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Interdisciplinary research class combines technology, unique learning methods INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS
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Senior Exit Dance and Emerging Choreographers Concert set for Nov. 9-11
November 6, 2017
Vol. 45, No. 15
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
4&5
UGA helps coastal community resolve water-related issues By Emily Woodward ewoodward@uga.edu
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories about UGA and economic development in rural Georgia.
As part of Moina Belle Michael’s effort to make the red poppy a sign of remembrance, she planted the flowers on what is now UGA’s Health Sciences Campus.
The Poppy Lady Moina Belle Michael starts a movement by selling poppies to support soldiers
By Sara Freeland freeland@uga.edu
It began with a simple idea from a University of Georgia professor— sell poppy flowers to raise money on behalf of soldiers killed and injured in World War I. Now, nearly 100 years and billions of dollars later, the poppy has become the international symbol of remembrance and support for all military veterans, thanks to the tireless efforts of Moina Belle Michael, affectionately known today as “The Poppy Lady.” “During her lifetime, if you adjust for inflation, poppy sales raised $3 billion worldwide, most of which went directly to veterans,” said Tom Michael, a great nephew of Moina Michael, who died in 1944. “She championed the poppy as a
permanent symbol and reminder of our collective obligation to support our veterans and their families. And through all the poppy sales around the world, her legacy of helping veterans lives on.” Moina Michael, an education professor from the small Georgia town of Good Hope, was in Germany on the final leg of a European vacation when World War I unexpectedly broke out in 1914—forcing her to flee to Italy to find a ship that would carry her home. After a harrowing 16-day trip through mine-infested waters and an ocean patrolled by enemy submarines, she returned to the relative quiet of her Athens, Georgia, home—but did not find peace. The nation was fixated on the war, and Michael did everything she could to bring comfort to soldiers awaiting
james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu
Dave Allen is having a completely different UGA undergraduate experience than the majority of his classmates. For starters, he is 29 years old and married. When his classes end, Allen does not head back to his residence hall or hang out at the Tate Student Center. Instead he works as an undergraduate research assistant or goes home to his wife, Ashley. More significantly, Allen is one of the 122 student veterans currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at UGA. After attending the university from 2006 to 2009, Allen left school and joined the U.S. Navy, before returning to Athens last summer. “I got in the military with the goal of picking up some discipline and leadership before coming back to get my degree,” he said.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Graduation, retention rates at UGA reach all-time high sfahmy@uga.edu
See POPPY on page 8
‘Point of contact’: Student Veterans Resource Center gives student vets structure for success By Jim Lichtenwalter
For the coastal city of St. Marys, changing sea levels and severe storms are local issues. With assistance from the U niversity of Georgia, local leaders, property owners and s choolchildren are working together to protect their historic and picturesque community of about 17,500 people. Among the tasks: meeting federal guidelines for floodplain See WATER on page 8
By Sam Fahmy
deployment. She made sure soldiers were adopted by local families. She also set up a campaign for the families to write the soldiers while they were overseas. “How busy everyone was kept back in those early days responding to and arousing others to respond to the superhuman struggles to win the war,” Michael wrote in her autobiography. “I anguished for some power by which our boys might be saved from gas, bombs [and] shrapnel.” During the war, Michael
Statistically speaking, military veterans who come to public universities like UGA are a fairly at-risk group, according to Ted Barco, director of UGA’s Student Veterans Resource Center within the Division of Student Affairs. “If you look at the data nationally, about half the student veterans at public institutions graduate over a six-year period,” said Barco, who is an Air Force veteran. This happens for a variety of reasons. Nationally 43 percent of a university’s student veterans are married or have dependents. Veterans also are often older than the average undergraduate—about 60 percent of UGA’s student veterans are between the ages of 22 and 30 (the other 40 percent are between 31 and 62)—so they often want to complete their education as quickly as possible. This creates a problem when it comes
See VETERANS on page 8
evelopment, raising awareness of d behaviors that can contaminate the city’s drinking water and developing an emergency communications plan for severe weather events. “We needed a better process for getting the information out about flood risks,” said Scott Brazell, Camden County floodplain manager. In 2015, St. Marys and Camden County developed Georgia’s first joint Program of Public Information, an outreach tool designed to educate local residents about flood risk and encourage them to take actions to make the community more resilient.
Measures of student success at UGA are at all-time highs, and ongoing enhancements to the learning environment aim to lift retention and graduation rates to even higher levels in the coming years. The retention rate—an indicator of student success and satisfaction that quantifies the percentage of incoming students who return for their sophomore year—now stands at 96 percent, a record that exceeds the 95 percent average retention rate for UGA’s highly
selective aspirational institutions. UGA’s 96 percent freshman retention rate also exceeds the 90 percent average for UGA’s peer institutions and the 88 percent Southeastern Conference average. “There is no commitment more important at the University of Georgia than our commitment to student learning and success,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I want to congratulate our outstanding faculty, staff and students. These impressive metrics ultimately reflect their hard work and dedication to academic excellence.” See RETENTION on page 3
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Cook named vice provost for diversity, inclusion, initiatives By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
Veteran campus administrator Michelle Garfield Cook will be taking on an expanded leadership role as the institution’s vice provost for diversity and inclusion and strategic university initiatives. As one of two vice provosts, she will plan and implement programs that span units across campus while continuing to lead the Office of Institutional Diversity, where she has served as associate provost since 2011. Her new appointment is effective Nov. 15. “Dr. Cook’s record of success in leading campus-wide programs and garnering external funding to advance institutional priorities has been exemplary,” said Provost
Pamela Whitten. “She translates vision into action for the benefit of our students, faculty and university as a whole.” In her role Michelle as associate Garfield Cook provost, she has played a vital role in elevating the recruitment, retention and success of underrepresented minority students on campus. Since 2005, she been the co-principal investigator on the National Science Foundationfunded Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for M inority Participation
See COOK on page 8
2 Nov. 6, 2017 columns.uga.edu
COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN
Around academe
$58M grant to help U. of Michigan develop research, health care ideas
The University of Michigan has received a $58 million grant to help new ideas in research and health care move forward, with Michigan residents of all ages and backgrounds as partners, according to a news release from the university. The grant is from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program. It provides for an up to five-year new dose of funding for the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, or MICHR, contingent on the availability of future U.S. congressional appropriations. More than 50 other universities nationwide, including UGA, are supported through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program. The institute helps University of Michigan health and life science researchers turn their best ideas and discoveries into tests, treatments, care innovations and cures through training, funding and central research services. It also gives community members, including patients, the ability to help shape research priorities.
OneSource Project sets town hall
News to Use
The university’s OneSource Project is a comprehensive business transformation project to adopt leading business practices, align University of Georgia systems with those used by the University System of Georgia and use a new finance and human resources administration system. The new system is integrated, efficient, modern and supports data-driven decision making. Over the multi-year course of UGA’s OneSource Project, all faculty and staff will experience changes in the areas of finance and human resources processes and information technology. Faculty and staff are encouraged to learn more about UGA’s OneSource Project by visiting onesource.uga.edu and by participating in an upcoming town hall that is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. in Room K/L of the Georgia Center. Visit http://bit.ly/NOVTH to RSVP. Registration is requested but not required. The upcoming town hall will provide an overview and an update on the project’s timelines and future activities. It also will be available via a live Collaborate web session at UGA’s OneSource Town Hall. The launcher for Collaborate is at http://bit.ly/2z1UbJJ. The town hall will be archived to onesource.uga.edu for later viewing. Contact the OneSource Project team at onesource@uga.edu with any questions or to submit suggestions. For more information about the OneSource Project, visit onesource.uga.edu.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS More than 3,000 UGA graduate students received assistantships in fall 2016. A breakdown of assistantships and assistants by type:
TYPE
ASSISTANTSHIPS ASSISTANTS
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS
1,090
1,075
GRADUATE LABORATORY ASSISTANTS
287
276
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
1,490
1,426
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS
654
645
TOTAL
3,521
3,422
Source: 2016 UGA Fact Book
CED students create master design plan for East Georgia State College By Melissa Tufts mtufts@uga.edu
The College of Environment and Design has been helping with the campus design of East Georgia State College in Swainsboro, allowing UGA students to get valuable hands-on experience in the process. Over three semesters, 65 CED students in three studio classes worked on a practical and comprehensive master plan for the college’s growing 249-acre college in southeast Georgia. Students met with EGSC’s president, board members and students, using feedback to create a road map to meet new requirements and a growing campus population. “The plan provides a vision for the future of EGSC’s physical campus and is consistent with the history and unique mission of the college. Having this master plan will enable the college to grow its physical campus in a responsive and sustainable manner,” said Bob Boehmer, East Georgia State College president. Faculty members Danny Sniff, Georgia Harrison Hall, Donnie Longenecker and Alfie Vick each dedicated semesters in their design classes to East Georgia State College. CED doctoral candidate Leslie Palacios served as a facilitator for this project, collecting information on the history of the area and the history of EGSC specifically, and pulled together
As part of their studies, UGA students from the College of Environment and Design met with East Georgia State College’s president, board members and students.
GIS data, old maps and census data that would inform the class design efforts. In Vick’s classes, graduate students used the Swainsboro campus to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 Campus Rainworks Challenge. Vick’s students concentrated on protecting and highlighting the unique ecological aspects of the campus in their designs. During the spring 2017 semester, the Community and Place design studio, under the direction of Hall and Sniff, conducted further site inventory and analysis, focusing on building usage and
ETHICS AWARENESS WEEK
Retired federal judge to discuss ethics in dispute resolution at Nov. 9 lecture By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
In advance of the University of Georgia’s observance of Ethics Awareness Week, a former federal judge will visit campus to talk about ethics. The Honorable Stanley F. Birch Jr. will discuss “Ethics in Dispute Resolution” Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in the Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom of the School of Law. The lecture, which is open and free to the public, will be followed by a reception in the Law School Rotunda. Birch is a retired judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. At the lecture, he will discuss ethical issues that arise in dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation and litigation as well as dispute resolution in higher education. The lecture will be followed with a question-and-answer session. According to Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge, dean of the UGA School of Law, Birch has long been a friend to the law school. While a sitting judge, he hired several UGA alumni as law clerks, including current UGA General Counsel Michael Raeber. “Judge Birch has vast experience in dispute resolution as a practicing lawyer, judge, arbitrator and mediator,” said Raeber, who will introduce Birch at the lecture. “His lecture will provide keen insight into ethical issues in dispute resolution, while increasing understanding of ethical issues on campus.” Birch received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in Taxation from the Emory University School of Law. Prior to his service on the federal bench, Birch was an active trial attorney in private practice focusing on intellectual property and tax matters. He was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. After serving on the federal court for more than 20 years, Birch joined the Atlanta office of JAMS, a private alternative dispute resolution firm, in 2010. He has been recognized multiple times by Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession. In conjunction with the University System of Georgia, the University of Georgia is once again a proud participant of International Fraud Awareness Week. In support of this week, UGA observes Ethics Awareness Week to promote an ethical culture on campus and raise awareness about ethics resources available at UGA. The university’s Internal Auditing Division is leading Ethics Awareness Week, Nov. 13-17.
how people move through the campus sidewalks, drives and roadways. Each student created a master plan for the campus, all of which were presented to the college administration. Four designs were selected, feedback was combined and a single composite design was produced. To conclude the project, the undergraduate Urban Design studio, taught by Longenecker, looked at potential landscaping, athletic and recreation venues and inviting outdoor spaces that would enhance the college experience for the EGSC student body, faculty and staff.
Workshop will address plastic waste and marine debris in world’s oceans By Beth Gavrilles bethgav@uga.edu
“Plastic: Land to Sea Connections,” a workshop on the problem of plastic waste in oceans and what can be done about it, will take place Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. in the Odum School of Ecology auditorium. Open free to the public, the event will include a panel discussion featuring experts from UGA and the University of Florida followed by a poster session and reception. It is sponsored by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, UGA River Basin Center, UGA marine sciences department, UGA New Materials Institute and University of Florida Sea Grant. “Marine debris is a critical issue that is dramatically impacting our oceans and the organisms that inhabit them,” said Mark Risse, director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “Solutions to this issue will involve all changing the way we do things in the upland watersheds.” Panelists include Maia McGuire, Sea Grant extension agent at the University of Florida, who will discuss research and outreach efforts focused on microplastics; Jenna Jambeck, associate professor in the College of Engineering, who will talk about her Marine Debris Tracker mobile app that allows the public to report the location of litter and marine debris anywhere in the world; Branson Ritchie, research professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and New Materials Institute, who will discuss the impacts of plastics on marine systems; and Katy Smith, water quality program coordinator for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, who will cover effective outreach and education about plastic waste and marine debris. The event was organized by Rebecca Atkins, a doctoral candidate studying marine and coastal ecology, in partnership with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant as part of a community engagement course offered through the UGA Office of Service-Learning. The poster session and reception will take place in the ecology lobby from 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will feature posters by individuals and organizations including the UGA Office of Sustainability, Watershed UGA, UGA EcoReach, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, the Upper Oconee Watershed Network and the Atlamaha Riverkeeper. Anyone interested in contributing a poster should contact Atkins at atkinsr@uga.edu by Nov. 10.
INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS
columns.uga.edu Nov. 6, 2017
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Digest Campus Kitchen at UGA accepting donations for annual Turkeypalooza
Dorothy Kozlowski
Isabel Carvalo, a fourth-year student in genetics, presents data on iWall technology located in the science library.
‘Personalized path’ Interdisciplinary research class combines technology, unique learning methods
By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu
For students in professor of genetics Jonathan Arnold’s systems biology bioinformatics class, a unique learning format has students from many different disciplines working together to complete research projects. While researchers often have an opportunity to collaborate with other researchers from disciplines outside of their own, this is not always the case for students in the classroom. Arnold, alongside Juan Gutierrez and Art Edison, wanted to change the routine method of learning and set out to create an immersive learning environment using two unique technological learning tools. When students arrive to class, they are given an assessment to see what they know—their strengths and weaknesses among different topics such as biology, mathematics, physics and the like. Based on that assessment, each student receives a personalized syllabus based on what they need to learn to go forward with their research projects. Known as
RETENTION from page 1
The most recent data show that UGA’s four-year and six-year graduation rates remain at record highs, as well. Sixty-six percent of UGA students earned their degrees within four years. For comparison, the average four-year graduation rates for aspirational, peer and SEC institutions are 68, 52 and 45 percent, respectively. Eighty-five percent of UGA students graduate within six years. For comparison, the average six-year graduation rates for aspirational, peer and SEC institutions are 87, 75 and 71 percent, respectively. The university has made fostering student success—both during their time on campus and after graduation—a key priority. Last year UGA became the nation’s largest public university to ensure that each of its students engages in hands-on learning such as internships, research, study abroad and service-learning. Last year the university also completed a small class size hiring initiative that recruited 56 new faculty members and has markedly increased pass rates in challenging courses in which students benefit from greater faculty interaction. Students at UGA also receive a higher level of personalized support
ALICE, or Adaptive Learning in an Interdisciplinary Collaborative Environment, students complete a selection of learning modules in ALICE outside of class with the end goal of completing a capstone project in the form of a research project of their choosing. “The idea of putting together and immersing students in a common project is a fairly old idea, but what’s different about this is that we structured this project with our new cyber learning tool called ALICE,” said Arnold. “Normally, you teach the same thing to every student in the class. What we created is a personalized path through this network of topics that’s different for every student.” Once students take a personalized assessment, they are asked what types of research projects they are interested in, based on a list of possible projects, and ALICE creates their unique learning paths. All of the learning materials are available online in ALICE (http://euler. math.uga.edu/alice), and students mostly complete their learning modules outside of the classroom. Created by Gutierrez, professor of
thanks to the addition of 35 academic advisors since 2015. At the Exploratory Center, which opened last fall, specially trained advisors help students find a major that aligns with their talents and aspirations. To build on these successes for the benefit of students, Morehead recently announced the Investing in Student Success Initiative to recruit 10 tenure-track faculty members, 10 lecturers and six academic advisors to support students in fields with rapid enrollment growth. This fall the university also launched an ambitious program that gives students the opportunity to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years or less. Through the Double Dawgs program, students accelerate their progress toward a master’s degree by taking rigorous, graduate-level coursework during the final year of their undergraduate studies. Faculty members have established more than 115 Double Dawgs linked-degree programs, and additional programs are currently in development. “The University of Georgia has differentiated itself as an institution that embraces bold and ambitious initiatives,” said Provost Pamela Whitten.
athematics, and his students as a part m of a National Science Foundation grant, ALICE is 21 years in the making and originally began as a program called Literatronica as part of an adaptive learning grant. When students are in class, they use a technological tool known as the iWall to collaborate on their research projects. Located on the third floor of a classroom in the science library, the iWall consists of three large monitors that form one giant touchscreen, much like a large form tablet. Students use the iWall and the platform in different ways—as a blackboard to make notes or calculations, as a means to teleconference with other researchers and to look at highresolution data sets and analyze them. The idea, with both ALICE and the iWall, is to learn more about how new technology can assist with learning. “ALICE does not require the iWall, but it is certainly improved by it. Likewise, the iWall does not require ALICE,” said Gutierrez.“In the end, both projects ask the same question: How can we optimally use digital media?”
“We’re creating an unrivaled learning environment, and students from across the state and around the world have responded by applying for admission in record numbers.” Other academic initiatives that are helping students earn their degrees in a more timely manner include an expansion of online course offerings in the summer to enable students to earn course credits while away from campus on internships, studying abroad or spending time with family. Programs such as the recently restructured Freshman College Summer Experience help ensure a smooth transition from high school to the university, and predictive analytics help the university’s Division of Academic Enhancement proactively reach out to students who could benefit from resources such as tutoring and academic counseling. “We are constantly looking for ways to further expand success for our students—both while they are at UGA and for their futures beyond the university,” said Vice President for Instruction Rahul Shrivastav. “Ultimately, our goal is to help develop them as lifelong learners who will go out and make a global impact.”
Student volunteers with the Campus Kitchen at UGA plan to deliver groceries for Thanksgiving meals to 230 families and prepared meals to another 150 homebound individuals during the 2017 Turkeypalooza, scheduled for Nov. 17-20. Campus Kitchen will collect canned food, boxed ingredients and potatoes until Nov. 16 from across campus and throughout AthensClarke County. The Athens Community Council on Aging raises funds to buy turkeys, and the UGArden student-run farm contributes fresh produce. Employees with ACCA also are collecting food for the event. On Nov. 17, UGA Public Service and Outreach student scholars will fill grocery bags with ingredients for Thanksgiving meals. Campus Kitchen students and community volunteers will cook meals over the weekend for homebound recipients. On Nov. 20, the Monday before Thanksgiving, Campus Kitchen and the ACCA will distribute meals and groceries to families and individuals in Clarke, Barrow and Madison counties. Families and children attending the Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18 will have an opportunity to make cards to be included with the grocery bags. Campus Kitchen’s volunteer opportunities for November can be found on engage.uga.edu. Turkeypalooza is a collaboration with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia Hunger Bowl. Campus Kitchen at UGA is a registered partner agency with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, and all items donated to Campus Kitchen count toward the Hunger Bowl can drive goal.
VP for information technology to discuss state of technology at UGA
Timothy M. Chester, vice president for information technology, will give the annual State of Technology at UGA presentation Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. until noon at the Chapel. All UGA students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend this presentation and open forum to ask questions about technology services at the university. Topics in the presentation will include technology trends and initiatives at the university and recent TechQual+ survey results from UGA students, faculty and staff. Reservations are not required to attend. For more information, contact Mohsina Yusuf at mohsinayusuf@uga.edu.
‘A Rush to Judgment’ conversation explores piece of Warren Commission
What happens when the documents that preserve our collective history are lost or excluded from the official record? A panel discussion Nov. 16 takes up this question and more in the context of U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell’s role on the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “A Rush to Judgment? The Warren Commission and the Dissent of Richard Russell” will feature a conversation among three former aides who worked in Russell’s office during the 1960s. Charles Campbell, Earl Leonard and Powell Moore will explore the reasons for Russell’s dissent from the final report of the commission and his reaction when he learned of the exclusion of that dissent from official records housed at the National Archives. The talk will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at the University of Georgia. A light reception will follow the program, which is open free to the public.
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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
Modern Masters from the Giuliano Ceseri Collection. Through Nov. 12. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Gold-digging in Georgia: America’s First Gold Rush? Through Dec. 5. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Louise Blair Daura: A Virginian in Paris. Through Dec. 10. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu A Partial View. Through Dec. 15. Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292. mtufts@uga.edu Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892-1917. Through Dec. 22. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. hasty@uga.edu Martha Odum: Art Intersects Ecology. Through Dec. 31. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete. Through Jan. 7. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu
MONDAY, NOV. 6 PUBLIC PRESENTATION Sonia Hirt, professor and dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland, is one of four finalists for the position of dean of the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design. 9:30 a.m. 123 Jackson Street Building. 706-542-0415. WORKSHOP “Working Effectively with Community Partners” includes best practices on community partnerships, including establishing connections, communicating and examples of current partners and resources. 1:30 p.m. Conference room, rear annex, Office of Service-Learning Building. 706-542-4511. jhpodvin@uga.edu
TUESDAY, NOV. 7 TODDLER TUESDAY* Make time for a special tour, story time in the galleries and art activities just for little ones. This free, 40-minute program is
Faculty Recital Series to feature Stravinsky, Barber and Copland By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu
The University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music will present a faculty series concert by Jacylyn Hartenberger, assistant professor of music, conductor and associate director of bands, on Nov. 13 in the Ramsey Concert Hall at 8 p.m. Hartenberger, often known for innovative and exciting programs with the student Wind Symphony, has performed internationally as an in-demand conductor. She will present a more familiar series of pieces in a chamber ensemble setting, featuring the works of Igor Stravinsky, Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland. The concert is meant to give the faculty ensemble an opportunity to play well-known music that’s both fun for the performers and the audience. “I wanted to have an opportunity to collaborate with our faculty with music that would not necessarily be performed by the students,” said Hartenberger. “In my mind, this is a very collaborative type of performance. We wanted to put something together that the audience would enjoy and be familiar with.” The program will begin with Stravinsky’s Concerto in E-flat major, a piece which sounds a lot like Bach at times, she said. The second piece, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, is a famous piece of work by Barber that is sung by sopranos. The third and final piece is Appalachian Spring by Copland. “I picked this program because often in academia we pick a lot of new innovative music that makes you think,” she said. “I wanted to pick more familiar music that the faculty would really enjoy performing and that they wouldn’t necessarily play in other settings.” The ensemble features faculty members Milton Masciadri on bass, Monica Hargrave on harp, Damon Denton on piano, Shakhida Azimkhodzhaeva and Rachael Fisher on violin and D. Ray McClellan on clarinet, as well as several graduate students who help fill out the rest of the ensemble. The featured soprano is Amy Pretongeli from Penn State University. Tickets are $12 each or $6 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased at pac.uga.edu or the Performing Arts Center box office. Those unable to attend can watch the concert live on the Hodgson School’s website at music.uga.edu/ streaming.
designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years. Email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to reserve a spot. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art.
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 CONVERSATION* “Politics in Georgia: From the Three Governors Controversy to Now, a Conversation on Georgia Politics Past and Present,” Charles Bullock, Robert M. Howard and Trey Hood III. 2:30 p.m. Pinnacle Room, Baldwin Hall. D.W. BROOKS LECTURE AND RECEPTION “The GMO Wars: What Do We Do When Scientists and Citizens Deeply Disagree?,” Nina V. Fedoroff, molecular biologist and agricultural technology advocate. 3:30 p.m. Mahler Hall, Georgia Center. vcollins@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “How Competition and Predation Meet on Coral Reefs—Building a Community Ecological Framework of Growth Using Largescale Environmental Gradients,” Stuart Sandin, University of California, San Diego. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. A reception hosted by Vanessa Ezenwa, Ford Ballantyne and Nina Wurzburger follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu CLASS “Photography as a Business” classes will meet on Tuesdays from Nov. 7 through Dec. 12. $179. 6 p.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-3537. questions@georgiacenter.uga.edu 4 MINUTES, 33 SECONDS: SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOLARSHIP* This annual competition features student research in the arts. Poster competition entries will be on display through Nov. 7 in the museum’s education resource center during regular hours. Poster session begins at 5 p.m.; presentations begin at 7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded in both categories. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu READING* The University of Georgia Creative Writing Program presents a reading featuring CWP alumna Kristen Iskandrian and urrent doctoral candidate Mike McClelland. 7 p.m. Cine, 234 W. Hancock Ave. Athens. 706-542-2659. cwp@uga.edu UGA CHORAL SHOWCASE* $12; $6 student/child. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8 PUBLIC PRESENTATION Forster Ndubisi, a professor at Texas A&M University, is one of four finalists for the position of dean of the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design. 9:30 a.m. 123 Jackson Street Building. 706-542-0415. CONSERVATION SEMINAR “U.S. Forest Service Research in Social Science,” Cassandra Johnson Gaither, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 1:25 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu CONCERT* Folding together early styles of jazz, blues and country swing, the Bumper Jacksons strike a bold, yet elegant, balance between paying homage to tradition and fashioning their own unique sound. Performances are Nov. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. $39. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. (See story, below). ‘CABARET’* This Tony Award-winning musical details the lives of an aspiring novelist and a wannabe starlet looking for love in a seedy
By Lindsay Giedl and Jessica Luton lindsay.giedl@uga.edu, jluton@uga.edu
The dance department in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences will present the 2017 Young Choreographers Series Senior Exit Dance and Emerging Choreographers Concert Nov. 9-11 at 8 p.m. in the New Dance Theatre, located in the dance building on Sanford Drive. The concert is one of several dance events featured in 2017 UGA Spotlight on the Arts festival. This year’s Senior Exit Dance and Emerging Choreographers Concert showcases pieces choreographed by two senior dance majors, as well as other second- and third-year dance majors. The concert is a culmination of the growth and versatility that each dance major has been working toward. The pieces reflect each choreographer’s style and creativity and showcase a variety of dance styles, music and concepts. Gracie Bailey and Lindsay Giedl, bachelor’s of fine arts candidates, each will present their creative progress as dancers, performers and choreographers with works of complex expressive themes and dynamic movement. Giedl’s work explores ideas about the gender spectrum and gender fluidity through contemporary movement and live art. Bailey’s piece investigates self-concept and human progress through the medium of light—from human’s primal beginnings to present day. The audience also will see additional pieces from emerging choreographers Nieya Amezquita, Samantha Miller, Kennedy Butterfield and Rebecca Ommedal. Ticket prices are $8 for students and seniors and $12 for general admission. They can be purchased at the Tate Student Center cashier’s window, the Performing Arts Center box office, by phone at 706-542-4400 or online at pac.uga.edu. Tickets also may be purchased at the door, but advance purchase is recommended. Free parking is available in lots adjacent to the Dance Building after 5 p.m. or at the South Campus Parking Lindsay Giedl, left, and Gracie Bailey each will present their creative progress as dancers, performers and choreographers during the department of dance’s 2017 Young Choreographers Series Senior Exit Dance and Deck next to the Georgia Center for a small fee. Emerging Choreographers Concert.
Cabaret club in 1930s Berlin under the rising shadow of fascism. Music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and directed by Actor’s Express artistic director Freddie Ashley. Performances run Nov. 8-11 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2:30 p.m. $16, $12 for students. 8 p.m. Fine Arts Theatre, Fine Arts Building. 706-542-2836. wclay87@uga.edu
THURSDAY, NOV. 9 #ONEUGA: WHERE DO YOU STAND? November’s #OneUGA discussion is titled “Where Do You Stand” and focuses on the NFL protests. #OneUGA is a monthly online and in-person discussion hosted by University Housing, Residence Hall Association and Multicultural Services and Programs. 12:30 p.m. Third floor, Tate Student Center. 706-524-8325. carrie.campbell@uga.edu LECTURE “Ethics in Dispute Resolution,” Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit (Ret.). A reception in the Law School rotunda will follow the lecture. This lecture is part of UGA’s Ethics Awareness Week. 3:30 p.m. Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom Law School. (See story, page 2). TEEN STUDIO* Teens ages 13-18 are invited to this studio-based workshop led by local artist and educator Kristen Bach. The group will spend time in the galleries exploring the work of contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas in the exhibition Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete before creating their own mixed-media works of art using photography and collage. Email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to reserve a spot. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. FALL EXHIBITS RECEPTION* The Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
at the University of Georgia will host its biannual reception celebrating new exhibitions. The event will include live music, light refreshments and gallery games. 5:30 p.m. Second floor, special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu STUDENT NIGHT* Join the Student Association of the Georgia Museum of Art for a night of music, food, fun and themed activities to celebrate the current exhibitions. Student Night is sponsored by the UGA Parents and Families Association and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art. 6:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu PHI KAPPA LITERARY DEBATE Join the Phi Kappa Literary Society as they debate the following resolution: Be It Hereby Resolved: Taylor Swift is a bad role model. The First Affirmation and First Negation are to be determined. In addition, there will be poetry and orations and at least one off-the-cuff, extemporaneous debate. 7 p.m. Upper Chamber, Phi Kappa Hall. phikappals@gmail.com LECTURE Jonathan Balcombe, biologist, animal behavior expert and New York Times bestselling author, will discuss the rich and complex inner lives of animals. Sponsored by Speak Out for Species and the UGA Office of Sustainability. 7:30 p.m. 214 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu CONCERT* Young Choreographer’s Series Senior Exit and Emerging Choreographers Concert. $12, $8 for students and seniors. 8 p.m. Also Nov. 10 and 11. New Dance Theatre, Dance Building. 706-542-4400. (See story, above.)
FRIDAY, NOV. 10 CLARK LUNBERRY: WRITING ON WATER* Interdisciplinary artist Clark Lunberry will talk about creating site-specific poetry installations and introduce a new work for the UGA campus. 2 p.m. S160 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-7270. markcall@uga.edu WOMEN’S TENNIS Bulldog Classic. Through Nov. 12. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. OPEN STUDIO NIGHT* Open Studio Night has faculty and students in their studios with their work, happy to answer questions about their practice and life at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Join them at the School of Art Building for art and snacks, and they’ll guide you to their satellite spaces as well. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the Lamar Dodd School of Art then moves to the Thomas Street Art Complex at 7 p.m. VOLLEYBALL vs. Ole Miss. 6 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Bryant. $15. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
Bumper Jacksons take the Ramsey Concert Hall stage Nov. 8 and 9 for two shows as part of the Spotlight on the Arts festival.
suitcase percussion; Dave Hadley on pedal steel; and Brian Priebe on trombone and harmony vocals. Tickets for the concert are $39 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling
706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student. The concert is part of Spotlight on the Arts, a 12-day festival celebrating the arts at UGA.
UGA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA* $12; $6, students and children. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. HOCKEY vs. Tennessee. Part of the Veterans Day Tournament. $2, student tickets, $10, general admission. Classic Center, Akins Arena, 300 N. Thomas St. Athens. 706-207-8819. jeb@ugahockey.com
SATURDAY, NOV. 11 VETERANS DAY
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/.
4&5
Senior dance concert will take place Nov. 9-11
Bumper Jacksons to take stage for two shows The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Bumper Jacksons Nov. 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. The Washington, D.C.-based group has been honored as Artist of the Year and Best Folk Band for two consecutive years at the Washington Area Music Awards. The Bumper Jacksons combine early styles of jazz, blues and country swing, striking a bold, yet elegant, balance between paying homage to tradition and fashioning their own unique sound. With playful original songs and reimagined roots music, they explore the frontiers and histories of America’s dance music, from the seductive sounds of New Orleans to the hollers of the Appalachian Mountains. The band features Jess Eliot Myhre on clarinet, vocals and washboard; Chris Ousley on guitar, vocals and tenor banjo; Alex Lacquement on bass and harmony vocals; Dan Samuels on drums and
columns.uga.edu Nov. 6, 2017
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WOMEN AND GIRLS IN GEORGIA CONFERENCE The 2017 Women and Girls in Georgia Conference will focus on “Justice and Resistance.” Registration is required. Visit http://wagg.uga.edu for more information on the conference program, keynote speaker and registration. Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu WORKSHOP Participants in the “Ginger and Turmeric” workshop will learn about the health benefits of ginger and turmeric, get tips for growing and harvesting and sample lots of tasty treats, including honey candied ginger and turmeric lattes. $35; $25 for students. 9 a.m. UGArden classroom, 2500 S. Milledge Ave., Athens. 678-205-7680. njfuller@uga.edu FAMILY DAY ACTIVITIES* Family-friendly activities and performances showcasing UGA’s arts units, including theater, dance and literary workshops; art projects; a musical instrument petting zoo; performances and more. 10 a.m. Various locations; see arts.uga.edu for a full schedule. FAMILY DAY: COLOR* Learn all about the tints, hues and shades that make up a colorful world in this special color-themed Family Day. Explore color with activities and selected works of art in the permanent collection, then make a colorful piece in the studio classroom. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu HOCKEY vs. Kennesaw State. Part of the Veterans Day Tournament. $2, student tickets; $10, general admission. Classic Center, Akins Arena, 300 N. Thomas St., Athens. 706-207-8819. jeb@ugahockey.com
SUNDAY, NOV. 12 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Wofford. $5. Stegeman Coliseum.
MONDAY, NOV. 13 HUGH HODGSON FACULTY SERIES Known for innovative and exciting programs, Jaclyn Hartenberger, conductor, associate director of bands and assistant professor of music, presents her first Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series recital with the help of several chamber ensembles. $12; $6 for students and children. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. (See story, far left).
COMING UP ECOLOGY SEMINAR Nov. 14. “Scaling Laws Predict Global Microbial Biodiversity,” Jay Lennon, Indiana University. 3:30 p.m. A reception hosted by Ford Ballantyne follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu LECTURE Nov. 14. Roland McElroy, who worked closely with Sen. Sam Nunn throughout his political career, will discuss his book The Best President the Nation Never Had, which chronicles the journey McElroy took with Nunn during his run for the U.S. Senate and during his service as Nunn’s chief of staff. 4:30 p.m. 285 special collections libraries. 706-542-3879. lnessel@uga.edu *Part of UGA’s 2017 Spotlight on the Arts festival
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Nov. 8 (for Nov. 27 issue) Nov. 22 (for Dec. 4 issue) Dec. 6 (for Jan. 8 issue)
6 Nov. 6, 2017 columns.uga.edu
Peter Smagorinsky, Distinguished Research Professor of English Education in the College of Education’s language and literacy education department, recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for his service to the profession and distinctive use of language. Established in 1950, the NCTE service award is given to a person who exhibits valuable professional service both within and outside the council, including scholarly or academic distinction at any level, distinguished use of language or excellence in teaching. Smagorinsky has been Peter Smagorinsky involved with several NCTE/ Conference on English Education mentoring programs, including the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color program, which he helped establish while on the Research Foundation as well as the Ramon Veal Seminar, which he is currently co-chairing. NCTE will honor Smagorinsky’s service to the profession Nov. 16-17 during the 2017 NCTE annual convention in St. Louis. Smagorinsky’s research is unified by a sociocultural approach to understanding literary teaching with a focus on the study of written and artistic compositions, as well as group discussions oriented to literary interpretation and interpretive texts. Thomas Peterson, professor of Romance languages, recently received the 2017 Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship for his work translating Franco Fortini’s poetry. Established in 1995, this $25,000 American Poets Prize is given by the Academy of American Poets for the translation into English of a significant work of modern Italian poetry. The fellowship is given to enable an American translator to travel, study or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress. The winning translator also receives a five-week residency at the American Academy in Rome. Peterson is the author of Petrarch’s ‘Fragmenta’: The Narrative and Theological Unity of ‘Rerum vulgarium fragmenta’ (University of Toronto Press, 2016) and The Ethical Muse of Franco Fortini (University Press of Florida, 1997), the first major study of Fortini in English. He received a master’s degree in Italian at the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate at Brown University. Linda Bamber, professor emerita of accounting at the Terry College of Business, received the 2017 Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Literature Award from the American Accounting Association. Bamber received the recognition for the paper, “What’s My Style? The Influence of Top Managers on Voluntary Corporate Financial Disclosure,” which she published in 2010 with Xuefeng “John” Jian and Isabel Yanyan Wang, two UGA doctoral students who are now tenured accounting faculty at Michigan Linda Bamber State University. This paper introduces a novel concept to accounting research, said Ted Christensen, director of UGA’s J.M. Tull School of Accounting. The award is also a reflection of the kind of attention and mentorship that Bamber provided to graduate students, said Michael Bamber, Linda’s husband and an emeritus professor at Terry (formerly the Heckman Chair of Public Accounting). This latest honor was presented to Bamber and her co-authors Aug. 9 in San Diego at the annual meeting of the AAA. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Dorothy Kozlowski
Becky Griffin helps students and communities understand the value of farming and find ways to protect local pollinators.
Garden coordinator shares value of pollinators and food production By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu
Becky Griffin’s classroom doesn’t have a smartboard or a computer. Instead, it has sunshine and soil. “I want students to know where their food comes from and to appreciate that, to take a chance to try to grow their own food and to not be scared of insects,” said Griffin, a community and school garden coordinator with the Urban Ag Center and UGA Cooperative Extension, a state-wide position that is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Griffin started working with school gardens in 1997 when her daughter, Allison, was in kindergarten. Now, she spends much of her time in Cobb, Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties developing resources and assisting Cooperative Extension agents with their school and community garden needs. Her current focus is on helping community and school gardeners understand the importance of beneficial insects in food production. “I noticed that gardeners did not make the connection between food production and insects,” she said. “In their heads, all insects were pests. They weren’t thinking about pollinators. It benefits you in the long run to learn a little bit more about the insects that are naturally there and how you can help the good ones stay there.” During the past year, Griffin, who is a certified beekeeper, put together a campaign to encourage gardeners
to include plants that draw beneficial insects to their plots. The Pollinator Spaces Program uses research-based educational resources to teach people how to grow pollinator gardens. Her goal is to have 100 of these gardens by the end of the year. The Pollinator Census Project is a count of pollinators at 50 gardens. Data from this project will be used to help researchers get a snapshot of what pollinators are out there and also helps teachers meet requirements for STEAM certification as a citizen science project. In addition, she developed a sevenstep process for putting together a school garden, which she said gives students an opportunity to try new foods and learn outside the classroom. “It’s a whole new way of reaching those learners who may not do well sitting in a classroom looking at a smartboard,” she said. Community gardens, pieces of land cultivated by a group of people, have their own unique benefits, according to Griffin, who is also a lifetime Master Gardener, a group of trained volunteers who help Cooperative Extension staff share research-based information about gardening and related subjects to the public. “The most important part of community gardens is the community,” Griffin said, pointing out research that found community gardens lead to more neighborly interaction, less crime, higher standards of living and more satisfaction among residents. Community gardens are a good way to bring elements of land into an urban
FACTS Becky Griffin
Community and School Garden Coordinator UGA Cooperative Extension/Urban Ag Center and Northwest District College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences M.P.P.P.M., Plant Protection and Pest Management, University of Georgia, (anticipated December 2018) B.S., Biology, Kennesaw State University, 1986 At UGA: 6 years
environment. Griffin has helped groups in Atlanta with their own gardens and found herself getting inventive with the space in her own subdivision. “We can grow a lot more here than the books tell us we can,” she said. “In Georgia, you can have a garden pretty much all year long. You’ve just got to be creative.” She applies that creativity to her own garden. “I’ve gardened my whole life. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t garden,” she said. “I’m still awed by the fact that we can plant a seed, and out of that seed comes delicious food we can eat.” In addition to growing peanuts, she grows produce like heirloom green beans from her great-grandmother and peppers. When she’s not in the garden, she’s beekeeping, running, learning Italian and cooking food from her land.
RETIREES September Twelve UGA employees retired Sept. 1. Retirees, their job classification, department and years of service are: E. Carol Adams, administrative associate I, Environmental Safety Division, 17 years, 11 months; Joni H. Callihan, business manager III, School of Marine Programs, 30 years, 4 months; Kimberly S. Fleming, administrative associate I, Office for the Vice President for Research, 30 years; Sara Ann Massey Hensley, administrative assistant II, Administrative Services
Division, 9 years, 9 months; John H. Huper, housekeeper, Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center & Hotel, 15 years, 10 months; Bobby R. Johnson, building services supervisor, Facilities Management Division, Services-Building Services (second shift), 35 years, 6 months; Carolyn Diane Kesler, administrative associate II, textiles, merchandising and interiors, 24 years, 2 months; Rebecca B. Lane, human resources senior managing director, Office of Human Resources, 28 years, 1 month; Suzette
Maria Lay-Heard, program specialist I, Small Business Development Center, 32 years, 10 months; Marilyn Snead Mallory, county secretary, Southeast District-Cooperative Extension, 6 years, 2 months; Timothy L. Mixon, systems administrator principal, libraries-general operations, 37 years, 10 months; and Shirley B. Williamson, public service associate, Northeast District-Cooperative Extension, 27 years, 7 months. Source: Human Resources
BLUE KEY HONOR SOCIETY
Key honor
columns.uga.edu Nov. 6, 2017
7
Five University of Georgia alumni to be recognized for civic service By Emily Webb
sew30274@uga.edu
Randall Nuckolls
Susan Waltman
Victor Wilson
David Williams
Five University of Georgia alumni will be honored Nov. 17 at the university’s Tucker Dorsey Blue Key Alumni Awards Banquet. The event will take place at Mahler Hall in the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel. The 6:30 p.m. reception will be followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. Attorney C. Randall Nuckolls, hospital association executive Susan C. Waltman and UGA administrator Victor K. Wilson will receive the Blue Key Service Award. UGA Honors Program director David S. Williams will receive the Blue Key Faculty Service Award. Physician Matthew T. Crim will be presented with the Blue Key Young Alumnus Award. Recipients of the AT&T Student Leadership Award, the Richard B. Russell Student Leadership Award and the Tucker Dorsey Memorial Scholarship will be announced during the banquet. The 2017-2018 Blue Key initiates also will be recognized. The Blue Key Honor Society is a national organization whose members are committed to leadership in student life, high scholastic achievement, service to others and citizenship. Established in 1924 at the University of Florida, the organization’s second chapter was established at UGA in 1926. Banquet tickets are $30 for individuals. Sponsored eight-seat silver tables are $300, and eight-seat gold tables are $500. To reserve tickets, contact Janet Lance at 706-542-0017 or jholcomb@uga.edu. The RSVP deadline is Nov. 10. The award recipients are:
Randall Nuckolls
Nuckolls is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Dentons US LLP. He previously served as chief counsel and legislative director for U.S. Sens. Herman Talmadge and Sam Nunn. Since leaving Capitol Hill, Nuckolls has served as Washington counsel for the University of Georgia, assisting with federal government relations initiatives and building relationships with Congress and the executive branch. Nuckolls is a member and past chair of the Society of International Business Fellows and a member of Leadership Georgia. He currently serves on the board of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the Georgia 4-H Foundation, Wesley Theological Seminary and the Georgia State Society of Washington, D.C. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities recently presented him its Outstanding Achievement Award for his contributions in counseling the higher education community on federal ethics law. Nuckolls received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from UGA’s College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1974 and his Juris Doctor from the UGA School of Law in 1977. In 1987, he received the Blue Key Young Alumnus Award.
Susan Waltman
Waltman is the executive vice president for legal, regulatory and professional affairs and general counsel for the Greater New York Hospital Association, which represents the interests of 150 hospitals and health care systems across the New York region. Prior to joining GNYHA in 1987, she was general counsel for the Medical College of Pennsylvania as well as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Waltman serves on the boards of the UGA Foundation and the UGA Research Foundation. In addition, she is a committee member for the university’s Commit to Georgia Campaign to raise $1.2 billion. A volunteer ambassador for UGA in the New York area, Waltman also has served on the advisory boards of the university’s Honors Program and College of Public Health. She hosts UGA interns at GNYHA each summer. Waltman graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1973 and a master’s degree in social work in 1975. She earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia University Law School in 1977.
Victor Wilson
Prior to his appointment as vice president for student affairs at UGA in 2013, Wilson served for nine years as executive vice president for student affairs at the College of Charleston. He previously was assistant to the president and associate vice president for student affairs at UGA. In addition, he held student affairs leadership positions at Agnes Scott College and Northern Arizona University. He began his career in higher education at UGA in 1983 as director of orientation and assistant director of admissions. Wilson has written numerous articles and given presentations on issues of race, ethics, crisis management, student life and staff development in higher education. He has held leadership roles in the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the National Orientation Directors Association and Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education. He also serves on the national board of directors for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the local board of directors for the St. Mary’s Healthcare System. Wilson currently oversees a Student Affairs division of 18 departments and more than 600 staff members dedicated to enriching student learning and supporting student development and growth. He currently co-chairs the President’s Task Force on Student Learning and Success. Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s
degree in education from the University of Georgia in 1982 and 1987, respectively.
David Williams
Williams has served since 2004 as associate provost and director of the Honors Program, where he holds the Jere W. Morehead Distinguished Professorship. The first director also to be an alumnus of the UGA Honors Program, Williams earned an undergraduate degree as well as a master’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1979 and 1982, respectively. After receiving his doctorate and teaching at universities in Ohio, he returned to UGA as a faculty member in the religion department in 1989. He became department head in 2002. Williams has published widely in the fields of biblical, Jewish and religious studies, including three books, numerous journal articles and other publications. He has received several awards and honors related to teaching at UGA, including the Richard B. Russell Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Sandy Beaver Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship. He also holds the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, UGA’s highest honor for teaching excellence. Williams serves as UGA’s faculty representative for nationally competitive fellowships, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Truman and Udall scholarships. He also oversees the student Fulbright scholarship process for UGA.
Matthew Crim
Crim is a cardiologist for the Piedmont Heart Institute and an assistant professor of medicine with the AU/UGA Medical Partnership. He also is engaged with the development of health policy through research and administrative activities at the local and national levels, with a focus on value-based payment reforms and patient outcomes. Crim earned a bachelor’s degree in cellular biology and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia in 2005. A Foundation Fellow, he became the first UGA student to win both a Truman Scholarship and Marshall Scholarship. He used the Truman Scholarship to pursue his interest in health policy. Through the support of the Marshall Scholarship, he completed a master’s degree in health policy, planning and financing offered jointly by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a master’s degree in medical ethics and law from King’s College London. He earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2011 and completed internal medicine residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital followed by a cardiovascular disease fellowship at Emory University.
Matthew Crim
WEEKLY READER
Book analyzes Southern, Caribbean writers
Calypso Magnolia: The Crosscurrents of Caribbean and Southern Literature By John Wharton Lowe University of North Carolina Press Ebook: $29.99 Paperback: $39.95 Hardcover: $95.00
In Calypso Magnolia, UGA professor John Wharton Lowe remakes the map of American culture by revealing the deep, persistent connections between the ideas and works produced by writers of the American South and the Caribbean. The Barbara Methvin Professor of English in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Lowe demonstrates that a tendency to separate literary canons by national and regional boundaries has led critics to ignore deep ties across highly permeable borders. Focusing on writers and literatures from the Deep South and Gulf states in relation to places including Mexico, Haiti and Cuba, Lowe reconfigures the geography of southern literature as encompassing the “circumCaribbean,” a dynamic framework within which to reconsider literary history, genre and aesthetics. Considering thematic concerns such as race, migration, forced exile, and colonial and postcolonial identity, Lowe contends that southern literature and culture always have transcended the physical and political boundaries of the American South.
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS 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 Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts
UGA Master Calendar changes platforms
calendar.uga.edu
The UGA Master Calendar has moved to a new platform that includes an enhanced user interface and other benefits. Localist is a leading calendar solution across higher education and was selected in partnership with EITS. Events can be submitted, edited and managed by using a MyID
authentication. Localist allows for more robust event pages that include maps, images, registration links and social media integrations. Events can be integrated into users’ personal calendars. UGA’s Master Calendar is managed by the Division of Marketing & Communications.
Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writer Leigh Beeson 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 Nov. 6, 2017 columns.uga.edu POPPY
WATER
from page 1
volunteered with the National YMCA. It was while she was working for the war effort in New York that she was struck by a sudden inspiration. A young soldier left a copy of Ladies Home Journal on her desk with a marked page containing Lt. Col. John McCrae’s famous poem “In Flanders Fields,” about the war’s devastation. “The last verse transfixed me,” she wrote. “ ‘To you from failing hands we throw the Torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.’ ” On Nov. 9, 1918—two days before the armistice that ended World War I—she wrote her own reply to McCrae’s poem—entitled “We Shall Keep the Faith”—and decided “always to wear a red poppy of Flanders Fields as a sign of remembrance and emblem of ‘keeping the faith with all who died.’ ” She left her office and scoured local flower shops in search of silk poppies to share with businessmen, veterans and soldiers. After the war, Athens and the University of Georgia became a hub for veteran rehabilitation. Michael taught a class of disabled servicemen and every Monday attended Disabled American Veterans chapter meetings. She even planted poppies on what is now UGA’s Health Sciences Campus. She also launched a national letter-writing campaign encouraging others to adopt the poppy. The American Legion designated the red poppy as its official flower in 1920, and distribution of poppies became a Legion national program in 1924. “The soldiers who made the poppies for sale in America were classified as unfit for any employment by the government because of their war injuries. So they couldn’t be hired. But they could make these little poppies,” said Tom Michael, who has donated historic materials about his great aunt Moina to UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Other countries quickly followed suit. Remembrance poppies have been worn in the U.K., Australia and Canada since 1921 and since 1922 in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, many don a red poppy on Remembrance Day—a holiday similar to Veterans Day, which also is observed on Nov. 11. There, the British Royal Legion distributes about 45 million remembrance poppies and raises about $64 million annually to assist retired or injured soldiers. The funds support recovery centers, dementia care, medical expenses and even household repairs for veterans. In 2016, nearly 3.5 million American
VETERANS
Legion Auxiliary poppies were distributed, raising $2.1 million for American veterans. Michael was even featured on a U.S. postage stamp in 1948—a red 3-cent stamp with her image, name and the title “Founder of Memorial Poppy.” Yet today, she is one of UGA’s hidden treasures. “Most people in Georgia don’t know who she is,” said Marie Mize, a library associate in the UGA School of Law and a member of the Moina Michael Poppy Project, a group that raises awareness for Michael and sells craft poppies to benefit veterans. “I knew about her because my parents were both members of the American Legion. My father was a veteran, and as a kid, I would go with my mom and we would sell poppies for the American Legion,” Mize said. Members of her group crochet and cross-stitch poppies using plastic canvas and paper. They sell them online and at festivals. “We’ve been working for three years now to buy an all-terrain wheelchair for a veteran (through the Independence Fund). That’s $15,000. That’s a lot of $3 and $5 poppies,” Mize added. With the centennial of the armistice approaching, there is renewed interest in remembering Michael and her unyielding dedication to soldiers. In her hometown of Good Hope, there’s a road named after Michael and a corresponding historical marker. Another historical marker denotes her birthplace. Good Hope changed its annual fall festival to the Poppy Festival to honor Michael. The festival features history displays, a bike ride, a Miss Poppy Pageant and vendors selling items from handmade poppy crafts to poppy T-shirts. And in downtown Athens, there’s a plaque remembering the “poppy lady” across from UGA’s historic Arch in the Broad Street median. “The fact that she was able to accomplish what she did as a woman from Georgia in her day and age was truly remarkable,” said James Cobb, B. Phinizy Spalding Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Georgia. “For many Americans, our intervention in World War I quickly became something to forget rather than celebrate. Her actions helped to reaffirm the strength of patriotic sentiment.”
VIEW VIDEO
Watch a University of Georgia video about Moina Belle Michael at https://youtu.be/2cG16lvJkUU.
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Brazell appointed a committee to look into federal programs that reward communities for PPIs. Madeleine Russell, a coastal hazards specialist for UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, helped committee members understand the program materials. That included the 700-page manual on the Community Rating System, a Federal Emergency Management Agency incentive for communities to improve their resilience to flooding through floodplain management. By following floodplain management practices outlined in the CRS, property owners can earn credits that make them eligible for a discount of up to 45 percent on their flood insurance. Camden County currently is a Class 6 on the CRS, which means property owners get a 20 percent discount on flood insurance. Reaching a Class 5 would earn them a 25 percent discount. Lowering flood insurance costs is important to the community, but Brazell, a lifelong resident of St. Marys, recognized the need to educate residents about other ways to mitigate flood damage. Founded in 1787, St. Marys is one of the most vulnerable cities in Georgia to the impacts of coastal flooding, changing sea levels and storm surge. Protecting the city’s water source from contamination through stormwater runoff is a big concern. Jessica Warren, the UGA Cooperative
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from page 1 program, which has helped quadruple the number of degrees conferred to underrepresented minorities in STEM fields at UGA. Prior to being named associate provost, Cook served as an associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, where she oversaw student academic affairs. “Having served in various administrative capacities since 1998, I’ve been fortunate to be able to see the university from multiple perspectives,” Cook said. “I’m excited about
Extension agent for Camden County, leads river cleanups and several Adopt-A-Stream workshops. She worked with local school groups to encourage stenciling “dump no waste, drains to stream” messages next to storm drains, raising awareness about how stormwater runoff goes directly into streams and sounds. The message serves as a reminder to not litter and to pick up after pets so there’s less pollution entering the waterways. Stormwater stenciling is now incorporated into the PPI, and St. Marys passed a resolution to have all of its drains stenciled. Brazell partnered with St. Marys Middle School to create programs focused on GIS mapping and flood zones. Brazell previously had worked with the school, teaching students how to use GPS devices and map areas in the city that are prone to flooding. Incorporating messages about flood resilience seemed like a natural next step and fit with the public information campaign. The city also worked with Russell to develop a plan for communications and outreach with local residents before and after a major storm. “So much of how we protect our communities and plan for disasters is happening on the local level,” said Jeff Adams, community development director for St. Marys. “The resiliency of this country lives in rural America.”
the opportunity to work with colleagues from across campus to advance big ideas and grand initiatives that propel the institution forward.” “Dr. Cook is a superb administrator with a deep commitment to elevating this university to new heights of excellence,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “As her role expands, so, too, will her positive impact on this institution, and I am excited to see all that she will accomplish in the future.”
Bulletin Board University Woman’s Club
The University Woman’s Club’s fall coffee, rescheduled because of Tropical Storm Irma, will be held Nov. 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the President’s House.
‘Columns’ publication break Columns will not be published
Nov. 20. The final issues for fall semester will be published Nov. 27 and Dec. 4. The deadlines to submit news items are Nov. 8 and Nov. 22, respectively. Send news to columns@uga.edu. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
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to developing relationships and contacts with professors and other professionals, which is crucial to post-graduate success. Additionally, the majority of undergraduate veterans are first-generation college students and have transferred into UGA from another, smaller institution. Through his work at the SVRC, Barco aims to help mitigate these unique challenges that student veterans face. Using what he calls “persistent coaching,” the center provides student veterans with a structure for success. This includes putting them in touch with faculty and staff members around campus who can assist veterans during their time at UGA. “Often, faculty and staff members can make a point far better than I can,” Barco said. Barco enlists about 80 UGA faculty and staff members interchangeably as either transition coaches or academic contacts. Transition coaches like Andrew Owsiak meet with veterans during their first semester on campus. “Our role is just to give them a point of contact,” said Owsiak, an associate professor in the international affairs department of the School of Public and International Affairs. “I like to get a sense of who the students are, what their background is and what their interests are.” Whenever possible, Barco assigns coaches from the same department in which each veteran is majoring. Not only do the coaches help the students make their way through the department, but they also connect them with other faculty members who serve as academic contacts. “A big piece of this is to establish networks so that you have people who mentor you, give you advice and may lead you to an opportunity either in academe or in the job market,” said Keith Harris, the Harmon Professor of Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the head of the college’s pathology department and an academic contact. Both Owsiak and Harris have family connections with the military that inspired them to get involved with SVRC.
volunteer)—and all are either veterans or active duty graduate students themselves—working for Barco in the center. This component of the persistent coaching program helps student veterans develop their resume, expand their networks and establish a meaningful brand that complements their military experience. This fall, Barco and SVRC began pilot-testing a tutoring portion of the program with four students. Referred to as “academic coaching,” this segment is led by Sylvia Hutchinson, a professor emerita of higher education and reading education. Starting in the spring, this program will be available to all undergraduate student veterans. Barco plans to connect transitioning veterans proactively with Hutchinson as part of their transition process. While it’s still expanding and being tweaked, Barco’s program already has yielded positive results. The graduation rate for student veterans is up to 85 percent, well above the national rate of 52 percent. Undergraduate veterans taking a course load of 13 hours have an average GPA of 3.2. In four short years, UGA has been recognized among national universities for its support to student veterans. That recogniDorothy Kozlowski Military veterans Dave Allen, left, and Keith Harris chat in the First tion recently led to an invitation to speak about persistent coaching at the 2018 National Student Veterans of America Data Student Veterans Lounge at the Tate Student Center. Conference in San Antonio. Not only is Harris a retired Air Force officer himself, but “This program is wonderful,”Harris said. “It shows a real his father was a retired Air Force officer, he is married to a commitment to our veterans. I am proud of the fact that retired Air Force flight nurse and he has two sons currently I’m at a university that does something like this.” serving in the Navy. Owsiak’s grandfather was in the Army Allen gives the SVRC’s persistent coaching program and Air Force during World War II; his brothers and colleagues the connections it has afforded him credit for helping him also served in the military. during his studies at UGA. “I have a lot of respect for our veterans,” Owsiak said. “This “This program is great,” he said. “It has been extremely is one of their benefits that I think they earned by serving.” helpful for me and given me the opportunities to excel.” The SVRC program also has veterans meeting with To learn more about the Student Veterans Resource “readiness coaches” after their first semester. These coaches Center or to become involved with the persistent coaching are one of the five graduate assistants (two paid and three program visit svrc.uga.edu or email svrc@uga.edu.