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Women’s basketball coach Andy Landers led program to academic, athletic success CAMPUS NEWS
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Curtain will rise April 9 for University Theatre’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Vol. 42, No. 32
April 6, 2015
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Academic success to be celebrated during 2015 Honors Week By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
UGA will celebrate the achievements of its students, faculty, staff and alumni in a series of events during Honors Week, April 13-17. UGA’s tradition of celebrating achievement dates back to the 1930s, when then-Chancellor S.V. Sanford set aside a day to recognize outstanding students. In 2011, the event was expanded to a full week to accommodate events recognizing faculty, staff and alumni across campus. “Honors Week is an important reminder that the University of Georgia’s reputation as a leader in
public higher education stems from the many outstanding accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Public events during Honors Week include the Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon and the 2015 UGA Alumni Awards Luncheon. Unless otherwise noted, other Honors Week events are by invitation only. Numerous departments across the colleges and schools also will be holding special recognition ceremonies for honored students in their disciplines.
See HONORS on page 8
Sue Myers Smith
WALKING THE DOG—Minnie, a 10-year-old yellow Labrador retriever with chronic osteoarthritis in her knees,
had one of the first appointments with staff in rehabilitation services at the new UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital when it officially opened March 25. Under the watchful eye of veterinary technician Daina Rollor, Minnie used one of the brand-new underwater treadmills to help maintain her mobility.
Expanding the pipeline Provost launches new leadership development programs
By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
In addition to providing faculty with an immersive, yearlong fellowship through the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, Provost Pamela Whitten has launched three new programs to support existing leaders and broaden the pipeline of potential leaders. “To move the University of Georgia forward and to better serve our state, nation and world, we need to make sure that we are tapping into the deep well of talent that exists on this campus,” Whitten said. “Our leadership development programs vary in scope and focus, but they all reflect a commitment to creating a campus environment that allows individuals to achieve their full potential.” New Administrators Training is offered annually in the fall semester for new department heads, providing training across a range of topics including budget management, personnel issues, UGA policies and student concerns. Current Administrators Training, which is offered each spring, is open to currently serving administrators. This spring, sessions are focusing on internationalizing activities within a unit, team dynamics, personnel matters and UGA’s budget. Future Leaders Workshops, offered in the spring, provide information to faculty interested in
exploring leadership roles in higher education. Three faculty members— Melissa Harshman, an associate professor in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and director of the First-Year Odyssey program; L. Stephen Miller, a professor of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and director of the UGA Bioimaging Research Center; and Judith Wasserman, an associate professor in the College of Environment and Design—are serving as SEC ALDP Fellows for 2014-2015. The mission of the SEC ALDP is “to identify, develop, prepare and advance faculty as academic leaders.” Fellows are mentored by a senior administrator or dean on campus and participate in two workshops hosted by different SEC schools each year. The workshops address topics such as conflict resolution, emergency preparedness, structure and operations, budgeting, accreditation and accountability. The SEC ALDP program was initiated in 2008, and UGA has sent 17 Fellows through the program since its inception. “The SEC program has been beneficial on so many levels,” Harshman said. “We were able to hear a variety of administrators speak to the challenges as well as success stories on their campuses, providing invaluable insight and advice on the career path to administration.”
Wasserman said the workshops—held this fall at the University of Missouri and at Texas A&M University earlier this spring—were particularly valuable to her. She learned a great deal about different campus cultures and how special units can be set up to assist students and faculty in achieving their goals. “It has been an exciting and fulfilling program, and it offered the opportunity to learn a great deal about the multiple layers that keep an academic institution moving toward excellence,” she said. The fellowship brought the three UGA colleagues together, allowing some insightful conversations and cross-campus bonds. It also created a network of mentors that spans thousands of miles. “Certainly I think I have grown in my understanding of the role of administrative leaders in an academic setting and have been extremely impressed with the dedication and hard work in which I see our administrators engaged,” Miller said. Nominations for the 20152016 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program are due from senior administrators and deans by April 10. For information about the SEC ALDP program or other leadership development programs offered by the Provost’s Office, contact Meg Amstutz, associate provost for academic programs, at mamstutz@uga.edu.
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATE RESEARCH CENTER
$1.8M Keck grant to fund neurological disorder studies By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
UGA has received a $1.8 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to discover the fundamental cellular changes that cause debilitating neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, autism and intellectual deficiency. A team of scientists from UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center will study the role of glycans—structurally diverse sugar molecules that adorn the surface of every cell in the human body—in the development of these diseases, which may open the door to new therapies. “We know very little about what’s happening on the surface of cells in people with neurological disorders,” said Michael Tiemeyer,
a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator for the project. “But what we do know is that glycans control a lot of what happens between cells, and we can use technology developed at the CCRC to examine what role these molecules play in disease mechanisms.” Scientists now recognize that complex sugar chains—once thought to be a relatively unimportant part of the cell—exert control over cell-to-cell communication and essential cellular behaviors, so even small changes in the structure and behavior of glycans can have profound effects on human health and disease. “Human diseases disrupt the
See GRANT on page 8
GRU/UGA MEDICAL PARTNERSHIP
First class selected for Internal Medicine Residency Program By Mark Ralston
mralston@stmarysathens.org
The Internal Medicine Residency Program, a joint effort of the Georgia Regents University/UGA Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s Health Care System, announced its first class of residents, who will begin their residency education July 1. The program received nearly 1,300 applications. A committee of Internal Medicine Residency Program faculty, along with members of the leadership from St. Mary’s and the Medical Partnership, interviewed about 100 candidates. Resident applicants participated
in Match Day and were notified by the National Residency Matching Program where they will pursue their medical residencies. For the first time, 10 applicants learned that they had matched with the internal medicine program sponsored by the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership with St. Mary’s serving as the major participating site. Matching applicants to specific graduate medical education programs is the culmination of a process during which applicants participate in interviews and visits to residency programs across the country. To determine the postgraduate medical
See RESIDENTS on page 8