CHAIRMAN’S LETTER / SPRING 2014 Dear Friends… It was great to see everyone at our February board meeting in Athens. We had an excellent turnout and accomplished much in a short period of time. I was especially gratified by the board’s unanimous support for a campaign goal of not less than $1 billion, which may be adjusted upward at a later date. I also hope you will find the new wallet cards with key campaign talking points helpful in your conversations with donors and prospects. With your help and commitment to engaging in fundraising activities, I am heartened by the prospect of success in the campaign and am sincerely appreciative of your efforts. I am grateful for all of the work that goes on in our committees, as the efforts at that level are essential to increasing the foundation’s annual support to the university. With that said, I want to take a moment to note that, thanks in large part to the diligent work of the Investment Committee, chaired by Joe Frierson, the University of Georgia Foundation’s total assets have grown to more than $900 million! The investment strategies they employ consistently outperform major benchmarks and are central to growing the foundation’s portfolio. Their fiduciary care of funds donors have so generously provided for the university’s benefit have helped our endowment reach its highest point in history. It’s hard to believe, but the current academic year has less than two months remaining and in May we’ll be turning out another class of graduates ready to carry the UGA banner into the world. Graduation also signals that the June board meeting is not far off. Please mark your calendars for June 19-20 when we will convene in St. Simons for our annual meeting where we will be saying goodbye to several trustees and announcing our newest board members. Thanks again for all that you do in service to the foundation and to the University of Georgia! Sincerely,
John Spalding (AB ’82, JD ’85) Chairman
Foundation Fellows Interview Weekend is a big success One of the high points of being a UGA Foundation Trustee is participating in Foundation Fellows Interview Weekend where we have a chance to meet and interact with some of the world’s top students. 62 scholars converged on Athens in February to tour campus, to meet President Morehead and other top UGA administrators, and to consider their academic futures.
We were also entertained by a quartet of scholars seen in the photo below.
These students came from 52 high schools in 15 states and the United Kingdom. All were finalists for Foundation Fellowships and all were guaranteed Ramsey Honors Scholarships, both of which are among higher education’s most prestigious awards.
Twin sisters and Ramsey Scholars Emily Backus (left) and Catherine Backus (right) were joined by Foundation Fellow Clara Nibbelink (left center) and Ramsey Scholar Mariana Satterly (center right) for an evening of crowd pleasing music highlighted by their beautiful rendition of Georgia On My Mind.
These finalists were chosen from more than 800 applicants and brought academic credentials that suggest there is no hyperbole in referring to them as the “best and brightest.”
The Backus sisters are music majors who play multiple instruments and were members of the Redcoat Marching Band. All four of the young women are on track to graduate in May.
Consider that these students boast an average high school GPA of 4.11 on a 4.0 scale, and an average of 1549 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (critical reading and math sections only.) In fact, 12 finalists recorded perfect scores of 1600. This same group averaged 35 on the ACT exam where 36 is perfect. We had a wonderful evening with the students and shared a very enjoyable dinner, which was capped off by a thoughtful and informative speech by President Morehead.
Foundation Fellows Bert Thompson (left) and Chris Lewitzke (center right), both Class of 2016, shared time with UGA Foundation Trustees Vic Corrigan (center left) and Neal Quirk (right) at a welcoming reception in the UGA Hotel and Conference Center during Interview Weekend.
Board of Visitors helps promote UGA to business and opinion leaders I want to strongly encourage everyone to participate in the ongoing luncheons sponsored by the University of Georgia Board of Visitors. As trustees, we are all invited to attend, and for those of you who have been going to the meetings, I think you can attest to the fact that the presentations are informative and very useful in supporting the university’s outreach efforts. On February 6, we had an excellent lunch at the Commerce Club in Atlanta and heard a presentation by Sean McMillan, the university’s director of economic development (pictured below.)
“The Board of Visitors is doing exactly what it was intended to do,” said Tom Landrum, the university’s vice president for Development and Alumni Relations during the recent Development and Public Affairs Committee meeting in Athens. “It helps the university build a presence with opinion leaders and offers an opportunity for non-UGA graduates to become engaged with, and support, the University of Georgia,” he added. I think Tom’s comments encapsulate what the Board of Visitors is all about and I hope that if you haven’t been able to make it to one of the meetings, you’ll join us on May 1. All meetings adhere to a strict timeframe in respect for attendees’ schedules. The next luncheon/presentation will start promptly at 11:30 a.m. and conclude by 1:00 p.m.
Sean gave us a great feel for what is going on with the university’s expanding outreach in the state and the positive impact of our economic development activities. On May 1, the next Board of Visitors meeting is scheduled at a site that is to be determined in Atlanta. College of Engineering Dean Donald Leo, who gave an inspiring talk at our winter board meeting, will offer a presentation which will include new and updated information. You will all be notified when the site has been secured for the luncheon.
My thanks to Trustee Keith Mason for his hard work in chairing the Board of Visitors Subcommittee on behalf of the foundation and to all of our trustees who have been active in the organization.
Donor Profile: Jeff Rothenberger A Georgia Bulldog for Life
Jeff Rothenberger came to the University of Georgia from Chamblee High School to study accounting in the Terry College of Business. He earned his BBA in 1981. It was during his time on campus that a lifelong commitment to the university blossomed.
“It was a wonderful time to be in Athens,” he said. “I got a great education, which established a foundation for my professional life and I lived out the first part of my senior year watching the football team win a national championship.” Jeff went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Houston while working in the petroleum industry. He hit it big in the Lone Star State, finding professional success and meeting his wife Stacy, a native of Lubbock and a graduate of Texas Tech. “She may have graduated from Texas Tech, but she’s a totally converted Bulldog,” Jeff says proudly. As you can see below, the entire family now wears the red and black. Son Travis is due to graduate in May with a finance degree from the Terry College and daughter Alyse is finishing up her freshman year in Athens.
“If Molly could go to UGA, I’d happily pay the tuition,” Jeff says with a laugh. The Rothenbergers are regulars at UGA sporting events and Jeff confesses that his first donations to the university were more for his own benefit. “I wanted football tickets,” he said. “But the more I came to know the administrators, the development team and the hardworking staff members that have a real passion for the university, the more I realized I wanted to be part of it.” The Rothenbergers have made generous gifts to the Terry College and the Special Collections Libraries, and a room in the Miller Learning Center bears their name in honor of their largesse. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the University of Georgia and I am honored to give back,” he said. After a career in the healthcare insurance industry (culminating in a successful public offering of his company) Rothenberger, who also earned his CPA license, became involved in managing Web.com PGA Tour events and player sponsorships … and that may not be the final chapter. “I’m looking at a healthcare start up opportunity that may have potential,” he stated.
Then there’s Molly, the family’s beloved Great Dane who, aside from her forays onto the golf course with Jeff, is really a Georgia Bulldog through and through.
Regardless of where the next fork in the road takes him, one thing it won’t change is his allegiance to the University of Georgia. He is clearly a Georgia Bulldog for life and we’re proud to count him as one of our own.
First UGA Foundation Professor UGA Foundation well represented in Georgia Trend list of Human Health is named Georgia Trend magazine recently unveiled its Congratulations to Dr. Phaedra Corso, professor of health policy and management in the University of Georgia College of Public Health. She was recently named as the first UGA Foundation Professor of Human Health. Corso is the director of the Economic Evaluation Research Group and founding head of the college’s department of health policy and management. She also serves as associate director for policy at the Emory Center for Injury Control and is an adjunct faculty member at the UGA School of Public and International Affairs. “Phaedra is a pre-eminent scholar widely recognized by peers and colleagues in her field,” said Dr. Phillip Williams, dean of the College of Public Health. “This professorship not only recognizes her many accomplishments in health policy research, but her essential role in the growth and prominence of the college’s department of health policy and management,” Williams added. Corso is known both nationally and internationally for her research in economic evaluation and economic impact assessment, primarily in the areas of child maltreatment and substance abuse prevention. Prior to joining the UGA faculty in 2006, she worked for 15 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an economic and policy analyst, most recently in the area of injury and violence prevention. She remains actively engaged with the CDC, serving as a senior policy analyst.
2014 list of the most influential Georgians and, not surprisingly, the University of Georgia and the UGA Foundation are well represented.
While there is not enough space in this newsletter to list every honoree with ties to the university, I would like to note that it includes President Jere Morehead, Past President and Terry College Interim Dean Charles Knapp, UGA Foundation Trustee Dan Amos and Emeritus Trustee Dink NeSmith. In addition, many others are listed as Georgia “notables”, including our Immediate Past Chair Bill Young, Jr. Congratulations to all for being recognized by one of the state’s most influential business publications!
UGA recognized as one of America’s best values in higher education
The University of Georgia has received recognition in The Princeton Review’s new book, Best Value Colleges: The 150 Best-Buy Schools and What It Takes to Get In. The book includes the top 150 institutions – 75 public and 75 private – out of 2,000 undergraduate colleges and universities studied for academics, cost and financial aid. In its overview of UGA, Princeton Review editors took special note of the HOPE Scholarship and the Foundation Fellowship as two awards that are key to the university earning a spot on their list. This honor complements recent reports, in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, which ranked UGA as one the “best values in public colleges”, and U.S. News & World Report which rated UGA’s graduate programs in law, education and business among the nation’s elite.
Ryan Nesbit named UGA vice president for finance and administration It was exciting to hear that Ryan Nesbit, who has served the University of Georgia as interim vice president for finance and administration since last July, has been named to the position permanently effective April 1. We have been honored to have Ryan as an ex officio trustee of the foundation since he assumed the interim role and look forward having him with us in the years ahead. The finance and administration division he will head has more than 1,600 employees across seven major units. “Ryan Nesbit has provided dedicated service to the university, and I am confident he will focus his time and energy, as the permanent vice president, on advancing the strategic goals we discussed during the interview process,” President Jere Morehead said. “He will work diligently to develop innovative approaches to control costs, improve efficiencies, adopt best practices from across higher education, and improve customer service to faculty, staff and students,” the president added. “I look forward to working with him.” Ryan held positions as assistant to the director and associate director in the university’s facilities planning office. He holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from The Citadel and his MBA from the University of Georgia which he earned in 1991.
Earl Leonard featured in Georgia Magazine cover article
Story includes quote from student serving as Financial Services intern I hope that you have had a chance to read the March issue of Georgia Magazine and specifically the cover article on Earl Leonard. Earl and his wife Bebe have been very generous donors to the University of Georgia Foundation, pledging more than $2 million for the Bebe and Earl Leonard Leadership Scholars Program. It is a twoyear leadership development curriculum for Terry College of Business undergraduates. One of the 60 students presently in the program is Ambreia Curry, a junior finance major from Valdosta, who is also interning with the UGA Office of Financial Services. Ambreia is quoted in the story and reveals how she had always thought financial gain would be a driving force in her professional development, but a unique writing exercise she was required to do in the program changed her perspective. If you haven’t seen the story yet, I encourage you read it. It’s a very nice piece on one of UGA’s most beloved individuals. _______________________
A facelift is underway for an old gift to UGA Long before there was a UGA Foundation, the senior class of 1914 made a gift that is still giving today, but that needs help to keep on giving. The 10 cast iron lamp posts at the entrance to North Campus are being refurbished to their original splendor. The lamps will be getting new wiring and lamps, new footings, and the exteriors will be returned to like new condition. The 100th anniversary project will be completed in time for commencement on May 9.
Dates to remember May 1, 2014:
UGA Board of Visitors meeting Guest Speaker: College of Engineering Dean Donald Leo Atlanta – Site TBD 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
May 9, 2014:
Spring semester commencement Graduate ceremony – 10:00 AM Stegeman Coliseum Undergraduate ceremony – 7:00 PM Sanford Stadium (rain or shine)
June 19-20, 2014:
UGA Foundation spring/summer board meeting St. Simons Island, Georgia
August 1, 2014:
Summer Semester Commencement Stegeman Coliseum 9:30 AM
August 18, 2014
Fall Semester classes begin
September 25-26
UGA Foundation fall board meeting Various campus sites Athens, Georgia
December 19, 2014
Fall Semester Commencement Athens, Georgia
University of Georgia Foundation 394 South Milledge Ave., Suite 100 Athens, Georgia 30602-5582 Telephone (706) 542-6677 www.ugafoundation.org