Summer 2015 Chairman's Letter

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER / SUMMER 2015

Dear Friends…

I am pleased to share my first newsletter as chairman of the University of Georgia Foundation!

This summer is an exciting time for the university and the foundation as we welcome new trustees, a new executive leadership team and celebrate great fundraising success. We’re also looking at a calendar that moves us closer by the day to fall and the pure excitement that comes with a new academic year in Athens.

We had a very productive annual board meeting last month in St. Simons which you’ll read about in the pages that follow … and we used the occasion to honor John Spalding and our outgoing trustees.

John guided this foundation during the university’s most productive period of fundraising in its history. I know you join me in expressing our appreciation for his hard work, vision and leadership from which the university and the foundation have derived tremendous benefit.

Because of his steady hand, and thanks in no small part to the work of his predecessors, I am very optimistic about the foundation’s future.

Thank you for placing your confidence in me to chair the foundation the next two years. I appreciate your many kind words of support and look forward to working with everyone on the board!

Sincerely,

Ken Jackson Chairman

UGA fundraising in FY2015 sets a new standard What great news it was to hear that the university achieved the best fundraising year in its storied history!

We not only set a new standard for giving, but also enjoyed the support of more contributors than in any previous year. Almost 64,000 alumni and friends gave approximately $144.2 million in new gifts and commitments. This is a 14 percent increase over 2014, which was itself an all-time record of $126.4 million.

In a press release issued by the university, President Jere W. Morehead stated, “Once again, the University of Georgia community joined together to provide an unprecedented level of financial support to advance the academic mission of this great institution.

“I am grateful to our generous and loyal alumni and friends for their significant contributions; to the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees, to the development team, and to the senior leadership across our schools, colleges, and other units for their hard work and dedication; and to our outstanding faculty, staff, and students, who continue to make UGA the very special place that it is.”

Kelly Kerner, vice president for the Division of Development and Alumni Relations echoed those sentiments.

“Having established an all-time fundraising record just one year ago—and to exceed that total by a significant margin just 12 months later—is an incredible tribute to our donors who have stepped up and answered the call to support the university.

“Words are inadequate to express the depth of appreciation I have for our alumni and friends who have committed their financial resources to help ensure the University of Georgia maintains an upward trajectory as one of the world’s great institutions of higher education.”

On a personal note, I am so grateful to our donors for their commitment to the university and to the development team, support staff and those of you on the board who helped make this accomplishment possible.

The bar has been set extraordinarily high and we’ve got a great deal of work in this fiscal year to push for yet another fundraising record … but I am confident with the teamwork that has been consistently exhibited across the university and this foundation, we can make it happen again.

University of Georgia Foundation achieves $3.3 million budget surplus and allocates funds to enhance University of Georgia academics Kudos to the board for its effective management of UGA Foundation budget dollars in fiscal year 2015 and to our investment committee for achieving strong investment returns. As of June 30, the foundation had a budget surplus of $3.3 million and at our annual meeting we directed that funding be designated to support and enhance the university’s academic mission.

The surplus funds are in addition to more than $50 million in annual support provided by the foundation to the University of Georgia.

The board designated funding from the surplus for existing endowments established by the foundation in:  Need-based Scholarships, an additional $1 million  Study Abroad Scholarships, an additional $500,000 The board also allocated funding from the surplus for current support as follows:  $200,000 total for Professional School Scholarships in: o School of Law o College of Veterinary Medicine o College of Pharmacy “The foundation has consistently exhibited an ability to grow its endowment and to achieve budget surpluses,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Because of sound investment strategies and superb budget management, the foundation, once again, is able to provide significant additional funding to the university.”

Within the Fiscal Year 2015 unrestricted budget of the UGA Foundation, the following had already been designated for endowment support:  $500,000 for professorships  $1.5 million for UGA Foundation funded scholarship endowments (merit- and needbased) “We were honored to work with President Morehead to identify and fill the immediate areas of need and to extend a legacy of endowment support for the long-term health and prosperity of the institution,” said Immediate Past Chair John Spalding.

Passing the gavel John Spalding has been a great friend and a marvelous chairman of the foundation. As vice chair, I have enjoyed working closely with him the last two years and am privileged to be his successor.

During our Thursday evening dinner at the annual meeting in St. Simons last month, I was delighted to award John, on behalf of the entire board of trustees, a beautiful commemorative glass arch to commemorate his efforts in leading us during an era of tremendous prosperity for the university and the foundation.

At the next day’s full board meeting, I was honored to accept the symbolic chairman’s gavel during our full board session.

John’s consistent and thoughtful leadership set a fine standard that I will do my very best to uphold in the coming term and I look forward to working with each of you to build the UGA Foundation’s legacy of support that he advanced so capably.

Foundation Presents UGA in Washington print to President Morehead At the annual meeting, John Spalding had the honor of presenting a print of Delta Hall to President Morehead.

The Giclée, a fine-art, digital print, is of an original painted by renowned artist Steve Penley for the University of Georgia Foundation and which hangs in Delta Hall.

It was a “thank you” from the board to the president for what Spalding termed “his thoughtful and passionate leadership, and his Bulldog determination.”

We are all indebted to President Morehead, who has long had a vision of a university facility in Washington.

His work in helping secure the $5 million gift from Delta Air Lines advanced our fundraising efforts for what is now UGA’s “front door” to the nation’s capital.

Delta’s generous support moved us closer to our fundraising goal for the project of $12.5 million, and with your help in the months ahead, I believe we can achieve that total in a timely manner.

UGA Foundation announces new officers The board voted unanimously to confirm the foundation’s new officers for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Bill Douglas was confirmed as the new vice chairman; Terry Brown was elected to be the foundation’s new treasurer and Steve Jones was voted in as our new secretary. These gentlemen bring outstanding credentials to the job.

Bill Douglas just completed a term as treasurer. By UGA Foundation bylaws, as vice chairman, he is in line to be the next chairman for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Bill is executive vice president of Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products. He earned a BBA in accounting from the Terry College of Business in 1983.

Terry Brown is the Chairman and CEO of Asana Partners, a Columbia, South Carolina based real estate investment management company. He earned a BBA in accounting from the Terry College in 1984.

Steve Jones is a U.S. District Court Judge in Atlanta and past president of the UGA Alumni Association. Prior to his federal appointment, Judge Jones was a Superior Court judge serving Athens, Clarke County and Oconee County. Judge Jones earned both his BBA ('78) and JD ('87) from the University of Georgia.

Senior Signature campaign sets new record It was great to see our newest graduates step up and begin giving. The University of Georgia Student Alumni Association reports that the Senior Signature fundraising campaign took in $90,516—the highest total in program history.

The Senior Signature campaign gives graduating students the opportunity to begin a giving legacy by donating to a school, college, department or scholarship on campus from which they benefitted. Participating students’ names are included, by class years, on the signature wall in Tate Center Plaza.

The concept for the campaign stems from a student-led fundraising effort launched in 1920.

Of every $50 Senior Signature gift, $20 goes to the Georgia Fund, which supports UGA Alumni Association programming and critical areas such as scholarships, endowed professorships, graduate fellowships and international study.

About $36,000 of this year’s Senior Signature total was designated for the Georgia Fund. Giving, and the total amount raised, increased by 43 percent over 2014, with 1,807 graduating students participating.

“The campaign saw donations for 63 different schools, colleges, departments, academic programs, scholarships and more, said Meredith Gurley Johnson, executive director of alumni relations. “We could not be more proud of our students beginning their philanthropic legacy, which will build a culture of giving.”

“Seeing my friends and peers excited about giving to UGA shows their willingness to give back to a school that has served them the past four years,” Said Heath Robinson Class of 2015 Senior Signature Committee chair.

New Trustee assignments bring fresh perspectives to the University of Georgia Foundation With the conclusion of each term our board changes with newly elected trustees and new assignments for others … and we bid farewell to some of our dear colleagues by according emeritus status to those trustees whose terms concluded June 30. This year we have some interesting changes that will bring diverse experience to the board. Briefly, they include: Elected Trustees: Eleanor F. Banister is retired from her years as a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm of King & Spalding where her practice focused on employee benefits and executive compensation.

Banister is a summa cum laude graduate of the UGA College of Education from which she earned a BSED in Middle School Education in 1973. She was a magna cum laude graduate of the UGA School of Law where she earned her JD in 1979.

Mark B. Chandler, who completed a term as a UGA Foundation advisory trustee, is president and founder of Habersham Properties, an Atlanta property management and brokerage firm. Chandler earned a BBA in Finance from the Terry College of Business in 1981, is a certified public accountant, and has held a real estate license with the Georgia Real Estate Commission for more than 15 years. He has been an active real estate investor for more than two decades.

Jennifer G. Flanagan is an Atlanta philanthropist who serves on the University of Georgia Board of Visitors and has supported a broad range of organizations and institutions including the UGA in Washington program. She is a 1982 graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she earned a BA in Art History.

Ted McMullan, who completed a term as an UGA Foundation advisory trustee, is president and chairman of Atlanta-based Covington Investments, LLC, a privately owned firm he founded in 1997. Covington’s related companies own and operate senior living communities in Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and Tennessee. Ted is the son of Marilyn and John F. McMullan. John is an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation. Ted earned an AB degree from Georgetown University in 1991 and an MBA from the Terry College of Business in 1993.

Ex-Officio Trustees: Ruth Bartlett is a partner in the CPA firm of Frazier & Deeter, LLC in Atlanta. She is the incoming president of the University of Georgia Alumni Association succeeding Tim Keadle.

Johnelle Simpson is the University of Georgia student body president succeeding Drew Jacoby.

I am looking forward to working with our new trustees. Their combined talents complement those of a board with outstanding capabilities across many areas of expertise, all of which will help us fulfill the foundation’s primary objective of supporting the University of Georgia’s academic mission.

A fond farewell to our newest emeritus trustees While we are thrilled to welcome the trustees noted above, the end of the fiscal year is always bittersweet for us because we have to say goodbye to a number of our colleagues. This year we accorded emeritus status to six trustees, all of whom served with great distinction.

Our personal thanks go to Mike Godwin (not pictured) and, L-R with John Spalding: Gail Hunnicutt, Abby Irby, Jeff Knox, Wick Searcy and Charlie Williams.

Your contributions to the foundation’s success cannot be overstated and a simple “thank you” is not adequate. We are grateful for your leadership, for your love of the University of Georgia and for your gifts and service … most of all I am gratified to call each of you “friend.” Speaking for the board, we hope you all stay engaged with the foundation and the university as emeritus trustees.

DATES TO REMEMBER July 27, 2015

UGA Day in Atlanta College Football Hall of Fame 250 Marietta St. NW Doors open at 6:00 PM, Program at 7:00 PM Atlanta, GA

August 16, 2015

Class of 2019 Freshman Welcome 5:30 – 8:00 PM Sanford Stadium

August 17, 2015

First Day of Fall Semester Classes

September 1, 2015

Faculty/Staff/Retiree Donor Appreciation Reception UGA – Tate Grand Hall 3:30 – 5:00 PM

September 7, 2015

Labor Day Holiday University of Georgia closed

September 10, 2015

UGA Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon InterContinental Hotel 3315 Peachtree Road 11:30 AM (Lunch and program at 12:00 Noon) Atlanta, GA

September 18, 2015

Presidents Club Reception UGA – Tate Grand Hall 6:00 – 7:30 PM

September 25-26, 2015

UGA Parents and Families Weekend Check-in followed by tours and presentations Special Collections Libraries, 2nd Floor Rotunda 4:00 PM September 25 Pre-game Tailgate on Herty Field, September 26, 2.5 hours prior to kickoff of UGA vs. Southern University football game in Sanford Stadium

October 1-2, 2015

UGA Foundation Fall Board Meeting Various campus sites Athens, GA

October 8, 2015

UGA Board of Visitors Luncheon Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Road Atlanta, GA

October 15, 2015

UGA Costa Rica 10-Year Anniversary Celebration Ciné 234 W. Hancock Ave. 6:00 PM Athens, GA

November 26-27, 2015

Thanksgiving Holidays University of Georgia closed

December 18, 2015

Fall Commencement Stegeman Coliseum 9:30 AM Undergraduate Ceremony 2:30 PM Graduate Ceremony

December 25, 2015 January 1, 2016

Christmas - New Year’s Holidays University of Georgia closed

January 11, 2016

First day of Spring Semester

January 18, 2016

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday University of Georgia closed

January 20, 2016

State of the University Address President Jere W. Morehead University Chapel 3:30 PM Athens, GA

January 30, 2016

Bulldog 100 Celebration Atlanta Marriott Marquis 265 Peachtree Center Ave 6:00 PM Atlanta, GA

February 25-26, 2016

UGA Foundation Winter Board Meeting Various Campus sites Athens, GA

May 13, 2016

Spring Commencement Graduate Ceremony 10:00 AM – Stegeman Coliseum Undergraduate Ceremony 7:00 PM – Sanford Stadium

University of Georgia Foundation 394 South Milledge Ave., Suite 100 Athens, Georgia 30602-5582 Telephone (706) 542-6677 www.ugafoundation.org