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University of Georgia

File:Seal of the University of Georgia.png Seal of the University of Georgia
Motto	Et docere et rerum exquirere causas
Motto in English	Both to teach and to inquire into the nature of things. 'To serve' has been anachronistically added, so the English motto now reads "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things"
Type	Flagship state university Land-grant university Sea-grant university Space-grant university
Established	January 27, 1785
President	Michael F. Adams
Provost	Jere W. Morehead
Academic staff	2,862 (September 2012)
Students	33,367 (spring 2012)[1]
Location	Athens , Georgia , United States 33°57′21″N 83°22′28″W / 33.9558°N 83.3745°W / 33.9558; -83.3745
Campus	University town; 759 acres (3.072 km2)
Endowment	US $745.8 million[2]
Colors	Red and Black
Nickname	Georgia Bulldogs
Mascot	Uga (live), Hairy Dawg (costumed)
Website	http://www.uga.edu

The University of Georgia (commonly referred to as UGA or simply Georgia) is a large public, land grant, sea grant, flagship research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of three schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States. The University of Georgia is a part of the University System of Georgia. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The University of Georgia has been recognized as one of the Public Ivies.^[3] The university also made the list of "Top 10 Public Ivy League Schools."^[4]

The University of Georgia offers one-hundred-and-forty different degree programs in a wide array of disciplines.^[5] Consisting of thirteen libraries spread across multiple campuses, UGA Libraries contains a total of 4.7 million volumes and one of nation’s largest map collections. UGA Libraries is a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries.^[6]

The University of Georgia is organized into eighteen schools and colleges. The University has three campuses: the largest in the main campus in Athens, Georgia and two others in Tifton, Georgia and Griffin, Georgia. UGA also has satellite campuses located in Atlanta, Georgia and Lawrenceville, Georgia. The main campus occupies 389 buildings on 759 acres. Total acreage in 30 Georgia counties amounts to 39,950 acres.^[5] UGA also owns three international residential and research centers located at Oxford University in Oxford, England, Cortona, Italy and Monteverde, Costa Rica. UGA Costa Rica, the largest center, is used as a site for research, study abroad, symposia, and ecotourism.

UGA student athletes compete intercollegiately as the Georgia Bulldogs. As a member of the Southeastern Conference, the Bulldogs have won thirty-seven national championships and 130 conference championships. Twenty-seven athletes, one coach and one administrator with ties to UGA participated in the 2012 Olympics in London.^[7] The Georgia Redcoat Marching Band is the official marching band of University of Georgia.

Apart from academics, research, and athletics, the University of Georgia is also well known for its main campus in the acclaimed college town of Athens,^[8] with dominant architectural themes of Federal—the older buildings—and Classical and Antebellum style. Situated on a 759-acre (3.07 km²) main campus, UGA has a workforce of more than 9,800, an annual budget of about $1.49 billion(29% provided by the state of Georgia), and a physical plant valued at some $600 million, making it one of the largest employers in Georgia and a major contributor to the state's economic and cultural vitality.^[5] Athens is home to many popular music artists including the American rock band R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. Every summer since 1996 the city has hosted AthFest, a non-profit music and arts festival in the downtown area.^[9]

Organization

The President of the University of Georgia (currently Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. University of Georgia has had 21 presidents since it's founding in 1785. Each individual college is headed by a dean.

The University comprises eighteen schools and colleges, and although some divisions use "college" and some use "school", the title does not indicate any distinction between the eighteen colleges and schools that constitute the University:

Schools & Colleges

History

Antebellum history

The University of Georgia was incorporated on January 27, 1785, by the Georgia General Assembly, which had given its trustees, the Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia, 40,000 acres (160 km²) for the purposes of founding a “college or seminary of learning.”^[11] The Senatus Academicus was composed of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees with the Georgia Senate presiding over those two boards. The first meeting of the university's board of trustees was held in Augusta, Georgia on February 13, 1786.^[12] The meeting installed its first president, Abraham Baldwin, a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. The college was not immediately established and portions of the original land tracts were used for other purposes or sold to raise $7,463.75 by 1798. ^{[citation needed]}

On July 2, 1799, the Senatus Academicus met again in Louisville, Georgia and decided that the time was right to officially begin the University. During this meeting 633 acres (2.6 km²) on the banks of the Oconee River were chosen on which the university was to be built. This tract of land, now a part of the consolidated city–county of Clarke County, Georgia and Athens, Georgia was then part of Jackson County. The meeting also established a new president of the university naming Josiah Meigs, another Yale graduate, to the post. The first classes were held in 1801, in what was called the Franklin College, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The first graduating class graduated on May 31, 1804. ^{[citation needed]}

The Senatus Academicus convened for the last time in Dothan, Georgia, from November 3, 1859, through November 5, 1859, after which it was replaced with a Board of Trustees which reported to the Georgia General Assembly which is composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate.

Civil War era

During the American Civil War, the University closed in October 1863 and reopened in January 1866 with an enrollment of seventy-eight students including veterans utilizing an award of $300 granted by the General Assembly to injured soldiers younger than thirty.^[11] In that same year, the legislature appropriated $2,000 for the creation of a College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. This was the result of the Morrill Act which was used to create land grant colleges across the nation. The agricultural department within the University opened on May 1, 1872. A portion of the funds were used to establish a branch of the agricultural department in Dahlonega, Georgia which developed into North Georgia College.^[13] The Military Department of the university was abandoned in the years following the Civil War, but its campus at Milledgeville, including the former State capital building, became Georgia Military College.

20th century

With students limited to white males for the first century of its history, UGA began educating female students during the summer of 1903. Women were not admitted as full-time undergraduates until 1918. ^{[citation needed]} Before official admission of women to the University, several women were able to complete graduate degrees through credit earned during the summer sessions. The first woman to earn such a degree was Mary Lyndon. She received a Master of Arts degree in 1914. Mary Ethel Creswell earned the first undergraduate degree in June 1919, a B.S. in Home Economics. Two UGA dormitories are named after these graduates: Creswell Hall and Mary Lyndon Hall.

Racial integration was achieved in 1961^[14] , with the admission of Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter after notable tension with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2001, on the fortieth anniversary of their having first registered for classes, the University renamed a prominent campus building in their honor:[Holmes-Hunter Academic Building.^[15] Although Hunter and Holmes were the first African-American students to matriculate at UGA, Mary Frances Early became the first African-American graduate by earning her master’s (MMEd) in music education in 1962. In 1963, Chester Davenport became the first African-American admitted to the UGA School of Law and its first African-American graduate (LL.B. 1966). A decade later, Sharon Tucker was the first female African-American law graduate, earning her J.D. in 1974.^[16]

Recent years

The University has seen its academic reputation rise markedly since Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program was started in 1993. The school has grown both in size and reputation nearly every year since Michael F. Adams has been President of the University. The average SAT for students entering UGA in 2012 was 1915 out of 2400 and the average GPA was a 3.88.^[17]

In 2003, UGA scored a “grand slam,” being the only public university in America with winners of the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman and Goldwater Scholarships in the same year.^[5] In 2011-2012, UGA was one of only four institutions in the nation with the maximum of four Goldwater Scholars; one of only two universities with three Udall Scholars, and one of only four universities with at least five Boren Scholars. UGA students also garnered a prestigious Marshall Scholarship and 17 Fulbright Scholarship offers, placing the University among the top tier of academic institutions with regard to national awards. Alumni were well represented, as a UGA alumna garnered the coveted MacArthur “Genius” Grant for the 2nd time in three years (Beth Shapiro in 2009 and A.E. Stallings in 2011). More than 40 University of Georgia students won national academic scholarship offers in 2011-2012, among them was one Marshall Scholarship, four Goldwater Scholarships, three Udall Scholarships, five Boren Scholarships, 17 Fulbright Scholarships, and 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships.

The national college rankings place UGA among the top 20 public universities in America and a top 10 best value.^[18] UGA is designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant university.^[19] UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication awards the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards, which are presented annually for excellence in television and radio news, entertainment and children’s programming. The University also presents the annual Delta Prize for Global Understanding, which recognizes individuals or groups whose initiatives promote peace and cooperation among cultures and nations. UGA has an extensive network of student activities that center around academic, religious, social, political and fraternal organizations.

UGA maintains one of the South's oldest and most active Greek systems, and the fraternity and sororities maintain homes both on and off campus. UGA boasts nearly 700 student organizations.^[20] Student organizations include both Democratic and Republican student clubs, Order of Omega, Arch Society, student philanthropies such as UGA Heros,^[21] UGA Habitat for Humanity, UGA Miracle and UGA Relay for Life,^[22] American Medical Student Association, UGA Mock Trials and secret societies such as Palladia and Gridiron. The UGA Alumni Association has almost 274,000 members and operates a center in both Athens and Atlanta, Georgia, which can be found in the Atlanta Financial Center.

The University has significantly expanded and improved its program offerings in the recent years. In 2005, the College of Public Health was instituted, in 2010 UGA partnered up with the only public medical school in Georgia, Georgia Health Sciences University to create the UGA-GHSU Medical Partnership and in the summer of 2012, after years of offering engineering degree programs, the College of Engineering was established at the University. UGA has continued to foster a global community through comprehensive study abroad programs. Open Door ranked UGA 12th for most students studying abroad, a jump from 15th in 2011.

Campus

Though there have been many additions, changes, and augmentations, UGA’s campus maintains its historic character. The historical practice has been to divide the 759-acre (3.1 km²) main campus into two sections, North Campus and South Campus. Since 1995, new facilities serving the arts, academics, fitness and student housing have been built on what has come to be known as "East Campus."^[23] This area includes new apartment-like dorms called East Campus Village. Adjacent is the newest and fourth dining hall on campus called The Village Summit at Joe Frank Harris Commons. Also on East campus is the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, the Ramsey Center for Physical Activity and the relocated Lamar Dodd School of Art. "West Campus" refers to the area adjacent to the main campus where many of UGA's largest residence halls are located; most UGA freshmen live in one of the high-rise dorms on West Campus.

Tradition maintains that UGA's oldest permanent building, Old College, is modeled on Yale University’s Connecticut Hall.^[24] UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel,^[25] New College, Demosthenian^[26] and the Phi Kappa^[27] Halls, Park Hall,^[28] Meigs Hall, and the President’s office^[29]—as well as modern additions such as the Law School^[30] and the Main Library.^[31] The dominant architectural themes are Federal—the older buildings—and Greco-Roman Classical/Antebellum style. UGA’s North Campus has also been designated an arboretum by the State of Georgia.

A notable North Campus fixture is the cast-iron gateway that stands at its main entrance. Known as "The Arch" (but often erroneously pluralized to "The Arches"), the structure was patterned after the Seal of the State of Georgia, and has faced historic downtown Athens ever since it was erected in the 1850s.^[32] Although the Seal's three pillars represent the state's three branches of government,^[33] the pillars of The Arch are usually taken to represent the Georgia Constitution's three principles of wisdom, justice, and moderation, which are engraved over the pillars of the Seal. There is a superstition about walking through The Arch. It is said that if you walk under The Arch as an undergraduate, you will not graduate from UGA on time.^[34] Another legend claims that should you walk through The Arch as a freshman, you will become sterile.^[35] The steps lining The Arch are noticeably worn due to students avoiding walking under The Arch.

Dividing North and South Campus is the "central campus" area, home of the University Bookstore, Tate Student Center, and Miller Learning Center, as well as Sanford Stadium, home of the football team. Adjacent to the stadium is a bridge that crosses Tanyard Creek and is the traditional crossover into South Campus, home of most of the science and agricultural classroom buildings. Further south and east, across East Campus Road, is East Campus, home of the Ramsey Center, the East Campus Village (apartment-style dormitories), and several fine arts facilities, including the Georgia Museum of Art and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. A new facility for the art school opened its doors in the Fall of 2008. ^{[citation needed]} This new state-of-the-art facility replaced the elder that was placed on North Campus.

Adjacent to the campus is the "west campus" area. This extends from the corner of Britain Avenue and Lumpkin Street in the south to Waddell and Wray streets in the north. It is bordered along the east by Lumpkin Street and on the west by Church Street south of Baxter Street and Florida Avenue to the north. Located on the south end are several dormitories including the Hill Community, Oglethorpe House, Creswell Hall, Brumby Hall and Russell Hall. Also located here are Legion Field and Pool, which are recreational facilities.

In 2011, the University of Georgia acquired the former U.S. Navy Supply Corps School on the medical corridor of Prince Avenue near downtown Athens. The UGA-GHSU Medical Partnership is located on the 56-acre Health Sciences Campus. The campus has an extensive landscaped green space, more than 400 trees and several historic buildings. The majority of classes will be held in Russell Hall, which was built in 1974. The nearly 63,000 square-foot building includes classrooms, rooms for small group and clinical skills teaching, a lab for gross anatomy, pathology and histology, a medical library, and faculty offices. The Medical Partnership Administration is housed in Winnie Davis Hall, which was built in 1902.^[36]

Starting 2013 construction will be underway to develop a new research science park. Unofficially named the Riverbend Research Village, the science park will occupy a 100-acre site south of the Athens Perimeter and west of College Station Road, on both sides of the Oconee River. ^[37]

Academic and Research

The University of Georgia is classified as a 'Research University/Very High Activity', according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.^[38] Since 2003, UGA has increased it's research spending to transform the university's competitiveness in the global sphere. In 2012, the University announced a new initiative to bolster research spending at the university.

In 2010, the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities(CURO) partnered with the Biomedical Health Science Institute to create a new pilot program aimed at providing greater access to students and faculty interested in taking advantage of all the opportunities available for undergraduate research at UGA. Prior to expansion, undergraduate research was limited to mostly honors students. Under the new program, non-honors and honors undergraduates will be able to partake in undergraduate research. The program is also affiliated with the newly established Faculty of Engineering who preside under the College of Engineering.^[39]

More than 300 different products originating from UGA research are on the market. In 2012 Total Sponsored Awards regarding research totaled $234.88 million. UGARF has over 1000 active licenses with technologies licensed in countries on all continents. UGARF currently holds more than 500 US and foreign patents. UGA ranked 2nd among all universities for most licenses and options executed in FY2010 marking the fourth consecutive year that UGA has been ranked second. UGA also ranked 15th among all public universities for FY2010 licensing income and 9th among public universities, and 18th overall, for total licensing revenue over the 3 year period (FY2008-2010) with a total of $ 61.3MM.^[40]

In November 2012, The University of Georgia has been elected to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, recognition of its growing reputation in atmospheric and related science. UGA is the 78th member of UCAR, which was founded in 1960. Universities invited to join UCAR must demonstrate continuing commitment to programs of study and research in atmospheric sciences as well as a commitment to active participation in UCAR activities.

UGA's College of Pharmacy is consistently ranked as one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation. The College of Pharmacy has increased it's research in pharmaceutical science and biotechnology research.^[41]

Facilities

Zell B. Miller Learning Center

The $43.6 million dollar Zell B. Miller Learning Center (MLC) has been the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003 when it was originally called the Student Learning Center (which explains why some students still refer to it as the SLC).^[42] Located at the heart of the UGA campus, it houses both classroom space and library space in close proximity.

On the inside is a technological space that includes two dozen classrooms capable of seating 2,400 students and equipped with the latest technology. The building serves as an expansion of UGA library services, with a completely electronic library, 276,000 sq ft (25,600 m²). of actual floor space.

Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences

Named after U.S. Senator Paul D. Coverdell, this $40 million dollar facility totals 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²), giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize Energy efficiency.^[43] Laboratory intensive groups at the Coverdell Center include the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD), the Developmental Biology Group (DBG), and the Bio-Imaging Research Center (BIRC),the Health and Risk Communications Group (HRCG), the administrative homes of the College of Public Health (CPH) and the Biomedical Health Sciences Institute (BHSI), and the CPH’s Department of Health Administration, Biostatistics and Epidemiology.^[44] Former President George H.W. Bush spoke at the Center's grand opening in 2006. ^{[citation needed]}

Artificial Intelligence Center

The Artificial Intelligence Center is an interdepartmental research and instructional center within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Georgia.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center houses two degree programs, the Master of Science program in Artificial Intelligence and the bachelor's degree program in Cognitive Science. Over the years the AI Center has received funding for research from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the [[United States Department of Energy ]], the Department of Agriculture, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development Ltd., the Georgia Research Alliance, Centro Internacional por Agricultura Tropical, Clemson University, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Health Sciences University and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence.

University of Georgia Marine Institute

The university's campus also spreads to Sapelo Island, off the Georgia coast, which is home to the University of Georgia Marine Institute, a nearshore ecological and geological research institute. In 2012, UGA acquired the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.^[45]

Coastal Plain Research Arboretum

The Coastal Plain Research Arboretum (38 acres (150,000 m²)) is an arboretum in Tifton, Georgia, located on the grounds of the Tifton Campus of the University of Georgia.^[46]

The arboretum was established in 1987, with plant development and selection starting in 1991.^[47] It consists of stream-side forest and wetland, and is dedicated to native plant species of the Georgia coastal plain.^[46]

The arboretum contains pine woods, a native azalea collection, and approximately 280 taxa of native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.^[46] It is one of several institutions active in efforts to conserve the endangered Torreya taxifolia.^[48] The arboretum director is John M. Ruter, professor of horticulture at the university's Tifton campus.^[49]

UGA-GHSU Medical Partnership

In 2010, the University of Georgia partnered with Georgia Health Sciences University to create a four-year medical education program in Athens to help alleviate a statewide shortage of physicians that threatens the health of Georgians.

The GHSU/UGA Medical Partnership combines the significant instructional and research resources of UGA, the state’s flagship land-grant research university, with the expertise of GHSU, Georgia’s only public medical school.

First and second-year students will study basic science and clinical skills in a program that parallels the Augusta curriculum of GHSU. Plans are underway for third and fourth-year clerkships at area clinics and hospitals, and the first class of medical students in Athens began classes in August 2010. In addition to increasing the number of physicians in Georgia, the partnership will expand research collaborations between GHSU and UGA, creating new insights into the prevention and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.^[50] Students from the Georgia Health Sciences University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, graduate students from the College of Public Health and visiting scholars reside on the Health Sciences Campus.

The majority of classes will be held in Russell Hall, which was built in 1974. The nearly 63,000 square-foot building includes classrooms, rooms for small group and clinical skills teaching, a lab for gross anatomy, pathology and histology, a medical library, and faculty offices. The Medical Partnership Administration is housed in Winnie Davis Hall, which was built in 1902.^[51]

UGA Honors Program

The University of Georgia's Honors program is acclaimed to be one of the most selective in the nation.^[52] The honors program partners with various schools at UGA to provide students with smaller classroom sizes, robust undergraduate research opportunities, study abroad internships, advanced class registration, participation in graduate courses and considerable amounts of financial aid and scholarships. Honors students experience smaller faculty to student ratios (average 1-17), more of an emphasis on discussion and group work instead of a lecture based format within the classroom, and courses themselves tend to be more academically enhanced due to a student’s contact with primary sources. The UGA Honors program also encompasses the Foundation Fellows Scholarship, Bernard Ramsey Scholarship and the CURO Scholarship. Many of UGA's Rhodes scholars came from the Honors program.

Honors students are housed in Myers Hall which serves as the Honors magnet residence hall at UGA. This beautifully renovated hall is home to 250 first-year Honors students, affording them the opportunity to live and study in a learning community of like-minded peers. An Honors satellite advising office is also conveniently located in Myers Hall.^[53]

In 2011 the average high school GPA of an honors student was a 4.04. The average 1466 out of 1600.^[54]

Student facilities

Ramsey Center

The Ramsey Center is the student recreational and athletic facility located on East Campus at the University of Georgia. The Ramsey Center is one of the largest student athletic/recreation facilities in the United States built and was named in honor of Bernard and Eugenia Ramsey. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 2 gyms, 3 pools (one Olympic-sized, a 17-foot (5.2 m) diving well, and a lap pool), a 1/8 mile indoor suspended rubberized track, a 44 feet (13 m)-high climbing wall, 14-foot (4.3 m) outdoor bouldering wall, 10 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, 8 full-length basketball courts, and 19,000 square feet (1,770 m²) of weight-training space.^[55] This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country for the year 1997.^[56] Men's Fitness named UGA as one of the 25 fittest colleges in America.

Franklin Residential College

Franklin Residential College^[57] is a residential college, based on the Oxford and Cambridge model. It is a collaboration of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the University Housing office, and the Vice President of Instruction. It was founded in 2000.^[58] The home of the college is Rutherford Hall, which was built in the late 1930s as a women's dormitory.

Tate II Expansion

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, ground was officially broken for the $52 million Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation project.^[59] A multi-level parking deck began the first phase of the construction on which the new Student Center was built. Tate II officially opened its doors on June 1, 2009.

Included in the new student center is: an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) multi-purpose space on the fifth floor, a dining room, meeting rooms, and lounge seating on the fourth floor, a food court, retail space, Print & Copy Services, a large lounge area, gaming area, and open performance space on the third floor. The new food court is operated by UGA Food Services. It includes Hotei's, a hibachi style grill, Larry's Giant Subs, and Barberitos. Some of the amenities, such as the Bulldog Cafe and the Tate Theatre, will remain in the old Tate Center. The total cost of the new expansion is approximately $58.2 million.^[60]

Construction on the $13.5 million, 500-space Tate Student Center parking deck was underway through May 2009. ^{[citation needed]}

Lamar Dodd School of Art

Construction on the $39.2 million, 171,000 sq ft (15,900 m²) Lamar Dodd School of Art is underway through spring 2008. The site is just south of the existing Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus. In 2012, the College of Environmental Design's $10.4 million Visual Arts building became the first UGA building to incorporate a water reclamation system and it became the first UGA building to utilize solar harvesting technology.

University of Georgia Satellite campuses

University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus

The University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus occupies 60,000 square feet of the Intellicenter, a new high-performance building with energy-efficient design and state of the art classroom technology. The new location provides the perfect environment for UGA to grow—expanding graduate degree programs long offered in Gwinnett and enhancing professional training programs provided through the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. The new campus is located in the Intellicenter Building just off I-85 and near the intersection of Old Peachtree NW and Sever Road.

UGA Terry College's Atlanta Executive Education Center

The Terry College’s “home away from home” in Atlanta is the Terry Executive Education Center. The Executive and Professional MBA Programs are offered at the center in addition to non-degree programs such as the Certified Financial Planning course. The center also acts as a focal point and meeting place for Terry students, alumni, faculty and staff to interact with Atlanta’s business community. Designed and constructed with an eye toward maximizing each student’s educational experience, the center features tiered executive classrooms, conference rooms, break-out meeting spaces and interview suites. Also included is office space for faculty and staff, as well as the college’s Executives-in-Residence.

Other facilities

Georgia Museum of Natural History

The Georgia Museum of Natural History has one of the most extensive natural history collections in Georgia. The museum is used for internships, research and courses for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty.

The Georgia Museum of Natural History provides Joshua Laerm Academic Support Awards annually.^[61]

Dr. Joshua Laerm was a professor at the University of Georgia who died on September 28th, 1997.

The Georgia Center

The Georgia Center, the University of Georgia's Conference Center and Hotel is located on South Campus. The Georgia Center includes 200 hotel rooms including suites, four onsite dining options, banquet areas, conference rooms, auditoriums, a fitness center, and a computer lab. The Georgia Center is open to all visitors to Athens and UGA.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a 313-acre preserve set aside by the University of Georgia in 1968 for the study and enjoyment of plants and nature. Located three miles south of campus, it is a living laboratory serving educational, research, recreational, and public service roles for the University and the citizens of Georgia. The Garden contains a number of specialized (theme) gardens and collections, over five miles of nature trails, and four major facilities including a tropical conservatory.

UGA Marine Extension Service

The University of Georgia Marine Extension Service (UGA MAREX) consists of several educational outreach facilities in the state of Georgia, including one on the Skidaway Marine Science Campus. The Marine Education Center and Aquarium (MECA) operates a small public saltwater aquarium of local marine fish and invertebrates, which is visited by 18,000 schoolchildren per year. There is also a small research facility for shellfish aquaculture.

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is an internationally renowned 700 acre marine science research institute located on the northern end of Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. In 2012, the Skidaway Institute become a part of the University of Georgia.^[62]

The University of Georgia Observatory

The University of Georgia Observatory is located on top of the Physics Building on the UGA campus. The observatory hosts colloquia, seminars, research groups and open houses. In addition to, undergraduate and graduate courses utilize the structure. The observatory is also the home of the Center for Simulational Physics, the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center and the MRI Physics Lab.^[63]

The University of Georgia Golf Course

Originally developed in 1968, the course operates under the Division of Auxiliary Services. The University of Georgia is the only institution of higher education that owns and operates its own PGA tour co-sanctioned professional golf tournament. Multiple men’s and women’s Southeastern Conference Championships and three NCAA Women’s Championships have been played on the University Golf Course. The course also hosted one of the Men’s NCAA Regional Tournaments in 2012. The University of Georgia Golf Course is a public golf course and is available to students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as the general public.^[64]

The golf course was renovated in 2006.

Academics

Rankings

University of Georgia's reputation is well-regarded globally. In its 2011 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university's undergraduate program 56th among national universities, while ranking the business, education, journalism, law, and public affairs graduate programs as high as fourth and all in the top 50. U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 “Best Colleges” edition has UGA ranked 21st among public universities. UGA's Public Affairs program was ranked 4th in the nation, while the Public Management Administration program was ranked second. UGA's biological engineering program was ranked 11th in the nation. UGA's theoretical chemistry program was also ranked 15th in the nation.^[71]

U.S. News also ranked 2nd in the nation for having the most financial resources per student.^[72]

In 2011, the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business graduate program was ranked 57th in the nation while the undergraduate program was ranked 28th. The accounting program was ranked 16th in the nation, while the management information systems were was ranked 10th. Insurance and real estate programs were ranked 2nd and 4th in the nation.

Kiplinger ranked the University of Georgia 6th in its 2012 list of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.”^[5]

In 2012, SmartMoney named UGA as 4th best salary returns on tuition, topping leading flagship universities such as University of Washington, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan and University of Virginia.^[73]

In 2012, Princeton Review ranked the university as 15th best campus food, 10th best college newspaper and 5th best campus health services. The publication also named the university as "Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges" which names UGA as one of the colleges designated as one of the best overall bargains based on cost and financial aid among the most academically outstanding colleges in the nation.^[74]

UGA's College of Pharmacy was ranked 26th in the nation.^[75] As of 2012, UGA's College of Pharmacy boasts the highest composite NAPLEX pass rate of any pharmacy school in Georgia and a composite score higher than the number one ranked pharmacy school, University of California, San Francisco.

The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked 9th in the most recent U.S. News & World Report ranking of colleges of veterinary medicine.^[76] U.S. News & World Report" cited the university as the No. 11 ranked "Up-and-Coming School" in the National University category tied with the University of Southern California and ahead of Emory University due to the university's great progress in the recent years.

University of Georgia was ranked 66th in 2012 among the Top 200 Colleges and Universities in the World on University Web Ranking published by 4 International Colleges & Universities.

American Association of Medical Colleges named UGA as ranked 7th in the nation for the number of White applicants to medical school, 17th for most African American applicants to medical school, 36th for most Asian applicants to medical school. UGA's pre-medical program is consistently ranked one of the best in the nation.^[77]

In Washington Monthly National University Rankings, the University of Georgia has consistently climbed the ranks. The university ranked 59th in 2012,^[78] 94th in 2010,^[79] 135th in 2009,^[80] and 139th in 2007.^[81] Continuing efforts in improving quality of education and research have been an utmost priority of the university.

The School of Environment and Design was named the No. 1 Landscape Architecture program for undergraduates in the nation, as well as No. 3 for post-graduate studies in the list of top 15 Landscape Architecture Schools for 2006.^[82][83]

In 2012, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni included the University of Georgia in its What Will They Learn? study, which is an annual evaluation system of colleges and universities. The report assigns a letter grade to 1,070 universities based on how many of the following seven core subjects are required: composition, literature, foreign language, American history, economics, mathematics and science. The University of Georgia was one of 21 schools to receive an "A" grade, which is assigned to schools that include at least six of the seven designated subjects in their core curriculum.^[84]

Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

As of 2012, twenty-two UGA students have been named Rhodes Scholars including Eugene T. Booth and Hervey M. Cleckley.^[85] UGA student Deep Shah and alumna Kate Vyborny were elected in 2008, making the University the only public institution with two scholars that year and one of only six universities with multiple scholars that year.^[86] In 2010, Tracy Yang was named a Rhodes Scholar. In 2012, Juliet Elizabeth Allan was named a Rhode Scholar recipient, UGA having four Rhode Scholar recipients in six years.^[87]

University of Georgia holds the record for most Rhodes Scholars in the State of Georgia topping Georgia Institute of Technology who have had three Rhode Scholars, Emory University who have had seventeen Rhode Scholars, Mercer University who have had two Rhode scholars and Berry College and Agnes Scott College who both have had a single Rhode Scholar recipient.^[88]

In 2012, Matthew Sellers was named a Marshall Scholar. The Marshall Scholarship is one of the most selective scholarships available to postgraduates. He is the fifth UGA student to earn the award in the past decade and the sixth overall from the University.^[89]

Study Abroad Program

The University of Georgia' Office of International Education offers numerous study abroad destinations for a wide array of majors and areas of study. Destinations include Belize, Brazil, Antarctica, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Costa Rica, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy New Zealand, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, South Africa, and Turkey.^[90]

The university began its first year-round residential study-abroad program at Oxford University in England, where students and faculty live in a three-story Victorian house located in the heart of the city of Oxford and owned by UGA. Founded in 1987 the UGA at Ofxord program began as a summer option and expanded to include spring in 1994. With the purchase of the house in 1999 – evidence of UGA's strong commitment to study abroad – the program became available throughout the academic year. Open Door 2012 ranked UGA 12th in the nation for number of students studying abroad, up from UGA's 15th rank the preceding year.^[91]

The University of Georgia owns two other international residential centers as well: one in Cortona, Italy; the other, and UGA's largest, in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The UGA Costa Rica campus currently comprises 155 acres (0.63 km²) and over 36,000 square feet (3,300 m²) of built space nestled in the country's mountainous Monteverde Cloud Forest, a region that has been celebrated in publications such as Forbes Traveler, Newsweek, and National Geographic. Ever expanding its programmatic offerings, UGA Costa Rica annually offers 23 study abroad programs in 28 disciplines across the fall, spring, Maymester, Junemester, and summer terms. In 2012, the Certification for Sustainable Tourism program in Costa Rica recently recognized the University of Georgia's satellite campus in Costa Rica as one of its "Four Leaves" level institutions operating in the country. Run by the Costa Rican Tourism Board, the CST awards excellence in natural, cultural, and social resource management. To receive level four recognition, UGA Costa Rica scored better than 80 percent in all four categories related to sustainability: impact on the biological/physical surroundings; building and materials management; external client relations and outreach; and socio-economic impact on the local community.^[92]

UGA now ranks among the top five American universities for the number of students studying abroad, with more than 100 programs in over 50 countries. UGA has faculty study abroad programs on every continent, including Antarctica. Additionally, UGA has signed agreements with several outside study abroad organizations: the American Institute For Foreign Study; Australearn; the Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA), Butler University; International Studies Abroad (ISA); the The School for Field Studies; the University of New Orleans, Innsbruck International Summer School.^[93] Currently, just over 2,000 students, or 6% of the entire campus enrollment (graduate and undergraduate) study abroad in a given year. During the past five years, the number of students participating in study abroad programs has nearly doubled. Approximately 30 percent of the members of recent graduating classes had a study abroad experience.^[94]

Athletics

The University of Georgia varsity athletic teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Since the 1997–1998 season, UGA has seven top ten rankings in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup, a numerical ranking based on the success of universities in all varsity sports.^[95] The University has won national championships in football, women's gymnastics, women's equestrian (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), baseball, tennis (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), and women's swimming and diving. The Gym Dogs, the University's women's gymnastics team, have a NCAA-leading 10 national championships in gymnastics, including five consecutive championships from 2005 to 2009.

The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with the nearby Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, major rivalries have grown since, including the rivalry with the Florida Gators, the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, referred to as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" in reference to the first football game played between the two teams in 1892 and the more than one hundred meetings since. In 2011, Huffington Post named the rivalry one of college football's top 10 rivalries.^[96]

The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including wrestling,^[97] men's and women's soccer, crew,^[98] ultimate frisbee,^[99][100] rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. Georgia's men's soccer team received a bid to play in the NIRSA Club National Championship for the first time in 2007. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis. Georgia's men's lacrosse team has won the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference three times, in 1998, 2007, and 2008, and received an automatic bid to the MCLA national tournament; while the women's team earned an at-large bid to the WDIA National Tournament in 2007.

Most recently, many have acclaimed UGA's athletic program for implementing a program that fines student-athletes for unexcused absences in class. And, for the first time in school history, more than 50% of student-athlete GPAs were over 3.0. In addition, many other universities are looking to UGA's plan as a model.^{[citation needed]} As of 2012, UGA's football athlete graduation rate has continued to increase. Roughly 81%, slightly higher than the national average, according to the NCAA. The graduation success rate nationally for football was 70 percent, and for men’s basketball was 74 percent.^[101]

Although they are not an athletic team, UGA's majorette line and feature twirlers has won numerous national titles making them the most award collegiate majorette line in America.^{[citation needed]} Feature twirlers have included: Ashley Clark, Amanda Vance, Karrissa Wimberley (a 37-time world champion baton twirler), and many more. Currently the position belongs to Nicole Jensen and seen as a huge symbol for the university.^{[citation needed]}

Glory, Glory (fight song) is the rally song for the Georgia Bulldogs. Glory, Glory is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It was sung at games as early as 1890s, but arranged in its present form by Georgia's immortal musician-composer Hugh Hodgson in 1915. There have been many Bulldog songs through the years and at least two collections dating back to 1909 have been published, but none have enjoyed more acceptance than Glory, Glory (fight song).

Although Glory, Glory (fight song) is generally thought to be the school's fight song, the official fight song is "Hail to Georgia". The fight song is played by the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band after touchdowns, field goals, and extra points scored by the football team. The Georgia Redcoat Marching Band is a 375-member marching band; First directed in 1905 by R.E. Haughey, the band has only had seven directors. It is considered by many to be the heart of the Bulldog spirit.

Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. The 92,746-seat stadium is the seventh largest stadium in the NCAA. Games played there are said to be played "Between the Hedges" due to the privet hedges, which have stood around the field, originally in 1929, but removed in the summer of 1996; new, albeit considerably shorter, hedges were restored in the fall of 1996. The stadium is the 8th largest non-racing stadium in the United States and the 14th largest such stadium in the world. The stadium played host to the Olympic medal competition of men's and women's Olympic football (soccer) at the 1996 Summer Olympics.^[102][103]

University of Georgia playing "Between the Hedges" is a reference to Sanford Stadium that dates back to the early 1930s. The famous Chinese privet hedges that surround Sanford's playing field were only one foot high when the stadium was dedicated in 1929 and were protected by a wooden fence. It was natural for a clever sports writer, referring to an upcoming home game, to observe "that the Bulldogs will have their opponent "between the hedges." The phrase was first coined by the legendary Atlanta sportswriter Grantland Rice.^[104]

Student life

Student life at the University of Georgia is organized by the UGA Center for Student Organizations.

Student Housing

Housing at the University of Georgia is managed by the Department of University Housing. On campus housing for undergraduate students is divided into seven communities, and for graduate students into three communities.

Greek life

The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865, and the first sorority was Phi Mu in 1921. There are 17 sororities from the Panhellenic Council and 26 IFC fraternities, as well as 8 NPHC fraternities and sororites. Students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females.^[105] Perhaps the most prominent features of Greek Life at the University are the large, mostly Greek Revival, mansions maintained by the national fraternities and sororities as chapter houses lining South Milledge Avenue and South Lumpkin Street and the ubiquitous t-shirts worn by students on campus commemorating Greek social events.

In 2005 the University announced that five of the fraternities on Lumpkin Street would need to be relocated by June 2008. The school plans to build academic buildings on the house sites, which the University owns and the fraternities lease. UGA offered to relocate the Lumpkin fraternities and two others to River Road (a former site of several fraternities who were moved out in the 1990s), located on East Campus. Kappa Alpha Order and Chi Phi did not take up the offer and decided to move off campus. Kappa Alpha Order moved to Hancock Street while Chi Phi is currently building a house on Milledge Avenue. Sigma Chi, having signed a renewable 40-year land lease with the University in 1996,^[106] continues to maintain their house next to the Student Learning Center (now the Zell B. Miller Learning Center). In October 2008, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Epsilon Phi and Sigma Nu broke ground for the new Greek Park located on River Road. The four new houses were completed in August 2009 for fall rush.

Student Government Association

University of Georgia's Student Government Association (SGA) serves the campus community by addressing student concerns, promoting understanding within the college community, and administering all matters which are delegated to the student government by the university President. The responsibility for the governing of the student body is vested in the students themselves. All students are members of the SGA upon their enrollment and officers and Senators are elected on a yearly basis. SGA executives make up the Student Advisory Council which is composed of Student Government Presidents from every public college or university within the University System of Georgia. The Student Advisory Council is organized to advise the Board of Regents, through the Chancellor, on issues that are important to students. The Student Government Association also has offers leadership programs for entering freshman. These programs include the Freshman Forum, Freshman Focus and Freshman Board.^[107]

UGA Miracle

UGA Miracle is a student run campus philanthropy that raises money for the Children's Hospital of Atlanta. Every year, UGA Miracle sponsors over 30 “Miracle Families” who, in one form or another, received treatment from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.^[108]

Noted alumni

The status of "alumni" is open to all graduates of the University of Georgia, all former students of University of Georgia who regularly matriculated and left the University of Georgia in good standing, active and retired members of the faculty and administration staff, and those who have rendered some special and conspicuous service to University of Georgia or to UGA alumni association.

See also

• The Green Hand
• The Red and Black
• University of Georgia Press
• WUGA-TV
• Georgia Redcoat Marching Band

Notes

Further reading

• Boney, F.N. A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia. Athens, GA: U of Georgia P, 2000
• Johnson, Amanda Georgia as Colony and State. Atlanta, Georgia: Walter W. Brown Publishing Co., 1938, pp. 187, 247, 376, 429–430, 569–570

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of Georgia.

• Official website
• Official Athletics website