August 3, 2026
Contact: Anisa Zvonkovic  | 706-542-4879  | More about Anisa
Message from Dean Zvonkovic
Welcome back to a new academic year! We in the Dean's office have been busy preparing for the return of the students and the full engagement of faculty. We are excited to welcome you back! I know that August is a month of a lot of meetings chock-full of information. 
We will welcome new faculty members and staff individually at the fall college assembly on October 29. I do want to take a moment to welcome all. I'm excited that we've been able to make terrific hires and look forward to working with all the new folks.
We have been busy renovating classrooms and spaces for offices, all the while trying to mitigate the water intrusion from storms and our HVAC system. All this is to say that some offices have moved as a result of renovations, and some renovations planned for this summer have been delayed, resulting in different office locations. Department heads and unit directors are aware of where people's offices are and plans in place. We have instituted a ticket system for Facilities issues and reporting for Casey Crane's attention. It's on the FACS website at the very bottom. Simply scroll down to Get Help, and you'll find "Facilities Work Request." 
We have developed a new format for our college's Annual Report. We will be distributing it at key fall meetings and posting it on the FACS website. The old annual report was over 300 pages, and it's safe to say few people read it. This one is much more accessible to the entire FACS community. It showcases our positive trajectories in student enrollment, in research activity -  including signals of our distinction in scholarship and in Extension and other outreach areas, as well as our record-setting Development accomplishments this year. 
Parking is a difficult topic this year. Parking Services has come out with new restrictions on DP passes. First, most of the areas of main campus will no longer allow DP passes to be used. The map below shows that. 
Second, the number of passes allowable for the entire college has been cut by more than half. Given that, we have worked with Department Heads over the summer to try to strategize systems that will allow us to get our work done with these new constraints. Both River’s Crossing and Riverbend are designated "any valid permit" space, so anyone who has a valid pass for a parking area on main campus can also park in those locations. 
Parking Services should be distributing the very few DP passes for FACS next week. The first week of August old passes may still be used, but the Parking Services website says these restrictions on where you can park with DP passes are effective August 1. I urge anyone who has questions to visit the Parking Services website, talk to their unit director, and work together to resolve their concern. Units and the Dean's Office will need to implement a check-out system. 
Strategic Plan
Lastly, we have established the process through which we will develop a new FACS Strategic Plan. The university completed its strategic plan in spring 2026: https://strategicplan.uga.edu/
This academic year, all colleges will need to complete theirs. In order to have an efficient process, so that departments can also develop strategic plans this academic year that align with the college and university, we are planning to have a draft of the college's plan complete in the fall. Departments can then work on theirs in the spring. In FACS, our first step is to get input from all members of the FACS community on our mission. 
I always talk about FACS as a very mission-focused college. The mission binds the college together and makes us larger than the sum of our parts that are very specific to our disciplines. Once we have the mission, aligning our mission with the University's plan will ensure that our plans echo what we believe this college is all about. 
In the past, these efforts have been led by the Faculty Advisory Committee. We plan to work with the Faculty Advisory Committee as we refine the strategic plan, and the Administrative Cabinet will play a key role in this process in the early fall semester. 
We are starting by opening up the process of strategic planning by including voices of students and staff, as well as alumni and other members of the FACS community in generating the mission statement. Please use this link or scan the QR code below to answer a few questions that will help us develop the mission. 
Mission Statement

 

Welcome Back Picnic, August 11

 

FACS Active Awards
  • Doug Crandell, “Employment Technical Assistance Center, 2026-2027,” Governors Council on Developmental Disabilities, $159,000
  • Connie Rogers, “School Nutrition Director Certification Program FY27,” Georgia Department of Education, $39,370
  • Orion Mowbray, “Modernizing Assessment and Planning for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver Access in Georgia: Implementation, Pilot Testing, and Statewide Demonstration of a Tiered Assessment Process,” Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, $404,800
  • Carol Britton Laws, “Statewide Technical Assistance Infrastructure Planning for Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) Programs,” Governors Council on Developmental Disabilities, $21,000
  • Diane Bales, “Georgia FRSAN-South Project, 2026-2027,” North Carolina State University, $50,000
  • Shana Adise, “Transfer: Neurodevelopment of Executive Function, Appetite Regulation, and Obesity in Children and Adolescents,” National Institutes of Health, $155,293
  • Suraj Sharma, “Cooling Towel – Phase 12,” MPUSA LLC, $11,103
  • Gajanan Bhat, “AI-Enhanced Training for Advanced Textile Manufacturing in the Southeast,” Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc., $47,474
  • Orion Mowbray, “Strengthening Tier 1 and Tier 2 Behavioral Health Capacity in Georgia Schools Through the Trauma and Mental Health Awareness + Core Behavioral Health Skills Training Program,” Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, $137,273
  • Carla Schwan, “Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Enterica Detected on Fresh Produce Available at Athens, GA Food Retail Establishments,” USDA NIFA, $60,000
  • Vladimir Reukov, “I-Corps: Non-enzymatic Cell Harvesting Technologies,” National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance, Inc. (VENTUREWELL), $50,000
Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Resources
Questions about IRB submissions or human subjects research? The HRPP can help!
  • Have a quick IRB question? Join our Advisor-on-Call Zoom room for brief consultations with HRPP staff. No appointment is required. Simply drop in during posted hours. Launching August 10, 2026.
  • Need more in-depth guidance? Request a support appointment for individualized assistance from HRPP staff. Virtual appointments are scheduled at a mutually convenient date and time.
  • Looking for resources? Visit the HRPP website for information about our services, guidance materials, training resources, and more: https://research.uga.edu/hrpp/ 
     
Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) is excited to announce that we’ve updated the list of Georgia KIDS COUNT indicators, expanding the statewide measures of child and family well-being from 52 to 54 indicators. 
We review these indicators every five years to ensure the data remains meaningful, actionable, and aligned with current research and policy priorities. 
We’ve also updated all Georgia KIDS COUNT Data Tools with the latest data – along with several new enhancements that make it easier to access, analyze, and share information about child and family well-being across Georgia. 

These updates provide greater flexibility, deeper data exploration, and expanded geographic analysis to support local planning and decision-making. 

University of Georgia, College of Public Health (CPH): Maternal & Child Health Leadership Education in Eliminating Disparities (UGA MCH LEEDS) Professional Development Fund  

The UGA MCH LEEDS is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to leverage existing UGA CPH assets and relationships to build a comprehensive, sustainable MCH leadership structure to support students in being catalysts for change in the core areas of maternal & child health. In addition to student support, MCH LEEDs has a goal of enhancing student, faculty, community partner, and MCH populations’ leadership capacity through MCH-specific leadership and professional development opportunities.  
This professional development funding is available to UGA MCH LEEDs faculty participating in rigorous research on maternal & child health topics. It is also available to student and community members of the UGA MCH LEEDs Advisory Committee. This funding is to be used for MCH professional development (e.g., training, certificates) or to present MCH research, practice, or teaching at professional conferences or meetings. 
We plan to award six $1,000 scholarships. Only MCH faculty members and MCH LEEDs Advisory Committee members will be considered for this scholarship. We will begin accepting applications June 1, 2026. Funds should be spent by April 15, 2027, and reimbursement must be submitted by April 30, 2027. Awards will be issued on a first come first serve basis. Please apply early if you wish to take advantage of this benefit. Email facsdean@uga.edu for more information. 
Unified ERP Communications from USG 
Click here to sign up for USG communications, including Workday Wednesdays, Word of the Week, and the Quarterly Newsletter. These will provide valuable ERP updates. The sign-up link is also available on this webpage. Log into the USG Faculty and Staff Hub using UGA’s SSO.  
  
 Email Lists Include the following choices:  
  • General Communications: Newsletter  
  • Podcast: Coming Soon  
  • Workday Wednesdays  
  • Workday Word of the Week 
Upcoming events  
August 7 – New Faculty Orientation at FACS   
August 10 – Executive Committee Retreat  
August 11 – FACS Welcome Back Bash    
August 12 – New Faculty Orientation at University   
August 17 – First day of classes   
October 29 – Fall College Assembly 
Sincerely,   
  
Anisa M. Zvonkovic  
Dean and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences 
Tags: college update • dean's update