By Sharron Hannon
Former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter have been chosen as the recipients of the inaugural Delta Prize for Global Understanding, a new award established by an $890,000 grant from the Delta Air Lines Foundation to the University of Georgia. The announcement was made at a Feb. 24 news conference at Delta world headquarters in Atlanta.
 The Delta Prize was created to recognize groups or individuals for “globally significant efforts that provide opportunities for greater understanding among nations and cultures.” The Carters will be honored at an April 27 award ceremony in Atlanta. An afternoon symposium addressing their personal efforts to further world peace as well as the work done through the Carter Center at Emory University will precede the event.
“The creation of the Delta Prize for Global Understanding demonstrates the University of Georgia’s commitment to advancing international understanding and cooperation,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “We are delighted that the inaugural award will go to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, who truly embody what it means to be world citizens. And we are grateful to Delta Air Lines for partnering with us to make this award possible.”
The Delta Prize includes a $10,000 cash award, plus an original work of art designed by Barbara Mann and Gary Noffke of UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. The prize recipients were determined by a selection board appointed by Adams and including Maurice Worth, Delta’s chief operating officer; former UGA president Charles B. Knapp; and alumni Morris Abram, Billy Payne, Charles Sanford Jr. and Joe Frank Harris, as well as other Atlanta business and civic leaders and several international representatives.
“As a global airline, Delta has the privilege of bringing people together from around the world every day,” said Maurice Worth, Delta’s chief operating officer. “We sincerely hope that the Delta Prize will become an international symbol of partnership and goodwill among nations.”
The Carters were represented at the news conference by John Hardman, executive director of the Carter Center. President Carter issued the following statement: “Rosalynn and I are honored to accept this award on behalf of all of those at the Carter Center who work with us to prevent and resolve conflicts, promote freedom and democracy, and fight disease around the world. Delta has been an extraordinary partner with us in many of these endeavors, and we are grateful to them and to the University of Georgia for this recognition.”
Guided by a commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the non-profit Carter Center in 1982 in partnership with Emory University. The center monitors conflict and, when appropriate, provides resolution assistance; observes elections in Latin America, Africa and Asia; and is in the forefront of disease prevention in Africa. The Carters are active participants in all programs, which are directed by either resident experts or fellows.
Nominees for the Delta Prize for Global Understanding were solicited from around the world through UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security and Center for Humanities and Arts. Gary Bertsch and Betty Jean Craige, directors of the two centers, wrote the original grant proposal and are responsible for administering the awards program. Several UGA students were involved in researching the work of those nominated and preparing information for the selection board. The nomination process for the Delta Prize to be presented in 2000 is currently under way.
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