University of Georgia
| University of Georgia seal | |
| Motto | Et docere et rerum exquirere causas (Latin: To teach and to inquire into the nature of things) |
|---|---|
| Type | State university |
| Established | January 27, 1785 |
| President | Michael F. Adams |
| Undergraduates | 25,002 |
| Postgraduates | 8,456 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | "College town"; 615 acres (2.5 km²) |
| Endowment | $397.8 million |
| Colors | Red and black |
| Mascot | Uga |
| Website | http://www.uga.edu |
The University of Georgia, located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia, is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. It was the first state-chartered university in the United States, making it the birthplace of the American system of public higher education. It was incorporated January 27, 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly, which gave its trustees, the Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia, 40,000 acres (160 km²) for the purposes of founding a “college or seminary of learning.” The university's motto is Et docere et rerum exquirere causas ("To teach and to inquire into the nature of things"). The University's long standing Arch has 3 pillars on which its foundation hangs, Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation. Today, it is the flagship university of the University System of Georgia, with enrollment of approximately 32,000 students. It is consistently ranked as one of the top public universities and best higher education values in the country.
The first meeting of the university's board of trustees installed its first president, Abraham Baldwin: a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. This meeting also identified the 633 acres (2.6 km²) on the banks of the Oconee River on which the university was to be built.
The first classes were held in 1801, in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences—named in honor of Benjamin Franklin—under the direction of President Josiah Meigs. The university graduated its first class in 1804. It is designated as a Land-grant university.
White and male for most of its history, the university first admitted women in 1918. In 1961, UGA became racially integrated after notable tension with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
UGA is home to the George Foster Peabody Awards, which are presented annually for excellence in television and radio news, entertainment and children’s programming. It also presents the annual Delta Prize for Global Understanding, which recognizes individuals or groups whose initiatives promote peace and cooperation among cultures and nations.
Campus
Though there have been many additions, changes, and augmentations, UGA’s campus maintains its historic character and southern charm. The customary practice is to divide the 614 acre main campus into two sections: North Campus [1] and South Campus [2].
Modeled on Yale University’s Central/Old Campus [3], UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel [4], Old College, New College, Demosthenian[5] and the Phi Kappa[6] Halls, Park Hall [7], Meigs Hall, and the President’s office [8]—as well as modern additions such as the Lumpkin Law School [9] and the Main Library [10]. The dominant architectural themes are Federal—the older buildings—and Greco-Roman Classical/Antebellum style. UGA’s North Campus has also been designated an arboretum by the State of Georgia. Perhaps the most notable North Campus fixture, though, is the Arch [11]. Situated where historic downtown Athens, Georgia meets the campus, the inspiration for the Arch is the arch found on the Great Seal of the State of Georgia [12]. There are multiple urban legends about walking through the arch: one has it that if you walk through the arch as an underclassman, you will never graduate from UGA[13]. Another legend claims that should you walk through the arch as a freshman, you will become sterile (as told in some freshman orientation tours).
Student Learning Center
The Student Learning Center (SLC) is the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003. Located at the heart of the UGA campus, it houses both classroom space and library space in close proximity.
On the inside is a technological space that includes two dozen classrooms capable of seating 2,400 students and equipped with the latest technology, from computer connections to projection equipment to laptop connections. The building serves as an expansion of UGA library services, with a completely electronic library, 96 study rooms, 500 computer workstations, 2,000 computer connections, fully wired study carrels, a wireless environment and a coffee shop.
University of Georgia achievers
The university has been home to many notable achievers in fields that include the arts, athletics, business, and the media. For a list see:
List of University of Georgia people
Football and other sports
Moving from North Campus toward South Campus—the more recently constructed campus where science and mathematics departments are located—one passes the Tate Student Center [14] and, most notably, the 92,746 seat Sanford Stadium[15]: home of the UGA Bulldogs Football Team. The white English Bulldog is UGA’s mascot and is properly known as "Uga VI" [16]. (UGA's mascot is another Yale-influenced aspect of the University.) The Bulldogs play in the Southeastern Conference against teams such as the University of Tennessee, University of Alabama, and University of Mississippi. It also has a historic rivalry with Auburn, referred to as "the Deep South's oldest rivalry." The biggest rivalries, though, are between the Bulldogs and the Atlantic Coast Conference's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets ("Clean Old-Fashioned Hate") and the Florida Gators ("The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"). In addition, UGA enjoyed a strong rivalry with the nearby Clemson Tigers for many years in football, especially in the 1980s. That rivalry is still intense in other sports.
The football team has celebrated more recent success, compared to some relatively lean years in the early 1990s. Following a record of 86-53-1 under head coaches Ray Goff (often derisively referred to as Ray 'Goof') and Jim Donnan (1989 - 2000), Mark Richt (2001 - 2005) has led the Bulldogs to a record of 52-13. The University of Georgia has won 2 national championships: a shared national title in 1942, and a consensus national championship in 1980. In addition to their 2 national championships, the Bulldogs have won 12 Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships [17], the most recent coming in 2005 against the Tigers of Louisiana State University, 34-14.
The UGA-UF game is held annually in late October/early November in Jacksonville, Florida: a supposedly neutral site. Often referred to as "the world's largest outdoor cocktail party," this event is a must-do for many UGA undergrads as well as alumni.
The Bulldogs are cheered on in home games by the 90,000+ fans that sell out every home game as well as the UGA Marching Band, known as “The Redcoat Marching Band".[18]
Certainly, football dominates the UGA athletic scene. However, other notable sports teams include the UGA women's swim team [19], the UGA equestrian team [20], the UGA gymnastics team [21], the UGA fencing club [22], and the UGA baseball team [23] and the UGA basketball teams (men's [24] and women's [25]) which play in the UGA Stegeman Coliseum [26].
Statistics
- The main campus is comprised of 380 buildings on 615 acres (2.5 km²);
- Total enrollment in fall 2005 was 33,660 including students of UGA at the Gwinnett center and the Tifton Center:
- 25,002 undergraduate students
- 8,456 graduate and professional students
- 202 other students
- Average GPA of incoming freshman for 2005 school year: 3.74
- % of incoming freshman in top 10% of class rank: 15%
- Average SAT score of incoming freshman for 2005 school year: 1241
- U.S. News & World Report magazine ranked UGA 19th on its 2005 list of the 50 top public universities for a sixth year in a row. UGA also ranks 58th overall in the nation.
- In recent years, the university's athletic association, which receives no tax dollars, has undertaken $81 million in construction projects, including:
- over $30 million to expand and upgrade Sanford Stadium, adding 10,000 seats and glassed-in suites
- a new $7.66 million tennis complex
- $6.4 million for a new soccer and softball stadium and clubhouse
- $750,000 in renovations to the football team's trophy room
- $700,000 in 2003 for another remodeling of the men's basketball coach's office and locker room
- Since November 2001, the Georgia Legislature has cut $211 million from the university system's budget; the tuition increase for 2003 was 15%.
- Money magazine's "Best College Buys" edition listed UGA as one of nine "unbeatable deals" nationwide. Georgia residents who maintain a 3.0 grade point average can receive $4,000 annually toward tuition because of the State of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program [27].
The current president of the university is Michael F. Adams. The independent student newspaper is The Red and Black, founded in 1893.
The University is comprised of fifteen schools and colleges: the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Terry College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Environmental Design, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Daniel B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, the Graduate School, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the School of Law, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Public Health, the School of Public and International Affairs, the School of Social Work, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The University of Georgia offers 19 baccalaureate degrees in more than 150 fields, 30 master's degrees in 128 fields, 20 educational specialist degrees, 3 doctoral degrees in 90 areas, and professional degrees in law, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. The University also offers 139 study abroad and exchange programs.
Sources
- Boney, F.N. A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia. Athens, GA: U of Georgia P, 2000.
- Official UGA Web Pages
- Reed, Thomas Walter. History of the University of Georgia. Unpublished Typescript. 19 vols., 4027 pp. Imprint: Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia, ca. 1949. The Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia Main Library.
External links
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