Dean’s Update 7/21/20
ACTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT FOR RACE RELATIONS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Several important activities are underway now across the campus, among our alumni, and throughout the USG system universities. Here is a brief update for you. Please consider your interest and talents and contact directly the leads listed to add your voice and actions. I encourage everyone to be part of the solutions as we work together for a better future.
USG: Board of Regents Chair Shailendra and Chancellor Wrigley of the University System of Georgia recently asked an advisory group to review and study the names of buildings and colleges on all USG campuses, including the University of Georgia, and report to the Board on any recommended changes. The chair of this advisory group, President Marion Ross Fedrick of Albany State University, has issued a call for input that will assist the group as it carries out this important and timely initiative. Toward this goal, the advisory group has established an online form https://www.usg.edu/naming_advisory_group to collect feedback from anyone wishing to share any thoughts or suggestions they might have.
UGA: President Morehead has assembled a Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Community to examine issues related to race, ethnicity, and community and to develop concrete recommendations that can be implemented during the coming academic year to continue to improve our campus culture and strengthen our learning environment. The Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Community will be charged with developing initiatives and actions that UGA can take to foster a more welcoming and supportive learning environment for Black and other underrepresented members of our campus community. The task force will consider strategies to build community on campus; elevate faculty, staff, and student recruitment and retention efforts; expand training and leadership development opportunities; increase fundraising in support of diversity and inclusion; and grow alumni engagement, among other areas. President Morehead is committing $1 million of private resources from the UGA Athletic Association that has been designated for institutional initiatives to implement promising ideas developed by this group. Vice President for Student Affairs Victor K. Wilson will lead this task force as chair, and the other members of the group are presented at the end of this message.
During the coming academic year, a series of facilitated discussions will provide a back drop for constructive dialogue around the difficult and complex issues such as race and racism. During the year, UGA will also celebrate the 60th anniversary of desegregation at UGA.
UGA Alumni: The UGA Alumni Association Board of Directors created a Race Relations Task Force with the purposes:
- To Listen to our student leaders and student body as well as alumni from all aspects of the social justice platform to better understand the current challenges and opportunities we have as a Board to effect positive change within the University ecosystem.
- To Discover ways that this Board can lead the discussion on social injustices that effect our current student body and implement positive messaging to assist university leadership.
- To Educate ourselves and others on the positive strides that our university continues to make on race relations, inclusion and social justice reform.
- The task force will make their recommendations on how their learnings can be implemented within the student body and alumni chapters beginning in Fall 2020. The FACS Alumni Board will engage with the UGA Alumni efforts and develop some action plans at the August meeting of our new alumni board. Alexis Morgan Randall Alexis.Morgan@uga.edu can provide you more information and welcomes your input.
UGA Development and Alumni Relations is also conducting an employee Climate Survey and asking for volunteers among the DAR employees to serve on a task force to evaluate and recommend next steps based on the survey. The goals are to think strategically about diversity, equity and inclusion, and initiatives to recruit and retain more diverse DAR staff and leadership and foster and sustain an equitable and inclusive work environment.
- : In June, an ad hoc committee was formed in the College for Social Justice, chaired by Noel Card, HDFS department head. The committee’s first meeting was 2 weeks ago. Discussions occurred concerning how broad the committee should explore and identifying target audience. Because of the racial violence we have seen across the country, race and immigration status is going to be a focus initially, but will expand as time goes. Target audience will focus within the college on faculty, staff and students. The initial FACS SJ committee members are: Noel Card; Allisen Penn, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach; Zo Stoneman, Director, Institute for Human Development and Disability; and faculty and staff Alex Anderson, FDN; Joe Goetz, FHCE; Joan Koonce, FHCE; Kethia Gates, development; and Bev Hull and Cara Simmons, SSAC. Watch for more information and updates soon.
WORKPLACE AND EMPLOYEE SAFETY UPDATE
Protect UGA is a new required training module all faculty and staff must complete before returning to campus on or by August 10, 2020. The training is available in UGA’s Professional Educational Portal PEP and provides faculty and staff with information about the measures UGA is implementing to create a safe and healthy environment.
Regarding face-coverings: Effective July 15, 2020, University System of Georgia (USG) institutions will require all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear an appropriate face covering while inside campus facilities/buildings where six feet social distancing may not always be possible. Face covering use will be in addition to and is not a substitute for social distancing. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons.
The Governor’s July 15th Executive Order contains a new provision suspending any state, county, or municipal law, order, ordinance, rule, or regulation that requires face coverings. Consistent with interpretation from the Governor’s office, the USG’s face covering guidance does not fall into one of these categories and therefore is not suspended. Face coverings are required inside campus facilities/buildings where six feet social distancing may not always be possible.
Signage: UGA Marketing and Communications has created Back to Campus signage templates for use in our spaces utilizing the "Georgia Strong. Dawg Strong" branding. You can access those files here: https://digitalarch.uga.edu/portals/aihdsc88/Back_to_Campus_Fall_2020
In addition, we have created two easily editable Word documents utilizing this same branding for internal use only. These easily editable files may be used for classroom capacity signage, for example. You can find these files on the FACS website at https://www.fcs.uga.edu/faculty_staff_resources/policies-and-procedures#continuity
Please note these files are for internal use only. Any use of these marks for merchandise will require prior written approval from the UGA Trademarks office.
Contact for more information: Cal Powell, Communications Director
Building hours:
Dawson Hall
Phase Two (July 20) – 8 am to 5 pm
Phase Three (Aug 10) – 7 am – 7 pm
Barrow Hall
Phase Two (July 20) – 8 am to 5 pm
Phase Three (Aug 10) – 8 am to 5 pm
Charles Schwab FP Center
Phase Two (July 20) – Keycard Only
Phase Three (Aug 10) – 8 am to 5 pm
USDA GRANTS
The news of the release of AFRI Foundational grants with an estimated total program funding of $290Mil is worth reminding everyone in the College. The expected number of awards is 500. Contact Michael McGough, Grants Coordinator, for more information and an early start of your proposals.
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Foundational and Applied Science
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=328182
The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The six priority areas are:
- Plant Health and Production and Plant Products;
- Animal Health and Production and Animal Products;
- Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health;
- Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment;
- Agriculture Systems and Technology; and
- Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.
Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this Request for Applications (RFA). See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific details.
Click on “Related Documents” on the grants.gov listing to see the new RFA, as it has yet to be posted on the NIFA website.
FY20 FISCAL END OF YEAR UPDATES
FY20 ended June 30 and year-end summary reports are available now. This is often the time to celebrate, and/or better understand how the numbers and data reflect our collective efforts.
First, let’s celebrate the successful end of the comprehensive campaign Commit to Georgia and the fundraising success https://give.uga.edu/uga-completes-historic-fundraising-campaign/. More than 175,488 donors contributed $1.45 billion, and those gifts are already enhancing our present and future. UGA donors created thousands of new scholarships, including 528 Georgia Commitment Scholarships since the endowed need-based aid program launched in 2017. The campaign also created over 900,000 square feet of new learning and activity space and nearly 100 endowed faculty positions. One of the campaign’s goals was to “solve the grand challenges of our state and world.” Since March, we have been face-to-face with several such challenges. While there is still much work to be done, the campaign has positioned the university to address these pressing issues head-on, and the campaign’s success proves that with the support of UGA’s alumni and friends, no goal is out of our reach.
The College met our $10Mil goal, raising $10.1Mil over the past seven years. Congratulations!
Second, Sponsored Projects and grants were down at fiscal year-end, likely impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions. Comparing FY20 with FY19 year-end, the total amount of grants submitted in the College in FY20 was $11,128,574, down from the previous year of $14,241,323. The total expenditures were also down as we closed out the year, likely impacted by the inability to travel and reduced payroll since human subjects research was curtailed. We closed the year with FY20 expenditures of $11,027,342 compared to FY19 expenditures of $11,646,381. I’ll let you know how the University closed out the year when we receive updated news across the campus.
Watch for more updates when the online FACS Magazine is released in August.
SCHEDULE (Dean’s travel and purpose during the next two weeks):
- Remote work contact: 706-224-6086 (cell call or FaceTime)
- The next Dean’s “Coffee Hour” Zoom meeting will be August 6, 1:00 pm.
- The next Dean’s Update will be the week of August 10, or earlier.
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.