January 25, 2021
Contact: Linda Fox  |   | More about Linda

BILL FLATT – PRESIDENT’S MEDAL RECOGNITION MONDAY, JAN. 25

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Flatt for receiving the UGA President’s Medal in honor for all that he has done for the University of Georgia, our students, and our great state. His commitment and generosity will have an impact on the lives of Georgians for years to come. 

In addition to our beloved Dr. Flatt, UGA will be bestowing a second President’s Medal to honor the late Dr. Ivery Clifton, former faculty member and administrator in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and associate vice president for academic affairs.

On Monday, January 25, UGA will share the video presentation that was developed in lieu of the traditional luncheon and lecture. Though not able to host the live events, this video will highlight the accomplishments of the award winners for the UGA community.

The public will be able to view the program on Monday morning on the Founders Week webpage: https://alumni.uga.edu/foundersweek/.

Since the event is pre-recorded, the public will able to see it any time after 8 am. UGA will promote it in COLUMNS, UGAToday, and on social media throughout the day. Please share this exciting honor and the program with others in your network.

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION RESPONSE

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is receiving offers from medical professionals and other individuals looking for ways to help with the COVID-19 vaccination response. An effective response relies on volunteers who are pre-credentialed and organized. Georgia Responds is Georgia’s health and medical volunteer program which matches the skills and credentials of medical and nonmedical volunteers to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Georgia.

Licensed medical volunteers including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and advanced EMS personnel (EMT Intermediate and above) may be used to administer vaccination.

Nonmedical volunteers may be used in administrative roles such as registering individuals for vaccination, data input, language interpretation, other administrative areas as needed, and providing guidance and assistance at vaccination administration sites.

To volunteer, log on to https://dph.georgia.gov/georgia-responds and click on the “Register Now” box. Registering only takes a few minutes. Prospective volunteers will be asked for their name, address, contact information and occupation type.

In order to be eligible for some assignments, responders are encouraged to complete a profile summary, which includes skills and certifications, training, medical history, emergency contact and deployment preferences. Once your skills and credentials are reviewed, you will be notified by a DPH representative.

Even as the COVID vaccine becomes available, all Georgians play a critical role in helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to the following guidance:

  • Wear a mask
  • Practice social distancing by putting at least 6 feet between yourself and others
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water
  • Follow the guidance of Public Health and the guidelines in the Governor’s Executive Order

Yvette Daniels is the Director of University Relations for the Georgia Department of Public Health. In that role, she has the responsibility for establishing effective college and university relations through the promotion of public health programs at the state and local levels. This can take the form of a variety of activities, including partnering on research, providing student internships and volunteer opportunities, mentoring students, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and translation of research between university faculty and the public health workforce. Just during the past year, she has worked with over 400 students throughout the State to assist with the COVID-19 response. 

Yvette is a UGA alumni and Double Dawg--AB and JD. She truly loves UGA and serves her alma mater in many ways. Currently, she is Vice President of the UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors. She would like to increase our engagement with DPH across all UGA Schools and Colleges. 

Thanks to Yvette and Dean Marsha Davis, College of Public Health, these opportunities should be shared by you with our students and alumni. For students, there are opportunities for paid and volunteer positions, internships, possibly credit for experiential learning. And when COVID-19 passes, and it will, there will remain many other public health issues (some exacerbated by the pandemic) that we can address together.

EVENT PLANNING – SPRING 2021

Given the university, schools, colleges, departments and student organizations typically have a lot of events during the spring semester, it is wise we pause and seriously assess whether an in-person event should event be considered during the pandemic.

Last week, representatives of the university’s Preventative Measures Advisory Board (PMAB) discussed with deans and VPs, issuing the following statement on event planning for spring 2021:

Based on current public health information related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PMAB is strongly advising against any in-person gatherings that are not programmatically or mission critical until at least March 1, 2021, when PMAB will revisit this issue and provide further recommendations. Local hospitals are currently operating at or above capacity and it is essential that we, as an institution, do all that we can to reduce virus transmission. Vaccine rollout has been slow and vaccines are known to have a delayed effect in ending the pandemic (likely late April or early May 2021).

The PMAB is a resource to the campus community to receive requests for guidance and assistance related to decision making during the pandemic and offers a Help Desk Request https://uga.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2060/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=43981. However, the PMAB was not established to be a board to approve or deny events.

A full set of questions and guidance regarding event planning for spring 2021 will be provided to the FACS Leadership Team. If you have questions, contact your department head, director or supervisor. In the meantime, follow the advice in the statement above, issued Thursday, Jan. 21.

SCHEDULE (Dean’s travel and purpose during the next few weeks):

·         No travel planned.

·         The next Dean’s Update will be the week of Feb. 8.

Sincerely,

Linda Kirk Fox

Dean

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia embraces a commitment to diversity by modeling for the state and nation a community of individuals and programs which seek to reduce prejudice, disparities, and discrimination and build a supportive environment for all.

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