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The University of Georgia (UGA) is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1785, UGA claims to be the oldest public university in the United States. The university regularly performs well in both undergraduate and graduate program rankings in such publications as U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek, as well as studies ranking top journalism schools. (accessed on May 16, 2007); see also [6]. As a college town, Athens often ranks highly.[5] On campus, students enjoy a successful athletics program, an acclaimed student newspaper - The Red and Black, and a strong Greek system. The university also hosts the prestigious Peabody Awards. It is the largest university of the University System of Georgia, with an enrollment of 34,885 as of fall 2009.[2] [edit] OrganizationThe President of the University of Georgia (currently Michael F. Adams) is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents. The University comprises sixteen schools and colleges:
[edit] History
[edit] Antebellum History
[edit] The Civil War Era
[edit] 20th Century
[edit] Recent Years
[edit] CampusThough there have been many additions, changes, and augmentations, UGA’s campus maintains its historic character and southern charm. The historical practice has been to divide the 614-acre (2.5 km2) main campus into two sections, North Campus[8] and South Campus.[9] In the last decade, new facilities have added "East Campus" to the traditional map. This area includes new apartment-like dorms called East Campus Village. Adjacent is the newest and fourth dining hall on campus called The Village Summit at Joe Frank Harris Commons. Also on East campus is the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, the Ramsey Center for Physical Activity and the new Lamar Dodd School of Art. "West Campus" is a term used as an informal reference to the area where many of the freshman residence halls are located; most UGA freshman live in one of the high rise dorms in this area. Modeled on Yale University’s Central/Old Campus,[10] UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel,[11] Old College, New College, Demosthenian[12] and the Phi Kappa[13] Halls, Park Hall,[14] Meigs Hall, and the President’s office[15]—as well as modern additions such as the Law School[16] and the Main Library.[17] 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 cast-iron gateway that stands at its main entrance. Known as "The Arch" (but often erroneously pluralized to "The Arches"), the structure was patterned after the Seal of the State of Georgia, and has faced historic downtown Athens ever since it was erected in the 1850s.[18] Although the Seal's three pillars represent the state's three branches of government,[19] the pillars of The Arch are usually taken to represent the Georgia Constitution's three principles of wisdom, justice, and moderation, which are engraved over the pillars of the Seal. There is a superstition about walking through The Arch. It is said that if you walk under the arch before receiving your diploma, you will never graduate from UGA.[20] Another legend claims that should you walk through The Arch as a freshman, you will become sterile (as told in some freshman orientation tours). Dividing North and South Campus is the "central campus" area, home of the University Bookstore, Tate Student Center, and Student Learning Center, as well as Sanford Stadium, home of the football team. Adjacent to the stadium is a bridge that crosses Tanyard Creek and is the traditional crossover into South Campus, home of most of the science and agricultural classroom buildings. Further south and east, across East Campus Road, is East Campus, home of the Ramsey Center, the East Campus Village (apartment-style dormitories), and several fine arts facilities, including the Georgia Museum of Art and School of Music. A new facility for the art school opened it doors in the Fall of 2008. This new state of the art facility replaced the elder that was placed on North Campus. Adjacent to the campus is the "west campus" area. This extends from the corner of Britain Avenue and Lumpkin Street in the south to Waddell and Wray streets in the north. It is bordered along the east by Lumpkin Street and on the west by Church Street south of Baxter Street and Florida Avenue to the north. Located on the south end are several dormitories including the Hill Community, Oglethorpe Hall, Creswell Hall, Brumby Hall and Russell Hall. Also located here are Legion Field and Pool, which are recreational facilities. On the north end are several fraternity houses, a parking deck, and several university administration offices. Some of the fraternities were asked to relocate in early 2006 to make room for new University building projects. University property and private property are dispersed throughout West Campus, and at several points University buildings are adjacent to private residences and businesses. [edit] Miller Learning CenterThe $43.6 million dollar Zell B. Miller Learning Center (MLC) has been the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003 when it was originally called the Student Learning Center (Most students still refer to it as the SLC).[21] 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, 276,000 sq ft (25,600 m2). of actual floor space, 96 study rooms, 500 computer workstations, 2,000 computer connections, fully wired study carrel desks, a wireless environment and a Jittery Joe's coffee shop. [edit] Ramsey CenterThe Ramsey Center is the student recreational and athletic facility located on East Campus at the University of Georgia. The Ramsey Center is one of the largest student athletic/recreation facilities in the United States built in the memory of Tulsi Ramsey. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 4 gyms, 3 pools(one Olympic-sized, a 17-foot (5.2 m) diving well, and a lap pool), a 1/8 mile indoor suspended rubberized track, a 44 feet (13 m)-high climbing wall, 14-foot (4.3 m) outdoor bouldering wall, 12 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, 8 full-length basketball courts, and 11,500 square feet (1,070 m2) of weight-training space. Students make over 1.2 million trips to "Ramsey" each year.[22] This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country.[23] [edit] Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health SciencesNamed after U.S. Senator Paul D. Coverdell, this $40 million dollar facility totals 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2), giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize energy efficiency.[24] Laboratory intensive groups at the Coverdell Center include the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD), the Developmental Biology Group (DBG), and the Bio-Imaging Research Center (BIRC),the Health and Risk Communications Group (HRCG), the administrative homes of the College of Public Health (CPH) and the Biomedical Health Sciences Institute (BHSI), and the CPH’s Department of Health Administration, Biostatistics and Epidemiology.[25] Former President George H.W. Bush spoke at the Center's grand opening in 2006. [edit] Entrepreneurship ProgramUGA's Terry College of Business is home to Terry Entrepreneurship. Terry Entrepreneurship focuses on launching successful student businesses with a social entrepreneurship element: launched businesses are designed to give back to the college, university and state. The entrepreneurship concentration courses prepare students for careers in entrepreneurial leadership. Students learn to start and invest in new businesses, manage small, high growth or family businesses and lead highly innovative organizations. Graduate students have the opportunity to earn a concentration in entrepreneurship after completion of a core set of courses. Program activities include UGA's Next Top Entrepreneur[26], Venture Eat[27] and UGA Startups[28]among others. Terry Entrepreneurship also collaborates with the Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences (above) and UGA's Music Business Program[29]. [edit] Franklin Residential CollegeFranklin Residential College[30] is a residential college, based on the Oxford and Cambridge model. It is a collaboration of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the University Housing office, and the Vice President of Instruction. It was founded in 2000.[31] The home of the college is Rutherford Hall, which was built in the late 1930s as a women's dormitory. [edit] Artificial Intelligence CenterThe Artificial Intelligence Center is an interdepartmental research and instructional center within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Georgia. Strengths include logic programming, expert systems, neural nets, genetic algorithms, natural language processing, and computational psycholinguistics. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center houses two degree programs, the Master of Science program in Artificial Intelligence and the bachelor's degree program in Cognitive Science. Over the years the AI Center has received funding for research from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development Ltd., the Georgia Research Alliance, Centro Internacional por Agricultura Tropical, Clemson University, Medical College of Georgia, and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Currently AI center faculty and students are working with a variety of academic and industrial institutions on exciting research projects. Affiliated with the Center are over 75 people hailing from over 10 different countries. The admission to the program is extremely competitive and only the very best students with tremendous research and management potential are admitted. [edit] Tate 2 ExpansionOn Thursday, April 19, 2007, ground was officially broken for the $52 million Tate Student Center Expansion and Renovation project.[32] A multi-level parking deck began the first phase of the construction on which the new Student Center was built. Tate II officially opened its doors on June 1, 2009. Included in the new student center is: an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) multi-purpose space on the fifth floor, a dining room, meeting rooms, and lounge seating on the fourth floor, a food court, retail space, Print & Copy Services, a large lounge area, gaming area, and open performance space on the third floor. The new food court is operated by UGA FOOD SERVICES. It includes Hotei's, a hibachi style grill, Larry's Giant Subs, and Barberitos. Some of the amenities, such as the Bulldog Cafe and the Tate Theatre, will remain in the old Tate Center. The total cost of the new expansion is approximately $58.2 million. Construction on the $13.4 million, 500-space Tate Student Center parking deck was underway through May 2009. The site is at the intersection of Lumpkin and Baxter Streets. [edit] College of PharmacyConstruction on Pharmacy South, the $42.9 million, 93,288 sq ft (8,666.7 m2). addition to the College of Pharmacy, is underway through spring 2009. The site is immediately south of the existing College of Pharmacy on D. W. Brooks Mall. [edit] Lamar Dodd School of ArtConstruction on the $39.2 million, 171,000 sq ft (15,900 m2). Lamar Dodd School of Art is underway through spring 2008. The site is just south of the existing Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus. [edit] Georgia Museum of Natural HistoryMain article: Georgia Museum of Natural History The Georgia Museum of Natural History has one of the most extensive natural history collections in Georgia. [edit] University of Georgia Marine InstituteThe university's campus also spreads to Sapelo Island, off the Georgia coast, which is home to the University of Georgia Marine Institute, a nearshore ecological and geological research institute. [edit] Academics[edit] Rhodes ScholarsAs of 2008, twenty-one UGA students have been named Rhodes Scholars including Eugene T. Booth and Hervey M. Cleckley. [edit] Study abroad programThe University of Georgia began its first year-round residential study-abroad program at Oxford University in England, where students and faculty live in a three-story Victorian house located in the heart of the city of Oxford and owned by UGA. Founded in 1989, the Oxford study-abroad program began as a summer option and expanded to include spring in 1994. With the purchase of the house in 1999 – evidence of UGA's strong commitment to study abroad – the program became available throughout the academic year. UGA now ranks among the top five American universities for the number of students studying abroad, with more than 100 programs in over 50 countries. [33] UGA has faculty study abroad programs on every continent, including Antarctica. Currently, just over 2,000 students, or 6% of the entire campus enrollment (graduate and undergraduate) study abroad in a given year. During the past five years, the number of students participating in study abroad programs has nearly doubled. Approximately 30 percent of the members of recent graduating classes had a study abroad experience. [edit] AthleticsMain article: Georgia Bulldogs See also: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, and The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party The University of Georgia varsity athletic teams participate in the NCAA's Division I-A as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Since the 1997-1998 season, UGA has seven top ten rankings in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Director's Cup, a numerical ranking based on the success of universities in all varsity sports.[34] The University has won national championships in football, women's gymnastics, baseball, tennis (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), women's swimming and diving, and women's equestrian. The Gym Dogs, the University's women's gymnastics team, are the current defending NCAA champions (having placed first in the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009) They have a NCAA leading 10 National Championships in Gymnastics. The Bulldogs' most historic rivalry is with Auburn, referred to as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" in reference to the first football game played between the two teams in 1892 and the more than one hundred meetings since. For the vast majority of the 20th century, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were unquestionably UGA's biggest rival (the two schools are a mere 70 miles (113 km) apart). However, the 1970s, '80s and '90s witnessed a growing rivalry with the Florida Gators as well as the University of Tennessee. The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including wrestling,[35] men's and women's soccer, crew,[36] ultimate frisbee[37][38], rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey. Georgia's men's soccer team received a bid to play in the NIRSA Club National Championship for the first time in 2007. The Georgia ice hockey team has won the Thrasher Cup five times in the previous ten years as of 2009, defeating teams such as the Florida Gators and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis. Georgia's men's lacrosse team has won the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference three times, in 1998, 2007, and 2008, and received an automatic bid to the MCLA national tournament; while the women's team earned an at-large bid to the WDIA National Tournament in 2007. Most recently, many have acclaimed UGA's athletic program for implementing a program that fines student-athletes for unexcused absences in class. And, for the first time in school history, more than 50% of student-athlete GPAs were over 3.0. In addition, many other universities are looking to UGA's plan as a model. [edit] Greek LifeMain article: Greek life at the University of Georgia The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865, and the first sorority was Phi Mu in 1921. There are 17 sororities from the Panhellenic Council and 26 IFC fraternities. Students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females.[39] Perhaps the most prominent features of Greek Life at the University are the large, mostly Greek Revival, mansions maintained by the national fraternities and sororities as chapter houses lining South Milledge Avenue and South Lumpkin Street and the ubiquitous t-shirts worn by students on campus commemorating Greek social events. In 2005 the University announced that five of the fraternities on Lumpkin Street would need to be relocated by June 2008. The school plans to build academic buildings on the house sites, which the University owns and the fraternities lease. UGA offered to relocate the Lumpkin fraternities and two others to River Road, located on east campus. Kappa Alpha and Chi Phi did not take up the offer and have decided to move off campus. Sigma Chi has opted to keep their location next to the Student Learning Center (now the Zell B. Miller Learning Center). In October 2008, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Epsilon Phi and Sigma Nu broke ground for the new Greek Park located on River Road. The four new houses will be complete August 2009 for fall rush. All groups have signed 30 year leases with an option to renew for an additional 30 years. [edit] Fight SongsThe University of Georgia fight song, Glory, Glory is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," the familiar song that traditionally begins with the words "Glory, glory hallelujah." "Glory, glory to old Georgia! And also "Hail to Georgia" Hail to Georgia down in Dixie! [edit] Noted peopleMain article: List of University of Georgia people [edit] See also[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: University System of Georgia | University of Georgia | 1801 establishments | 1785 establishments | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools | Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities | Land-grant universities and colleges | Educational institutions established in the 1780s | Universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) | Southeastern Conference | Athens, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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