Columns:: UGA’s Faculty/Staff Newspaper

since 12/15/98

Columns::August 19, 2002

Front Page

In the field with students: Eugene Odum, director emeritus of UGA’s Institute of Ecology.

Leaving a lasting legacy: Ecology institute founder Eugene Odum dies at 88

Eugene Odum, founder of UGA’s Institute of Ecology, died Aug. 10. He was Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Cellular Biology, Fuller E. Callaway Professor Emeritus of Cellular Biology, and director emeritus of the Institute of Ecology.
Born in 1913, he grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C., where his father, Howard W. Odum, was a professor of sociology. His younger brother, named Howard after their father, was also a noted ecologist.

‘Benefit Extras’: New Web-based program provides information on insurance products, financial services

If you’ve ever thought about getting vision insurance, pet insurance or long-term care insurance, or if you’d like to look for lower homeowner or auto insurance rates, Human Resources has good news for you.
Working with private firms, Human Resources has created a “one-stop-shop” Web-based program that provides information on a wide range of insurance products and other financial services offered at competitive prices by more than 200 leading carriers and financial firms.

Diagnostic labs will receive $2 million to take part in homeland defense network

The Georgia Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories have been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be included in a comprehensive national network of laboratories for the rapid detection and diagnosis of foreign animal diseases.
The labs, which are units of the College of Veterinary Medicine, will receive $2 million to enhance their ability to respond quickly if foreign animal diseases are introduced into this country intentionally or accidentally.
“States and local communities, along with academia and the private sector, are critical partners in making sure we are prepared in the event of an emergency,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.

2nd Thursday schedule set

UGA’s School of Music has announced the schedule of 2nd Thursday concerts for the coming academic year. All concerts begin at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Hall in the Performing Arts Center.
Single-event tickets may be purchased through the Performing Arts Center box office at 542-4400. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for UGA students. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and two hours prior to all events.
A limited number of season subscriptions are still available for $15. The deadline for subscription orders is Sept. 12.

Research funding at UGA hits a record-setting $204 million
External grants for research, instruction, public service and outreach set a new record at UGA in fiscal year 2002, surpassing the $200 million mark for the first time in the university’s history.
Total external funding during the fiscal year jumped to $204.5 million, a 17 percent increase over the previous year’s $174.4 million figure. External funding for research climbed 13 percent, closing the year at $139.4 million. External funds include contracts, grants and agreements from federal, state, private and corporate sources.

UNC-Greensboro administrator is appointed grad school dean

Maureen Grasso has been appointed dean of UGA’s

Maureen Grasso

Graduate School following a national search. The appointment is effective Sept. 15, pending approval of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
Grasso has been an administrator with the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, since 1998, serving as associate dean and then interim dean. She also served a term as chair of the Faculty Senate. During her tenure with the Graduate School, she instituted the school’s first advisory board, as well as a doctoral forum to address issues raised by doctoral students, and lobbied successfully for funding for health care benefits for teaching assistants. She also redesigned the process for awarding assistantships and oversaw conversion to a Web-based application process.

Three new faculty mentors appointed

Three faculty members have been named Senior Faculty Fellows for the Foundation Fellows program, the university’s premier undergraduate scholarship program.
Rebecca White, David Williams and Judith Willis have begun four-year terms as mentors to the students in the program. They join a group of nine other Senior Faculty Fellows.
“Our Senior Faculty Fellows come from a variety of disciplines to meet the needs of our students,” says Steven Elliott-Gower, associate director of the Honors and Foundation Fellows programs. “They are chosen on the basis of their nationally recognized scholarship and their demonstrated interest in undergraduate education.”

UGA joins partnership to increase productivity

UGA has joined the Federal Demonstration Partnership, now in its fourth phase. Created in 1986, the FDP increases federally sponsored research productivity by streamlining administrative processes and reducing the managerial burdens that seem to go hand in hand with the receipt of federal funds.
“FDP is trying to reconcile the interests of the federal government, the universities and the research labs they work with,” says Cindy Ogletree, assistant director for the Office of Sponsored Programs and UGA’s administrative representative to FDP. “It’s a re-engineering process--we are all trying to figure out a better way to do business.”

UGA Today supports QuickTime, Flash, RealPlayer and Acrobat Reader (PDF files).
Download information about these plug-ins.
Affiliate icons for UGA Today

COLUMNS ] UGA Today ] Subscribe ] News Bureau ]
Office of Public Affairs Directory ] Photo Services ]
Broadcast, Video and Photography ] Master Calendar]
Columns ] Georgia Magazine ]Visitors Center ]
UGA Home ] Alumni ] Admissions ] UGA Directories ]
Sports ] Weather ] Search UGA sites ]

Columns is produced by the UGA News Service, a unit of UGA Public Affairs.
Beth Roberts: Columns editor, Juliett Dinkins: Columns managing editor,
Janet Beckley: Columns art director. Peter Frey: Columns photo editor

Questions or comments should be directed to columns@uga.edu