UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

The 'University of Georgia' ('UGA') is the largest institution of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in Athens, approximately 70 miles northeast of Atlanta, it was the first state-chartered university in the United States. In 2007, U.S. News & World Report magazine ranked UGA 22nd in its list of the top 50 public universities for a sixth year in a row. UGA also ranks 58th overall (public and private) in the nation. Today, it is the largest university of the University System of Georgia, with an enrollment of approximately 32,510 students.³

Contents

Organization

History

Campus

Student Learning Center

Ramsey Center

Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences

Franklin Residential College

Tate 2 Expansion

Athletics

Notes

References

External links

Organization

The President of the University of Georgia (as of 2007, 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:

★ College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

★ Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

★ Terry College of Business

★ College of Education

★ College of Environment & Design

★ College of Family and Consumer Sciences

★ Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

★ Graduate School

★ Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

★ School of Law

★ College of Pharmacy

★ College of Public Health

★ School of Public and International Affairs

★ School of Social Work

★ College of Veterinary Medicine

★ Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology

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.” 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 km²) 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 first classes were held in 1801, in Franklin College—named in honor of Benjamin Franklin—under the direction of President Josiah Meigs; the college graduated its first class on May 31, 1804.
The ''Senatus Academicus'' convened for the last time in Milledgeville, 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).
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.
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 graduate, earning her J.D. in 1974.
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 for free, 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.^[1] The university's motto is ''Et docere et rerum exquirere causas'' ("To teach and to inquire into the nature of things"). The University's long standing landmark, The Arch, a cast-iron representation of the Seal of the State of Georgia, stands sentry between the campus and the city of Athens. The Arch's three pillars stand for Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation, the state motto of Georgia. Its name is singular, though it is often erroneously pluralized to "Arches".
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.

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 614 acre main campus into two sections, North Campus^[5] and South Campus.^[6] 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 construction for the new Lamar Dodd School of Art. "West Campus" denotes the area where many of the residence halls are located, about 80% of UGA freshman will live in one of the high rise dorms on West Campus.
Modeled on Yale University’s Central/Old Campus,^[7] UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel,^[8] Old College, New College, Demosthenian^[9] and the Phi Kappa^[10] Halls, Park Hall,^[11] Meigs Hall, and the President’s office^[12]—as well as modern additions such as the Law School^[13] and the Main Library.^[14] 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 Arch .^[15] Situated where historic downtown Athens, Georgia meets the campus, the inspiration for the Arch is the arch found on the Great Seal of the State of Georgia.^[16] There are multiple urban legends about walking through the arch: one has it that if you walk through the arch as an underclassman, you will never graduate from UGA.^[17] 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, School of Music, and School of Art (under construction as of 2006).
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 Streen 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 others. 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 fraternaties 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.

Student Learning Center

The $43.6 million dollar Student Learning Center (SLC) has been the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003.^[18] 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, 276,000 sq ft. of actual floor space, 96 study rooms, 500 computer workstations, 2,000 computer connections, fully wired study carrels, 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. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 5 gyms, 3 pools, a 44-feet-high climbing wall, 10 racquetball courts, and 11,500 square feet of weight-training space. Students make over 1.2 million trips to "Ramsey" each year.^[19] This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country.^[20]

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, giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize energy efficiency.^[21] 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.^[22]

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.^[23]

Tate 2 Expansion

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, ground was officially broken for the $52 million Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation project [1].
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 ths summer of 2009.
Included in the new student center will be: an 11,000-square foot 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.

Athletics

Main articles: Georgia Bulldogs

The University of Georgia's sports teams are called the Bulldogs, and they 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.[2] 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, and 2007 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 70 miles apart). That rivalry, officially for the Governor's Cup trophy, is nicknamed Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, after the book of the same name by author Bill Cromartie. However, the 1970s, '80s and '90s witnessed a growing rivalry with the Florida Gators that many would say is currently UGA's fiercest. Georgia leads the series, known widely as The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, with an all-time record of 50-36-2 against the Gators, but have only won 2 of the last 15 meetings.
The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including wrestling,^[24] men's and women's crew^[25], rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. The Georgia hockey team has won the Thrasher Cup four times in the previous eight years as of 2006. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis.
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 3.00. In addition, many other universities are looking to UGA's plan as a model.^[26]

Notes

1. www.uga.edu/profile/mission.html
2. www.uga.edu/gm/artman/publish/0605camp.html
3. Final UGA Spring 2007 Enrollment
4. www.uga.edu/profile/mission.html
5. www.uga.edu/hort/arboretum/NorthCampusWalk.htm
6. www.uga.edu/hort/arboretum/SouthCampusWalk.htm
7. www.yale.edu/campusmap/central_old.html
8. www.arches.uga.edu/~chapel/chapel.html
9. www.uga.edu/~demsoc/thehall.htm
10. iep.cviog.uga.edu/Athens/historicimg/PHIKAPPA.htm
11. www.classics.uga.edu/documents/PARK%20HALL%20PRINT.pdf
12. www.uga.edu/presofc/
13. www.lawsch.uga.edu/
14. www.libs.uga.edu
15. www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/UGA/UGAarch.htm
16. www.netstate.com/states/syMbit/seals/ga_seal.htm
17. www.uga.edu/profile/arch.html
18. www.uga.edu/gm/1203/Feat2.html
19. www.recsports.uga.edu/facility/ramsey.php
20. georgiadogs.collegesports.com/facilities/ramsey/index.html
21. www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/060407-Coverdell.shtml
22. www.ovpr.uga.edu/coverdell/index.html
23. Franklin Residential College The University of Georgia
24. www.uga.edu/wrestling
25. www.ugacrew.org
26. sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2896480

References

★ Boney, F.N. ''A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia''. Athens, GA: U of Georgia P, 2000

★ Official UGA Web Pages

★
★ CHRONOLOGICAL HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

★
★ UGA Profile

★
★ UGA History

★ Reed, Thomas Walter. '''History of the University of Georgia'''. Unpublished Typescript. 19 vols., 4027 pp. Imprint: Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia, ca. 1949. The Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia Main Library

★ UGA Campus News June 2004: Vol. 83, No. 3

★ The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Mary Frances Early

★ Georgia Magazine, June 2006 Edition

★ 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

★ UGA Homepage

★ Athletic Association website

★ Alumni Association