Tags: Society

blueberries and strawberries
Noted and Quoted, November 2016

Research, opinion and more put Franklin College faculty and students in print and pixels around the world in November. A sample of the great work by our colleagues: Chimps and bonobos had flings—and swapped genes—in the past (Distinguished Research Professor of Genetics Michael Arnold) – Science Magazine When does skepticism become bias in science? Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor Marshall Shepherd in his regular column in…

sundial photo behind Old College
Giving Thanks

The last several weeks have been challenging along several axes - from campus to the entire country, the values that affirm our commitment to each other and a better future have been under the microscope. What do we want that future to look like? What direction will the United States take under the new leadership? We don't know the consensus on these questions as yet. But we do know that the campus community, committed to openness and inclusion…

abstract painting, Rothko, white and red
Teaching Media Literacy

The vast, new tools at our disposal are requiring greater levels discernment in the use of media and in some cases, giving rise to new areas of study and instruction at the university level. The Chronicle of Higher Education published an interview this week with a professor who shared a list of unreliable news sites with her mass communication classes at Merrimack College, only to have the classroom discussion overtaken by events when a top…

voting graphic, red, white and blue
ELECTION DAY 2016

Today is the day! If you haven't voted early, please get to your polling place and participate in your democracy. As our namesake Benjamin Franklin said when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had created, "A republic, if you can keep it." Let's do. Image: U.S. Department of Defense

two women head shots
Women's Leadership Fellows inaugurates next class

The pipeline for campus leaders at UGA continues to grow stronger with the next class of Women's Leadership Fellows announced this week: The 2016-2017 cohort, which includes representatives from eight schools and colleges as well as the Division of Student Affairs, will attend monthly meetings where they will learn from senior administrators on campus as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields. The program, which was…

two women with plaque and medals
Georgia Debate Union wins Samford tournament

The Georgia Debate Union earned first and third place at the Samford University debate tournament, which was held in Birmingham, Alabama October 14-16. Junior Katie Marshall, a Calhoun High School alumna, and first-year Genevieve Hackman, a Milton High School alumna, finished in first place with multiple victories over Emory University, the University of Florida, and Georgia State University. They both received individual speaker awards as well…


Communication Studies Professor Gives Debate Insight

If you were among one of the 84 million viewers who watched the debate on Monday night, you may have had your own take on who "won" the debate. The debate was the most-watched Presidential debate in history and while many commentators and political science experts had their own assessment of the debate, one of Franklin College's reknowned communication studies experts had a different kind of assessment. Edward Panetta, who has been the director…


Shepherd, Garvin named SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows

We are happy to announce today that two Franklin College of Arts and Sciences professors--Marshall Shepherd and Chris Garvin-- have been named SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows:  Marshall Shepherd, director of the atmospheric sciences program and the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography in the Franklin College, is a leading international expert in weather and…

man in chemistry lab
Expanding opportunity

The news earlier this week of national recognition for UGA for its efforts to foster an inclusive campus [for the third year in a row, no less], dovetails nicely with the renewal of a major new NSF grant for a program that has helped triple minority enrollment in STEM fields at the University: UGA initially received funding to implement the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation a decade ago, and the program will…

man with glasses, close up
Including Inclusion: Lester leads discussions on race

An important series of events this week, already in progress, featuring Dr. Neal Lester and organized by linguistics doctoral student Kim Waters to address issues of diversity and inclusion with the University of Georgia and the city of Athens: Waters has organized a series of events that will take place from Sept. 13–17, both on campus and in town, in an effort to promote social healing and cross-cultural understanding. Waters is working…

woman at board with students
UGA moves into top 20

The University of Georgia moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of Best Public Universities, released today. "I am pleased that the University of Georgia continues to be recognized as one of the very best public research universities in the nation," said President Jere W. Morehead. "I want to thank our outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters for this achievement. UGA's upward…

UGA Arch with people
Anonymous donor's generosity changes lives

The power of giving can reach profound depths in at least two directions: transformative impacts on the lives changed as a result of the gifts, and the generous heart that motivates the donor. Both are exemplified in the longterm philanthropy to the University of Georgia and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music by Cora Nunnally Miller: Miller anonymously gave more than $33 million to the University of Georgia Foundation throughout her lifetime and…

woman, two men, head shots
New associate deans, director of development

Russell Malmberg continues in his current role as an associate dean with primary responsibilities focused on facilities and research matters and as point of contact with the biological sciences programs: biochemistry and molecular biology, cellular biology, genetics, marine sciences, microbiology, plant biology, and the division of biological sciences. We are lucky to have great people in leadership positions. Institutional expertise and…

woman in laboratory
Kudos, summer 2016

The Franklin College is renowned for great students, faculty and staff and this summer has been full of great news, accomplishments and achievement. Here's just a sample: The entering UGA Class of 2020 is the most academically qualified in history and is the most diverse in university history. There are more than 5,400 students in the entering class. They have an average grade point average of 3.98 on a 5.0 scale. The average score on the SAT…

woman and man, drawn in color
How do we say it? The variations in sounding Southern

Automated phonetic analysis and a significant grant from the National Science Founation will allow UGA linguistics researchers to delve deeper into what makes Southerners sound Southern: The researchers will use computer software to analyze 64 interviews with speakers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas recorded from 1968 to 1983. "We hope to document the wide range of pronunciations in the South…

news graphic in blue
Noted and Quoted, summer 2016

Expert voices and new research had Franklin faculty featured in the media on a range of subjects from climate change to the 'love hormone' to the discovery of a Spanish fort on the South Carolina coast. A sampling (only through July!): Just a few more bites: Defining moderation varies by individual, study finds (Michelle vanDellen, psychology) – ScienceDaily You can't lose weight with moderate eating – Times of India Study reveals that eating "…

historical photo of black nuns
History: The Oblate Sisters of Providence

UGA history professor Diane Batts Morrow has spent much of her career studying the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first congregation of black Catholic sisters in the United States. A recent Q & A with Dr. Morrow tells part of the fascinating story: When I was growing up in Philadelphia, I had never seen a black nun. And I was a cradle Catholic. I went to integrated parochial schools, where there were white nuns teaching and the…

images and text from Discover webpage
Discover UGA Welcome

Interesting facts about UGA, student features and the history of the Bulldog Nation are the focus of August Discover UGA: You might already know the year (1785), and that Abraham Baldwin (that statue watching over North Campus) was the first president, and that we were the first chartered university in our young nation. But did you know that Baldwin was only 14 when he entered Yale? Find out more - and welcome to campus.

students in a vet med lab
First-Year Odyssey Seminars

Next week, incoming freshmen begin a new chapter in the momentous journey that has brought them to UGA. One of the great new experiences awaiting them on campus is the First-Year Odyssey seminar program: an exciting time to engage, experience and explore the opportunities available to you at the University of Georgia. The First-Year Odyssey seminars are designed to introduce you to the academic life of the University. These seminars will allow…

digital mapping of the U.S. with blue dots
Saunt's USNewsMap wins NEH prize

The National Endowment for the Humanities announced the winners of the Chronicling America Data Challenge, and among them is Claudio Saunt from the department of history for his USNewsMap.com. The project maps patterns, explores regions, investigates how stories and terms spread around the country, and watches information go viral before the era of the internet: This site argues that newspapers better capture the public discourse because of…

River with city
New Faculty Tour

As much as UGA can be overwhelming for incoming students, the same is also often true for faculty recently arrived to Georgia. I always enjoy talking with faculty and researchers who are new to the state and have been on the new faculty tour, as they feel more connected to Georgia by becoming acquainted with some of its people and places: The tour will leave from the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Aug. 1 following welcome remarks from…

Baldwin statue from below
the campus climate

In light of the recently released results of the UGA campus climate survey, the new curriculum incorporating diversity at Hamilton College struck a chord: Unlike many such campuses, Hamilton adopted a new curriculum requirement that all concentrations, or majors, feature relevant, mandatory course work on diversity. "This is an innovative approach to engaging with contemporary issues of inclusion and diversity in the curriculum," said Patrick…

woman in lab with slides
Expanding Graduate Opportunities

Speaking of the research enterprise, how does the university continue to expand it while developing the leaders individual disciplines need and that UGA wants to be known for? By increasing graduate enrollment: The University of Georgia is rolling out an initiative to increase the enrollment of graduate students by offering new funding opportunities, innovative interdisciplinary programs and a wider array of professional development…

head shots of eight people
Willson Center Faculty Fellows 2016-17

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty from an interdisciplinary cross section of research disciplines in the arts and humanities were selected as Willson Center Fellows for 2016-2017: The Willson Center [Willson Fellows 2016-17]  has awarded its 2016-2017 Research Fellowships to twelve members of the UGA faculty in the humanities and arts. These fellowships are awarded in partnership with the Franklin College of Arts…

briefcase with a sail
De-Mystifying the Humanities

Often shrouded in the mysteries of ancient texts, perceptions about what the humanities are and why we need them might persist until students enter a university classroom. A perhaps counter-intuitive model also exists, however; introduce them earlier: "If you look at what allows people to succeed at college-level math," says Grant, "you have to look at the foundation they receive from K through 12." It’s important to build those foundations,…
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