University of Georgia Magazine Summer 2020 by University of Georgia Alumni Magazine

summer 2020

Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward. UGA responds to COVID-19

CONTENTS

The Archway Partnership assists counties all across Georgia. p. 16.

the magazine of the university of georgia summer 2020

INSIDE 5

The President’s Pen

UGA to Z

President Jere W. Morehead on persevering through adversity. Mary Frances Early reviews a display in her honor in Aderhold Hall, home of the Mary Frances Early College of Education. p. 20.

Accomplishments and accolades from across the UGA community.

On the Bulldog Beat Student Government Association President Rachel Byers helped keep students connected to UGA and each other during the pandemic.

38 Bulldog Bulletin The UGA Alumni Association makes sure all Georgia grads know we are in this together.

Class Notes UGA alumni lead innovative businesses, reach out to survivors of domestic abuse, and treat coronavirus patients in Athens.

56 Faculty Focus Get to know Roberto Docampo, Barbara and Sanford Orkin and GRA Professor in Tropical and Emerging Diseases, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

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FEATURE

ON THE COVER

16 True Partners The Archway Partnership, after 15 years, continues going strong as one of UGA’s most successful outreach programs to communities throughout the state.

20 Making History In 1962, Mary Frances Early became the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia. Fiftyeight years later, the College of Education has been named in her honor.

26 Hunkered Down.

Pushing Forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the University of Georgia community in ways not seen for generations. We’ve responded like Bulldogs do—we’ve hunkered down, and we’re pushing forward.

photo by peter frey

When the University of Georgia moved to online instruction in March, the normally vibrant main campus in Athens became quieter and emptier than any other time in more than a century. As this issue goes to press on May 22, reopening plans are underway, and these chairs in the Biological Science Building will be filled once again.

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Shielding the Front Line engineer carlos barrow assembles one of the 1,000 face shields UGA provided to health care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The UGA College of Engineering, the Instrument Design and Fabrication Shop, and other units teamed up to produce the shields, which consist of four simple parts: a clear plastic shield, an adjustable strap, a neoprene strip that serves as a forehead cushion, and a plastic frame. Shields are an integral component of the personal protective equipment, or PPE, health care workers need to protect themselves from the virus while treating patients. A national shortage of PPE has groups across the country creating reusable cloth masks, gowns, and other protective gear for health care workers.

andrew davis tucker

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summer 2020

VOLUME 99

ISSUE NO. 3

georgia magazine

Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94 Associate Editor · Aaron Hale MA ’16 Writers · Leigh Beeson MA ’17 and Hayley Major Art Director · Jackie Baxter Roberts Advertising Director · Kipp Mullis ABJ ’93 Office Manager · Fran Burke UGA Photographers · Peter Frey BFA ’94, Rick O’Quinn ABJ ’87, Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski BLA ’06, ABJ ’10, Chad Osburn Contributing Writers · Elizabeth Elmore BBA ’08, ABJ ’08, Clarke Schwabe ABJ ’08, and John W. English Editorial Interns · Rachel Floyd AB ’19, Mary Calkins AB ’20, and Madeleine Howell BSFCS ‘20

marketing & communications Vice President · Karri Hobson-Pape Executive Director · Janis Gleason Brand Strategy Director · Michele Horn

administration President · Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 Senior VP for Academic Affairs & Provost · S. Jack Hu VP for Finance & Administration · Ryan Nesbit MBA ’91 VP for Development & Alumni Relations · Kelly Kerner VP for Instruction · Rahul Shrivastav VP for Research · David C. Lee VP for Public Service & Outreach · Jennifer Frum PhD ’09 VP for Student Affairs · Victor Wilson BSW ’82, MEd ’87 VP for Government Relations · Toby Carr BBA ’01, BSAE ’01 VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester

Change your mailing address by contacting e: records@uga.edu or ph: 888-268-5442 Find Georgia Magazine online at news.uga.edu/georgia-magazine Submit Class Notes or story ideas to gmeditor@uga.edu

advertise in Georgia Magazine by contacting Kipp Mullis at e: gmsales@uga.edu or ph: 706-542-9877 fine print

Georgia Magazine (issn 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. postmaster | Send address changes to: University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602

UGA sends a heartfelt thank you to the health care and medical professionals working tirelessly to keep Athens and Georgia safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. https://eoo.uga.edu/

Correction: In the Spring 2020 issue, on Page 51, the final sentence of the Jennifer Holloway BMus ’00 profile The Soprano should read “What we’re there to do is share this passion with the audience.”

THE PRESIDENT’S PEN

Persevering through Uncertainty

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing out the best in the Bulldog Nation.

The Bulldog Nation has demonstrated remarkable resolve to persevere through the exceptional challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have used our expertise and resources to help those in need. I have never been prouder to serve as president of the University of Georgia. Across all facets of our mission, we have been addressing the issues created by this crisis. Faculty and staff deftly moved courses online so that students could complete the spring semester and continue their studies from a distance. In the first week of instruction in the new learning environment, UGA faculty delivered more than 11,000 course sections online to over 37,000 students. Kaltura (a media storage and streaming solution) usage increased by a staggering 12,562%, up from an average of 1,454 to 18,266 plays per day. Remote instruction continues this summer.

“New challenges certainly await us in this period of uncertainty, but with our dedication and tenacious spirit, we will overcome them. Together, the members of the Bulldog Nation will prevail.”

UGA researchers are tackling the coronavirus from multiple angles. Some are working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, while others are developing an antiviral to treat individuals who are already infected. Some researchers are trying to determine risk factors for severe cases of the disease, while others are tracking the spread of the virus or working to improve testing. Additional researchers are studying the pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning, and still others are researching its effects on our personal relationships and other aspects of our culture. Faculty, staff, and students have found numerous ways to help communities across the state during this difficult time. The Small Business Development Center, in conjunction with government partners, has held webinars to help small-business owners obtain federal assistance. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government quickly moved some of its popular education programs online, as did other units such as UGA Extension. UGA community members have led efforts to distribute food to Athens’ most vulnerable residents and to provide equipment to hospitals and health care workers on the front lines. The support of UGA’s alumni and friends has become more important than ever because of unexpected financial strains on our students and their families and unprecedented state budget reductions now facing our institution. I am grateful that so many of you donated to the institution during our capital campaign, and I ask for your additional support as we strive to maintain excellence across our teaching, research, and service missions in the long months ahead. New challenges certainly await us in this period of uncertainty, but with our dedication and tenacious spirit, we will overcome them. Together, the members of the Bulldog Nation will prevail.

Jere W. Morehead President

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News, accomplishments, and accolades from the UGA community

COMMENCEMENT 2020

A Class Like No Other Commencement 2020 looked different from the ceremonies before it. With campus closed and students, faculty, and staff largely sheltering in place and working from home, President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 conferred degrees virtually and offered both commiserations for the circumstances and optimism that the future is still bright for the Class of 2020. “This pandemic does not define your accomplishments,” Morehead told students in a video that was

posted May 8. “But this class will be remembered for what you have withstood, your resiliency, your dogged determination to finish what you started under these challenging circumstances. That is what being a Georgia Bulldog is all about.” Students also received congratulations from scheduled Commencement speakers Maria Taylor ABJ ’09, MBA ’13, reporter and host for ESPN, and Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA Science. Georgia Gov.

Brian Kemp BSA ‘87 also posted a congratulatory video. In-person Commencement for the undergraduate Class of 2020 has been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Sanford Stadium. The spring 2020 graduate Commencement ceremony for master’s and doctoral degree candidates has been scheduled for Friday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum, in combination with the regularly scheduled fall 2020 graduate Commencement.

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UGA to Z

Letter from the Editor

TOP OF THE CLASS

Graduate Programs Ranked Among Nation’s Best

n my role, i’m used to sitting in front of a computer. I never expected to do it from home for three months straight, though. Still, I an know how fortunate I am. dr ew d avi s t k e r uc I’m healthy, I’m able to do my job, and I’m happy you’re reading the Summer 2020 issue of Georgia Magazine. The COVID-19 pandemic hit midway through our production process. After discussions within our team, we decided to delay distribution for 30 days rather than send you a magazine that made no mention of the coronavirus. That extra time allowed us to more fully tell the story of the virus’s impact on our community. The challenge, of course, is that this story changes every day. In several cases, we picked a point in time and told the story from that perspective. Inside the ICU, which transports you to the pandemic hotspot of Albany, Georgia, is the best example.

University of Georgia’s graduate programs continue to climb the ranks.

When we delayed, our Class Notes and Applause for Alumni section was already complete, so we carried it over. With the extra time, we added a profile of pulmonologist Andrew McKown BS ’07, who is treating COVID19 patients right here in Athens-Clarke County. In future issues, we plan to highlight many more alumni who have upended their lives— and, in some cases, risked them—to fight the coronavirus. Each of us has a role to play in helping the University of Georgia community navigate this generational challenge. Mine is to tell the stories of those who make a difference on our campus, in our state, across the country, and around the world. I hope their stories inspire you to make your own contribution to the fight. —Eric Rangus MA ’94

graphic by lindsay bland robinson

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U.S. News and World Report recognized multiple graduate programs at the University of Georgia as some of the top in the nation. The Terry College of Business MBA program moved up four spots to No. 33, its highest ranking to date. The public administration program offered through the School of Public and International Affairs ranked No. 6 in the nation. The higher education administration program offered through UGA’s Institute of Higher Education ranked No. 8 in the nation; it has been in the top 10 since 2007. Several other UGA programs were highly ranked as well. The UGA College of Pharmacy rose one spot to 24th in the nation, and the School of Law ranked 31st in the nation. The Mary Frances Early College of Education ranked 37th overall, with several programs in the nation’s top 10. The college’s program in counseling and personnel services ranked No. 4, its elementary education program ranked No. 7, its secondary education program ranked No. 9, and its educational psychology program ranked 24th in the nation. The agricultural engineering program offered through the College of Engineering is ranked 18th.

UGA to Z COMMITTED TO LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES

Guarding Against Parkinson’s

Researchers at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center and their colleagues have found that “natural killer” (NK) white blood cells could guard against the cascade of cellular changes that lead to Parkinson’s disease and help stop its progression. “Right now, there’s no available therapy to modify or stop the progression of Parkinson’s,” says lead author Jae-Kyung “Jamise” Lee, assistant professor in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “This would be the first NK study to show the possibility of actually stopping the disease.” The new study highlights that NK cells act not only as efficient scavengers that attack an intruder but may also be critical for regulating and restraining inflammation of brain tissue and protein clumping—hallmarks of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders. Parkinson’s is no longer considered a brain-specific disease, and researchers increasingly recognize a functional connection between the immune system and central nervous system. Lee’s team found that in conditions of chronic inflammation such as Parkinson’s, the blood-brain barrier becomes disrupted, allowing immune cells to channel into the brain.

Neo-Abstraction: Celebrating a Gift of Contemporary Art from John and Sara Shlesinger Georgia Museum of Art GIF T GIVING Top, imaging of healthy neurons from a mouse brain. Bottom, imaging of neurons damaged by protein clumping, a telltale sign of Parkinson’s disease. (Images courtesy of Jae-Kyung Lee)

Donation of 110 Contemporary Works Could Transform Museum

At the end of December 2019, the Georgia Museum of Art received a major gift from John MBA’83 and Sara Shlesinger of Atlanta. The gift consisted of 110 contemporary works of art from their personal collection, spanning a wide variety of artists and media, including works from Damien Hirst, Daniel Arsham, Shannon Ebner, David Altjmed, and Mike Kelley. The gift promises to transform how the museum operates, giving it the means, virtually overnight, to teach and exhibit cutting-edge art from the past 25 years.

MONEY MANAGEMENT

A Little Planning Can Relieve Financial Stress

Money is universally acknowledged as a cause of anxiety, but research led by a University of Georgia professor indicates that a small amount of financial planning can make a big difference. Spending just 20 minutes setting financial goals can provide short-term relief from overall financial anxiety, according to the study published in the journal Contemporary Family Therapy. “If you’re feeling anxious about your money situation, you should seek help,” says Kristy Archuleta, lead author of the study and an associate professor in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Even just setting your financial goals can make a difference, and there are a variety of professionals you can turn to.”

Kristy Archuleta, associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is the lead author of a study to help people manage financial stress. shannah montgomery

cal powell

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UGA to Z INNOVATION DISTRICT

INNOVATION THAT CHANGES LIVES

New Fellows Study Bioscience, Landscape Architecture

UGA in the Top 5 for New Products

Faculty members Lohitash Karumbaiah and Donnie Longenecker were selected as the University of Georgia’s Innovation Fellows for spring 2020. Launched last fall as part of UGA’s Innovation District initiative, the Innovation Fellows program aims to encourage faculty and staff to capitalize on the resources available through UGA’s research commercialization office, Innovation Gateway, to pursue their interests in commercialization and product development. As fellows, the two researchers spent part of their semesters learning how to successfully translate their research into marketable products. Karumbaiah is an associate professor of regenerative medicine in the Department of Animal and Dairy Science and the Regenerative Bioscience Center. He conducts preclinical research on invasive tumors and traumatic brain injuries. Longenecker, a senior lecturer in the College of Environment and Design, studies performance improvements in the landscape architecture industry and the impact of continuing education on that performance.

Research at the University of Georgia led to 50 new products being introduced to the market in fiscal year (FY)18, ranking UGA No. 2 among all U.S. universities and colleges for this important metric. This is the sixth year in a row that UGA has ranked among the top 5 universities, including a No. 1 ranking for FY17. This ranking is based on annual survey data from AUTM, a nonprofit organization that tracks technology transfer activity in higher education. The 50 new products are diverse and include:

Lohitash Karumbaiah, top, and Donnie Longenecker are UGA’s Innovation Fellows for spring 2020.

• EcoGreen Charcoal Lighter fluid, a plantbased, eco-friendly alternative to petroleum products. • HarvXtra Alfalfa, a higher-quality alfalfa variety with reduced lignin content. • New products from UGA startup company MuniRem Environmental, which conducts environmentally safe remediation of sites contaminated with munitions and other explosives. • Cold-tolerant citrus cultivars, including “Pink Frost” grapefruit, “Sweet Frost” tangerine, and “Grand Frost” lemon.

STEM DAWGS

UGA sparks STEM Education Research

UGA will serve as a catalyst for research in the emerging field of STEM education thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute will use the NSF grant to help STEM professors and lecturers at universities and colleges across the U.S. conduct research on student learning at their institutions. This project will focus on gathering reliable information on how learning works in different contexts and for different students, with special attention on institutions in the Southeast that serve large numbers of underrepresented students in their STEM programs. “There have been efforts to increase diversity in STEM disciplines for decades, but the numbers haven’t changed much,” says Joachim Walther, director of UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute. “That suggests we need to understand this challenge at a much more fundamental level.”

Research scientist Nicola Sochacka, left, and associate professor Joachim Walther talk with students during a research group meeting in 2018. Walther is director of UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute. andrew davis tucker

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UGA to Z An attentive macaque watches the traffic pass by.

MONKEY BUSINESS

Feeding Wildlife Can Ruin More than Their Diets

A team of researchers from the University of Georgia and San Diego State University found that the practice of feeding wildlife could be more detrimental to animals than previously thought. In a paper published recently in Nature Scientific Reports, researchers found that feeding wildlife can disrupt the social lives of animal communities, which they discovered by observing and documenting the behavior of moor macaque monkeys along a wooded roadway on the island of Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia. While this regular proximity to humans may have resulted in a food reward, it also disrupted normal social behaviors that are typical of these macaques in the forest farther away from humans. “When the monkeys were along the road, there were fewer social connections between individuals,” says Kristen Morrow, a doctoral student in anthropology at UGA and lead author of the study. “This change can reduce the opportunities for positive interactions, such as grooming one another or resting nearby one another. These are important behaviors because they serve as a foundation for social learning and relationship building that lead to a strong, cohesive community.” Disruption of these social bonds could be detrimental to the monkeys’ health, life span, reproductive success, and infant survival, according to the study.

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UNLIKELY INFLUENCE

The Impact of Comment Sections

GREAT GRAD

Knight-Hennessy Scholar

UGA graduate Callan Russell BS ’20, an Honors student from McDonough, was selected as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, a global graduate-level program at Stanford University. Established in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program provides full funding for graduate students as they pursue studies ranging from medicine to law to doctoral programs, as well as joint and dual degrees. The program is designed to prepare students to take leadership roles in finding creative solutions to complex global issues. Russell graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a minor in music. She will begin a master’s program in human genetics and genetic counseling at Stanford University this September. Her long-term goal is to be a prenatal genetic counselor in a hospital setting, educating potential parents about their family histories and the role genetics plays in family planning.

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Ever wonder if a comment left on a social media post about politics has an impact? Research from the University of Georgia found that comments can, indeed, have a big influence on readers. Participants were asked to watch a staged video of a news interview with a nonpartisan political figure and a journalist. The subjects were then split into three groups: one that read no comments about the interview, one that read comments accusing the politician of being evasive, and one that read comments claiming the journalist was biased. The goal was to determine the impact of comments made by strangers on those who viewed the interview. “Comment sections are extremely powerful,” says David Clementson, an assistant professor of public relations at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the study’s author. “This research found that people will echo the sentiments expressed by anonymous strangers and will share opinions and attitudes about politicians and journalists in accordance with comments expressed by strangers.”

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UGA to Z UNHEARD STORIES

A New Platform for Black Graduates

Through the Giving Voice to the Voiceless grant, a team from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library has started the Black Alumni Oral History Project. The project helps current students collect the personal recollections of black UGA alumni (particularly those who studied in the 1960s and 1970s) so they can share and document their oral histories. Steven Armour, a librarian at Hargrett, says the project was inspired by an interview Charlayne Hunter-Gault ABJ ’63 conducted in 2017 with the first three black students admitted to UGA as freshmen—Kerry Rushin Miller BS ’66, Harold Black BBA ’66, and Mary Diallo AB ’66, MA ’73. “It got me thinking about all of the other unheard stories and unknown names associated with black struggle on campus in the 1960s and ’70s,” Armour says. “I was very excited when I discovered the Giving Voice to the Voiceless grants program because its scope is a great match for this project. It’s also a grant for students, and it felt like a project ripe for an ambitious student interviewer.”

Ashley Carter, a 2020 Grady grad, delivers a presentation on the Black Alumni Oral History Project. The project is funded by a Giving Voice to the Voiceless grant provided by Charlayne Hunter-Gault and her husband Ron Gault.

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STUDENT SUCCESS

Goldwater Scholar

EARNING RECOGNITION

Georgia Bio honors Five UGA-affiliated Organizations

Five University of Georgia-affiliated companies and programs were recognized with awards from Georgia Bio, the association for Georgia’s life sciences industry, at its 2020 annual awards dinner in March. Georgia Bio is a membership-based nonprofit that works to improve access to innovative technologies and grow Georgia’s life sciences economy. The organization presented awards to Infrared RX, the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, the Center for Vaccines and Immunology, ArunA Bio, and Danimer Scientific. “Improving human and animal health is a vital aspect of UGA’s land-grant mission,” says Derek Eberhart, associate vice president for research and executive director of Innovation Gateway, UGA’s research commercialization program. “This recognition affirms the impact of UGA research on our state’s rapidly growing life science industry and highlights the university’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.”

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A test is conducted in UGA’s Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center.

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University of Georgia Honors student Landon Clark was among 396 undergraduates across the nation to be recognized as Barry Goldwater Scholars, earning the highest undergraduate award of its type in the fields of the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Clark is a third-year CURO Honors Scholar who is triple majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology, genetics, and biology. Since 1995, 61 UGA students have received the Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes exceptional sophomores and juniors across the United States. “The University of Georgia is proud of Landon and pleased that he is extending our record of success in this prestigious competition,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “Already as an undergraduate student, he is helping UGA fulfill our commitment to conduct research that helps people lead longer, healthier lives.” This year, recipients were selected from a field of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors who were nominated by 461 academic institutions nationwide. Each awardee will receive up to $7,500 toward the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

c o m m i t t o g e o r g i a c a m pa i g n

CALLING ALL DAWGS

When the world calls,

bulldogs answ

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c o m m i t t o g e o r g i a c a m pa i g n

wer.

ever have these words been more true. The world is different today, and there is uncertainty on all fronts. Amid the anxiety, the frustration, and the disappointment this year, the Bulldog family is providing muchneeded support for communities around the world, for each other, and for the University of Georgia. And while that support is going to be needed more than ever as the university navigates budget cuts and adjustments to learning environments, we know that the UGA community—especially its alumni—will continue to answer the call. On April 18, UGA virtually celebrated

few months. I am so thankful that at a time filled with uncertainty I am able to lean on the University of Georgia and the support of Bulldog Nation.” It was as if the Chapel Bell rang worldwide—a symbolic call for the University of Georgia’s more than 327,000 alumni spread across cities, states, countries, and continents. In addition to donating, our alumni joined the UGA Mentor Program to support students whose post-graduation and internship plans may have been affected by the pandemic. They also shared stories about how they—and their fellow alumni—were supporting

Calling All Dawgs is a simple rally cry for the UGA community to continue doing all it can to ensure that this moment in our history, despite the circumstances, brings the UGA community closer than ever before. G-Day. Bulldogs from Savannah to Seattle wore red and black, set up at-home tailgates, and watched a replay of Georgia’s 23-17 victory over Notre Dame on Sept. 21, 2019. Over G-Day weekend, over 1,000 individuals donated more than $250,000 to help the university continue delivering on its important missions—from educating future leaders to serving the state’s small businesses. Their contributions went to faculty-led development and testing of potential coronavirus vaccines. They also supported student emergency funds that assist those facing significant financial hardships, such as rejoining their families abroad as travel restrictions were put into place or providing technology so students could continue taking their classes online. “The Student Emergency Fund helped me when I abruptly lost my job and my parents didn’t have the funds to provide for me,” said a student from Columbus, Georgia. “It gave me peace of mind by covering my utilities and food for the next

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their neighborhoods, businesses, hospitals, nonprofits, and each other. Calling All Dawgs is a simple rally cry for the UGA community to continue doing all it can to ensure that this moment in our history, despite the circumstances, brings the UGA community closer than ever before. For the foreseeable future, the support of the Bulldog family will remain vital. As we enter the second half of 2020, the University of Georgia will continue to encounter obstacles to its role as a land- and sea-grant university. But with the combination of Bulldog tenacity, commitment, and generosity, we can overcome these obstacles. Because when the world calls, Bulldogs answer. The COVID-19 outbreak interrupted the historic conclusion to UGA’s 8-year Commit to Georgia Campaign, but your support is still needed. Learn how Bulldogs everywhere are andrew davis tucker committing to helping others during this crisis at ALUMNI.UGA.EDU/COVID-19.

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TRUE

Partners

The Archway Partnership is one of UGA’s most successful outreach programs to communities across the state. written by eric rangus ma ’94 photography by shannah montgomery

he University of Georgia’s impact on the state reaches far beyond the main campus in Athens. UGA Public Service and Outreach (PSO) recognized that and created the Archway Partnership in 2005. Envisioned as a way for UGA to address the comprehensive needs of individual communities, the Archway model stations UGA public service faculty in partner counties where they serve as conduits for locally driven programming and projects. The idea isn’t for UGA to parachute into these communities, wave a magic wand, and solve all of the community’s problems. Archway is a true partnership: A UGA employee based in the community works with local leaders to identify the issues most important to their individual communities. UGA experts, often including their students, then take part in helping address the issues. “We don’t go into communities and tell them what they need. Instead, Archway

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is a partnership where communities identify and prioritize their needs, and in turn we find UGA expertise and resources to help address those needs,” says Jennifer L. Frum PhD ’09, vice president for UGA Public Service and Outreach. “The win-win outcome is that communities are able to move the needle on some of their most critical challenges, and UGA students get handson experience on real-world issues.” The results have been outstanding. Since Archway’s founding 15 years ago, over 1,200 students, more than 200 UGA faculty members, and hundreds of community leaders have participated in projects in Archway communities in 13 counties across the state. At this time, Archway has active partnerships in seven counties. Six others graduated from the Archway program and are considered Archway alumni. The many ways in which the projects improve local communities are as distinct as the communities where they take place.

Leadership Legends is an innovative program for African American young men. Two community leaders in Moultrie created the program with the assistance of the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. This photo is from a group meeting in April 2019.

COLQUITT COUNTY: Welcome to Town In 2005, the Archway Partnership launched with a pilot program in southwest Georgia’s Colquitt County. It hasn’t left. The original plan was for a five-year commitment, but when that time period was up, county leaders were keen to keep the program going themselves. The results have been impressive. Between 2005 and 2017, Colquitt County realized an average of $19 million a year in additional economic activity as a result of the Archway Partnership. And the range of projects involving the partnership has been broad. From identifying a cost-efficient

way to expand the county’s wastewater system to increasing the county’s high school graduation rate, Archway has found myriad opportunities to positively affect the community. For example, Leadership Legends is a mentorship program for young African American men. Another was the design of a new welcome center in downtown Moultrie, Colquitt’s largest city. Yusheng Fang MFA ’19 was the lead on the project, which repurposed a decades-old storefront that had been vacant since 2016. “The traces of this history give this building a unique life,” Fang says. “On

the second floor, there is a special barn door and many structures with a sense of industrial design. How to retain these historical senses while allowing them to serve new functions is an exciting and challenging part of the renovation project.” Colquitt and UGA are connected in another important way. A few years ago, a group of Colquitt County leaders established the UGA Moultrie-Colquitt County Alumni Scholarship Fund. So far, the group has provided Georgia Commitment Scholarships for five students to attend the University of Georgia.

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In fall 2019, support from the Georgia Power Foundation, in partnership with Archway, helped create a new welding program at Thomson High School. The program helps address a growing shortage of skilled workers in eastern Georgia.

MCDUFFIE COUNTY: Training Ground

Archway’s newest partnership is with McDuffie County, about half an hour west of Augusta. It kicked off in 2019 and, like its venerable Archway cousin Colquitt County, one of McDuffie’s first projects was downtown redevelopment. To that end, a group of students from the Terry College of Business put together a presentation aimed at revamping the Thomson Twin Cinema, a centerpiece of downtown Thomson, the McDuffie county seat. “Although we are not from Thomson and McDuffie County, we were able

to see and feel how important the theater is to many people within the community,” says Aracely Caldera BBA ’19, the student team leader. “It’s a place that holds many memories for everyone who’s ever visited. The theater is an integral part of downtown, and being able to renovate it and structure it in a way that promotes economic vitality would be a success.” Theater owners have already implemented some of the students’ suggestions. Another project in McDuffie County involves an Archway partnership not just with Thomson High School but

Join UGA in improving lives and communities across the state by making a gift to the Archway Partnership Fund at GIVE.UGA.EDU/ARCHWAY.

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with one of the state’s most important industries. Kerry Bridges, a member of the McDuffie-Thomson Archway Partnership executive committee and an area manager for Georgia Power, has long recognized the need for skilled workers in rural areas of the state. That’s why he asked the Georgia Power Foundation to support a new on-site welding program at the high school. The foundation kicked in $100,000 to start it, and 27 students enrolled last fall. Archway helped create the school’s welding lab, and graduates will be welltrained to take one of the thousands of jobs being created by the expansion of three Georgia Power plants in eastern Georgia.

THE PEOPLE students

Josh Bar-Haim Sombal Bari Kelsey Broich Simone Day Blake Dodd David Evans Rob Grabowski Jordyn Gulle Taylor Hafley Makinizi Hoover Portia Johnson Jack Lambert Paris Lawrence Rose Mayo Hayley McMullen Farah Pathan Benjamin Proulx Luciano Todeschini Trey Walker Jessica Will

This photo from September 2018 illustrates how Archway and the UGA College of Public Health have helped Taylor Regional Hospital provide health care services for Hawkinsville and the surrounding area.

faculty & staff Robert E. Gordon Jr. Director

Angel Jackson

Operations Coordinator

Rosanna Cruz-Bibb Program Coordinator

Baker Owens

Public Relations Coordinator

Melanie Wood

Business Manager

Michelle Elliot

Operations Coordinator

Sharon Liggett

Operations Coordinator

Sarah Adams

Archway Pro - Colquitt Co.

Whitney Brannen

Archway Pro - Grady Co.

Conni Fennell-Burley

Archway Pro - Washington Co.

Sam Perren

Archway Pro - McDuffie Co.

Sherrié Raleigh

Archway Pro - Pulaski Co.

PULASKI COUNTY: Healthy Communities

ARCHWAY PARTNERSHIP Communities

Archway’s robust work in Pulaski County, just south of Macon, runs the gamut. For one project, Henry Young, Kroger Associate Professor of Community Pharmacy, worked with Taylor Regional Hospital in Hawkinsville to identify reasons why COPD, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure patients frequently returned to the hospital. And in 2015, graduate students in UGA’s College of Public Health completed a federally mandated Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for the hospital, which couldn’t afford the consultants to complete the assessment and was in danger of shutting down. The CHNA not only confirmed that the hospital was needed in the community; it also showed the need for an outpatient clinic as well. Archway, along with UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, also helped create the Pulaski Tomorrow Leadership Program. The program encouraged a much more diverse group

of people to become leaders in the community, and now for the first time, women serve as both Pulaski’s sole county commissioner and city manager. Pulaski was also an active community for UGA College of Engineering students, who won an award for their remediation analysis of a county brownfield site. The College of Engineering has been one of Archway’s most active partners sending students not just to Pulaski County but also to Grady, Hart, Spalding, and Washington counties. “Learning how to work with the community and see something tangible was the biggest takeaway for me,” says Leigh Anne Lloveras BSEnvE ’19, who worked on a design for the Flint River Water Trail in Spalding County. Her team created designs for a place where boats could come in and out of the water along the Flint River. “We knew we could do the calculations, but taking in public input and working with stakeholders was a big lesson,” she says. GM

current

alumni

Colquitt Grady Hart Pulaski Spalding McDuffie Washington

Candler Clayton Glynn Habersham Sumter Whitfield

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ma king

h i story In 1962, Mary Frances Early became the first African American graduate from the University of Georgia when she received her master’s degree in music education. Fifty-eight years later, the College of Education has been named in her honor. written by eric rangus ma ’94

or two decades now, the University of Georgia has hosted the annual Mary Frances Early Lecture Series. Speakers such as, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rep. John Lewis, and Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, delivered messages that honor the determination and dignity that has defined the life of Mary Frances Early MMEd ’62, EdS ’67. Back in 2000, Early herself gave the inaugural speech when the series was known as the Graduate and Professional Scholars spring lecture. It was named in her honor following that address.

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For the 20th anniversary, on Feb. 25, Early was back on stage to take part. But this was hardly a standard university event. The keynote lecture by Marion Fedrick BSEd ’94, MPA ’02, president of Albany State University, and the ceremonies surrounding it marked the naming of UGA’s College of Education in honor of Early. It was the most important step in a long journey by the UGA community to honor Early. Her hard work, selflessness, and sacrifice went unacknowledged for more than 30 years but now serve as a shining light of inspiration for all.

There was so much to celebrate on Feb. 25. Dignitaries from across campus and the state gathered to honor Mary Frances Early as the College of Education was named for her.

andrew davis tucker

Left: Mary Frances Early taught music in the Atlanta Public Schools system for 37 years and eventually led the music program for the entire system. Below: Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes graduated from Turner High School five years after Early. Although they were not in her music classes, Early knew them since she served as a student teacher at Turner.

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a quiet tr ailblazer

n 1961, Charlayne Hunter ABJ ’63 (later Hunter-Gault) and Hamilton Holmes BS ’63 entered the University of Georgia as the university’s first African American students. Early, a graduate student in music education at the University of Michigan, watched them from afar. The Atlanta native knew Hunter and Holmes personally, though. They had all graduated from Turner High School; Early was five years ahead of the pair, but she met them while student teaching. Early, who earned her undergraduate degree at Atlanta’s Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) was already an elementary school music teacher when she entered graduate school at Michigan. She excelled there and was well on her way to receiving her master’s degree. Still, when she saw the riots that greeted Hunter and Holmes in Athens, Early made a life-changing decision. She applied to the Graduate School at UGA. “My mom wasn’t very happy about it, but she supported me,” Early said. “I felt I needed to open the doors of the grad school. I wanted to do something instead of just stand on the sidelines. You have to be

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an activist if you want to see change made. I was a very quiet person, an unlikely person to integrate UGA. But having grown up during a time when everything was separate but not equal—I was tired of that.” Early was accepted as a student in the institution but not so much as a member of the community. After coming to UGA in the summer of 1961, a few months after Holmes and Hunter, Early experienced a lot of the same horrible treatment they did. Rocks smashed through her Myers Hall dorm window. Students blocked her entry into the library. She was once even pelted with lemons in the dining hall. (She threw some of them back.) But Early found support, too. Her music education professors didn’t treat her any differently than they did the other students. Some fellow students became friends, although Early’s loneliness was palpable. Still, she excelled in the classroom, as she always did. When she graduated with her master’s in music education in 1962, more than 70 members of her family and friends attended the ceremony. Despite the challenges she faced on

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campus, Early returned to UGA in 1964 to begin classwork for her educational specialist degree, which she received in 1967. After that, she devoted her time to teaching and promoting music education. As a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, Early determined grants for musical organizations across the country for 11 years. She also helped write the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill music textbook series, leaving a lasting imprint of her ideas in the classroom. But her passion was always with her students. In all, Early spent 37 years teaching in the Atlanta Public Schools, eventually rising to lead the music program for the entire system. After she retired in 1994, she joined the music faculty at Morehouse and Spelman colleges and also chaired the music department at Clark Atlanta University. Regarding the University of Georgia, Early didn’t look back. When she graduated in 1962, there had been no recognition of her accomplishment—beyond her diploma. And there wouldn’t be for decades. Early never sought the attention. The attention found her. By accident.

Far right: Through his research that identified Mary Frances Early as UGA’s first African American graduate, Maurice Daniels played an integral role in reuniting Early with UGA. They have remained friends for more than 20 years, and he celebrated with her in February. Near right: Early’s portrait, unveiled in 2018, is now displayed in the Administration Building.

an incr edible r eunion

andrew davis tucker

f not for the efforts of one UGA dean and professor, Mary Frances Early might not have a relationship with the University of Georgia, much less a college named in her honor. In 1997, Maurice Daniels, a civil rights scholar who would eventually become dean of the School of Social Work, was researching a book about the desegregation of the university. During his conversations with the movement’s leaders, Early’s name came up. Daniels

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A faculty profile photo of Maurice Daniels in 1997, the year he came across Early’s story.

m au r ice daniels

dorothy kozlowski

aurice Daniels, then a professor in the UGA School of Social Work, uncovered Early’s story while researching another topic (see box below). After meeting, Early was invited back to campus with open arms. She happily returned. The Graduate School’s lecture series is just one of the many ties between Early and UGA. She has served on several alumni and leadership boards, and an endowed professorship and a scholarship were created in her name. She delivered the 2007 graduate Commencement address; in 2013, she received her third UGA degree, an honorary Doctor of Laws. Fewer than 100 honorary degrees have been bestowed since the university’s founding. In 2018, Early received the President’s Medal, and her portrait was unveiled in the Administration Building. But all that was just an opening act for the finale on Feb. 25.

wasn’t familiar with her accomplishments, so he did some more digging and confirmed that she was the university’s first African American graduate. He reached out to her and, for the first time, detailed her story. Things moved quickly from there. A student group invited Early to speak on campus. Then, as a result of Daniels’s work, UGA’s president Michael Adams released a proclamation formally acknowledging Early as the university’s

first African American graduate. Those were the first steps in repairing a relationship that had lain dormant for far too long. Following their original 1997 meeting, Early and Daniels remained close. In 2009, Daniels delivered that year’s Mary Frances Early Lecture. And in 2018, he served as co-executive producer of the documentary Mary Frances Early: The Quiet Trailblazer, which premiered on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

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Mary Frances Early celebrates with friends and family shortly after the College of Education was named for her on Feb. 25. peter frey

m a ry f r a nc e s e a r ly: a t i m e l i n e

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Mary Frances Early is born in Atlanta.

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Begins taking piano lessons and learns how to read music.

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Graduates as valedictorian of Henry McNeal Turner High School in Atlanta.

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Begins graduate work in music education at the University of Michigan.

Earns a bachelor’s degree in music education from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), where she is valedictorian. Starts first job as a music teacher at Atlanta’s John Hope Elementary School.

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Earns her master’s degree in music education, becoming the first African American graduate of UGA.

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Graduates with an educational specialist degree from UGA.

Although thriving at the University of Michigan, Early begins the process to transfer to UGA.

Becomes the first African American elected president of the Georgia Music Educators Association.

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Retires from working in public schools. Begins teaching at Morehouse College and Spelman College and becomes chair of the music department at Clark Atlanta University.

a celebr ation for a ll time

he process to name the College of Education for Early took about 10 months. In April 2019, the college launched a fundraising initiative to name it in Early’s honor. Some $2.94 million has been raised since the effort began. In October 2019, the Board of Regents approved the naming with the official

have a college or school named after them at the University of Georgia.” Albany State University President Marion Fedrick, like Early, earned two degrees at UGA, then proved to be the ideal keynote speaker. “Mary Frances Early lifted a whole generation with her actions,” Fedrick said. “She made sure that all of us could attend UGA—and not just UGA,

“I had to make a contribution to help make our nation better, our state better. The thing I knew I could do was go to school. So I did.”

—ma ry

f r a nc e s e a r ly

dedication scheduled for the following February. In his opening remarks as the event’s emcee, President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 described Early as a pioneering educator and civil rights icon. He also provided some important context. “With her historic legacy, it is fitting that Ms. Early is making history once again as the first African American to

but any other school that had yet to be desegregated. There were generations of students, not just the students from 1961, but students from that day forward who benefited from the sacrifices she made.” Early spoke briefly—just seven minutes—to cap the ceremony. As always, her words carried weight. “We have choices to make, and I want you to know that when I chose to join my

fellow Turner High graduates, I wasn’t trying to be the first to get a degree,” Early said, subtly noting that Holmes and Hunter graduated from Turner High just like she did, albeit five years after. “They had opened the door for undergraduates. I wanted to open the door at the University of Georgia for graduate students like me. I had to make a contribution to help make our nation better, our state better. The thing I knew I could do was go to school. So I did.” Early spoke further about the importance of education, teaching, and courage. She acknowledged the difficulty of her student experience, but the biggest theme of the day was gratitude. Gratitude from the University of Georgia to one of its most important alumni. And gratitude from the diverse multitudes in attendance—friends from Turner High, the governor and first lady, members of the Board of Regents, and even students from the Mary Frances Early College of Education who wanted to pay their respects and also to be part of history. All of them honoring the remarkable woman on stage. “It warms my heart to hear people say thanks for paving the way,” Early said. “That’s the best thing anyone can say to me.”

To honor Mary Frances Early with a gift, visit GIVE.UGA.EDU/MFE.

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Delivers the Graduate and Professional Scholars Spring Lecture. Following her address, the lecture series is renamed the Mary Frances Early Lecture Series.

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The College of Education establishes an endowed professorship—the Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education.

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Delivers the graduate Commencement address at UGA.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music establishes a scholarship in Early’s name to honor the 50th anniversary of her graduation.

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Receives an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UGA.

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A documentary about Early’s life, The Quiet Trailblazer, premieres on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Receives the UGA President’s Medal, and her portrait is unveiled in the Administration Building.

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The University of Georgia’s College of Education is named for Mary Frances Early.

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Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward. The Campus Responds

he history of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be written. But when that story is finally told, one of the most crucial dates— at least for the University of Georgia community—will be Thursday, March 12. On that day, in the middle of UGA’s Spring Break, the University System of Georgia (USG) suspended instruction at all 26 of its institutions beginning the following Monday. Students who had already left for Spring Break were urged not to come back to campus. Those still on campus were encouraged to leave, while accommodations were made for students who couldn’t. Students who had left the country or had taken a cruise—common Spring Break activities—self-quarantined for 14 days upon their return. Since the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered in Wuhan, China, in December, the novel coronavirus slowly began making its way around the world. The first case in the United States was confirmed on Jan. 21 and the first death on Feb. 6. While those numbers continued to grow, much of the country wasn’t treating the coronavirus as a significant threat yet. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. Everything hit home the next day. On March 12, the NBA suspended its season after a player tested positive for COVID-19. That sudden announcement led to an unprecedented run of cancellations and postponements around the country—sports

and otherwise. Schools around the country also announced closures, and before the day was out, Georgia universities were put on hold for in-person instruction. Four days later, on March 16, USG then took the unprecedented step of mandating all classes go online for the rest of the semester. Classes would restart on March 30. On March 17 came the seemingly inevitable announcement that UGA’s spring Commencement ceremonies were canceled. It was a tough blow to take. Still, there was a lot of evidence that the University of Georgia’s people were up to the challenge. “The reality is that our university has never before faced a set of circumstances this complex and this challenging,” President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 wrote in a universitywide email on March 23. “But as long as we continue to work together—as long as we remain focused on finding solutions—we will succeed. The spirit and determination of our UGA community will prevail.”

A Challenge Unlike Any Other The University of Georgia has closed in the past. In 1918, the university shut down for three weeks in response to the Spanish flu pandemic. But the 2020 coronavirus response is something altogether different. With a few important exceptions—the police department, several research labs, and the physical plant, among

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Jackson Street, near a typically crowded bus stop, sits empty and quiet as classes moved online for the remainder of the semester in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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them—campus sat eerily empty. But UGA never shut down. The two weeks of suspended instruction did not mean two weeks of suspended activity. University departments and academic programs used the opportunity to test out their business continuity plans and, most importantly, dramatically increase their online learning capabilities (see story, page 28). UGA quickly ramped up two comprehensive websites to address the needs of the university community. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Resources site brings to bear the expertise of the entire university and acts as a multilayered clearinghouse for coronavirus-related news and updates. It includes resources for faculty, students, and staff; links to community and health resources; a comprehensive FAQ; and much more. The Office of Instruction’s Teaching and Learning Continuity site is a faculty-focused portal that provides detailed guidance about how to prepare for online instruction, deliver class content, and work with students remotely. While much of this preparation was going on behind the scenes, professional and student staff in University Housing stepped to the forefront. After helping some 7,000 students move out of their residence halls (the process was staggered so as to follow social distancing guidelines), University Housing continued to support the more than 540 people who had to remain on campus—more than half were international students with nowhere else to go. For the remainder of the semester, resident assistants from across campus were crucial conduits in keeping students connected. They hosted virtual hangouts, game nights, and even Netflix viewing parties. For students both on- and off-campus, the Undergraduate Student Emergency Fund and the Graduate Student Emergency Fund received a boost of some $800,000 in private donations to support those who couldn’t meet essential expenses because of the pandemic. As terminology like virtual hangouts, Zoom meetings, and social distancing became as ubiquitous in the UGA com-

munity as it was worldwide, the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hit home harder and harder. On March 18, the first UGA staff member tested positive for the virus. The first student case followed the next day. Both eventually recovered. But as of May 8, 33 UGA students and staff had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

An Optimistic Future The last six weeks of the 2019-20 academic year took place online. It was virtual and it was reality. And, in many ways, it was also a success. For a generation that grew up online, adjusting to coursework via computer and the internet wasn’t a huge stretch. Faculty, too, were able to adjust their teaching to accommodate what most everyone called at one time or another “the new normal.” However, many of those faculty would quickly add that there is no substitute for face-to-face instruction. Midway through the six weeks online, on April 17, came the long-awaited announcement rescheduling Commencement. Provided the CDC and state health officials deem it safe to do so, the undergraduate ceremony will be held Friday, Oct. 16 at Sanford Stadium, and the graduate ceremony will be Friday, Dec. 18 at Stegeman Coliseum, in combination with the regularly scheduled fall graduate Commencement. President Morehead conferred the graduates’ degrees online May 8, the original date of spring commencement (see page 7). The university continues with online learning this summer. The Class of 2024 received their acceptance letters, and they are ready to come to a campus that yearns for their energy. UGA is planning to return to in-person instruction for the fall. The history of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be written. But when that story is finally told, the most crucial descriptions—at least for the University of Georgia community—will be perseverance, tenacity, and generosity. —Eric Rangus MA ’94

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Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward. Top: Margaret Christ, associate professor of accounting in the Terry College of Business. Below: Maryann Gallagher, a lecturer in the School of Public and International Affairs.

Putting Empathy (and Creativity) First While UGA faculty were learning new ways to teach their classes, they were also discovering new ways to interact with students. Faculty had a good deal of flexibility to customize the online experience for

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their students. They approached everything with thoughtfulness and openness. Margaret Christ, an associate professor of accounting in the Terry College of Business, turned her original class meeting time into office hours when students could drop in for live vidchats. She says the sessions were part teaching and part counseling. Maryann Gallagher, a lecturer in the School of Public and International Affairs, shared her cell number and told students they could call anytime with concerns related to class, jobs, family, or anything else going on in their lives. She also surveyed students, asking them about their biggest concerns with regard to online learning. “With some students, this is the first time they’re taking an online course, and they’re taking four or five at the same time,” she says. “And everybody has different preferences for what system they want to use and how they’re going to do it.” Because of that wide range of needs, Gallagher recorded her lectures and posted class materials online so that students could access them on their own time. Nick Fuhrman, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, chose to hold his classes in real time. “One thing the students enjoy about this is that it is fluid,” he says. “Things just happen, and even if they don’t happen like you’d envisioned, it’s a teachable moment,” Fuhrman says. “Students ask great questions on chat, and we can capitalize on that. I like to kind of relax a little and have some fun with it. I use the GoPro or spin the computer’s camera around to show them I’m doing a demo on my kitchen table. It’s not NBC-quality video, but I think it builds a sense of rapport when students and instructors see into each other’s lives a little bit.” The hands-on environment of laboratory classes posed its own challenges. The three professors on the anatomy team at the AU/UGA Medical Partnership worked together and decided to stay away from videos and instead provided students with graphic-, diagram-, and information-heavy work for them to complete on

hy ro t

The main campus of the University of Georgia in Athens covers 762 acres and includes 465 buildings. The spring semester of 2020 included some 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in around 11,000 course sections. Imagine stuffing all that into your average laptop computer. It can be done. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University System of Georgia announced on March 16 that all 26 of its institutions would move to online instruction for the remainder of the semester. And they had 15 days to set it up. “That was no small feat,” says Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction. “Our world-class faculty and staff pulled together to reinvent learning options for thousands of students under circumstances that were unfathomable when the original curriculum was created.” The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Office of Online Learning (OOL), Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS), and University Libraries all played integral roles in the effort—many of their staff working from home. CTL increased one-on-one consultations and partnered with OOL to provide Zoom sessions for broader audiences. EITS and University Libraries adjusted their hours of operation and technological services to further support the unique needs that arose during the transition period. For OOL, something was abundantly clear from the start: Put empathy first. “No matter who you are talking to, they have layers of concerns, and it is a mistake to ignore any of them,” says Steve Balfour, OOL’s director. “That was the first lesson.”

UGA’s Virtual Reality

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their own time. “I know the students missed the interactivity that comes with in-person communication, and that’s difficult to re-create remotely,” says Ariel VanLeuven BS ’13, PhD ’18, assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy with the AU/UGA Medical Partnership. “But the students did like having materials available electronically, and that’s something we might consider for the future.” VanLeuven is just one of the many professors who said they plan to keep some of this new online content for future courses. Gallagher also discovered that student participation online changed in positive ways. “I gave students the option that they could earn some of their participation grade by Zooming with each other,” she says. “The discussions they had were fantastic. The sophistication of their analysis is wonderful. They prepared for these meetings, and they took them very seriously. I also think that my not being there gave them the space to put forth ideas and hear from their colleagues, and not just think about what’s right or wrong. I’ll keep that as an option moving forward.”

Brad Barnes, a lecturer in computer science, teaches classes remotely from his home office.

dorothy kozlowski

Brad Barnes’ mobile phone is an essential tool in teaching his computer sciences students remotely.

The coronavirus pandemic required some 7,000 UGA students to move out of their residence halls. Here, third-year student Madison Phillips is helped by her sister, Macie, as she moves out of Building 1516. The process was staggered in order to follow social distancing guidelines. andrew davis tucker

dorothy kozlowski

A Community Comes Together With the entire academic community sheltering at home, leaders took significant steps to keep people engaged and connected. From individual classes to academic departments, all the way up to the school and college level, communications were frequent and supportive. Faculty also supported each other organically, frequently across departments and schools. Since many faculty are connected on social media, one person’s post or question might lead to further conversations, new ideas, and just a lot of general support.

“I found those conversations to be most helpful,” Christ says. “Everyone is just trying to figure out how to do the right thing and what that looks like.” Jerry Shannon, an assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, had a similar experience. “It was useful for me to think through some of the dynamics of working with students at a time like this,” he says. “They’re not always going to tell us fully how they’re feeling. They’ll put on a brave face. So, hearing about what others watched out for was helpful for me.” When March 30 rolled around, the

university’s online instruction launched and continued for the rest of the semester. While there were the inevitable pain points of online work, the last seven weeks of the Spring 2020 semester were marked more by a long series of small successes and happy discoveries. “What we’ve seen is UGA as a community coming together,” says Balfour. “I haven’t really had a negative interaction with anyone in all of this. We didn’t ask if any of this was possible. We asked how we were going to do it.” —Eric Rangus MA ’94

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Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward.

Inside the ICU Albany was one of the first spots in Georgia to get hit with an avalanche of COVID-19 cases. In April, the situation was dire, and the pharmacists on the front line were worried things would only get worse.

rin Waldee’s days are different now. She walks through the doors of the hospital just like she has for the past three years. But before she can start her shift as the critical care pharmacist team leader at Albany’s Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, she gets her temperature taken. Someone hands her a fabric mask, one she’ll have to give back for sterilization hours or so later when she leaves. Then she heads up to one of four intensive care units full of dozens of COVID-19 patients. The Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, or Phoebe as it’s known locally, got hit early, hard, and fast with the novel coronavirus and much to the medical community’s surprise. Two large funerals at the end of February drew visitors from bigger cities, and experts believe that’s how the virus hitched a ride to the small city. About a week later, the hospital saw its first COVID patient. “I just couldn’t believe it. It felt like that was in Washington. That wasn’t happening here,” says Waldee, who serves as an instructor for University of Georgia pharmacy students and residents, in addition to having graduated from the Albany campus residency herself. “After that day, it pretty much just blew up. I don’t even know how long it’s been since then. Time has kind of gotten away from me.” At first, the hospital just opened one COVID ICU. A couple of days later, it was two. Then three. Then four plus a regular ICU for non-COVID patients, pushing

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them to almost double the normal number of beds. Now, they’re talking about opening another at the hospital’s extension campus and possibly a mobile intensive care unit in the parking lot. Roughly a month and a half after the first person tested positive, Phoebe reported 1,963 positive test results. That’s about one out of every 50 people in the county. The numbers are likely even higher. Many infected people have mild symptoms, if any, and don’t qualify for testing, meaning they may be spreading the virus unknowingly. “It’s mind-blowing and terrifying when you put it all together.” For Waldee, every new COVID patient Phoebe admits means figuring out how to make the most of the medications the hospital has. Before the novel coronavirus, maybe one out of three patients in the 12-bed ICU would need ventilators. Now it’s every patient in the four units. And they’re so critical that they require more sedation than your typical pre-COVID ICU patient. So far, Phoebe has managed to snag the drugs needed, but it’s been close a couple of times. “We’re really afraid deep down, at least I am, that we’re going to run out,” Waldee says. “I’m dreaming about sedatives.” Finding desperately needed drugs is a challenge for most hospitals these days because the supply just isn’t there. Drug manufacturers are scrambling to produce more meds quickly. With every hospital in the country trying to increase their stockpiles, it’s a struggle.

Randy Carver, a UGA pharmacy grad who serves as pharmacy informatics and technology manager of the hospital, works closely with the hospital’s buyer. He tries to ensure there are enough medications to handle the ever-growing patient load. But it’s difficult to keep up when things like fentanyl drips are going at almost 10 times the normal volume. “When you go to the wholesaler, and you look up the drugs you want and the quantity on hand, it’s just zero, zero, zero,” says Carver BSPH ’80. “Sometimes you’re refreshing your screen to see if they checked some in so you can try to order some. We had one drug from the federal stockpile, and part of it got helicoptered to us, and another part was brought to us via state trooper. That buys us time, and hopefully manufacturers will start to catch up.” A national shortage of protective gear is another hurdle. Phoebe burned through six months’ worth of equipment in a week, a terrifying first sign of what was to come. Waldee used to go into patient rooms to check monitors, help the nurses and check in with patients. Now she stays in the hall, peeking through windows to get

Tia Stitt, left, a UGA College of Pharmacy alumna and a Phoebe/ UGA PGY1 resident, talks with Erin Waldee, who serves as an instructor for University of Georgia pharmacy students and residents at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

As of the beginning of May, Dougherty County, where the only incorporated city is Albany, reported 1,790 cases per 100,000 people and 128 deaths. Fulton County, by comparison, reported 321 cases per 100,000.

dougherty county

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a glance of what’s going on. Even when patients crash, the pharmacists stay with the code cart in the hall, handing off medications to nursing staff as they try to revive the patient. Currently, no medications have proven effective against the virus. Still, health care professionals and scientists are desperate to find something that might make a difference and save the sickest patients. “We’ve taken all of this evidence-based medicine that’s been going on for decades, and we’ve thrown it out the window to just try something,” says Daniel Chastain, clinical assistant professor and pharmacy infectious disease specialist at the UGA College of Pharmacy’s Albany campus. “Is there a rhyme or reason as to why some patients do really well and some don’t?” So far, he hasn’t been able to detect a pattern. As of April 16, 76 people had died at the hospital, up nine deaths since the day before. More than 1,000 people who were tested and treated have recovered. But the pharmacists are worried the numbers will keep increasing. “There’s only so much that a ventilator can do and only so much that medications can do as well,” Waldee says. “I want

to be positive, but it feels like a lot of the patients just aren’t getting better.” The heaviness of seeing patient after patient get sick and die weighs on Waldee during her 45-minute drive home. She chucks her shoes outside the door, washes her hands as soon as she gets inside, and then showers. She does some yardwork to decompress or watches Netflix with her kids, trying to shut out the outside world and switch back into mom mode. But she worries about accidentally spreading the virus to her father, her kids, or random people at the grocery store. With the constant exposure, that’s always a risk. But Waldee has a job to do. “You always wonder, ‘Am I going to be able to handle this?’” Waldee says. “Thus far, I think we’ve handled it pretty well. The pharmacy department at our hospital is amazing. There’s a lot of trust and teamwork with our doctors and nurses. They know we’re invested in the patients and the team.” —Leigh Beeson MA ’17

fulton county

1800 1700 1600 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 confirmed cases per 100,000 people Statistics provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health

As this story went to print, Albany began showing signs of hope. The number of positive COVID-19 patients in the hospital decreased by about half, and Phoebe was able to convert all but one of its COVID ICUs back to non-COVID patient care areas. The National Guard, called in to establish a modular COVID-19 unit, began accepting patients on May 6. Waldee says she’s happy with the progress they’ve made at the hospital’s main campus. But Chastain remains concerned about increasing case numbers in the community and a possible second wave.

For more information about supporting the Pharmacy Enhancement Fund, visit GIVE.UGA.EDU/PHARM.

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Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward.

Studying Abroad at a Distance In January, 79 students embarked on what many considered a semester to remember: study abroad in Italy through the University of Georgia. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted that study abroad experience, but their learning didn’t shut down and could possibly be more memorable because of it. Italy was one of the first countries to be hit hard by the coronavirus, and the University of Georgia acted fast to bring home the students at the UGA International Center in Cortona, the School of Public and International Affairs program in Verona, and other affiliate programs in the country. They returned on March 1, just one month into their planned threemonth semester abroad. In all, 202 UGA students studying abroad were brought home at the start of the pandemic. Despite their travel being cut short, their classes weren’t. Like the rest of the UGA community, study abroad students learned early on that they would be completing their work remotely. “Our faculty really did something that was seemingly impossible,” says Kristine Schramer,

associate director of the UGA Cortona program, which hosted 19 students for the spring. “They taught a curriculum of studio art and art history online to students who did not all have access to even the most basic materials, like brushes and canvases. They accomplished it with an amazing amount of creativity and energy and inspired their students to make the best of the situation.” For example, the first online assignment in Jeni Hansen’s ceramics class called for students to forage for clay in their own backyards. Drawing and painting professor Jeffrey Whittle taught concepts of light, color, and composition through photo montage—rather than paints—using objects students found in their homes. Photography students were perhaps a bit more portable. While they began building their portfolios while in Italy, they had to adapt to their new surroundings when they returned to the United States “During the time I spent in Italy this year, everything I saw was new and different to me. I wanted to document everything I saw, so I photographed buildings, people, cars,

Angelica Millen’s “Red Berries,” taken in Cortona, Italy, before she had to return to the United States in March.

angelica millen

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food—all of it,” says Angelica Millen, a rising sophomore from Woodstock. Coming back to the United States so quickly, though, taught her a lesson—one she used for her art. “We live life without knowing what will come next and only knowing what is right in front of us. In my photographs, I am literally focusing on the present, revealing only the thing immediately in front of the camera.” Schramer, who is one of four UGA Cortona staff members who live full time in Italy, kept students, faculty, and alumni alike informed about life in the town during the pandemic through social media channels. Staff are working now to ready the campus for the fall semester, which UGA currently intends to run, dependent on public health guidelines. On April 26, Cortona’s semester-ending celebration of student and faculty artwork, La Mostra, premiered online as the newly renamed Mostra Virtuale. The vast majority of the work was completed through distance learning. —Eric Rangus MA ’94

The John D. Kehoe Cortona Center, one of two buildings that make up the UGA Cortona campus.

andrew davis tucker

The 19 students studying abroad through UGA at Oxford also completed their semester via distance learning. But they still kept a connection to England. When students logged onto their computers for class, there was an Oxford faculty member on the other side.

“It was surreal to be at home and quarantined while having these intellectual conversations with Oxford faculty, but it helped me keep sane during an anxious time.”

—kiana powers, junior, political science and sociology

Support the Center for Vaccines and Immunology’s fight against flu at GIVE.UGA.EDU/CVI

andrew davis tucker

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Hunkered Down. Pushing Forward.

Ramping Up Research

VIRUS MODELING: Rob Woods

VIRUS MODELING

Biao He

andrew davis tucker

Scholar and director of Scott Pegan UGA’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology, are developing and testing new pete r frey vaccines and immunotherapies to fight the novel coronavirus. Researchers have already begun analyzing the viral genome to find the targets that will prompt the immune system to create protective antibodies. Several UGA researchers—including teams led by Ross, Mark Jackwood, Jeffrey Hogan, and Ralph Tripp—are developing new diagnostic tests to detect COVID-19 that don’t rely as much on chemicals and lab materials that are in short supply.

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Ted Ross peter frey

ed by Biao He, the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine at UGA, a team from the College of Veterinary Medicine is working with the University of Iowa to develop a vaccine candidate that uses the kennel cough virus that affects dogs but is harmless to people. Scott Pegan, director of the Center for Drug Discovery in the College of Pharmacy, is leading efforts to create an antiviral to combat the virus using drugs similar to those designed to cure other coronaviruses. Pegan is also working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to adapt a vaccine used against the virus that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever to stop COVID-19. Scientists in the lab of Ted Ross, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent

ob Woods, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and his team at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center have created a 3D model of protein “spikes” on the virus particle’s surface. The model helps researchers understand how COVID-19 evades the immune response in order to latch onto cells in our airways and then physically force the virus through the cell membrane to infect us.

VACCINE & TREATMENT RESEARCH:

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the U.S. and much of the rest of the world, dozens of researchers at the University of Georgia are hard at work to find solutions to halt the virus. They join top researchers from around the globe in the critical effort to overcome the pandemic—and to do it quickly.

Serving the Community & the State

TRACKING: John Drake

andrew davis tucker

ohn Drake, Distinguished Research Professor in the Odum School of Ecology and director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, formed UGA’s Coronavirus Working Group with a team of about 30 scientists focused on building and maintaining the COVID-19 Portal, an interactive tool that forecasts outbreak scenarios based on models created by Drake and his team.

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Michelle VanDellen

ichelle VanDellen, associate professor of psychology, is working with more than 100 international social scientists to collect data on societal factors that might predict the spread of COVID-19 with a project called PsyCorona. Richard Slatcher, the Gail M. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Psychology, is collaborating with international colleagues to determine the psychological effects of sheltering in place with their “Love in the Time b ro bert ne w co m of COVID” project. Eric Zeemering, associate professor of public affairs, is gathering information about how Georgia cities took action in the early days of the pandemic. This research could provide valuable lessons about how local governments responded to the crisis. —Leigh Beeson MA ’17

he toughest times have a way of bringing out the best in people. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Georgia community has stuck together. And it has also reached out to help others. From day one, UGA faculty, staff, students, and administrators have worked hard to support health care workers, small business owners, families, vulnerable populations, friends, and neighbors through this difficult time. Here are a few of those ways UGA has extended its resources during the pandemic. THE ATHENS FREE CLINIC, an offering of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership, helped provide mobile COVID-19 testing to Athens-Clarke County residents who lack access to health care. THE GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART, the MARINE EXTENSION AND GEORGIA SEA GRANT, UGA LIBRARIES, and the CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION offered free educational programs to school-age students who were distance learning. The museum also put a variety of existing and upcoming exhibitions online. THE HUGH HODGSON SCHOOL OF MUSIC launched the virtual recital series, Hodgson@Home, which featured performances by student musicians nearly every day. UGA’S SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER offices is providing virtual consulting and online resources to small businesses across the state. In the first week of April alone, more than 1,500 Georgia small business owners logged into center-led webinars. THE CARL VINSON INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT also moved its education and training programs for state and local officials online. THE WILLSON CENTER FOR HUMANITIES AND ART created “Shelter Projects,” a fellowship program to support graduate students and community-based artists in the creation of work reflecting on the pandemic. Projects completed as part of the program will be presented during UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts program in November. UGA RECREATIONAL SPORTS utilized its suite of social media channels to offer live and pre-recorded fitness sessions, at-home workouts, UGAthemed exercises, and more. More than 90 students in the COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH participated in a virtual 48-hour COVID-19 Hackathon, where they produced shareable infographics, videos, lesson plans, and more, all aimed at providing helpful and accurate information about COVID-19. In addition to ramping up its research capacity to combat coronavirus, the COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE continued to see and care for patients in Athens. The college’s affiliated laboratories around the state also have remained open to ensure the health of animal companions and safeguard the food supply. THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, in partnership with the UGA Cooperative Extension and Georgia Grown, are helping connect Georgia farmers to a variety of buyers—consumers, wholesalers, food banks, and restaurants—to help alleviate in coronavirus-related market disruptions. THE SCHOOL OF LAW offered conflict mediation services to families, partners, and roommates sheltering together, as well as to tenants and landlords. UGA’s student-run CAMPUS KITCHEN program, which assists food insecure families in Athens-Clarke County, expanded its scope to provide nutritious snacks and meals to local health care workers. Staff from the Office of Service Learning delivered the food. Fresh produce came courtesy of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and UGArden, a student-run farm on South Milledge Ave. THE OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE (OLLI) moved all 60 of its courses online. Many of the 1,100 members who were taking classes when the pandemic hit are homebound in senior centers with family members out of arm’s reach. The effort was so successful that April 2020 registrations rose 133 percent from April 2019. GM —Eric Rangus MA ’94

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ON THE BULLDOG BEAT

Empowering

a Community written by hayley major

Rachel Byers, Melissa Hevener, and Nav Singh (from left to right) at their SGA inauguration on April 9, 2019.

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micah jeffcoat

hen a close-knit community like the University of Georgia’s is suddenly forced apart, how do you stay connected and continue supporting one another? That was the question facing Student Government Association (SGA) President Rachel Byers AB ’20 and her fellow executive officers, Melissa Hevener and Nav Singh BS ’20, in the last month of their administration. In mid-March, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of UGA classes for two weeks, followed by a transition to online learning through the end of the summer. As concerns about distance learning, self-quarantine, and the growing need for digital communication emerged, Byers not only had to navigate the end of her own senior year; she had to find ways to address new needs of the student body. “There’s a gap that every student faces,” Byers says. “We wanted to bridge those gaps for students, and we saw SGA as a mechanism to do that.” Byers’ administration promoted accessibility, safety, and inclusivity throughout the year, rolling out initiatives such as spring welcome events, the Professional Clothing Closet, and campus security improvements. When the coronavirus threatened community health and stirred up uncertainties, Byers partnered with campus organizations such as the UGA Student Food Pantry, University Housing, and Student Care and Outreach to provide resources and assistance to students in need.

wingate downs

Rachel Byers, Melissa Hevener, and Nav Singh campaigning for SGA president, vice president, and treasurer respectively, Feb. 2019.

austin ingram

“COVID-19 has definitely increased hardships for students,” Byers says. “But our job hasn’t changed, and that is to care for students by meeting them where they’re at and being their advocates.” Byers and her administration rallied alumni support for the Student Emergency Fund and other scholarship funds to help students impacted by the pandemic. They also prepared informational graphics about COVID19 symptoms and testing facilities, and they kept the student body informed on university, government, and health responses to the crisis over email, social

media, and video calls. Through everything, their message was one of solidarity. “The reality is you’re not alone in this experience. Everyone’s lives have been uprooted or put on hold,” Byers says. “Checking in on one another may look a little different than it did four months ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stop our efforts to have that community.” Byers, like many others, had to move back to her parents’ home in Monroe. Her morning-to-midnight schedule changed dramatically as she finished the spring semester online, preparing to

r nd

Above: Rachel Byers speaks at the Presidents Club Reception on Oct. 11, 2019. Left: Byers with President Jere W. Morehead at the State of the University Address, Jan. 29, 2020.

enter UGA’s School of Law in the fall. And on April 6, Byers, Hevener, and Singh passed the torch to the newest SGA administration at their virtual inauguration. “The effects of COVID-19 have been incredibly challenging. But at the same time, I think they’ve created an opportunity to bring people together in a unique way. Through my role in SGA and in conversations with friends, professors, and alumni, I see people rising to the challenge. And at the end of the day, I’m confident in UGA’s ability to care for its students.” GM

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THE NATION

news and events

A Message from the Executive Director

It has been a challenging spring and summer as COVID-19 disrupted all our lives in myriad ways. At the time I am writing this, there is much uncertainty for our campus community, state, and world. I am proud to see Bulldogs helping each other (see next page), with a lot of our own alumni volunteers in chapters and affinity groups leading the charge. As we look ahead to the coming months, we hope you will stay connected to UGA through social media and by visiting alumni.uga.edu. We’ll share opportunities to support students, especially our Class of 2020 graduates whose final year on campus was cut short. They need support from our alumni community now more than ever as they navigate the launch of their careers or pursue graduatelevel education. At this time, with even more dedication, Bulldogs Never Bark Alone. Your Alumni Association is here to support graduates at every stage of their lives and we are committed to finding new, innovative ways to connect with each other from afar. I wish you the best—GO DAWGS!

—Meredith Gurley Johnson BSFCS ’00, MEd ’16

executive director, uga alumni association

from the uga alumni association

Mentoring Future Leaders

Helping the next generation is an amazing feeling—and even more important today. Simply giving your time to a UGA student can open lifechanging doors for them. No matter where you are, the UGA Mentor Program provides a convenient way for you to invest in a student’s future on your own schedule. Create a profile, and students can begin connecting with you based on your interests and experiences. MENTOR.UGA.EDU

In This Together

Four years ago, we set an ambitious goal of raising $1.2 billion by 2020. We surpassed that goal and continued our relentless pursuit to improve lives, communities, economies, and habitats. Our world is different today, but Bulldogs Never Bark Alone. When we come together, we make Sanford Stadium roar, bring Athens to countries around the globe, and forge bonds with two simple words: Go Dawgs. As we conclude our Commit to Georgia Campaign on June 30, we continue to do all we can to make sure that this moment in our history reflects our Bulldog tenacity. We know that what we do today will last long after this moment has passed. Let’s show the world what Bulldogs are made of. Commit to Georgia. | GIVE.UGA.EDU

A BULLDOG BARK TO ...

Hundreds of passionate alumni volunteers descended on Athens in February for UGA’s annual Alumni Leadership Assembly. These spirited Bulldogs exchanged best practices and gained skills to better connect the UGA community in their cities. During the weekend, the UGA Alumni Association recognized the 2020 Alumni Volunteers of the Year: John Ingram AB ’89, Las Vegas Chapter president, and Rachel Webster ABJ ’08, Women of UGA Leadership Council communications chair.

Current and former members of the UGA Black Alumni Leadership Council and the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors celebrated with Mary Frances Early MMEd ’62, EdS ’71, UGA’s first African American graduate, when the UGA College of Education was named for her in February.

justin evans photography

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT CHAPTER NAME: Chicago CHAPTER PRESIDENT: Michael Lyons BBA ’15 NUMBER OF ALUMNI IN THE AREA: 1,924 Find your chapter: ALUMNI.UGA.EDU/CHAPTERS

floyd downer photography

The Chicago Chapter is home to some of the largest (and most spirited) UGA game-watching parties in the country, hosting hundreds of Bulldogs each week in the fall. The chapter plans a variety of programming throughout the year, too, including bimonthly book clubs, Women of UGA events, and a flag football team. Whether you call Chicago home or are just visiting, join this chapter for its next in-person or virtual gathering. special

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay connected with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. #AlwaysADawg // ALUMNI.UGA.EDU/SOCIAL Kayla Hittig BBA ’11, MBA ’15 created a Facebook group in March called “Sewing Masks for Atlanta Hospitals” to support health care professionals during the pandemic.

The Black Alumni Affinity Group hosted a “Connect & Chill” virtual networking event on March 25. Participants ended the event by Calling the Dawgs together.

@ugablackalumni

@terrycollege Milan Patel BBA ’17 showed his UGA pride all the way from Breckenridge, Colorado.

@milpatz3

Members of the UGA Redcoat Band shared some social distancing entertainment in March.

John McMullan BMus ’98 and Morgan Wurst BSFCS ’17 serve the Athens community during the coronavirus pandemic. Thank you to all our Bulldog health care heroes serving on the front lines during this crisis. #AlwaysADawg

@ugaalumniassoc

DON’T MISS OUT As events (virtual and in-person) are scheduled, we invite alumni and friends to visit alumni.uga.edu/calendar to see what is happening in their area. We appreciate your understanding as the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered our event planning processes.

A group of friends (“The Doozies”) that includes UGA alumnae Lynn Lee BSEd ’74, Debbie Cohen BSHE ’79, MEd ’82, Susan Perlis BSHE ’83, Karol Pfister BSPH ’81, and Donna Morris M ’83 donated snacks to the physicians and nurses at Tift Regional Hospital in March. Little acts of kindness go a long way among the Bulldog family! @teensy.lee

@ugaalumni

Visit alumni. uga.edu/ calendar.

contact us: Moved? Changed your name? Added a new Bulldog to the family? Let us know! alumni.uga.edu/update or (800) 606-8786.

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classnotes Compiled by Rachel Floyd AB ’19, Madeleine Howell BSFCS ’20, and Mary Calkins AB ’20

1955-1959 Charles Cato BSPH ’59 retired from his position at Eli Lilly and Company. 1960-1964 Lenny Friedman BSPH ’60 retired from his position as medical representative at Abbott Laboratories after 25 years. Friedman spent 58 years as a registered pharmacist. Arnold Young BBA ’63, LLB ’65 was named a 2020 Georgia Super Lawyer. He is an attorney at HunterMaclean. Jim Hardman BS ’64 retired from his position as vice president and chief operating officer of Medical Services of America. special

Charles Rice AB ’64 is president emeritus at the Uniformed Ser-

ART IN ATHENS

vices University of the Health

Against the Wall

Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

Athens is known for its arts community, but one alumnus felt that its public art offerings could use a boost. So he did something about it. Taylor Shaw MFA ’19 collaborated with Crystal de Rene Cotret, the owner of Classic City Cycling, to create a new mural in a frequently trafficked alley that connects Washington and Clayton streets adjacent to the Chick Piano building. The postcard-style ATHENS mural is situated on a proposed Walk of Fame and features a grab bag of legendary Athens musicians and a variety of downtown landmarks.

USU dedicated it’s newest eduIt’s a logical step forward from Shaw’s thesis work in the Lamar Dodd School of Art which revolved around souvenirs, tourism, and the mechanics towns use to appeal to visitors. “I believe everyone should have an opportunity to see art,” says Shaw, who teaches at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. “Different ages, races, and classes can enjoy a mural that is out in the open rather than a painting hanging in a gallery.”

cational facility, Charles L. Rice Hall, in honor of his 11 years as the university’s president. 1965-1969 Murray Poole ABJ ’65 retired after 40 years as sports editor at The Brunswick News and 14 as a writer and columnist at Bulldawg Illustrated magazine in Athens. 1970-1974 Cindy Payne ABJ ’70 is a luxury

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Everything Adds Up

George Azih BBA ’03

melissa bugg | decisive moment photography

magine what would happen if we retrained our brains to focus less on the inconveniences of a problem and more on its possible solutions. That’s exactly what George Azih BBA ’03 did when tasked with addressing a Fortune 500 company’s failed audit. “As I looked around for lease accounting software to tackle the project, I realized there was none,” Azih says. His determination to find a solution sparked the creation of LeaseQuery and set Azih on an entrepreneurial journey. Azih envisioned a product to help accountants manage their company’s leasing financial information easily and virtually error-free, ensuring compliance with new standards. He undertook a year and a half of research before the first line of code was ever written. And three years after conceptualizing Lease-

Query, Azih received his first check. “It was hard work, but I was obsessed with solving the problem,” he says. Azih realized early on that starting a business begins with determination, but growing a business requires support. “My tie to the product is on a very emotional level,” says Azih. “At that point, I needed people to use the software.” His team included a mix of new faces and old friends. Chris Ramsey BS ’05, Azih’s roommate at UGA, joined the company in its infancy and helped build out a sales team. “If I hadn’t gone to UGA and met Chris, odds are, LeaseQuery wouldn’t exist, at least in this form.” With over 10,000 accountants now using LeaseQuery software nationally, the business is on track to double in size this year. That tremendous popularity is one of the reasons why, in February,

LeaseQuery was named Bulldog 100’s fastest-growing business owned or operated by a UGA alumnus. “Everyone’s job here is important,” says Azih. “From Chris to all the executives to the people that make the company go every day. Everyone rows the boat. That’s the kind of culture we’re trying to build here.” Azih’s drive is fueled by his passion, not the rewards. “But without UGA, we wouldn’t be here,” he says. “The Bulldog 100 was like coming home.” Azih encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to consider what motivates them. “A lot of people say they want to build a company, and that’s their starting point,” he says. “But I think you should find a problem that you are obsessed with solving and then find your solution. It’s a lot easier to give up when it’s not an obsession for you.”

written by hayley major

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CLASS NOTES It honored his two decades of teaching media literacy in the U.S., Kenya, India, and Singapore. Randall Duncan AB ’77, MPA ’85 is a United States immigration judge in Atlanta. Doug Wren BSEd ’77, EdD ’00 released Assessing Deeper Learning: Developing, Implementing, and Scoring Performance Tasks in August. Walt Caserio BS ’78 retired from Miller Brewing Company after 35 years. Kevin Williams AB ’78 was named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine. Peter Stoddard BBA ’79 published Lewis Grizzard: The Dawg That Did Not Hunt. 1980-1984 Dennis Blanton AB ’80 released Conquistador’s Wake, which gives new insights on Native Americans and their interactions with the first Europeans in southern Georgia. David Dial AB ’80 was named a 2019 Georgia Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine. travel adviser with Avondale

James Sheffield AB ’74 is chief

junct instructor of religion at

Glenn Head BSA ’80 retired from

Travel.

executive officer of Sheffield

James Madison University in

his position as soil conserva-

Bert Kelling BS ’72 retired from

Office Products in Duluth. The

Harrisonburg, Virginia.

tionist at the USDA Natural

Raleigh Orthodontics in North

company has been in business

William Edge Jr. ABJ ’76 retired

Resources Conservation Service

Carolina after 40 years of

for 30 years.

from his position as public in-

after 33 years. He is CEO of

formation officer for the Geor-

Head Dawg Lawn and Land-

private practice. Ginny Ruffner BFA ’74, MFA ’75

1975-1979

gia Public Service Commission

scaping in Jefferson.

had her exhibition, “Reforesta-

Hiram Larew BSA ’75 launched

after 19 years.

Grier Hoyt AB ’80 joined the real

tion of the Imagination,” on

Poetry X Hunger, an initiative

Frank Baker ABJ ’77 received a

estate practice group at Cozen

display in the Renwick Gallery

that encourages poets to write

Global Alliance for Partnership

O’Connor in Washington, D.C.

at the Smithsonian American

about hunger issues.

on Media and Information

Mark Clegg AB ’81 released

Art Museum.

Fred LaSpina AB ’75 is an ad-

Literacy Award from UNESCO.

Mountain Miles: A Memoir of

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CLASS NOTES

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

The Safety of Storytelling

Hannah Kay Herdlinger AB ’04

fter nearly a decade pursuing her career in Washington, D.C., Hannah Kay Herdlinger AB ’04 married her college boyfriend and moved back to Georgia. Then the abuse started. Following an injury that nearly killed her, Herdlinger left her husband and started her new life as a survivor. “I was very fortunate to have the support of friends and family and resources to help me move forward when I decided to leave my husband,” she says today. “I realized that there are so many people who do not have that support, and the domestic violence shelters provide the safety, security, and comfort to help survivors get back on their feet.” More than one in three women and one in four men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. Fortunately, there are people like Herdlinger helping survivors get back on their feet. Herdlinger had always valued a sense of purpose; however the path to finding her own wasn’t always so clear. Once she graduated from UGA with her bachelor’s in speech communications, Herdlinger went on to work on Capitol Hill for six years. She then moved to Facebook. Herdlinger soon connected with Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer. Sandberg asked her to come on as the head of operations of Lean In, her nonprofit that aims to empower women and fight for gender equality. Inspired by the stories shared by Lean In and the women associated with the organization, Herdlinger began telling her own story. “Working at Lean In helped me to understand the power of sharing stories and gave me the tools to help build resilience,” she says. “Telling my own story has helped me heal while also connecting with others with shared experiences.” In 2017, Herdlinger started Thread Talk, a social enterprise based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that sells blankets and donates a portion of its proceeds to funding critical wish-list items—like bedding, toiletries, and laundry detergent—for domestic abuse shelters nationwide. Herdlinger also travels across the country and speaks to groups about overcoming domestic abuse as well as what it takes to push yourself to succeed. “What I speak about is a range from telling my story and how I started talking about being a domestic violence survivor but more importantly how I’ve found my passion and purpose in life,” she says.

special

Of all of the lessons that she shares with her audience, Herdlinger believes that the power of conquering struggles and finding one’s purpose is the most important. “I talk to people, let them realize that it’s okay to be authentic, and it’s okay to have these conversations,” she says. “People said my life looked perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors nobody knew what was going on. Having this conversation and connecting to people who may be going through the same thing or something similar, we can connect on a different level.”

written by madeleine howell BSFCS ’20

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CLASS NOTES Section Hiking the Southern Appalachian Trail. Vivian Hoard AB ’82, JD ’85 was recognized in the 2019 edition of the legal directory, Chambers USA, for her work in tax practice. Chuck Copeland AB ’83 is the president and CEO of First National Bank in Griffin. He was elected as chairman of the Georgia Bankers Association. Diane Hackney Diamantis ABJ ’83 is co-founder of the Kelsey B. Diamantis TS Scholarship Family Foundation, d/b/a Dollars 4 Tic Scholars, one of the first 501c3 organizations in the country to award college scholarships to students who face the challenges of Tourette Syndrome. Arnold Young BSFR ’83, MFR ’85, JD ’88 was named a 2020 Georgia Super Lawyer. He is an attorney at HunterMaclean. Andy Rindsberg MS ’83 is a professor of environmental geology and paleontology at the University of West Alabama in Livingston. Jacqueline Bunn ABJ ’84, JD ’87 received the 2019 Thomas Burnside Jr. Excellence in Bar Leadership Award at the State Bar of Georgia annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Lewis Massey BBA ’84 co-founded Impact Public Affairs in Atlanta. Richard Morgan BBA ’84, JD ’87 was selected as one of the 2020 Best Lawyers in America. 1985-1989 Grace Elizabeth Hale BBA ’85, MA

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Take it to the Bank

peter frey

homasville native brian quinif says it was a big move for him when he came to Athens to attend the University of Georgia. He didn’t know it at the time, but there would be much larger ones to come. Even though Quinif came to UGA a year early, he wasn’t intimidated by col-

lege work. In fact, as an underclassman he earned a Foundation Fellowship, the university’s foremost scholarship, which set him up for a journey that filled his passport with stamps. Quinif studied abroad in Innsbruck, Austria. He had an internship in Barcelona and another study abroad trip in Rio de Ja-

Brian Quinif AB ’06, MA ’06

neiro. Those latter two experiences helped him acquire fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese. Further study at the London School of Economics honed his business acumen. By the time Quinif AB ’06, MA ’06 was finished, he was able to graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics (he double-majored in Romance languages as an undergrad) and a job waiting for him as a trader on Wall Street. “I combined the economics, politics, and language skills I acquired through the fellowship while studying abroad, so I’m extremely thankful for the opportunities that Georgia gave me both academically and in terms of learning about the world,” Quinif says. In June 2019, he started his current job as a vice president at HSBC (which is located on Fifth Avenue not Wall Street, but you get the idea). Because of his language skills, Quinif works as a trader for the Latin American market, but in a general sense, the lessons he learned traveling as a student pay off every day in the increasingly global banking market. “Knowing how to find a common language, whether it is literally speaking the same language or simply finding common ground, is a very useful thing,” Quinif says. “Knowing what it’s like to be a foreigner somewhere and learning how to adapt to that culture while still being true to your own is a really valuable skill.” Quinif’s interest in travel crosses over from his profession to his hobbies, too. For instance, a few years ago, on a trip to Patagonia with several other UGA alumni, he was introduced to ice climbing. He fell in love with the sport, and he travels not just to upstate New York but also the Rockies and Alaska to climb everything from glaciers to frozen waterfalls. “Living in the North, I’ve become a big winter sports fan,” Quinif says. “Something like skiing on ice, though, isn’t fun. But climbing on ice—that’s fun.”

written by eric rangus MA ’94

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CLASS NOTES

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

The Power of Authenticity

or jhamarcus pharaoh BSFCS ’15, MEd ’18, the role of school counselor takes many different forms. From providing a welcoming space to connecting students with opportunities, Pharaoh’s approach emphasizes equity. “Some kids just want to be validated in the skin that they’re in and in the experiences they have,” he says. “Others just want silence, and they come into my office to sit. And some students really just need someone who they believe cares about them.” After securing a spot for one of his eighth-graders to attend a college tour, Pharaoh vividly recalls the student’s reaction. “No one had ever told him that he can go to college. No one had ever told him that they believed in him. I told him,

Jhamarcus Pharaoh BSFCS ’15, MEd ’18

peter frey

‘I’m not giving you a choice. I need you to see that you can do more than what you think you can.’” Pharaoh interviewed with schools across Georgia after earning his master’s degree in professional counseling from UGA. When Clarke Middle School offered him a position, he knew he’d found where he was meant to be. “There’s a lot of intersectionality between my racial identity and my gender identity, and I’m very on the surface about that,” says Pharaoh. “The administration wasn’t going to let the fact that I have an earring or two compromise the fact that I have two degrees from one of the best schools in the country.” Accepting a position at an institution that supports his values and ideas has

allowed Pharaoh to help students experiencing challenges similar to what he faced. Growing up in a community where resources were tight, Pharaoh was the first of his family to attend a four-year college. “If I can be the person to tell a kid, ‘You can go to college’ or ‘You can do something great,’ that just means the world to me.” Pharaoh calls on support from the community, schools, and other professionals to continue reinforcing that message to the next generation. “I think a lot of people think that kids are things that have to be fixed, and they’re not. It’s up to us as adults to show kids that yes, you’re good enough, you belong, and you’re just as capable.”

written by hayley major

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CLASS NOTES

g eo rg i a mag a z in e | s u m m e r 2 02 0

’91 released her book, Cool

Amanda Rosseter ABJ

1995-1999

Town: How Athens, Geor-

’90 is chief communica-

Mandy Levi AB ’95 married

gia, Launched Alternative

tions officer at Equifax in

Steven Levi BSEd ’96 on

Music and Changed Ameri-

Atlanta.

Dec. 8, 2019.

can Culture, in March.

Caroline Abney AB ’91 is

Lowery May AB ’96 rep-

John Hayden BS ’85 is a

director of human resourc-

resents the 14th Con-

member of Dixie State

es and diversity/inclusion

gressional District on the

University’s National Advi-

at King & Spalding in

University System of Geor-

sory Council in St. George,

Atlanta.

gia’s Board of Regents.

Utah.

Brynn Grant ABJ ’91 is the

Amy Ellerbee Johnson

Sharell Lewis BBA ’85 is a

president and CEO of the

BBA ’97 was named district

judge on the Bibb County

United Way of the Coastal

manager of the year for

State Court.

Empire in Savannah.

Smith & Nephew Ad-

Timothy Forrest AB ’87 as-

Kim Jones BSW ’91 is exec-

vanced Wound Manage-

sisted the leadership team

utive director of National

ment in Atlanta.

at Prayasam, a food vo-

Alliance on Mental Illness

Courtney Bryan AB ’98 was

cational charity, secure a

Georgia. She was appoint-

named executive director

one-year contract with the

ed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s

of the Center for Court

American Center at the

BSA ’87 Georgia Behavioral

Innovation in New York

United States Consulate.

Reform and Innovation

City.

Karen Bryant Henderson

Commission. She was

Heather Humann AB ’98

ABJ ’87 is director of ad-

recognized in Atlanta Mag-

released her fourth book,

vancement and operations

azine’s 2020 Atlanta 500:

Reality Simulation in Science

at Perimeter School in

Education & Healthcare.

Fiction Literature, Film and

Johns Creek. She is re-

Xernona Thomas ABJ ’91,

Television.

sponsible for the school’s

MSW ’92, EdD ’17 is the

Brian Culp BSEd ’99, EdD

communications and

Clarke County Board of

’05 delivered the 39th

marketing.

Education’s interim super-

annual Dudley Allen Sar-

Richard Hackett BBA ’88,

intendent.

gent Lecture at the 2020

MBA ’92 was selected as

Al Story AB ’92 is senior

National Association of

one of the 2020 Best

manager for corporate se-

Kinesiology in Higher Edu-

Lawyers in America.

curity at The Home Depot.

cation conference in Palm

He recently retired from

Springs, California. He is

1990-1994

the U.S. Secret Service.

a professor at Kennesaw

Joseph Alexander BBA

Scott Tucker AB ’92 is the

State University.

’90 is the southeast U.S.

senior pastor at Isle of

managing partner and

Hope United Methodist

2000-2004

global chair at DLA Piper.

Church in Savannah.

Al Ferrer BBA ’00 is senior

He was named to the Daily

Bridgette Walton BBA ’92

sales executive at Deloitte

Report’s 2019 Dealmakers

was designated a Society

Digital in Atlanta.

of the Year.

of Human Resources Man-

Cory Kampfer BBA ’00 was

Candice Branch AB ’90, MEd

agement Senior Certified

named C-Suite Executive

’92 is the associate probate

Professional.

of the Year by the Denver

judge and full-time mag-

Eve Fincher AB ’93 is a

Business Journal. He is the

istrate judge for Newton

teacher for Bibb County

COO and general counsel

County.

Schools.

of OnDeck in Arlington,

CLASS NOTES

our georgia commitment

enriching the student experience for our children and their classmates

Scott and Marybeth Steilen graduated from Michigan State University, but they now wear more red and black than green and white. These Spartans are the proud parents of three Georgia Bulldogs. Not many parents get to experience all their children attending the same university at the same time. In 2018, this was the case for Scott and Marybeth Steilen. That fall, the Steilens helped their youngest move into his dorm. The soonto-be empty nesters were comforted as his siblings doled out advice on dining halls, riding the bus, and study spots. Before heading home, the Steilens struck a deal: whenever their three children met for a meal, the check was on mom and dad. In 2011, the Steilens moved from Chicago to St. Simons Island, where Scott serves as Sea Island Company’s president and CEO. Besides relief from shoveling snow, one of the first things Scott and Marybeth noticed about living in Georgia was a widespread love for UGA. Their kids soon knew everything about the Bulldogs. And when their oldest committed to UGA, the couple supported his decision. “We instantly fell in love with the campus’s energy,” Scott says. “Combine that environment with the university’s enrichment opportunities and the HOPE Scholarship, and UGA is an unbeatable combination.” Today, Brett Steilen BBA ’19 is putting his Terry degree to work in New York City with Wheels Up, a private jet charter company. Maddy, a third-year Grady student, recently studied abroad, although her

GIVE.UGA.EDU

The Steilen family includes (from left): Scott, Marybeth, Maddy, Brett, and Ryan (not pictured). jessica deangelis

experience was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And their youngest, Ryan, has pushed himself to double major in finance and accounting. UGA has made a clear difference in their lives, and so the Steilens decided to deepen their connection to the university. Marybeth and Scott now chair UGA’s Parents Leadership Council (PLC), which has awarded more than $3.2 million in grants to undergraduate initiatives. The council provides funding to on-campus organizations like Recovery Dawgs, which helps classmates suffering from addiction. This support is especially meaningful to the Steilens because Brett volunteered as the Recovery Dawgs’ president while attending UGA. “The PLC allows us to share in our children’s college experience with-

out feeling like we’re stepping on their toes,” Marybeth says. “We’ve formed our own community of Bulldog parents, and we’ve gotten to know administrators and faculty on a personal level. These interactions opened our eyes to the needs on campus.” Through the PLC, the Steilens met students facing significant financial burdens to attend UGA. Since the HOPE Scholarship and other financial aid does not cover all educational and living expenses, some academic opportunities are simply out of reach. To help all students get the most out of their UGA experience, Marybeth and Scott established the Steilen Family Scholarship. “This scholarship confirms that we believe in UGA,” Scott says. “It’s our way of playing a part in its mission.”

Join the Steilens in supporting student-led organizations and need-based scholarships by becoming a member of the Parents Leadership Council or by making a gift to the Parents Fund. GIVE.UGA.EDU/PARENTS.

geo rgia maga z ine | s umme r 2 02 0

CLASS NOTES

Virginia.

qualified for the Olympic

Moore in Gainesville, Florida.

yards in Cleveland, Georgia,

Devin Barnwell BBA ’01 is head

Trials in the marathon at

Zain Hasan BS ’09 was

in October 2019.

of real estate management at

the California International

named one of Employee Ben-

Emily Feldman AB ’14 is a

Brookfield Properties.

Marathon in Sacramento.

efit Adviser’s 20 Rising Stars

quality assurance analyst at

Cade Joiner BBA ’01 is an at-

Kendal Daughtrey BBA ’07 is a

in Advising in 2020.

Northwestern Medicine in

large member in the University

media specialist for the Cook

System of Georgia’s Board of

County School System.

2010-2014

Andrew Garvin AB ’14 is an

Regents.

Edward Gerety III AB ’07 is

Beth Giddens BSEd ’10 is

audit supervisor at Draffin

Laura Ross BSW ’01, MSW ’05,

pursuing a doctoral degree

program coordinator for Wal-

Tucker in Atlanta.

EdS ’08 was named National

in business administration at

ton Options for Independent

Caroline Wingate ABJ ’14 is

School Counselor of the Year.

Drexel University in Phila-

Living, a nonprofit organi-

senior business development

She is school counselor at

delphia.

zation in Walterboro, South

representative at SYNNEX in

Five Forks Middle School in

Sarah Johnston AB ’07 was

Carolina.

Arlington, Virgina.

Gwinnett County.

named to the LinkedIn Top

Ben Lowring AB ’11 is an

Jennifer Squillace ABJ ’01 is

Voices list for Job Search &

active duty U.S. Marine

2015-2019

director of global accounts

Careers. She is founder of

Corps officer.

Christal McCamy BBA ’15

at HelmsBriscoe in Sandy

Briefcase Coach, where she

Brittany McGraw ABJ ’11 is

is pursuing a law degree at

Springs.

offers career and interview

a real estate consultant at

Brooklyn Law School in New

Kelly Hines ABJ ’02 was named

coaching.

Harry Normal Realtors in

York.

executive director of the

Chris Lane BSFCS ’07 earned

Atlanta.

Natasha Levy BBA ’16 married

Coweta Samaritan Clinic in

his financial planning

Rachel Hunt BS ’12 is a

Ryan Tourial ABJ ’16 in Sep-

Newnan, Georgia. The clinic

certification. He is a financial

pediatrician at Hometown

tember 2019.

offers free primary medial

advisor at Stifel and is vice

Pediatrics in Watkinsville.

Katie O’Connor BS ’16 is the

care to uninsured residents of

president/investments in the

Hayley Banerjee BSW ’13, MSW

junior board chair and board

Coweta who meet established

firm’s Savannah office.

’14 is the director of the Ath-

of directors liaison for the

income limits.

Allison Lange AB ’07 released

ens-Clarke County Housing

Georgia chapter of the Amer-

Chicago.

Picturing Political Power: Im-

and Community Develop-

ican Foundation for Suicide

2005-2009

ages in the Women’s Suffrage

ment Department.

Prevention.

Ashley Frasca ABJ ’05 is host

Movement in May.

Bethany Harris BSES ’13, MS

James Walker AB ’16 is an

of Green and Growing, a new

Rebecca Clarkson AB ’08,

’15, PhD ’18 is the assistant

associate at Dodson Parker

Saturday morning show on

JD ’11 was named a 2020

director of education at

Behm & Capparella’s office in

95.5 WSB in Atlanta.

Georgia Rising Star. She is an

Callaway Gardens.

Nashville, Tennessee.

Mathew Sweezey BSA ’05

attorney at HunterMaclean.

Lauren Mauldin AB ’13, ABJ

Melanie Kemp BSBE ’17 is

released Context Marketing

Sara Giles BSW ’08 is a clinical

’13 is director of marketing

pursuing a Master of Science

Revolution: How to Motivate

social worker with the U.S.

and communications at the

in engineering management

Buyers in the Age of Infinite

Navy, serving as an officer

Mercer University School of

at John Hopkins University in

Media in March.

and psychotherapist.

Law.

Baltimore, Maryland.

Erin Grantham AB ’06, ABJ ’06

Eric Wheeler BSA ’08 is the

Kaya Grace Porter AB ’13 was

Mimi Messawer BBA ’17 is

married Byran Schroeder in

owner of McRae-Wheeler

selected to participate in the

an associate at Visa Credit

November.

Insurance in Swainsboro.

2020 Nashville Emerging

Partners in New York City.

Barclay Taylor AB ’06 was

Leah Farmer AB ’09 is an

leaders program. She is an

Gabbie Strickland BSFCS

named a 2020 Georgia Ris-

associate at Kilpatrick

attorney at Lewis Thomason

’17, MEd ’19 is an elementary

ing Star. He is an associate

Townsend & Stockton in

in Nashville.

school teacher and track and

at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in

Atlanta.

Jasmin Severino AB ’13 mar-

field coach for the Carrollton

Atlanta.

Kevin Golden BBA ’09 is

ried Jose Luis Hernandez AB

City School System.

Haley Chura BBA ’07, ABJ ’07

senior tax manager at James

’12 at Yonah Mountain Vine-

Kayli Varner BSEd ’17 is

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Making a Name for Herself

hen the summer olympics make their long-awaited return in 2021, Sarah Hughes will be attending. Actually, “attending” isn’t quite accurate—although she’s been to four Olympics so far. Hughes AB ’14 is a researcher for NBCOlympics.com, and during the games she will be staffing the gymnastics venue in Tokyo. In addition to writing all the background material on the athletes—a process that began over a year ago and included trips to several international competitions where she frequently spoke to competitors and coaches in person—Hughes provides real-time updates to broadcasters. It’s the latest assignment in a remarkably interesting career path that began with an internship during her senior year in the School of Public and International Affairs. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, just three months before Hughes was due to graduate, she served as a runner and personal assistant to on-air talent, including anchors Al

Sarah Hughes AB ’14

peter frey

Michaels and Dan Patrick. “Sochi was like being at camp,” she says. “All of the interns stayed in the same hotel. I worked 42 days straight, 7 a.m. to midnight. I loved it.” Specifically, Hughes fell in love with the adrenaline rush of live TV and especially the Olympic Games. That’s when she decided to make it her career, and each Olympics following those 2014 games has brought her more responsibility. At the 2016 Rio Games, Hughes was assigned to NBCUniversal Rio headquarters, where she worked on the research team for five different sports. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, she served as the onsite researcher at the figure skating venue. That summer, after four years working as an independent contractor, she was rewarded with a full-time role. The global nature of figure skating also means that Hughes’ degree in international affairs comes in handy. “It was a big deal that there was a North Korean figure skating pair competing in PyeongChang, and I spoke with

them through a translator. How many people can say they’ve spoken to someone from North Korea?” Most importantly, Hughes educational background helped her put the North Koreans’ presence in its proper historical perspective, and she was able to share that with broadcasters who then discussed it on air. Hughes’ Olympics role may have been pre-destined—she shares her name with the 2002 gold medalist in figure skating. After Hughes The Skater won in Salt Lake City, Hughes The UGA Alumna’s parents framed the Sports Illustrated cover commemorating it. Hughes still has that cover on the wall of her New York apartment. The two are actually friends now, having crossed paths at various skating-related events. Still, Hughes sometimes receives second glances from security when she is checking in to skating events. “Or they’ll make a joke, and it’s, like, yeah, you’re the first person to ever say that,” she laughs.

written by eric rangus MA ’94

geo rgia maga z ine | s umm er 2 02 0

CLASS NOTES negative life events. Cynthia Allan PhD ’92 received a Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce 2020 Women of Distinction Award. Beth Montemurro MA ’98, PhD ’01 was named a distinguished professor of sociology at Penn State Abington.

business Jennifer Pizzo MBA ’15 is senior scrum master on the Cloud Enablement team at Fiserv in New York City.

education Michael Gilbert EdD ’73 released Saying It Right: Tools for Deft Leadership in March. Ted Nichols PhD ’90 retired from his position as vice president of academic affairs at Pennsylvania Highlands Comspecial events manager for

office and communications

the Charleston RiverDogs, the

manager at Gateway85 Gwin-

Single-A affiliate of the New

nett CID in Atlanta.

York Yankees.

Khadesia Dexter AB ’19 is

Abigail Wagner BSEd ’17 is a

financial management officer

teacher at West Forsyth High

at the Royal Air Force Milden-

School. She was named the

hall in the United Kingdom.

county’s December Teacher

Emily Flower AB ’19 is a leg-

of the Month.

islative correspondent at the

Stephanie Dixon AB ’18 com-

U.S. House of Representatives

pleted the Communications

in Washington, D.C.

Leadership Development

Clayton Rowe AB ’19 is pur-

Program at Lockheed Martin.

suing a master’s in European

She is the content and user

and Mediterranean studies at

experience manager for the

New York University.

company’s space business segment in Denver, Colorado. Amber Haywood AB ’18 is an editor for Global Savings Group in Atlanta. Victoria Smith BSFCS ’18 is the

geo rg i a mag a zin e | s u m m e r 2 02 0

grad notes

munity College in Johnstown

agricultural & environmental sciences

University in Harrisonburg,

Grace DeBoer MS ’19 is pur-

the 2019 MacGregor Teacher

suing a doctoral degree at the

of the Year Award at the

University of Florida College

National History Day awards

of Veterinary Medicine in

ceremony.

Gainesville, Florida.

Jason Fitzer MEd ’10, PhD ’18

after 10 years of service. Eric Pyle PhD ’95 was named a fellow of the Geological Society of America. He is a professor at James Madison Virginia. Cosby Hunt MEd ’97 received

is associate director for the

arts & sciences

Center for Student Involve-

Katie Cherry MS ’87, PhD ’90

ment at Santa Clara Universi-

released The Other Side of

ty in California.

Suffering: Finding a Path to about hope and healing after

family and consumer sciences

a natural disaster and other

Cathy Moore MS ’83, PhD

Peace after Tragedy, a book

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Rev it Up

Don Sylvester ABJ ’75

special

e-creating the sounds of the 1960s most powerful race cars is more of a challenge than one might think. But Don Sylvester was up for the task. For his Academy Award-winning work on Ford vs. Ferrari, Sylvester ABJ ’75 had to find an original Ford GT40 to record its engine to make the cars in the movie sound accurate. (The film is based on the rivalry between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari and the 1966 Le Mans race that pitted the makers’ cars against one another.) “The challenge was the race cars in the film were all kit replicas,” says Sylvester. “They looked right, but their Chevy engines didn’t sound right.” The problem was all 11 remaining original Ford GT40 cars are owned by private collectors, valued in the millions and un-

available. Luckily, Sylvester found a car collector in Garrettsville, Ohio, who had built a GT40 and who agreed to let him record its engine. “The GT40 doesn’t sound like any other car,” Sylvester says. “Its growl and heft is quite different from a high-pitched Ferrari.” Sylvester had to remove the Chevy engine sounds from the film’s soundtrack and replace them with the GT40 recordings he made in Ohio. His goal was to capture the power of those vintage cars and communicate that visceral experience to an audience. Although much of the film was shot on location in Georgia, Sylvester did his post-production work at 20th Century Studios in Los Angeles (formerly 20th Century Fox), where for almost 30 years he has been

an independent contractor on nearly 100 features. Among his recent credits are such films as The Hate U Give, The Fault in Our Stars, and the latest X-Men movie, The New Mutant. In addition to Ford vs. Ferrari, Sylvester has been sound editor on six films for director James Mangold, including 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolverine, and Logan. His contribution to Walk the Line (the biopic on singer Johnny Cash) won a British Academy Film Award in 2005. Over his career, Sylvester’s work has been recognized with five industry awards and 16 various nominations. Sylvester’s Oscar was his first win and his first nomination. The gold statuette has found a perfect spot: his mantle at home.

written by john w. english

geo rgia maga z ine | s ummer 2 02 0

CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

On the Front Line

Andrew McKown BS ’07

john and kate weatherford

ndrew mckown is face-to-face with COVID-19 every day, serving his community in a vital way few can. It’s like nothing he’s experienced before. “Normally, when a patient comes in with respiratory failure, you know what to do,” says McKown, a physician at Athens Pulmonary and co-director of the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center Intensive Care Unit. “When a patient comes in with COVID-19? How we managed it three weeks ago is different from how we managed it last week. It’s crazy.” McKown BS ’07 grew up in East Cobb and chose UGA after being offered a Foundation Fellowship—a decision met with approval from his family, which includes more than a dozen alumni, including his parents and two sisters. McKown’s Foundation Fellowship expe-

written by clarke schwabe ABJ ’08

geo rg i a mag a z in e | s u m m e r 2 02 0

rience offered valuable opportunities such as travel-study work at clinics in Thailand and Uganda. After graduating in 2007, McKown went to Harvard Medical School, met his wife, Ellen House, and discovered a passion for pulmonology. A Massachusetts General Hospital residency followed, then a fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After completing his time at Vanderbilt, he reconnected with friends and mentors from UGA, setting wheels into motion for a move back to the Classic City. McKown and his family have been in Athens for two years. But the past few months make the past two years seem quite distant. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Athens Pulmonary doubled its daily commitment of physicians to affiliated hospitals and overhauled their doctors’ call schedules. And while having an

unpredictable daily schedule is stressful, it pales in comparison to the work of treating this disease. “I’ve seen people across the age spectrum critically ill—close to death—here in Athens from COVID-19,” McKown says. “If we don’t continue taking the necessary steps to slow the spread of infection, there could be so many cases that we will be strained to take care of them all.” But he takes heart in a few things, including strong leadership at Piedmont Athens Regional and the outpouring of community support. “There are signs all over the hospital that are, essentially, a cheering section,” McKown says. “There have been a number of gifts like hand-sewn face masks. UGA’s creating face shields. All of these things are amazing, and they are impactful.”

CLASS NOTES

’88 is the academic dean of

from her position as assistant

civil litigation defense at Ellis,

social work

Riverside Military Academy in

district attorney of Chatham

Painter, Ratterree & Adams

Ericka Ige MSW ’16 founded

Gainesville.

County in December after

in Savannah.

EriBran Creative, where she

almost 26 years.

acts as a social media man-

law

Stephanie Friese Aron JD ’99

pharmacy

Robert Benham JD ’70 retired

was named a 2020 Georgia

Beau Freeman PharmD ’16

small business owners and

from the Georgia Supreme

Super Lawyer. She is an attor-

is pharmacy compounding

entrepreneurs.

Court.

ney at Chamberlain Hrdlicka

program manager at Charlie

Thomas Jones JD ’74 was named

in Atlanta.

Norwood VA Medical Center

veterinary medicine

a 2020 Georgia Super Lawyer.

John Hackney JD ’09 was

in Augusta.

Melissa Webster DVM ’94 is

He is an attorney at Chamberlain

named a 2020 Georgia

Hrdlicka in Atlanta.

Rising Star. He is a shareholder

public health

Mary Real Chapin JD ’83

at Chamberlain Hrdlicka

Erica Parks MPH ’11 received the

and Highland Pet Hospital in

married Dom Grieshaber Jr. in

in Atlanta.

2019 Veterans Owned Busi-

Florida.

New Orleans in November.

Jacob Saas JD ’18 is an asso-

ness Award from the Atlanta

Christy Barker JD ’92 retired

ciate attorney practicing in

Business Chronicle in September.

ager and virtual assistant for

a veterinarian and owner of Tampa Veterinary Hospital

want to reach the bulldog nation?

@universityofga

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geo rgia maga z ine | s umme r 2 02 0

FACULTY FOCUS

Roberto Docampo Distinguished Research Professor and Barbara and Sanford Orkin/Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Cellular Biology Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

“In some areas of Latin America, you have 50 to 60% of people who are infected with Chagas disease. These parasites are separated by millions of years of evolution from humans, and it is theoretically possible to target organelles [structures inside the cell]. The idea is always to find pathways that are different in the parasite than in the host in order to find targets for vaccines, drugs, or diagnostics.” Roberto Docampo is a world-renowned researcher known for his work on neglected parasitic diseases, including Chagas and African sleeping sickness. These diseases kill more than 10,000 people each year and infect millions more. Docampo’s discovery of an organelle, or cellular structure, within the trypanosome parasite that causes both Chagas and sleeping sickness provided a new target for medical therapies to attack and disable the parasite, preventing it from causing disease or reproducing. By targeting the organelle, Docampo hopes to find a solution to these deadly diseases by eliminating the threat trypanosomes pose to both humans and animals.

peter frey

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