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By Larry B. Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
A south Georgia businesswoman is giving the university’s Center for International Trade and  Security $1 million to help strengthen the center’s work in promoting global understanding and preparing students for international service.
Jane S. Willson, president of Sunnyland Farms in Albany, made the gift because she believes the center can make significant contributions to strengthening peaceful ties among nations, says Gary Bertsch, director of the center.
The center will create the Willson Endowment for International Relations with which it will bring visiting scholars and international leaders to the center and develop international internship opportunities for students, Bertsch says.
“This gift will help build beneficial relations between the University of Georgia and the world,” says Bertsch. “It is good for the university, good for our students and good for all of Georgia and its citizens. We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Willson for supporting our work in such a generous way.”
Established in 1987, the Center for International Trade and Security conducts programs of research, education and service designed to promote peace and improve cooperation among the world’s nations. The center’s work focuses on such international issues as trade and commerce, technology transfer, and the control of weapons proliferation and terrorism.
The center publishes books, reports and articles on international trade and security, and staff members and students have worked as consultants and advisers with leaders in China, Cuba, Europe, India, Japan, Russia and the United States. The center is co-sponsor of the Delta Prize for Global Understanding, which annually recognizes a world leader for helping advance peaceful relations among nations.
The center also conducts seminars and conferences and is co-sponsor of an annual forum named for former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and a bi-annual symposium named for the late former Georgia Sen. Richard Russell.
It was after last year’s Sam Nunn forum that Willson approached Bertsch with the offer of a gift to help further the center’s work. Willson, a trustee of the UGA Foundation, has a longstanding interest in international affairs and has participated in a number of international programs at UGA.
President Michael F. Adams says the gift supports one of the university’s major 21st-century initiatives.
“Preparing our students to be successful in a global economy is one of the university’s most critical missions,” Adams says. “Jane’s gift will help give students valuable hands-on experience in examining international issues and fashioning their role in making the decisions that will affect world peace and stability in the coming years.” |
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