October 2, 2023
Contact: Anisa Zvonkovic  | 706-542-4879  | More about Anisa

I always say that October is the month when everything happens in the academy, and this update only proves my statement! Please read the update carefully, as there are items of particular interest for everyone. If you have an item you’d like to see included in future updates, please email facsdean@uga.edu.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the College Assembly on Oct. 25! 

  

Mentoring Network Project 

All faculty who qualify should be working with their unit heads to have Mentoring Maps completed in October. Maps are for faculty who are “pre their first promotion” and are not new hires this semester. 

Welcome new faculty and staff 

Please help us welcome the following new faculty and staff: 

Dr. Josephine Shieh, Nutritional Sciences, Lecturer 

Tina Weidmann, Business and Finance Office, Payroll Manager 

Jayme Bolding, Dean’s Office, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving 

Ryan Burke, SSAC, Administrative Associate/Office Manager 

Anne Allen, SSAC, Assistant Director for Academic and Curriculum Management 

Download the UGA Safe app 

The UGA Safe App is the university’s new mobile safety app that offers important emergency information and resources. The free app allows users to interact with the UGA Police Department’s dispatches via the chat feature. There is also a quick link to emergency resources and how to respond to emergencies.  

Classroom preparedness checklist 

Students will look to faculty as leaders during emergency situations on campus. Please review the suggestions in the classroom preparedness checklist to help your students prepare for and respond to a classroom emergency. 

UGA Emergency Preparedness Office training 

UGA’s Emergency Preparedness Office is willing to teach Responding to Active Threat Events - Practical Options for Civilians for free to any group on campus. Contact prepare@uga.edu to schedule this training. The office also has created several 60-second videos that cover emergency situations including evacuations, sheltering in severe weather, medical emergencies and active threats. 

Integrating Sustainability into Study Abroad Curriculum 

UGA’s Office of Global Engagement and Sustainable UGA are introducing a new professional development opportunity for study abroad program directors, coordinators and faculty. The program aims to provide inspiration, strategies, resources and examples for integrating sustainability into study abroad curriculum, encouraging global citizenship and preparing students to implement creative solutions in their professional, civic and personal lives.    

  • Monday, October 23, 12-1:30 p.m. 
  • OGE Main Conference Room, 1324 S. Lumpkin Street  
  • Registration required by Monday, October 16. Boxed lunches will be provided to those in attendance.   

Intensive English Program 

The mission of the UGA Division of Academic Enhancement’s Intensive English Program (IEP) is to offer a rigorous, supportive and student-centered English language program that will help students develop the English language proficiency and cultural competency they need to succeed in American universities. The program also provides opportunities for international professionals on campus and in the community to further develop their English skills. 

IEP wants to serve all English language learners. It is open to prospective and current international UGA students, scholars and staff; international students, scholars and staff from other schools; international working professionals; dependents and family members of UGA students, faculty and staff; and local residents.  

Provost International Travel Funds 

Provost International Travel Funds are available for faculty who would like additional funds to support a connected visit to a new or existing international partner for the purpose of developing joint research, recruiting graduate students or facilitating new institutional collaboration. Relevant documentation clearly identifying the activity to be undertaken will be required, including an invitation letter from the partner. Up to an additional $500 (no matching funds required) will be available. The funds can be applied to lodging, transportation and meal expenses of the traveler. 

New FACS Grants Support Email 

A new central email address (facsgrants@uga.edu) has been set up for FACS faculty and staff to send grant-related questions and requests. This inbox will be monitored by all three FACS grants staff members, with each email being addressed by the most appropriate person. Of course, questions may also be addressed directly to grant support individuals.  

Michael McGough will continue to support FACS faculty with proposal preparation and submission. Lauren McLennan will assist with the awards process up until the award is finalized by SPA, in addition to other duties for IHDD and FACS. Cecily Hill (FACS Business and Finance Office) provides post-award financial support, including new award instructions, budget modifications, pending award requests for new increments and no-cost extensions, all in collaboration with departmental business managers. Individuals may also email facsbus@uga.edu for post-award questions and concerns. 

Staff Competency Model Training 

Staff Competency Model (SCM) training is available for all staff in the Professional Education Portal (PEP). SCM is part of the UGA Journeys initiative by University Human Resources. Each staff member will have access to free Clifton Strengths Assessment. A link to the assessment will be sent after you sign up for training. A separate training series is being developed for faculty who supervise staff and is expected to launch in spring 2024. 

Employee Recruitment and Hiring Training 

Training will be mandatory for anyone serving on a search committee and/or making hiring decisions. The training is approximately 23 minutes, will be recorded and made available in PEP. The FACS Business and Finance Office (BFO) is working on a plan to roll it out to anyone serving on an existing search committee and/or is the hiring authority. The training must be completed before reviewing applications or making hiring decisions. The impact is to faculty and staff. Position posting will not be delayed, but application review or hiring decision-making will be delayed until training is complete. More information coming soon. 

  

Individual Investigator Report 

The beta version of the Individual Investigator Report (sign-in required) is now available for your review. 

Benefits: View year-over-year trends in expenditures, awards and proposals. Additional tabs allow you to see the details that comprise the expenditure, award and proposal totals. 

Request: If you support researchers, please test this out to ensure everything looks accurate. Please also share this report with investigators in your units and continue to share your feedback here. 

Next Steps: We will be adding dropdown filters so you can run the report by your department or by college/unit.  

New York Times access added to UGA Libraries free resources offerings 

UGA faculty, staff, and students now enjoy full digital access to the New York Times via free online subscription through the UGA Libraries.  

The subscription also includes access to The Athletic, the online sporting news publication owned by the publisher. Register for your New York Times account at this link, by choosing University of Georgia – Athens, GA from the drop-down menu and entering your UGA email address. 

As a reminder, the Libraries also provide free access to the Wall Street Journal, including WSJ.com as well as WSJ apps, WSJ+, and subscriber-only podcasts and videos. Use this link to create an account using your UGA email address. 

Information about the New York Times in Education subscriptions, as well as free access to thousands of online academic journals, can be found at the Database A-Z listing. 

Help us promote our ongoing We Are FACS campaign 

We released a new undergraduate student recruitment video, “We Are FACS,” this summer. The video and accompanying social media campaign showcase the best of our college and centers around three key themes identified via interviews with current students and alumni: the family feel of FACS, the diverse career pathways we offer and the employment opportunities available to graduates. Please consider sharing the video within your networks to help us reach as many prospective students as possible, using the hashtag #WeAreFACS. In addition, video interviews with eight students from a variety of majors are available on our YouTube channel. 

Our communications office has prepared social media toolkits with graphics, links and sample copy to make sharing content easy. Contact Cal Powell at jcpowell@uga.edu with any questions. 

  

Nominate for Alumni Awards 

The FACS Alumni Association is now accepting nominations for the 2024 UGA FACS Alumni Awards to recognize alumni, faculty, staff and friends who have made significant contributions to the Alumni Association, the college, the profession and/or society. 

The nomination deadline is October 31, 2023. Visit the FACS Alumni page for more information. 

Did you know? 

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the FACS Legislative Aide program. We are reaching out to several alumni who participated in the program for a story we hope to publish later this year. In the meantime, enjoy this story we wrote back in 2018. 

Also, next year marks the 45th anniversary of the FACS Student Ambassadors program. The program was launched in 1979 under the leadership of Dean Emily Quinn Pou. The Ambassadors represent their fellow students, facilitate relationships and impact Athens and the UGA community through intentional service. 

You can learn more about this year’s Ambassadors here. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee 

All FACS faculty, staff and students are invited to upcoming DEI committee meetings on Oct. 31 and Dec. 4. 

Upcoming dates 

Oct. 3 – Disability History Symposium, Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries 

Oct. 18, Active Threat Training presented by the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness, Dawson 216, 3 p.m. 

Oct. 19 – Donor-Scholar Reception, Mahler Hall, 4-6 p.m. 

Oct. 25 – FACS College Assembly, Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries, 2:30-4 p.m. 

Nov. 1, Second annual Lynn Bailey Lectureship, honorary speaker Alice Lichtenstein, Georgia Center, 11:30 a.m. 

Nov. 1-2, AgriLeadHer: Women in Agriculture Virtual Conference

Nov. 8, FACS Trending Topics, featuring outreach presentations from TMI, Dawson 216, 3-5 p.m.

Dec. 15 – FACS Fall Convocation, Mahler Hall, 12:30 p.m. 

Feb. 15, 2024 – FACS Day at the Capitol 

Note: see our Events calendar for more information, and please add your events! 

Tags: dean's update