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

This academic year is almost over. I’m sending my best wishes to you all for the end of the semester. Hang in there! I’ve been attending university-wide end of the year events, including many associated with Honors Week. I’ve also been trying to attend specific events associated with programs within the college, and I plan to attend a few more next week. A few noteworthy events: 

  • I recorded a session with Associate Dean Allisen Penn for Amanda Harner’s series for Extension called “the FACS of Life” – and if you are of a certain age, I have now placed an earworm in your head that was the theme song for the television show with the title “The Facts of Life” – sorry! This YouTube link also has links to the audio-only Spotify and iTunes version. 
  • We had a very successful College Assembly and reception following – thank you all for your attendance and thoughtful participation.  
  • I attended the very successful Financial Literacy Day on the Lawn (photos here) but I did not ride the Bull(dog), though I hear there are photos in the cyberspace of many of our colleagues on it. The game-ification of concepts of financial literacy provided engaging activities for attendees. This past week, I also attended the Residential Property Management Advisory Board meeting in the Atlanta area. I greatly appreciate the cultivation of this highly involved and well-connected board by Sherle Brown and the faculty in Housing.  
  • I also spent time in several TMI events: the Georgia Soft Goods Board meeting, the FM Fashion Show and the FI portfolio open house, as well as the Couture a la Cart final report.  
  • I have been attending the HDFS/Couple and Family Therapy speakers series events, which have been uniformly excellent and given students and faculty alike expertise in timely topics. 
  • Lastly, I did participate in our Peer Nutrition Educators’ “study break” event as part of the 50th anniversary of  National Nutrition Month in March and sure would like to attend today’s Calf Cuddling event at Myers Quad from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event is hosted by the UGA Dairy Science Club and our PNEs will be there informing students about dairy food nutrition. 
  • I plan to attend the Destination Dawgs graduation celebration this afternoon at the Delta Innovation Hub from 4-6 p.m.

I’d like to encourage all of you to attend events across the college. It has been a terrific way for me to meet students and get to know faculty better, showcasing what we do. In the future, I’d love to make my way around to events across the college. Please remember to post your events on the Events calendar on the FACS website. 

FACS Faculty Leadership Fellows Program

We have developed this Description and Application for the FACS Faculty Leadership Fellows Program. Please note the May 10 due date and note that it requires support from your unit head. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about this program. Please refer to the attached document for more information. 

DEIB update 

On the topic of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, I participated as a Signature Leader in the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy conference in Arlington, Virginia this month. Here’s a link to more information: https://news.uga.edu/zvonkovic-to-serve-on-conference-panel/   

I also want to suggest that all of you go to the website for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (select University of Georgia from the drop-down menu) https://www.facultydiversity.org/join   

Since UGA is an institutional member, many of the offerings are free or at a reduced rate. Their content has been very valuable to me and I always recommend them to others.  

College searches 

We are still actively searching for the faculty positions we haven’t yet completed. We also plan to have interviews for the FACS Director of Development in the next few weeks and the Director of Alumni and Annual Giving following that. The Grants Manager position is posted and we anticipate a July start date for that position. The Department Heads, Institute Director, Associate Deans and I will be working on a mentoring program early this summer and you can look for us to be introducing it in August. 

Get the Finals Scoop 

We were excited to see such a great turnout for our “Get the Finals Scoop” event last week. Hosted by the FACS Alumni Association and the SSAC, students enjoyed Kona Ice on the front lawn of Dawson as they prepare for finals. 

The full photo album is available to view here. 

FACS Convocation and UGA Commencement 

We look forward to celebrating our spring and summer graduates at FACS Convocation on May 12. 

More information on UGA Commencement can be found here. 

I hope you’ll also take some time to check out the accomplishments of some of our featured graduates. We have much to celebrate this semester! 

Upcoming Dates 

May 11 – Graduate Commencement 

May 12 – FACS Spring Convocation 

May 12 – UGA Commencement  

Sincerely,  

Anisa M. Zvonkovic 

Dean and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences 

Tags: dean's update