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University of Georgia
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The University of Georgia (UGA) is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1785, it claims the title of oldest public university in the United States.
The university regularly performs well in both undergraduate and graduate program rankings in such publications as U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek, as well as studies ranking top journalism schools. It has also been recognized as one of the South's three Public Ivies.
As a college town, Athens often ranks highly.
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Encyclopedia
The University of Georgia (UGA) is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1785, it claims the title of oldest public university in the United States.
The university regularly performs well in both undergraduate and graduate program rankings in such publications as U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek, as well as studies ranking top journalism schools. It has also been recognized as one of the South's three Public Ivies.
As a college town, Athens often ranks highly. On campus, students enjoy a successful athletics program, an acclaimed student newspaper, and a strong Greek system. The university also hosts the prestigious Peabody Awards.
It is the largest university of the University System of Georgia, with an enrollment of 34,180 as of Fall 2008.
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.
The University comprises sixteen schools and 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 km˛) for the purposes of founding a “college or seminary of learning.” The Senatus Academicus was composed of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees and the Georgia Senate governed both boards.
- Portions of the original land grant were sold to raise $7,463.75 by 1798, and on July 2, 1799, the Senatus Academicus met in Louisville, Georgia and decided to officially begin the University.
- The first meeting of the university's board of trustees was held in Augusta, Georgia on February 13, 1786. The meeting installed its first president, Abraham Baldwin, a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. This meeting also identified the 633 acres (2.6 km˛) on the banks of the Oconee River on which the university was to be built (which was officially part of Jackson County at that time).
- 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 entire General Assembly (both the House and the Senate).
The 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. In that same year, the legislature appropriated $2,000 for the creation of a College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts to utilize a federal land grant available at that time for the creation of such schools. The agricultural department within the University opened on May 1, 1872.
20th Century
- White and male for the first century of its history, UGA began educating female students during Summer school in 1903 and finally as regular undergraduates in 1918. Before official admission of women to the University, several woman were able to complete graduate degrees through credit earned in Summer school sessions. The first woman to earn such a degree was Mary Lyndon. She received a Master of Arts degree in 1914. Mary Creswell earned the first undergraduate degree in June 1919, a B.S. in Home Economics. UGA dormitories Creswell Hall and Mary Lyndon Hall are named after these alumnae.
- In 1961, UGA became racially integrated with the admission of Charlayne Hunter (now Hunter-Gault) and Hamilton E. Holmes 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 as the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building. 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 to be 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.
Recent Years
- The University has seen its academic reputation rise exponentially since Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program was started in 1993. The merit-based scholarship allows any resident of the state of Georgia to attend any public college in the state without paying tuition, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA. The average SAT for incoming freshmen in 2005 was 1242, and national rankings for the school have risen consistently.
- UGA is designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant university. The university's motto is Et docere et rerum exquirere causas ("To teach and to inquire into the nature of things").
- 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 and fraternal organizations. It maintains one of the South's oldest and most active Greek systems, and the fraternity and sororities maintain homes both on and off campus. Organizations include Golden Key, both Democrat and Republican student clubs, Order of Omega and Gridiron, "the best organization on campus." The university's National Alumni Association has over 50,000 members and operates a center in both Athens and Atlanta, Georgia which can be found in the Atlanta Financial Center.
Campus
Though there have been many additions, changes, and augmentations, UGA’s campus maintains its historic character and southern charm. The historical practice has been to divide the main campus into two sections, North Campus and South Campus. In the last decade, new facilities have added "East Campus" to the traditional map. This area includes new apartment-like dorms called East Campus Village. Adjacent is the newest and fourth dining hall on campus called East Village Commons. Also on East campus is the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, the Ramsey Center for Physical Activity and the new Lamar Dodd School of Art. "West Campus" is a term used as an informal reference to the area where many of the freshman residence halls are located; most UGA freshman live in one of the high rise dorms in this area.
Modeled on Yale University’s Central/Old Campus, UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel, Old College, New College, Demosthenian and the Phi Kappa Halls, Park Hall, Meigs Hall, and the President’s office—as well as modern additions such as the Law School and the Main Library. 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.
Perhaps the most notable North Campus fixture, though, 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. Although the Seal's three pillars represent the state's three branches of government, 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 are multiple legends about walking through The Arch: one has it that if you walk beneath it as an underclassman, you'll either be a 5th year+ senior or you will never graduate from UGA. Another legend claims that should you walk through The Arch as a freshman, you will become sterile (as told in some freshman orientation tours).
Dividing North and South Campus is the "central campus" area, home of the University Bookstore, Tate Student Center, and Student 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 School of Music. A new facility for the art school on this portion of campus will open its doors in Fall of 2008. The Lamar Dodd School of Art, currently on North Campus, will relocate to East Campus to be clustered with the other fine arts departments.
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 Hall, Creswell Hall, Brumby Hall and Russell Hall. Also located here are Legion Field and Pool, which are recreational facilities. On the north end are several fraternity houses, a parking deck, and several university administration offices. Some of the fraternities were asked to relocate in early 2006 to make room for new University building projects. University property and private property are dispersed throughout West Campus, and at several points University buildings are adjacent to private residences and businesses.
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 (Most students still refer to it as the SLC). 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, from computer connections to projection equipment to laptop connections. The building serves as an expansion of UGA library services, with a completely electronic library, . of actual floor space, 96 study rooms, 500 computer workstations, 2,000 computer connections, fully wired study carrel desks, a wireless environment and a Jittery Joe's coffee shop.
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 in the memory of Tulsi Ramsey. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 4 gyms, 3 pools(one Olympic-sized, a diving well, and a lap pool), a 1/8 mile indoor suspended rubberized track, a -high climbing wall, outdoor bouldering wall, 12 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, 8 full-length basketball courts, and of weight-training space. Students make over 1.2 million trips to "Ramsey" each year. This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country.
Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences
Named after U.S. Senator Paul D. Coverdell, this $40 million dollar facility totals , giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize energy efficiency. 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.
Franklin Residential College
Franklin Residential College 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. The home of the college is Rutherford Hall, which was built in the late 1930s as a women's dormitory.
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.
Strengths include logic programming, expert systems, neural nets, genetic algorithms, natural language processing, and computational psycholinguistics.
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 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, and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Currently AI center faculty and students are working with a variety of academic and industrial institutions on exciting research projects.
Affiliated with the Center are over 75 people hailing from over 10 different countries. The admission to the program is extremely competitive and only the very best students with tremendous research and management potential are admitted.
Tate 2 Expansion
On Thursday, April 19, 2007, ground was officially broken for the $52 million Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation project.
A multi-level parking deck will begin the first phase of the construction on which the new Student Center will be built. It will hopefully be finished by summer 2008. The construction of the new building is planned to start after the completion of the parking deck in 2008, and it is predicted to be finished during the summer of 2009.
Included in the new student center will be: an 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.
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.
Construction on the $13.4 million, 500-space Tate Student Center parking deck is underway through May 2008, followed by construction of the $30 million Tate Student Center Phase II atop the parking deck from June 2008 through December 2009. The site is at the intersection of Lumpkin and Baxter Streets.
College of Pharmacy
Construction on Pharmacy South, the $42.9 million, . addition to the College of Pharmacy, is underway through spring 2009. The site is immediately south of the existing College of Pharmacy on D. W. Brooks Mall.
Lamar Dodd School of Art
Construction on the $39.2 million, . 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.
Academics
Rhodes Scholars
As of 2008, twenty-one UGA students have been named Rhodes Scholars including Eugene T. Booth and Hervey M. Cleckley. UGA student Deep Shah and alumnae Kate Vyborny were elected in 2008 with the University being the only public institution with two scholars and one of only six schools with multiple scholars.
Study abroad program
The University of Georgia 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 1989, the Oxford study-abroad 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.
UGA now ranks 12th among American universities for the number of students studying abroad, with more than 75 programs in 24 countries from which to choose. During the past five years, the number of students participating in study abroad programs has nearly doubled; approximately 17 percent of the members of the Class of 2002 had a study abroad experience.
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) Director's Cup, a numerical ranking based on the success of universities in all varsity sports. The University has won national championships in football, women's gymnastics, baseball, tennis (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), women's swimming and diving, and women's equestrian. The Gym Dogs, the University's women's gymnastics team, are the current defending NCAA champions (having placed first in the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons).
The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with Auburn, 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. For the vast majority of the 20th century, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were unquestionably UGA's biggest rival (the two schools are a mere apart). However, the 1970s, '80s and '90s witnessed a growing rivalry with the Florida Gators as well as the University of Tennessee.
The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including men's and women's soccer, wrestling, men's and women's crew, women and men's ultimate frisbee, 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. The Georgia ice hockey team has won the Thrasher Cup five times in the previous ten years as of 2009, defeating teams such as the Florida Gators and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. 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.
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. 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. 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, located on east campus. Kappa Alpha and Chi Phi did not take up the offer and have decided to move off campus. Sigma Chi has opted to keep their location 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 will be complete August 2009 for fall rush. All groups have signed 30 year leases with an option to renew for an additional 30 years.
Fight Songs
The University of Georgia fight song, Glory, Glory is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," the familiar song that traditionally begins with the words "Glory, glory hallelujah."
"Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
G-E-O-R-G-I-A! (Unofficially: And to hell with Georgia Tech (or optionally the current opponent)!"
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
Glory, glory to old Georgia!
G-E-O-R-G-I-A! (Unofficially: And to hell with Georgia Tech (or optionally the current opponent)!"
And also "Hail to Georgia"
Hail to Georgia down in Dixie!
A college honor'd fair and true
The red and black is her standard, proudly it waves,
Streaming today and the ages through.
She's the fairest in the southland!
We'll pledge our love to her for aye;
To that college dear, we'll ring a cheer.
All hail to dear old U-G-A!
See also
External links
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