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Columns::September 23, 2002
UGA again named one of America’s top public universities
Administration building atrium named for business, civic leader
Historian to present Charter Lecture about 1904 ‘childnapping’ incident
Rolling out the welcome mat
Skin deep
Avian Medicine Professor Emeritus George ‘Buck’ Rowland dies at 64
Prof’s research is full of personality
Update: Private Giving
Kudos
The idea of change
One year later
Good to the last drop
Campus News
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| The $6.7 million student-athlete academic center will be dedicated Oct. 12 before the Tennessee game. (Photo by Peter Frey) |
New athlete academic center named for Rankin Smith Sr.
By Claude Felton
cfelton@sports.uga.edu
The UGA Athletic Association has received a gift of $3.5 million from members of the Rankin M. Smith Sr. family to help fund the new student-athlete academic center.
The new $6.7 million facility is part of the “Investing in Champions” Athletic Association initiative and, in recognition of the gift, will be named the Rankin M. Smith Sr. Student-Athlete Academic Center in honor of the UGA alumnus and former owner of the Atlanta Falcons. Dedication of the new center is scheduled for Oct. 12 at 11 a.m., prior to the Georgia-Tennessee football game in Athens later that day.
“The generosity of some of the Smith family members is overwhelming, and the gift is genuinely appreciated by all those connected with both the Athletic Association and the university,” says Athletic Director Vince Dooley. “Many in the Smith family have been dedicated, long-time supporters of our sports program, and this will be an enduring legacy of Rankin’s loyalty to Georgia and his commitment to excellence in both academics as well as athletics. He was a loyal and dedicated friend to me for many, many years.”
The new 31,000-square-foot facility consists of computer labs, a multimedia classroom, 20 large- and small-group tutoring rooms, a writing center, a counselor’s office and a large assembly area with seating for 250.
“It is most appropriate that the Smith family’s loyal generosity to the University of Georgia be commemorated in the naming of this important facility dedicated to the academic advancement of our student-athletes,” says President Michael F. Adams. “Athletics is an important part of student life and of the campus community. As a former trustee, Rankin M. Smith Jr. continues to demonstrate his strong support for UGA athletic programs with this gift.”
“Rankin and I were lifelong friends after being in school together at Georgia, and he was one of my very early supporters when I ran for governor,” says former Georgia governor Carl Sanders. “I always told Rankin if he cut himself shaving, he’d bleed red and black, and I think it is most appropriate that this much-needed facility be named in honor of Rankin through the generosity of the Smith family. This academic center is very important to provide a necessary opportunity for student-athletes who must meet the demands of academic expectations as well as the strenuous disciplines of practice and performance in today’s sports programs at UGA.”
UGA student-athletes will begin utilizing the new facility immediately.
“As a rising senior majoring in microbiology and a member of the football team, it has been exciting to watch the progress on this new facility,” says offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb. “It’s a much-needed addition to our overall program, and I know all our student-athletes are looking forward to putting the new complex to good use.”
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