for May 1 issue)

6 April 3, 2017 columns.uga.edu

OFFICE OF THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND PROVOST The University of Georgia has approved the promotion of 166 faculty members.

Those receiving a promotion are:

Promotions College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

College of Environment and Design

To Professor: Qingguo Huang, crop and soil sciences; Maria Navarro, agricultural leadership, education and communication; and Michael Toews, entomology.

To Associate Professor: Marin Brewer, plant pathology; Kylee Duberstein, animal and dairy science; Elizabeth Little, plant pathology; Nicholas Magnan, agricultural and applied economics; and Anand Mohan, food science and technology.

To Senior Public Service Associate: Melanie Biersmith, 4-H Youth; Forrest Connelly, Northeast District Cooperative Extension; Wade Parker, Southeast District Cooperative Extension; and Jacob Price, Southwest District Cooperative Extension.

To Public Service Associate: Timothy Daly, Northwest District Cooperative Extension; Sheri Dorn, horticulture; Brenda Jackson, Northwest District Cooperative Extension; and Sonya Jones, Southwest District Cooperative Extension.

To Public Service Assistant: Nathaniel Eason, Northeast District Cooperative Extension; Winston Eason, Northwest District Cooperative Extension; Jason Edenfield, Southeast District Cooperative Extension; James Freeman, Southwest District Cooperative Extension; Laura Goss, Southwest District Cooperative Extension; and Brooke Walker, Northwest District Cooperative Extension.

College of Education To Professor: Ikseon Choi, career and information studies; Anneliese Singh, counseling and human development services; and Alan Stewart, counseling and human development services.

To Associate Professor: Kevin Burke, language and literacy education; Manuel Gonzalez Canche, Institute of Higher Education; Hilary Hughes, educational theory and practice; Rebecca LiebermanBetz, communication sciences and special education; Christina Linder, counseling and human development services; Zhenqiu Lu, educational psychology; Joel Ringdahl, communication sciences and special education; Kristin Sayeski, communication sciences and special education; and Mardi Schmeichel, educational theory and practice.

To Clinical Associate Professor: Sandie BassRingdahl, communication sciences and special education; Robert Capuozzo, educational theory and practice; and Sonia Janis, educational theory and practice.

To Associate Research Scientist: Sarah Sumners, educational theory and practice.

College of Engineering To Associate Professor: Mable Fok, engineering; and Zion Tse, engineering.

To Senior Lecturer: Hilary Tanner, engineering; and Michael Yoder, engineering.

Tenure The University of Georgia approved tenure for 61 faculty members.

Those receiving tenure are:

To Associate Professor: Stephen Ramos, environment and design.

To Senior Lecturer: Donnie Longenecker, environment and design.

To Senior Academic Professional: Melissa Tufts, environment and design.

College of Family and Consumer Sciences To Professor: Jung Lee, foods and nutrition; and Lance Palmer, financial planning, housing and consumer economics.

To Associate Professor: Kimberly Skobba, financial planning, housing and consumer economics.

To Senior Lecturer: Melissa Kozak, human development and family sciences.

College of Pharmacy To Professor: Brian Cummings, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences.

To Associate Professor: Aaron Beedle, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences; Jayani Jayawardhana, clinical and administrative pharmacy; and Eileen Kennedy, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences.

To Clinical Associate Professor: Stephanie V. Phan, clinical and administrative pharmacy

College of Public Health To Professor: Nathan Hansen, health promotion and behavior.

To Associate Professor: Jennifer Gay, health promotion and behavior; Ye Shen, epidemiology and biostatistics; and Ming Zhang, epidemiology and biostatistics.

School of Public and International Affairs

Graduate School

To Librarian II: Jasmine Rizer, libraries.

To Librarian III: John Cruickshank, libraries; Julie Darken, libraries; Jan Hebbard, libraries; Callie Holmes, libraries; Christian Lopez, libraries; and Emily Luken, libraries.

To Librarian IV: Diana Hartle, libraries.

To Senior Academic Professional: Meredith Welch-Devine, interdisciplinary graduate programs.

College of Veterinary Medicine To Professor: Alvin Camus, pathology; Nikolay Filipov, physiology and pharmacology; Chad Schmiedt, small animal medicine and surgery; Susan Williams, population health; and Xiaoqin Ye, physiology and pharmacology.

To Associate Professor: Melinda Camus, pathology; Kelsey Hart, large animal medicine; Ajay Sharma, veterinary biosciences and diagnostic imaging; and Maria Viveiros, physiology and pharmacology.

To Senior Research Scientist: Barbara Reaves, infectious diseases.

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences To Professor: Sarah Blackwell, Romance languages; Shu-Mei Chang, plant biology; George Contini, theatre and film studies; Jonathan Evans, English; Angela Gibney, mathematics; Brian Hoffman, psychology; John Knox, geography; Daniel Krashen, mathematics; Neil Lyall, mathematics; Lan Mu, geography; Diana Ranson, Romance languages; Khaled Rasheed, computer science; Michael Craig Robinson, music; David Saltz, theatre and film studies; Susan Thomas, music;

Sun Ahn, advertising and public relations; Kent Barnett, law; Aaron Beedle, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences; Marin Brewer, plant pathology; Kevin Burke, language and literacy education; Melinda Camus, pathology; Nathan Carter, psychology; Anindita Chakravarty, marketing; Yoon Joon Choi, social work; Jamie Cooper, foods and nutrition; Kylee Duberstein, animal and dairy science; Jennifer Elkins, social work; Mable Fok, engineering; Jennifer Gay, health promotion and behavior; Manuel Gonzalez Canche, Institute of Higher Education; Juan Gutierrez, mathematics; Kelsey Hart, large animal medicine; Hilary Hughes, educational theory and practice; Jayani Jayawardhana, clinical and administrative pharmacy; Eileen Kennedy, pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences; Joshua Kinsler, economics; Jamie

Victor Thompson, anthropology; Andrew Zawacki, English; and Wendy Zomlefer, plant biology.

To Associate Professor: Nathan Carter, psychology; Jamie Kreiner, history; Pablo Lapegna, sociology; Karl Lechtreck, cellular biology; Zachary Lewis, microbiology; T. Anthony Marotta, theatre and film studies; Amy Medlock, biochemistry and molecular biology; Reid Messich, music; Nicolas Morrissey, art; Peter O’Neill, comparative literature; Jennifer Palmer, history; Julie Allardice Ray, theatre and film studies; Jennifer Rice, geography; Robert Schmitz, biological sciences; Marni Shindelman, art; Nanette Spina, religion; Belinda Stillion Southard, communication studies; Andrea Sweigart, genetics; Dorset Trapnell, plant biology; and Jin Xie, chemistry.

To Senior Lecturer: Natalia Alexeev, mathematics; Heide Crawford, Germanic and Slavic studies; Natasha Ganem, sociology; Mary Anne O’Neal Ingle, English; Michael Klipper, mathematics; Jodie Lyon, religion; Melanie Simpson, Romance languages; and Sara Steger, English.

To Senior Academic Professional: Ari Lieberman, comparative literature.

To Academic Professional: William Marlow, music.

To Senior Research Scientist: Magdy Alabady, plant biology.

Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication To Professor: Carolina Acosta Alzuru, advertising and public relations.

To Associate Professor: Sun Ahn, advertising and public relations; and Joe Phua, advertising and public relations.

To Senior Lecturer: Emuel Aldridge, New Media Institute.

To Senior Academic Professional: Christopher Shumway, journalism.

Odum School of Ecology To Professor: Vanessa Ezenwa, ecology and infectious diseases (joint); and Amy Rosemond, ecology.

To Associate Professor: Nina Wurzburger, ecology.

School of Law To Professor: Andrea Dennis, law; and Hillel Levin, law.

To Associate Professor: Jason Cade, law.

To Librarian III: Thomas Striepe, law school library; and Jason Tubinis, law school library.

Kreiner, history; Pablo Lapegna, sociology; Karl Lechtreck, cellular biology; Zachary Lewis, microbiology; Rebecca LiebermanBetz, communication sciences and special education; Christina Linder, counseling and human development services; Elizabeth Little, plant pathology; Zhenqiu Lu, educational psychology; Nicholas Magnan, agricultural and applied economics; T. Anthony Marotta, theatre and film studies; Amy Medlock, biochemistry and molecular biology; Reid Messich, music; Vicki Michaelis, journalism; Anand Mohan, food science and technology; James Monogan III, political science; Nicolas Morrissey, art; Peter O’Neill, comparative literature; Jennifer Palmer, history; Joe Phua, advertising and public relations; Paul Pollack, mathematics; Timothy Quigley, management; Stephen Ramos,

To Associate Professor: James Monogan III, political science.

School of Social Work To Associate Professor: Yoon Joon Choi, social work; and Jennifer Elkins, social work.

Terry College of Business To Professor: Marcus V. Da Cunha Jr., marketing; Scott Graffin, management; Steven Pottier, insurance, legal studies and real estate; and John Turner, economics.

To Associate Professor: Anindita Chakravarty, marketing; Joshua Kinsler, economics; Timothy Quigley, management; and Ian Schmutte, economics.

To Senior Lecturer: David Barbe, music business; Paul Holmes, insurance, legal studies and real estate; Alice Kinman, economics; and Jason Rudbeck, economics.

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources To Professor: Bronson Bullock, forestry and natural resources; Jeffrey HepinstallCymerman, forestry and natural resources; and Nathan Nibbelink, forestry and natural resources.

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Vice President for Instruction To Senior Academic Professional: Sherry Clouser, Center for Teaching and Learning.

Vice President for Public Service and Outreach To Senior Public Service Associate: Phillip Boyle, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Leigh Elkins, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Dimitris Kloussiadis, Small Business Development Center; and Richard Martin, Small Business Development Center.

To Public Service Associate: Emily Boness, Fanning Institute for Leadership Development; John Hulsey, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Stacy Jones, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Daniel Lasseter, Carl Vinson Institute of Government; and Joseph Walton Jr., Small Business Development Center.

To Public Service Assistant: Katy Smith, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

Source: Office of Faculty Affairs

environment and design; Jennifer Rice, geography; Joel Ringdahl, communication sciences and special education; Kristin Sayeski, communication sciences and special education; Mardi Schmeichel, educational theory and practice; Ian Schmutte, economics; Ajay Sharma, veterinary biosciences and diagnostic imaging; Ye Shen, epidemiology and biostatistics; Marni Shindelman, art; Kimberly Skobba, financial planning, housing and consumer economics; Nanette Spina, religion; Belinda Stillion Southard, communication studies; Andrea Sweigart, genetics; Dorset Trapnell, plant biology; Zion Tse, engineering; Maria Viveiros, physiology and pharmacology; Nina Wurzburger, ecology; Jin Xie, chemistry; and Ming Zhang, epidemiology and biostatistics.

Source: Office of Faculty Affairs

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

columns.uga.edu April 3, 2017

7

COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN

Theory into practice: Design charrette helps students learn about community development and problem-solving

By Saleen Martin

saleen.martin25@uga.edu

Shannah Montgomery

Meals in the Middle, a multi-course made-from-scratch dinner planned, prepared and served by the sixth- to eighth-grade students at Clarke Middle, featured produce from the UGArden.

Programmed for success Middle school gardens grow, with some help from UGA

By Christopher James chtjames@uga.edu

When Wick Prichard arrived at Clarke Middle School in 2014, his goal as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the University of Georgia was to turn the sustainability lessons he’d been teaching at summer camps into a daily curriculum.

Just three years later, Prichard is a fulltime university employee, coordinating garden programs at Clarke’s four middle schools, including the farm-to-table operation, “Grow It Know It,” that he worked with the UGArden to create at Clarke Middle.

On March 16, the public was invited to join Prichard and middle school students for Meals in the Middle, a multi-course madefrom-scratch dinner planned, prepared and served by the sixth- to eighth-grade students.

The meal, which included produce from the UGA student-run UGArden, raised more than $1,000 for a local nonprofit organization.

The three previous Meals in the Middle raised an average of $1,500 each, with proceeds going to the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, U-Lead Athens and the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The March 16 meal benefitted Experience UGA, a partnership between UGA and the Clarke County School District that brings every CCSD student to campus for a field trip each year.

Prichard, who works for the UGA Office of Service-Learning with support from UGA Cooperative Extension and CCSD, sees the dinners as a “start-up company with kids,” one that builds on the education about recycling,

composting, nutrition and food insecurity that the middle school students are getting through their agriscience programs.

“We are making the program as we go, and the students get to participate in that process,” Prichard said. “I think there’s a general excitement felt by everyone. People love this program. It’s incredible.”

UGA’s partnerships with CCSD have led to many new opportunities for pre-K through 12th-grade students in AthensClarke County. A program piloted in 2009 and expanded to all Clarke County schools in 2011, brought UGA College of Education faculty into the schools to serve as professorsin-residence or on-site instructors, offering onsite guidance and mentoring to College of Education students, Georgia’s future teachers.

The school gardens sustainability program at CMS became a model for the system under Prichard’s direction and now there are AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers in all four middle schools.

“Wick’s work here has been transformative,” said Tad McMillan, CMS principal.

“If our kids are not healthy, we’re not doing them any favors.”

High obesity rates make programs focusing on health and nutrition a must, McMillan said. More than 17 percent of adolescents and 35 percent of adults in Georgia are overweight, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Part of each school’s agriscience curriculum, the garden programs are a way for the students to learn about nutrition and health while having fun.

WEEKLY READER

A group of UGA students spent a recent weekend planning new developments in Winterville, a small, rural city in eastern Clarke County, where they worked with the public to identify environmental design problems in the community and find solutions.

The three-day event, called a design charrette, is part of a service-learning course in UGA’s College of Environment and Design, but is open to students from all disciplines.

“We often deal with small towns because they’re the ones that usually don’t have direct access to design help,” said Pratt Cassity, public service and outreach director for the College of Environment and Design.

With a population of about 1,150 people, Winterville residents said they want to preserve its historic, small-town identity but capitalize on an impending increase in traffic that the new Firefly Trail might bring to the city.

The Firefly Trail, part of Georgia’s railsto-trails project, is a 39-mile trail connecting Athens to Union Point in northeast Georgia, and will run through Winterville, right in front of the Train Depot on Main Street.

“It’s a 14-foot-wide multi-use path for pedestrians, bicyclists and walkers. It’s going to be fantastic for Winterville,” said Mayor Dodd Ferrelle.

During the charrette, students gathered at the Winterville Train Depot to make plans for crosswalks, landmark protection and other developments. Most of their work focused on concerns voiced by citizens, such as pedestrian safety and business growth in the commercial area.

The charrette kicked off with a studentled public input session where citizens discussed their goals for the city, including enhancing the identity of Winterville with community icons and directional signs so visitors realize they are entering the city.

On a tour of the city, Ferrelle pointed out some community “hot spots” such as addressing issues with the Five Points area, making the commercial district cohesive-looking and ensuring it’s known as a historic train town.

The students came up with ideas for bike-sharing programs, fire pits, a new stage for musical performances and a roundabout.

Public feedback is a large part of UGA’s design charrettes. Community members were invited to input sessions every day

Peter Frey

Robin Osindale, an environmental planning and design master’s student, looks at a map of Winterville.

to see students’ presentations and to offer them background information so they could improve their designs.

“It’s a perfect example of service-learning and experiential learning that students just don’t get the chance to do in their classes because it’s a lot of time commitment,” said Dustin Jones, an undergraduate student studying landscape architecture.

For Erika Schroeder, a graduate student studying historic preservation, the charrette was an opportunity to implement the ideas she has talked about in her classes.

“This is helping me visualize how theory can be brought into practice, and how to work with communities. If we’re designing for people, we need to know how to include them in the whole process,” Schroeder said.

After a final presentation, the plans were put into a report and given to Ferrelle, who hopes to use the report as a guide for the city council’s land-use plan for next year.

“I’m blown away by how intensely they’re working and how public this process is,” Ferrelle said, “There are some things that I’m hoping they bring to us that we can put into place and adopt.”

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS

Author to take part in bookstore event

Expanding Tradition: Selections from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection

By Shawnya L. Harris Georgia Museum of Art Hardcover: $40

The Georgia Museum of Art’s catalog for one of its current exhibitons, Expanding Tradition: Selections from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection, is available for purchase. The catalog accompanies the exhibition of the same name, which is on view through May 7.

The exhibition showcases 58 works in the Thompsons’ collection of art by African-Americans, with full-page color images of each work in the exhibition.

Shawnya L. Harris, the museum’s Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, who also teaches in the Lamar Dodd School of Art, contributes an overview of the Thompsons’ commitment to art collecting and discusses the shifting artistic and political landscape for African-American artists found in their collection.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Avid Bookshop will host a meet and greet with Harris April 5 at 6:30 p.m. at its 493 Prince Ave. location. Harris will sign copies of the book.

Columns is available to the community by ­subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass 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

Site serves as OneSource Project resource

onesource.uga.edu

The OneSource website is the central resource for information about the OneSource Project, a business transformation project for the University of Geogia that includes launching a new finance and human resources administration system.

Operated by Enterprise Information Technology Services, the OneSource site features links to

news about the multi-year project including upcoming and recent presentations, a project events listing, historical information, frequently asked questions, a project timeline, downloadable PDFs and more.

Updated frequently, the OneSource site is the best resource for UGA faculty and staff to quickly access information about the OneSource Project.

Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Writer Aaron Hale Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond 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.

8 April 3, 2017 columns.uga.edu

LECTURE

The University of Georgia hosted the annual Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Dinner March 20 at the SkyClub in Sanford Stadium to recognize 13 students who are fourth-year Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship recipients. This highly successful partnership between UGA and the CocaCola Foundation has transformed the lives of 139 first-generation students since 2007.

Resident applicants at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership gathered March 17 at noon in George Hall at the UGA Health Sciences Campus for Match Day, an event marking the next step in their medical careers.

Sealed envelopes addressed to individual students were dropped from lanterns for each of the members of the Class of 2017, and inside each envelope was a personal letter revealing where the student will pursue his or her postgraduate medical education. Above: Amelita Woodruff celebrates with family and friends after learning that she received a residency appointment in the family medicine program at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in Florida.

“This is the fourth successful match here in Athens at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership,” said Dr. Shelley Nuss, campus dean for the medical partnership.

“The accomplishments of the 41 MCG students that spent the majority of their time learning medicine at the Partnership have landed them at top-tier residency programs across the U.S. They will be going to 18 different states in 18 different specialties with 32 percent staying in Georgia and 40 percent joining primary care programs. Thank you to the faculty, administrators, staff and mentors in our community who have devoted their time to educating our future physicians.”

CAMPAIGN

from page 1

initiative, which took effect for the incoming class of fall 2016. This endowment recently distributed inaugural awards to nearly 80 students, who now can pursue world-class experiential learning opportunities such as interning on Capitol Hill, studying finance in New York City or conducting infectious disease research abroad.

The Commit to Georgia Campaign also is helping to fuel the university’s growing research enterprise, which has seen expenditures climb by 21 percent over the last two years. Since the start of this fiscal year, UGA donors have committed funds to establish nine new endowed faculty positions. The total number of endowed faculty positions on campus is now 275, which represents an increase of 34 percent since the start of the campaign. These endowed positions, such as the one held by Jose F. Cordero, the Gordhan L. and Virginia B. “Jinx” Patel Distinguished Professor in Public Health, provide critical financial resources to help faculty leverage their expertise and research

activities against the grand challenges facing the state, nation and world.

“The endowment provided by the Patel Distinguished Professorship in Public Health will be instrumental in expanding research and service opportunities in maternal and child health and will lead to healthier babies and mothers in Georgia and throughout the world,” said Cordero.

On the road to achieving the $1.2 billion goal by 2020, the Commit to Georgia Campaign will continue to create more opportunities for students, faculty, and staff and will expand the university’s overall impact.

“Our donors are passionate and have responded well to the opportunity to make a difference,” said Kelly Kerner, vice president for development and alumni relations. “The objective of this campaign is helping to fuel the future of this university, so we cannot slow down.”

Play a role in UGA’s success—make your annual gift and/or monthly salary contribution today at give.uga.edu.

Bulletin Board New WUGA show

A new local radio program that combines financial advice with a lighthearted spin will debut April 7 on WUGA. The 30-minute program, “There’s Nothing Funny about Money,” is the brainchild of hosts Matt Goren and Michael Gene Thomas from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ financial planning, housing and consumer economics department.

Goren is an adjunct assistant professor, and Thomas is a doctoral student in the department.

The show will first air April 7 at 1:30 p.m. and again on April 9 at 12:30 p.m., following the local news roundtable show, “Athens News Matters.”

The show will then air the first Friday and following Sunday of every month. It also will be available in podcast form at www.wuga.org.

For more information, visit www. nothingfunnyaboutmoney.org.

UWC fashion show

The University Woman’s Club will hold its 2017 spring fashion show,

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at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. She completed both a pediatric residency and an endocrinology fellowship at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock and earned a full professorship following board certification in 1976. She also holds a Master of Science degree in biochemistry.

As a professor emerita in the University of Arkansas Medical School, she has authored many medical research publications on the treatment of hormone-related illnesses in children.

Elders was appointed director of the Arkansas Department of Health in 1987.

While serving in this position, she also was elected president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers.

Elders has been listed among “100 Outstanding Women in Arkansas,” “Personalities of the South” and “Distinguished Women in America.” She is the recipient of the Arkansas Democrats’ Woman of the Year Award, the National Governor’s Association Distinguished Service Award, the American

Medical Association’s Dr. Nathan Davis Award and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Candace Award for Health Science. Elders is an active member of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Northside YMCA and Youth Homes.

The annual lecture honors Mary Frances Early, the first African-American to earn a degree from UGA, and her legacy at the university. Early graduated with a master’s degree in music education in 1962 and completed her specialist in education degree in 1967.

In addition to recognizing Early’s dedication toward making UGA an institution of higher learning for all people, the lecture series strives to demonstrate the progress that has been made in achieving her vision as well as to identify the work that remains to be done.

The Mary Frances Early Lecture is sponsored by the Graduate School, Graduate and Professional Scholars and the Office of Institutional Diversity. For more information on the Mary Frances Early Lecture, see grad.uga.edu.

FELLOWSHIPS

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interdisciplinary STEM research building to accommodate the university’s growing research enterprise, which has seen expenditures increase by 21 percent over the past two years.

This new research facility will encourage partnerships and innovation among students and researchers in STEM-related fields.

The budget proposed by the General Assembly has been submitted to the governor for approval.

Austin Garner, who earned his bachelor’s degree in genetics, is one of a record 20 UGA students and alumni who have been awarded a 2017 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

solve some of the greatest challenges facing our world.”

UGA’s 2017 NSF Fellows and their fields of study are Henry Adams, disease ecology; Sara Thomas Black, geography; William Wesley Booker, evolutionary biology; Caitlin Conn, ecology; Abigail Judith Courtney, microbial biology; Michael Ryan Clifford Dibble, chemistry of life processes; Austin Guy Garner, evolutionary biology; Eilidh Geddes, economics; Alexandra Michelle Harris, industrial/organizational psychology; Robert Zachary Crump Holmes, ecology; Kathryn M. Moore, biomedical engineering; Mariel Pfeifer, STEM education and learning research; Sydney Elizabeth Bishop Plummer, chemical oceanography; Matthew Joseph Powers, microbial biology; Robert Lundell Richards, ecology; Claire Stewart Teitelbaum, ecology; David Vasquez, ecology; Sheena Vasquez, biochemistry; Elizabeth Ann Watts, biochemistry; and Avery Elizabeth Wiens, chemical theory, models and computational methods.

“NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are a mark of excellence for graduate students in STEM,” said UGA Graduate School Dean Suzanne Barbour. “That so many of our students have been so honored is a testament to the strength of graduate education and research in STEM disciplines at the University of Georgia.”

“Swing into Spring,” April 11 at 11 a.m.

The event, which also includes a luncheon and the installation of new officers, will be held at the Georgia Club, 1020 Chancellors Drive, Statham.

Guests are welcome, but tickets are required.

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will support the UWC scholarship fund for women at UGA. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

GIFT from page 1 students and families in touch with trusted treatment professionals around the country.

Students know and trust the Fontaine Center and are getting in touch with counselors much earlier. Student organizations such as Greek Life groups and academic interest groups are reaching out to the center to request presentations and information sessions. Prince said that the center has earned the respect of colleagues in the community and around the state.

“It’s a more fine-tuned, visible program,” she said.“We’re better at partnering with folks on campus and in the community instead of everything being situated within the Health Center.”

Later this spring, the center will host the inaugural summit of state schools, technical colleges and independent college and universities to discuss the recommendations of the University System of Georgia’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Task Force, co-chaired

by UGA President Jere W. Morehead. The summit is yet another program made possible by the Fontaines’ support.

Prince is excited at the prospect of national experts and state colleagues coming together to form best practices for helping students. She feels a lot more can be accomplished through collaboration and sharing ideas.

“Schools can take each other’s ideas and tweak them,” she said. “Campuses are different, but we can all benefit from learning about each other’s approaches.”

What’s the ultimate goal of all of these efforts?

“A culture shift,” said Prince.

Today, a larger number of students are coming to campus who are abstainers from drinking or who drink very little or moderately. This progress presents new challenges, however. The number of atrisk students may have decreased at the university in recent years, but the students who are abusing alcohol and other drugs are doing so in ways and with drugs that are potentially much more harmful than in the past. Prince admits progress is incremental, but she appreciates the successes of the Fontaine Center’s first 11 years.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to change behavior, and you can’t just do that overnight,” she said. “But with the support of the Fontaines and the university administration, we’re educating more students than ever, including in high schools, and we’re having a positive impact on our state and students’ lives.”