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Office of Undergraduate Admissions makes changes to summer orientation CAMPUS NEWS
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Athens Music Project to present ‘A Night at the Morton: Soul Celebration’ Vol. 45, No. 28
March 19, 2018
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Two Lady Antebellum members to address spring graduates
By Emily Webb
sew30274@uga.edu
From left: Alex Reed, Christine Albright and Michael Cacciatore have been named recipients of the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
‘Extraordinary faculty’ Three faculty members receive Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named recipients of the Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the university’s highest early career teaching honor. “Extraordinary faculty members such as this year’s Russell Award recipients are the foundation of the learning environment at the University of Georgia,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten, whose office administers the awards. “By creating memorable and engaging classroom experiences, they make students active participants in the learning process.” The 2018 Russell Award winners are Christine Albright, an assistant professor of classics in
the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Michael Cacciatore, an assistant professor of advertising and public relations in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; and Alex Reed, associate professor and director of the legal studies certificate program in the Terry College of Business. Albright, who joined UGA’s faculty in 2012, is a national leader in using a teaching pedagogy known as “Reacting to the Past,” which allows students to role play as they learn about historic events such as the assassination of Julius Caesar. She also created an annual Latin and Greek Banquet that enhances students’ understanding of culture during the classical time period, and she spearheaded the annual Homerathon, a two-day performance of the poetry of Homer that
has exposed students in other fields to the classics. Albright is a Teaching Academy Fellow and an Online Learning Fellow. She serves as coordinator of elementary languages and graduate coordinator for the classics department. Cacciatore, who joined the UGA faculty in 2013, places an emphasis on student engagement and active learning, whether in a small seminar course or in his large introductory public relations course that enrolls more than 250 students. He incorporates current events and campaigns into classroom discussions, and he reenvisioned his introductory course to build writing skills and integrate a greater level of discussion to better position students for entering a competitive job market. See AWARD on page 8
COMMIT TO GEORGIA CAMPAIGN
University of Georgia alumni Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of the multiplatinum trio Lady Antebellum will deliver the spring undergraduate Commencement address May 4 at 7 p.m. in Sanford Stadium. Denise Spangler, the Bebe Aderhold Professor in Early Childhood Education in UGA’s College of Education, will deliver the graduate Commencement address that same day at 9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Tickets are not required for either ceremony. Hunter Smith, who will receive
his bachelor’s degree in political science, is the student speaker for the undergraduate ceremony. “We are excited to welcome Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood back to their alma mater,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead.“They are multitalented musicians who have impressed the world, and the University of Georgia is very proud of all they have accomplished. We look forward to their inspiring comments.” Lady Antebellum, which has received seven Grammy Awards, recently released its latest single “Heart Break.” The song is the title track from the group’s No. 1 sixth
See COMMENCEMENT on page 8
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Study aims to improve muscles in children with cerebral palsy By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu
It’s not just large muscle movement and heavy weights that help build human muscles; small, quick movements can help train muscles as well. This is the idea behind a new University of Georgia study that aims to improve muscle quality and strength and balance control in children with cerebral palsy. By standing on a small vibrating platform for 10 minutes a day— something that can be done at home as part of a family’s regular routine—researchers plan to measure the effects on muscle development, balance and physical activity over a 12-month period. Because of damage to areas of the brain that affect movement, people with cerebral palsy have
problems maintaining their balance and participating in physical activity. While there is no cure, interventions such as vibration therapy may make a positive change in someone’s life. “We’ve done some pilot work suggesting it does have a positive effect on their muscles and bones, and as we’re conducting these studies, parents are telling us their children are falling less,” said Christopher Modlesky, who is conducting the study with a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. “We suspect that vibration is having a direct effect on their muscles by increasing their activity. It may also have an indirect effect by improving their balance and increasing their use of muscles through increased physical activity. Physical activity is very See MUSCLES on page 8
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Removing barriers, opening doors: Scholarship Varela, MacArthur ‘genius’ grant helps student earn first college degree in family winner, to give Hollowell Lecture By Leigh Raynor lraynor@uga.edu
Undergraduate Mitzi Samano Leano is the first Georgia Bulldog in her family and the first to pursue a college degree. The University of Georgia was the school of Leano’s and her family’s dreams. A Georgia Commitment Scholarship made this dream a reality. “UGA was academically and socially where I wanted to pursue my education and reach my overall goals,” Leano said. “My scholarship is the only thing keeping me here. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to pay for my education.”
Leano was the first to be awarded the Ernesto and Jamie Perez Scholarship. When she received her scholarship notification, she felt “utter disbelief.” She read the letter out loud to her family and “the whole house erupted in joy.” Before this news, Leano and her family considered universities closer to home to save on room and board expenses. Unlike UGA, many of the options Leano looked at did not have graduate degree programs in her intended field: dietetics. This is another reason she is grateful that the Perez Scholarship helped her get to Athens. “It would have been tough
to stay on the path that I’m on once I finished my bachelor’s [at another university.] That’s really why I was more Mitzi Samano Leano than inclined to come to UGA,” Leano said. “That’s why my scholarship was such amazing news.” Ernie Perez, 1989 UGA alumnus, established his family’s scholarship as part of the Georgia See COMMIT on page 8
By Laurie Anderson laurie@uga.edu
A Latina activist who turned to photography as a means of advancing social justice will present the annual Donald L. Hollowell Lecture March 20 at the University of Georgia. Maria Varela, a recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant, will present “Time to Get Ready” at 3 p.m. in the Chapel. This event is open free to the public. Varela was the first Latina to document through the camera lens the civil rights struggles of minorities in the rural South and Southwest. As a field worker for the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, she began photographing AfricanAmericans for a voter literacy Maria Varela program. She went on to capture images of voting rights marches and AfricanAmerican life that were picked up by news services, turned into posters and calendars and used to motivate communities to enact change.
See LECTURE on page 8