Points of Pride
Facts
Chartered by the Georgia General Assembly Jan. 27, 1785, in Savannah, The University of Georgia is America’s first state chartered university and the birthplace of the American system of public higher education.
Two men who were leaders of the early University of Georgia also signed the United States Constitution. Abraham Baldwin, who wrote UGA’s charter and was the institution’s first president, and William Few, a member of the Board of Trustees, signed the Constitution on behalf of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1787.
UGA alumna Natasha Trethewey (BA ’89) has been appointed U.S. Poet Laureate for 2012-2013. The 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry has been inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, is the Poet Laureate of her native Mississippi, and was named Georgia Woman of the Year in 2008.
UGA's Loch Johnson is the inaugural recipient of the SEC's Professor of the Year award. The School of Public and International Affairs Regents Professor was selected from among campus finalists for each of the SEC institutions.
The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication administers the Peabody Awards program. Often cited as the most prestigious award in electronic media, the Peabody Awards recognize excellence, distinguished achievement and meritorious service by radio and television networks, stations, cable television organizations, producing organizations and individuals. The Peabody archives, housed at UGA, contain some of the best radio and television programs produced in the last six decades.
The Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, the first stand-alone academic school in the world devoted specifically to the study of ecology, began operation at UGA on July 1, 2007. Named for the late UGA professor who pioneered the modern study of ecology, the school is UGA’s 16th academic school or college.
UGA’s College of Engineering was established July 1, 2012, becoming the University’s 17th academic school or college. In addition to five existing undergraduate degrees in biological and agricultural engineering, the college offers new bachelor’s degrees in biochemical, computer systems, and environmental engineering.
UGA has had 23 students named Rhodes Scholars in its history.
UGA Honors Program student Matthew Sellers was named one of 36 national recipients of the 2012 Marshall Scholarship, considered one of the highest academic honors that post-undergraduate American students can receive.
The University of Georgia is a national leader among public universities in the numbers of major scholarships earned by our students. We have had eight Rhodes Scholars since 1995. In the same period, our students have won 43 Goldwater Scholarships and ten Truman Scholarships, and each year we have multiple recipients of major national scholarships. In 2008, UGA was the only public university in America with two Rhodes Scholars. 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.
The University of Georgia ranks 21st among public universities on U.S. News & World Report's 2013 edition of America's Best Colleges.
UGA is one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright students. For 2012-13, the University tallied 13 Fulbright recipients from 68 applications, ahead of Princeton and Cornell with 11.
The Executive MBA program at UGA’s Terry College of Business ranked 22nd in the world and 18th in the U.S. among public business schools in Bloomberg Businessweek's 2011 rankings of Executive MBA programs.
The University’s graduate programs continue to rank among the best in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report's 2013 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools. The School of Public and International Affairs tops the list ranking fourth among graduate schools of public affairs.
The University of Georgia continues to be one of the best values in public higher education in the U.S. Top value and low debt at graduation earned UGA 15th-place status on Kiplinger Magazine’s list of 100 best values among public colleges and universities.
Franklin West, an assistant professor of animal and dairy science in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was named a Top Scholar under 40 in a 2012 special edition of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
Three UGA professors are among the best undergraduate teachers in the nation, according to the Princeton Review. John Knox, an associate professor of geography; Audrey Haynes, an associate professor of political science; and Charles Kutal, a chemistry professor and associate dean of the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, are listed among the PR’s “The Best 300 Professors.”
In 2012, the University celebrated the opening of the new 115,000-square-foot Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries, housing the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and the Peabody Collection.
UGA alumnus Stuart K. Mathis (BBA ’78) is President of the U.P.S. Store network. The company has grown to more than 4,700 franchise locations across the country.
Dr. Sue Henderson (Ph.D ’08) is the 12th president of The New Jersey City University, the first woman to hold the title.
Three UGA School of Social Work professors are among the top 100 researchers in their fields of discipline in the published study “Influential Publications in Social Work Discourse: The 100 Most Highly Cited Articles in Disciplinary Journals: 2000-09.” Brian Bride, associate professor and director of the school’s Ph.D. program was ranked 6th; Betsy Vonk, professor and director of the school’s M.S.W. program came in 48th, and Margaret Robinson, associate professor, was ranked 59th.
Building 1516, UGA’s newest residence hall and the first to be LEED certified, has received the On Campus Award by Student Housing Business for best use of green and sustainable construction, and a gold LEED certification.
The Georgia Museum of Art, located on the University’s campus, is the official state museum of art, consisting of 19th and 20th century American paintings; American, European and Asian works on paper; the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, and a growing collection of southern decorative arts.
UGA played an integral role in hosting a four-day informal peace talk session between officials from North Korea, South Korea and the U.S. in 2011. The event came on the eve of formal talks between the U.S. and North Korea in Switzerland.
UGA concluded the largest and most successful fundraising effort in its two-centuries-old history when the Archway to Excellence campaign ended in 2008 with a total of $653.6 million. The campaign, which far exceeded its $500 million goal, focused on building the University’s endowment to support major academic goals and meeting the educational needs of students and faculty.
Bernard Ramsey (BS ’37), who died in July of 1996, was UGA’s most generous benefactor. His contributions to the University totaled nearly $45 million, including an $18.8 million bequest. The Bernard B. and Eugenia A. Ramsey Student Physical Activities Center is named for Mr. Ramsey and his late wife.
The Terry College of Business is named for alumnus C. Herman Terry, who died in June 1998, and his wife Mary Virginia Terry. Mr. and Mrs. Terry provided a $6 million gift that allowed the college to establish an endowment that supports outstanding business college faculty members and provides scholarships for top business students.
22 cadets with the University of Georgia ROTC program received top honors and placed 2nd at the most recent 6th Brigade U.S. Army Leader Development Assessment Course in Seattle, WA. The Bulldogs surpassed 37 other schools in the competition that evaluates cadets for active duty service after graduation
The UGA libraries have established the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame to recognize authors for their contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Two writers, living or deceased, are chosen annually for induction into the Hall. Among the first members: Margaret Mitchell, Martin Luther King Jr., Flannery O’Conner, Sidney Lanier, W.E.B. DuBois, Jimmy Carter, Pat Conroy, James Dickey, and Terry Kay.
The University is a co-sponsor of the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, one of the few programs of its kind conducted by a higher education institution in the U.S. The institute provides orientation for new members of the Georgia General Assembly, and offers programs on major issues and policy questions for incumbent legislators.
The Georgia Review, the University’s quarterly literary journal, features works by many of the nation’s most acclaimed authors, and has won numerous awards including a National Magazine Award in Fiction and a National Magazine Award in Essays.
The University’s Small Business Development Center was established in 1977 as one of the first such programs in the country. The program annually provides hundreds of small businesses and prospective entrepreneurs with counseling, management training, continuing education, alumni networking and advocacy.
In addition to its status as a land-grant institution, the University is one of 30 institutions in the U.S. to be designated a Sea Grant College. The University in 1980 became the 15th institution to attain Sea Grant status — a recognition of excellence in marine research, education and advisory services.
Public Service and Outreach is central to the University’s mission, spearheading UGA’s extensive outreach efforts through the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the Fanning Institute and the Archway Partnership, reaching all 159 counties and more than 500 cities.
The first Phi Beta Kappa chapter in the state of Georgia was founded at UGA in 1914. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in America. Only 270 colleges and universities have a chapter.