March 2002: Vol. 81, No. 2March 2002: Vol. 81, No. 2Excerpts from President Adams' State of the University address
Mission magnified by tragedy
I am glad that as we begin the year 2002, I can say that the state of the University of Georgia is strong and vibrant with a clear and bright future ahead. In this time of national tragedy, our country will call on us to train the leaders, educate the people, and develop the knowledge and understanding that will ensure we come out of this better than we were before Sept. 11. Throughout our history, Americans have understood the value and power of education as a means to improve us as a people and a nation; we have long claimed that value at the University of Georgia and answered the call. Today, our understanding of that value is even greater, our desire to answer more urgent.
The mission of the University has never been more important than it is today. I have spent most of my adult life in higher education because I believe in the transforming power of education, both for individuals and their societies. The role of this university in shaping a new generation of leaders has been magnified, not diminished. The need for increased understanding of the complex interactions in today's world is greater, not less. In years to come, Sept. 11, 2001, will be seen as both a tragedy and a point of triumph—a terrible day from which grew a stronger nation and, ultimately, a better world.
Heroics amidst adversity
I am proud to say I have seen the best of the American spirit here at UGA, and not only in response to the tragedies of Sept. 11. The UGA story, too, is a series of individual stories, of community spirit, of the power and strength of the cumulative impact of a thousand individual acts.
Almost one year ago to this day, we commemorated the heroic acts of two young people, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, who in 1961 became the first African Americans to enroll at the University of Georgia. Imagine the courage it took to walk through the Arch knowing full well the reception they would face from a small faction of the crowd on hand. I have read that "without fear there is no courage." I have seen the fear and bewilderment on both of their faces in some of the photographs from that era.
Progress defines UGA
The path this institution has taken over the past four decades is one of progress in many areas. The story of our success is the story of manifold individual successes of the faculty, students, staff, and administrators who have walked this campus before us. Our obligation to them is to continue the tradition of excellence. In the year 2001, we did just that in a number of ways.
The fall freshman class had the most outstanding credentials of any in history: an SAT average of 1206 and a core-curriculum GPA of 3.7. These students set the bar high; they ask much of us, but we are obligated to respond. They also enhance the academic environment of this campus in myriad ways.
The University of Georgia was ranked 18th among public research universities by U.S. News & World Report, our highest ranking ever and a move of eight spots in four years. The trend, more than any single ranking, is a clear indication of the good work being done across this campus and it reflects a commitment to quality and service that bodes well for the future.
Challenges for the future
UGA faces many challenges. We have an admissions policy to develop. We're playing catch-up on facilities. External support, while increasing, is not where it should be for a top-20 university. The Terry College of Business has significant overcrowding, and some courses in other areas are underutilized. We have endured budget cuts for the first time in a decade.
But I'll tell you what I do know. I know to end this where I began, and that is with the thought that our myriad of stories is collectively greater than our individual tales
The rubble of the World Trade Center was our rubble. Within it, three firemen found a battered American flag and raised it on a pole atop a heap of debris, and a nation was inspired. Our challenges are just that—our challenges. Together, we will overcome them. We will gallop, and perhaps dance, into the future, meeting these challenges together. I am proud to have been a small part of this team for almost five years, and I look forward to at least five more years of working with you.
For a complete text of the State of the Union address, visit: www.uga.edu/news.
Mending (historic) fences
The University's distinctive iron fence, which has framed North Campus since it was constructed in the late 1850s, recently underwent some realignment and restoration.
Former U.N. commissioner honored for her commitment to refugees
Delta Prize to Ogata
Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has been selected as the 2002 recipient of the Delta Prize for Global Understanding in recognition of her longstanding commitment to human rights.
"I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award," says Ogata. "My work over the years with refugees has been extremely important to me. I hope I've been able to make a positive difference in the lives of others and help bring about some peace and understanding among people of different nations."
 Ogata was honored for her work on behalf of refugees in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and East Timor. |
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From 1982-85, Ogata was Representative of Japan on the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, then U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991-2000. Prior to her service with the U.N., Ogata was dean of the faculty of foreign studies at Sophia University in Tokyo and chairman of the executive board of UNICEF.
Established with an $890,000 grant from the Delta Air Lines Foundation, the Delta Prize for Global Understanding is administered by the University of Georgia. Nominees are solicited from around the world. Selected UGA students research the nominees for the international selection board that meets annually to choose the recipient.
"The Delta Prize was established to recognize such individuals as Mrs. Ogata who have helped solve some of our world's difficult intercultural problems," says UGA president Michael F. Adams. "Mrs. Ogata's work with refugees in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and East Timor has made a better life for millions of people."
Ogata is scheduled to accept the award at a May 28 ceremony in Atlanta. The Delta Prize carries a $10,000 cash award. For more information, visit the Delta Prize Web site at: www.uga.edu/news/deltaprize.
Three-year strategic plan establishes central office, new recruitment goals
Enhancing diversity
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 Alpha Kappa Alpha members march from the Tate Center to the Chapel during a King Week tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
A three-year strategic plan to guide institutional efforts to increase campus diversity has been drafted under the direction of Louis A. Castenell Jr., acting associate provost for institutional diversity.
Castenell, who assumed responsibility for leading UGA's newly established Office of Institutional Diversity in June, convened a "design team" of students, faculty, staff, and administrators to assist in shaping the plan. The group of more than 30 met for weekly discussion sessions throughout most of the fall semester.
"The design team provided excellent input in defining goals for the office and for the University," says Castenell. "They put a lot of time and thought into this."
The plan focuses on five goals:
"This is an ambitious agenda, but there are initiatives under way in each of these areas," says Castenell. "What this office will do is provide more visibility and coordination. We also will routinely review models that appear to be successful and, thus, keep UGA on the cutting edge of excellence."
Castenell says the next step is to establish an advisory council that will meet periodically with senior administrators. The office has produced a newsletter and will create a Web site to disseminate information on diversity efforts to audiences on and off campus.
The Office of Institutional Diversity is located on the newly renovated ground floor of the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building on North Campus next to the Arch.
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They said it |
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STEVE FORBES On the war against terrorism: " On the downturn in the economy: It was attributable to "mistakes made by our central bank, headed by Alan Greenspan," and a tax cut that didn't go far enough to spur spending. "We got a cup of tea posing as a shot of bourbon."
On listening to his own advice: "I learned from my grandfather that you make more money giving advice than you do taking it." NIKKI GIOVANNI On civil disobedience: "Henry David Thoreau was the first person in this country to be arrested for civil disobedience. When his friend Emerson asked, 'What are you doing in jail?' Thoreau replied, 'What are you doing out?'"
On America: "We're not a bad country, but we're adolescently indifferent. We must step up to our history, our possibilities."
On the 1960s: "I love the 60s. We did the best we could to break down segregation and stop war. My generation tried to make life better."
On getting through life: "Learn what fools look like. They don't come in any one gender, age, or color. They're universal. The best advice I can give is: never listen to people who are not being kind." |
For the second year in a row, the University of Georgia has produced a Gates Cambridge Scholarship winner. But the news is even better this time with two students and a recent alumnus being honored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—giving UGA three students and an alumni recipient in the first two years of the prestigious new scholarship's existence.
 Hollingsworth (left) will study linguistics at Cambridge. Lee (right) hopes to earn a Ph.D. in Chinese history. Alum Bonnie Ling (AB '98. BS '98) will join them at Cambridge. |
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This year's class also includes Bonnie Ling (AB '98, BS '98), a former Honors Program student who is now in graduate school at Tufts University.
The merit-based Gates Cambridge Scholarship—patterned after the Rhodes Scholarship awarded by Oxford University—cover one to three years of study at the University of Cambridge in England. The scholarships are open to students from any country except Britain.
In addition to UGA's initial success in the Gates Cambridge Scholarship program, it's interesting to note that from 1996-99 UGA produced three Rhodes Scholars:
Rob Sutherland (BS '96, MS '96), Scott Hershovitz (AB '98, MA '98), and Beth Shapiro (BS '99, MS '99).
William Hollingsworth
Ph.D. candidate, computer science, Athens
William Hollingsworth's research at UGA focuses on computer speech synthesis. He hopes to develop software that will read entire books out loud to people who are visually impaired. Speech synthesizers currently available are not intended for long documents because the quality of the speech and intonation makes them difficult to listen to for long periods of time.
"That's well within reach. The only question is how well it will work, not whether it will work," says Michael Covington, associate director of UGA's Center for Artificial Intelligence and Hollingsworth's Ph.D. advisor. "Having distinguished himself during his B.A. and M.A. studies at UGA, Bill is certainly well prepared for Cambridge University."
Hollingsworth's scholarship is for one year starting in the fall of 2002. He plans to study linguistics with an emphasis on acoustic phonetics and speech synthesis.
Yi Lee
Senior, journalism/East Asian studies, Conyers
Yi Lee, who was born in Jahore, Malaysia, is working toward two bachelor of arts degrees: one in journalism under the direction of Nathaniel Kohn in UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the other in East Asian studies under the guidance of Clifton Pannell, associate dean of UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
Lee's honors thesis in East Asian studies focuses on the evolution of Taiwanese politics following the end of martial law in the Republic of China. It is tentatively titled, "In the Shadow of Tiananmen: Taiwanese Politics, 1988-2001." He has co-authored a paper with Kohn titled "Musickonciet," which explores pop music, inter-textuality, and post-modern scholarship. The paper has been presented at three conferences and is being prepared for publication.
Lee hopes to earn a doctorate in Chinese history while studying at Cambridge. His dissertation will deal with former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and the political institutional history of the Chinese Communist Party under Deng's regime.
Bonnie Ling (AB '98, BS '98)
Graduate student at Tufts University
Bonnie Ling's distinguished academic career at UGA included service as a translator and assistant language director at the Olympic Village during the 1996 Olympic Games at UGA. After graduation, she interned at the United Nations in Geneva, monitoring human rights violations.
Peach State poll: majority supports immigrant workers
A majority of Georgians (55 percent) believe that immigrants settling in the state are taking jobs that no one else wants, according to the latest Peach State Poll, a quarterly public opinion survey conducted by the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Roughly one in four Georgians (27 percent) say immigrants are taking jobs from Georgia residents, and 11 percent believe immigrants who settle in Georgia are actually creating new jobs. Georgians with annual household incomes between $20,000-$30,000—the income bracket that tends to see itself in direct competition with immigrants for jobs—are most likely to be skeptical of the value and economic impact of immigrants. Forty-five percent of those respondents believe immigrants are, in fact, taking residents' jobs, and only 36 percent believe immigrants are taking jobs that no one wants.
Former dean a supporter of Women's Studies, Center for Humanities and Arts
Humanities hero
State Rep. Louise McBee of Athens has been named a recipient of the Governor's Award in the Humanities by the Georgia Humanities Council.
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 Rep. Louise McBee |
McBee was chosen for the award because she was largely responsible for starting UGA's Center for the Humanities and Arts and the Women's Studies Program. Both programs link the humanities with other disciplines, such as the sciences and social sciences. McBee also helped fund improvements in UGA's religion, history, and comparative literature departments.
"Louise McBee has dedicated countless hours bolstering the humanities foundations of our state," says Jamil S. Zainaldin, president of the Georgia Humanities Council. "She is a hero. She cares about higher education, and she sees the connection between everyday life and the humanities. She is ethical and she never stops."
McBee, who is the dean of the Clarke County legislative delegation, says she is pleased to receive an award that typically goes to poets, writers, and artists.
"My mother used to repeat an old saying, that if you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy hyacinths." says McBee. "That's the way I feel about the mind and spirit—where the humanities reside."
In the mid-1970s, McBee received a grant from the Georgia Humanities Council to hold a national conference at UGA on the role of higher education in the development of character and morals. She has continued to support the council because its work is important to the state. "They provide seed money for local projects," she says. "They provide materials for teachers who foster character development."
Last year, after Gov. Barnes ordered budget cuts for state agencies, McBee led a small group of legislators to his office to appeal for continued state support for the humanities. As a result, Barnes recommended a 2.5 percent increase in funding.
McBee recalls that at the height of the London bombardment during World War II, Winston Churchill was urged to eliminate funds for arts and humanities programs. Churchill's response: "Never."
"Churchill reminded his critics that history and culture were the source of idealism and democracy—and that they represented the freedom his country was fighting for," says McBee. "I think we need that in this time of trauma for our country. Humanities holds the things that are dear to us."
Efforts to nurture startup companies recognized by Women in Technology
Wagner Dahl a finalist
Margaret Wagner Dahl, UGA's director of research development and technology alliances, made the list of five finalists for the 2002 Woman of the Year in Technology award given by the Technology Association of Georgia in February.
Since coming to UGA in 1999, Dahl has been instrumental in founding two incubators that she now manages: the Georgia BioBusiness Center, which hosts biotech startup companies that use UGA-developed technologies, and the Athens New Media Synergy Center, which houses several early-stage companies focused on digital content and software development.
"Margaret has strong private-sector experience and she understands university research culture," says UGA provost Karen Holbrook, "so she's an excellent translator for both sides in our collaborations with industry."
The editor of Forbes magazine, who campaigned for the GOP presidential nomination in '96 and '00, spoke at the UGA Chapel in November.
The poet and Smith Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech spoke at the Tate Student Center in February.