UGA food services ranks in top percentile
For the second year in a row, a study conducted by Educational Benchmarking Incorporated has ranked the University of Georgia Food Services in the top one percent of 268 schools participating.

In the study, completed in January of 2006, students responded to questions concerning their satisfaction with dining hall food, cleanliness of facilities, dining room environments, service from dining hall staff and the value of the meal plans. Food services has received 63 national awards since 1986 and has won the Loyal E. Horton Menu Award for Excellence from the National Association of College and University Food Services 56 times. UGA is the only collegiate food service operation to have received so many Horton awards.

The department also has received the 2002 Silver Plate Award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association and the industry’s highest accolade, the Ivy Award of Distinction, from Restaurants & Institutions Magazine.

Public health to offer doctorate in 2007
The College of Public Health will offer the doctor of public health degree beginning fall semester 2007. The board of regents approved the degree program during its August meeting.

UGA will be the first institution in Georgia to offer this degree, which will be an extension of the established master of public health degree currently offered at the college. The DrPH is a professional doctoral degree designed to train leaders in public health at the local, state and national levels.

The recent addition of concentration areas in health administration, biostatistics and epidemiology to the MPH program, along with the approval of the DrPH program, completes the requirements needed for the college to proceed with accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health.

‘Countdown to Kickoff’ raises $100,000
The inaugural “Countdown to Kickoff,” held at the Woodruff Practice Fields last month, raised $100,000 for three Georgia organizations.

Hosted by Jon and Matt Stinchcomb, former football players, the event allowed about 1,500 fans to get autographs from more than 50 current and former UGA and NFL players such as Charles Grant and Jermaine Phillips. Fans also had a chance to have their photo taken with Uga VI.

“We’ve had some amazing support from the athletes throughout this process,” Stinchcomb said. “We are honored that these guys spent their Saturday out here supporting us and connecting with their biggest fans. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

UGA’s College of Education, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Transplant Foundation were beneficiaries of the money raised through sponsorships, ticket sales and raffle purchases.

UGA grad awarded Cooke Scholarship
Recent UGA graduate Westin Amberge of Blairsville was awarded a 2006 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship to support his attendance at Yale University School of Medicine this fall.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation was created in 2000, and awards up to $50,000 a year for a maximum of six years and may vary between scholars.

Amberge is among 77 scholars selected nationwide from a pool of 1,100 applicants. For three years while at UGA, Amberge conducted human embryonic stem cell research that could lead to cell therapy treatments for vascular damage caused by heart disease and heart attacks.

Amberage founded the UGA chapter of the nonprofit Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children and traveled abroad to do medical relief volunteer work in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru.