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University of Georgia

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University of Georgia
University of Georgia seal
MottoEt docere et rerum exquirere causas (Latin: To teach and to inquire into the nature of things)
TypePublic
EstablishedJanuary 27, 1785
PresidentMichael F. Adams
Undergraduates25,002
Postgraduates8,456
Location
Athens
,
Georgia
,
USA
Campus"College town"; 615 acres (2.5 km²)
Endowment$475.6 million [1]
ColorsRed and black
NicknameBulldogs
MascotUga
Websitehttp://www.uga.edu

The University of Georgia is located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia, and 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. Today, it is largest university of the University System of Georgia, with an enrollment of approximately 32,000 students.

History

The University of Georgia was incorporated on January 27, 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly, which had given 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 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 college graduated its first class in 1804.

White and male for the first century of its history, UGA began educating female students during Summer school in 1903 and finally as regular undergraduates in (1918). Before official admission of women to the University, several woman were able to complete graduate degrees through credit earned in Summer school sessions. The first women to earn such a degree was Mary Lyndon. She received a Master of Arts degree in 1914. Mary Creswell earned the first undergraduate degree in June of 1919, a B.S. in Home Economics. UGA dormitories Creswell Hall and Mary Lyndon Hall are named after these alumnae.

In 1961, UGA became racially integrated with the admission of Charlayne Hunter (now Hunter-Gault) and Hamilton E. Holmes after notable tension with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2001, on the fortieth anniversary of their having first registered for classes, the University renamed a prominent campus building in their honor as the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building. Although Hunter and Holmes were the first African-American students to matriculate at UGA, Mary Frances Early became the first African-American graduate by earning her master’s (MMEd) in music education in 1962.

In 1963, Chester Davenport became the first African-American to be admitted to the UGA School of Law and its first African-American graduate (LLB 1966). A decade later, Sharon Tucker was the first female African-American graduate, earning her JD in 1974.

The University has seen its academic reputation rise exponentially since Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program was started in 1993. The merit-based scholarship allows any resident of the state of Georgia to attend any public college in the state for free, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA. The average SAT for incoming freshmen in 2005 was 1242, and national rankings for the school have risen consistently. In recent years, the University has been recognized as a "Public Ivy."

UGA is designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant university. 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 landmark, The Arch, a cast-iron representation of the Seal of the State of Georgia, stands sentry between the campus and the city of Athens. The Arch's three pillars stand for Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation, the state motto of Georgia. Its name is singular, though it is often erroneously pluralized to "Arches".

UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication awards the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards, which are presented annually for excellence in television and radio news, entertainment and children’s programming.

The University 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 historical practice has been to divide the 614 acre main campus into two sections, North Campus [2] and South Campus [3]. In the last decade, new facilities have added "East Campus" to the traditional map. Though the term is used less than the others, "West Campus" denotes the area where many of the residence halls are located, to the west of the academic campus.

Modeled on Yale University’s Central/Old Campus [4], UGA’s North Campus contains the picturesque historic buildings—such as the Chapel [5], Old College, New College, Demosthenian[6] and the Phi Kappa[7] Halls, Park Hall [8], Meigs Hall, and the President’s office [9]—as well as modern additions such as the Lumpkin Law School [10] and the Main Library [11]. 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 [12]. 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 [13]. 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[14]. 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 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, School of Music, and School of Art (under construction as of 2006).

Student Learning Center

The $43.6 million dollar Student Learning Center (SLC) has been the largest academic building on the University of Georgia campus since its opening in the autumn of 2003. [15] 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. of actual floor space, 96 study rooms, 500 computer workstations, 2,000 computer connections, fully wired study carrels, a wireless environment and a coffee shop.

SLC Photos

Ramsey Center

The Ramsey Center is the student activities center 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. The campus's eight-acre Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities has 5 gyms, 3 pools, a 44-feet-high climbing wall, 10 racquetball courts, and 11,500 square feet of weight-training space. Students make over 1.2 million trips to "Ramsey" each year. [16] This $40 million structure was named by Sports Illustrated as the best recreational sports facility in the country in 1997. [17]

Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences

Named after U.S. Senator Paul D. Coverdell, this $40 million dollar facility totals 140,000 square feet, giving enough room for 25 research teams or roughly 275 scientists, staff and graduate students. The Center was designed mainly to maximize energy efficiency. [18] 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. [19]

Pictures and History [20]

University of Georgia achievers

List of University of Georgia people

Athletics

File:Uga g.png
University of Georgia athletics logo
Main article: Georgia Bulldogs

The University of Georgia's sports teams are called the Bulldogs, and they 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.[21] 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 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 apart). That rivalry, officially for the Governor's Cup trophy, is nicknamed Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, after the book of the same name by author Bill Cromartie. However, the 1970s, '80s and '90s witnessed a growing rivalry with the Florida Gators that many would say is currently UGA's fiercest. Georgia leads the series, known widely as The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, with an all-time record of 46-36-2 against the Gators.

The University also boasts several non-varsity sports, including rugby and ice hockey. The Georgia hockey team has won the Thrasher Cup four times in the previous eight years as of 2006. Several Varsity sports are duplicated with non-varsity teams, such as women's tennis.

Greek Life

Main article: Greek life at the University of Georgia

There are more than three dozen fraternities and sororities at the University of Georgia. Members of Greek organizations make up about one-fifth of the undergraduate student population.

Facts

File:Uga.png
Early view of North Campus
  • The main campus comprises 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: 74%
    • Average SAT score of incoming freshman for 2005 school year: 1242
    • Average ACT score: 27
  • 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 over $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
    • Future 120,000 square foot Stegeman Coliseum Annex and Practice Facility that broke ground in February 2006, and is expected to be completed in June of 2007.
  • 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 due to its low cost of attendance. Additionally, many Georgia residents pay no tuition thanks to the state of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program [22].
  • Tuition for in-state students is approximately $3,700; Out-of-state tuition is approximately $15,900.
  • 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.
  • The most popular major at the University of Georgia is biology.

Points of interest

Sources

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