Tuesday, June 3, 2003

WRITER: Larry B. Dendy, 706/542-8078; ldendy@uga.edu
CONTACT: Richard Mullendore, 706/542-3564; richardm@uga.edu

UGA RECEIVES $1 MILLION FROM JACK, JANE HEAD FOR
STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS

ATHENS, Ga. – An Atlanta couple has given the University of Georgia $1 million to help strengthen programs that develop leadership skills in UGA students.

The gift from Andrew M. (Jack) Head and Jane S. Head went into an endowment that supports UGA’s Student Leadership Center. The center conducts programs that provide information and training designed to help students be more successful in school and after graduation.

The gift – the largest ever to the student leadership endowment – will help expand an event known as Dawg Camp, which teaches incoming first-year students basic leadership skills and helps get them involved in campus activities. Currently only 300-400 of the more than 4,000 first-year students attend the program, but officials plan to increase participation to more than 2,000 students over the next seven years.

Jack and Jane Head, both UGA graduates, made their gift in honor of Jack’s late father and mother, John and Jacqueline Head, both of whom graduated from the university in 1942. Jacqueline Head died in 2002 and John Head died March 11.

A terrace adjacent to UGA’s new Student Learning Center will be named the Jacquelyn and John Head Terrace in recognition of the gift.

"My parents loved the University of Georgia and believed strongly in campus and community involvement," said Jack Head. "We are excited that this gift will enable a large group of freshmen to have the opportunity to attend Dawg Camp."

UGA President Michael F. Adams expressed appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Head for their "precedent-setting" support. "Through this gift, Jack and Jane help foster a commitment to leadership and service that they, and Jack’s parents, exemplify in their own lives," Adams said. "This is an investment in Georgia’s future, and that’s the best gift of all."

Richard Mullendore, UGA’s vice president for student affairs, said the gift provides an important boost for the student affairs division’s top strategic goal.

"There is no more basic requirement for UGA than preparing our students to be future leaders in
the state and nation," said Mullendore. "We know that students learn best through real-life practical experience gained by participating in campus activities and engaging in meaningful service projects in the community. This gift will enable many students to have that valuable experience."

The gift also coincides with some organizational changes being made to strengthen leadership programs, Mullendore said.

The Student Leadership Center is the new name for a unit previously known as the Office of Student Leadership Development Programs. Dawg Camp is the new name for a program, begun in 1996, that has been called the B.I.G. (Busily Involved at Georgia) Event.

Students who attend the three-day Dawg Camp in the summer prior to entering UGA learn about UGA history and traditions, participate in team-building exercises, get advice on managing time, money and stress, and find out how to join student organizations and work in service projects. Many graduates of the program rise to leadership positions on campus and are active in the Athens community.

In addition to Dawg Camp, the Student Leadership Center coordinates 10 other programs including Leadership UGA, the UGA LeaderShape Institute, the Leadership Resource Team, the Arch Society, two scholarships and an awards program that recognizes outstanding student leaders.

Jack and Jane Head have been strong supporters of student leadership at UGA and previously had pledged $50,000 for the leadership endowment. Jack Head is chair of the advisory board for student leadership programs, and the couple is active in the UGA Parents and Families Association.

Beginning with Jack Head’s parents, John and Jacquelyn, the Head family has a long association with UGA. Jack Head received a business degree from UGA in 1975, and both his siblings are graduates. Jane Head received a degree from UGA’s education college in 1977. The couple’s oldest daughter, Katie, is a third-year student, and another daughter, Emily, will enroll for fall semester.

Jack Head previously owned Head Distributing Co. in Atlanta, a firm also owned by his father that supplies items to convenience stores and runs concessions at large entertainment venues. He sold the firm last year to Fleming Companies, Inc.

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