University of Georgia

About the University of Georgia

The University of Georgia, founded in 1785, also referred to as UGA or simply Georgia, is an American public Land-grant, Regional Sun Grant, National Sea Grant, and National Space Grant research university. Its primary location is a 762-acre (3.08 km2) campus adjacent to the college town of Athens, Georgia, approximately an hour's drive from the global city of Atlanta. It is a flagship university that is ranked tied for 18th overall among all public national universities in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The university is classified in the highest ranking, "R-1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity", with the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifying the student body as "More Selective," its most selective admissions category. The university has been labeled one of the "Public Ivies," a publicly funded university considered to provide a quality of education comparable to those of the Ivy League.

The university was founded in 1785 as the United States' first state-chartered university and the birthplace of the American system of public higher education. Its historic North Campus is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a designated historic district. The contiguous campus areas include rolling hills, gardens, and extensive green space including nature walks, fields, shrubbery, and large and varied arboreta. Close to the contiguous campus is the university's 58-acre Health Sciences Campus that also has an extensive landscaped green space, more than 400 trees, and several additional historic buildings.

The university offers over 140 degree programs in a wide array of disciplines. Consisting of thirteen libraries spread across multiple campuses, the UGA Libraries rank among the nation’s best research libraries containing 4.7 million volumes and one of the nation's largest map collections. The University of Georgia is one of 126 member institutions that comprise the Association of Research Libraries.

The university is organized into seventeen schools and colleges. The university has three primary campuses. The largest one is the main campus in Athens that has 460 buildings, while the two others are located in Tifton, Georgia and Griffin, Georgia. The university has two satellite campuses located in Atlanta and Lawrenceville, Georgia. The university operates several service and outreach stations spread across the state. The total acreageof the university in 30 Georgia counties is 41,539 acres (168.10 km2). The university also owns a residential and research center in Washington, D.C., and three international residential and research centers located at Oxford University in Oxford, England, at Cortona, Italy, and at Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Varsity and intramural student athletics are an integral part of student and alumni life. The University of Georgia's intercollegiate sports teams, commonly known by their "Georgia Bulldogs" nickname, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). UGA served as a founding member of the SEC in 1932. In their 121-year history, the university's varsity sports teams have won 39 national championships and 130 conference championships. The Georgia Redcoat Marching Band, the official marching band of the university, plays at sports and other events.

• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

  The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is one of 18 schools and colleges that make up the University of Georgia. Small, upper-level classes allow students to connect easily with professors. Students can study plants, animals, business, communication, teaching, food science and the environment. The college focuses on providing a safe food supply, clean environment and a better life for everyone. CAES has classrooms, laboratories and facilities on UGA campuses in Athens, Griffin and Tifton, Georgia.

• Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

  The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest, largest and most academically diverse college at the University of Georgia. In many ways, it is at the heart of UGA, the nation’s first state-chartered institution of higher education.

  The first classes were taught in 1801 in a forest clearing on what is now the University’s historic North Campus. In 1806, the first permanent brick building was constructed on campus and named Franklin College in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The building, which was later renamed Old College, is the oldest structure in Athens and houses the administrative offices of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences as well as classroom space.

  Franklin College and University of Georgia were often used interchangeably to describe the fledgling institution until 1859, when the College of Law became the second college on a campus that now boasts 16 schools and colleges.

• Terry College of Business

  As the first business school in the South, the Terry College of Business is steeped in a tradition of providing cutting-edge business education to its students. Our challenging curriculum, exceptional faculty, and close-knit alumni network ensure that Terry students are prepared to become the next generation of leaders.

  As a Top 20 public business school, we believe that hard work creates a culture of success wherein students learn to be leaders. That leadership, in turn, results in more successful careers for our students, more successful businesses in our state and in our country, and greater economic development in our communities.

  We support our faculty in their teaching and research activities. We believe in recognizing faculty for producing high quality scholarship which improves business processes and fuels firm performance. We also encourage faculty to incorporate innovative pedagogy into their courses so that our students’ curriculum is rigorous, engaging, and prepares our graduates for success when they enter the work force.

  Terry has a vast network of alumni, over 65,000 strong, who donate their time and resources to this great institution. Our alumni interact with our current students through speaking to classes, working with student clubs, serving as mentors, and providing job search assistance. Their most notable commitment to Terry can be seen in our new Learning Community and its first building, Correll Hall, which has been built exclusively with private donations.

  Our teaching, our research, and our service all reflect the core values of the Terry College of Business. Come join our future!

• Odum School of Ecology

  The Odum School’s roots date to the 1940s when namesake Eugene P. Odum came to the University of Georgia as a faculty member in zoology. In 1953 Odum published the first textbook in the field, Fundamentals of Ecology, helping to establish ecology as its own scientific discipline. In the 1950s Odum also initiated two major research programs, the Georgia Marine Biological Laboratory (later the UGA Marine Institute) on Sapelo Island and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory near Aiken, South Carolina. The Institute of Ecology, formally established in 1967, grew out of these programs. In 2007, the Institute became the Odum School, the first standalone college of ecology in the world.

  The Odum School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including the bachelor of science in ecology, bachelor of arts in ecology, doctorate in ecology (including the new Infectious Disease Ecology Across Scales interdisciplinary program in disease ecology), doctorate in integrative conservation and ecology, master of science in ecology, and master of science in conservation ecology and sustainable development. In addition, undergraduates may minor in ecology and graduate students may receive a certificate in conservation ecology.
  The ecology program at UGA is known for its rigorous coursework, interdisciplinary approach, service-learning courses and meaningful opportunities for field experience, independent research and studies abroad. Odum School graduates have gone on to successful careers in academia, government agencies, non-profit organizations, business, and many other fields.

• College of Education

  As the first chartered state university in the country in 1785, the University of Georgia has a long and distinguished history in the development and dissemination of the nation's intellectual, cultural and environmental heritage.

  The College of Education, founded in 1908, is an integral part of today's University. Perennially ranked among the nation's top research-intensive institutes, the College continues to be a center for innovative research, teaching and service projects of local, national and international interest.

  One of the largest and most diverse institutions of its kind in the nation, the College offers more than a dozen undergraduate majors and approximately 90 graduate programs leading to careers as educators, counselors, psychologists, administrators, researchers, educational and health-related specialists.

• College of Engineering

  The College of Engineering is one of the fastest growing programs at UGA and one of the fastest growing public colleges of engineering in the nation. Since our founding in 2012, enrollment has tripled to nearly 1,700 students. Students and faculty alike are attracted to our setting in a comprehensive, land-grant, research institution that’s consistently ranked among the 20 best public universities in the nation.

  Built around a model that transcends traditional academic boundaries, the College offers eight undergraduate and seven graduate degree programs. Our research is centered in three Innovation and Discovery Clusters that bring together faculty and students from a wide variety of disciplines. Experiential learning – co-ops, internships, study abroad and undergraduate research – means graduates aren’t simply prepared for the workplace, they’re prepared to lead.

• College of Environment and Design

  Landscape Architecture has been taught at UGA since 1928. The former School of Environmental Design transitioned to become the College of Environment and Design in 2001. It was the first new college at UGA since 1969. The CED provides nationally-accredited, inventive, and demanding programs in landscape architecture, historic preservation, environmental planning & design, and environmental ethics. At CED, our students cultivate not only the skills they need to work as professional designers and practitioners, but the individual passions they have to make a difference in their world.

  Students are challenged to explore their unique, individual interests and creatively problem-solve contemporary issues, working with faculty to solve community issues in design charrettes. They also interact with clients, community organizations, and planning agencies. We aim to connect our students with a large and accomplished alumni network as much as possible. Visiting professors, professionals, and lecturers provide frequent opportunities for students to network with and learn from renowned designers in a broad range of career options.

• College of Family and Consumer Sciences

  Our mission is to advance the well-being of individuals and families over their life span and strengthen communities through the generation and dissemination of knowledge, education of professionals, and provision of research-based programs.

  Guided by the signature motto “Knowledge for Real Life,” our faculty and students are responding to some of the most challenging issues facing us today. We are studying and applying the principles of design and business, the sciences and technologies to develop healthier people and thriving communities through more effective educators and a high-tech global workforce.

  The College of Family and Consumer Sciences 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.

• Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

  Founded in 1906 as the Peabody School of Forestry, the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources is committed to providing teaching, research and outreach activities related to the conservation and management of our natural resources. With 64 faculty and 100 support staff members focused in four primary areas of expertise, including fisheries and wildlife, forestry, natural resources recreation and tourism, and soil and water resources, our programs emphasize the understanding of managed ecosystems throughout Georgia and the world.

  Warnell offers a variety of degrees including a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Forest Resources, Master of Natural Resources and Doctor of Philosophy. With 328 undergraduates and 191 graduate students, we provide training for those interested in careers in natural resources management.

• Graduate School

  The Graduate School coordinates the graduate programs of all schools and colleges of the University. Matters of policy and procedure are determined by the graduate faculty through the graduate council. The graduate faculty consists of faculty members appointed by the President on the basis of productive research, effective teaching, and other creative activities. The policies adopted by the graduate council are administered by the dean of the Graduate School.

  The Graduate School administers all graduate programs of the University. It offers the Master of Arts in 35 disciplines, the Master of Science in 51 disciplines and the Doctor of Philosophy in 79 disciplines. Professional master’s degrees are available in 32 areas, and professional doctoral degrees are offered in education, music, and public health. The University also awards the Master of Education in 19 areas, the Specialist in Education in 19 areas and the Doctor of Education in 12 areas.

• Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

  Established in 1915, the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is named after legendary Atlanta journalist and University of Georgia alum, Henry Woodfin Grady (1850-1889). A child of the Civil War, Grady served as editor for the Atlanta Constitution, building the newspaper into the one of the most influential publications in the nation, using the pages to urge readers to embrace a "New South" during Reconstruction. Grady often spoke and wrote about the need for the region to shift from an agricultural economy rooted in slavery to an industrial economy rooted in education.

  The Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in advertising, entertainment and media studies, journalism and public relations, along with certificates in new media, public affairs communications and sports communication. Grady also offers several graduate master’s and doctoral degrees including MFAs in narrative fiction writing and screen writing, and a certificate in media industry research. Accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, Grady is a leader in journalism research and education. The College is home to several prominent centers and institutes, including the Peabody Awards, recognized as the most prestigious award in electronic journalism, and the National Press Photographers Association. Grady’s faculty includes internationally known researchers and respected industry professionals. Alumni include Pulitzer Prize winning journalists, Emmy Award winning producers and reporters and company CEOs.

• School of Law

• College of Pharmacy

  The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy offers the Doctor of Pharmacy professional degree. Based in Athens, Georgia and affiliated with the Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly Medical College of Georgia) in Augusta, the college admits about 145 students a year. The four-year professional program integrates classroom, laboratory and experiential training in a curriculum organized around both human physiology and disease states.

  The college also offers graduate studies in disciplines associated with pharmacotherapeutic research, clinical work, and administration.

• College of Public Health

  At the College of Public Health, we are promoting health in human populations through innovative research, exemplary education, and engaged service dedicated to preventing disease and injury within the state and around the world. Founded in 2005, the College was awarded full accreditation in June 2009 and became one of only 41 accredited colleges of public health in the nation and the only accredited college of public health in the University System of Georgia.

  The need for public health education in Georgia is great, the average age of public health workers in the state is near 50, and there are insufficient numbers of students in the pipeline to replace these workers as they enter retirement. As an accredited College of Public Health we are helping to ensure that a well-trained workforce will be available to protect our state and that ground breaking research can be conducted to prevent and better control the costs of issues such as high rates of premature death, infant mortality, infectious disease, heart disease and substance abuse.

  The College is home to four academic departments, two institutes and one center: the Department of Environmental Health Science, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the Department of Health Policy and Management, the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, the Institute for Disaster Management, the Institute of Gerontology and the Center for Global Health. By bringing together many of UGA’s research, teaching and outreach programs in the areas of health and medicine, the College of Public Health allows UGA to better address the serious disease and health problems that affect populations around the state, country and world.

  Through our Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H) programs, we are fulfilling UGA’s mission as the state’s land-grant university to train future leaders responsible for the public health and well-being of Georgians. The Dr.P.H. is a professional degree designed to train leaders in public health with the comprehensive vision and philosophy needed to address a broad spectrum of public health needs, solutions, and programs.

• School of Public and International Affairs

  Inaugurated in 2001 as the University of Georgia’s fourteenth college, the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) was formed from the existing Department of Political Science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Emerging at a critical time in US history, SPIA’s existence since 2001 has coincided with public policy challenges and threats to democratic governance.

  Now, more than ever, the nation and the world require scholars and students to focus their attention on the pressing policy and governance issues of the day. SPIA prepares undergraduate and graduate students for good citizenship and careers in public life and trains future generations of teachers and scholars in the fields of international affairs, political science, and public administration and policy.

• School of Social Work

  The School provides a great combination of academic excellence and commitment to social justice within a vibrant and friendly atmosphere. U.S. News & World Report ranks the school’s master’s degree program 38th among 217 advanced social work degree programs in the country. College Factual ranks the school’s baccalaureate program No. 13 out of 335 BSW programs nationwide.

  The school offers four degrees: Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Social Work, Master of Arts in Nonprofit Organizations and Doctor of Philosophy. The School also offers master’s level dual degrees in law, public health and divinity. The School’s funded research and study opportunities inform public policy both regionally and nationally. The doctoral program prepares social work professionals for careers in academic research settings and for practice in program evaluation and other forms of scientific research in the public and private sectors.

  The School counts among its recent successes a stellar reaccreditation by the Council on Social Work Education for the BSW and MSW programs through 2019, a high percentage of MSW graduates who score well above the national average on social work licensure exams and BSW graduates who complete their degrees with Latin honors, the endowment of two professorships as well as a School endowment that has more than tripled over the last decade, and creation of the interdisciplinary Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights.

• College of Veterinary Medicine

  The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, providing services to animal owners and veterinarians, and conducting investigations to improve the health of animals as well as people.The college benefits pets and their owners, food-producing animals, and wildlife by offering the highest quality hospital and diagnostic laboratory services. Equipped with the most technologically advanced facilities located on a university campus, the college is dedicated to safeguarding public health by studying emerging infectious diseases that affect both animal and human health.

History of the University of Georgia

Antebellum history

The University of Georgia was incorporated on January 27, 1785, by the Georgia General Assembly, which had given its trustees, the Senatus Academicus of the University of Georgia, 40,000 acres (160 km²) for the purposes of founding a "college or seminary of learning." The Senatus Academicus was composed of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees with the Georgia Senate presiding over those two boards. The first meeting of the university's board of trustees was held in Augusta, Georgia on February 13, 1786. The meeting installed its first president, Abraham Baldwin, a native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale University. Baldwin was a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and one of two Georgia delegates to sign the final document. Many features on the University of Georgia campus resemble the campus of Yale.

On July 2, 1799, the Senatus Academicus met again in Louisville, Georgia and decided that the time was right to open the university. During this meeting 633 acres (2.6 km²) on the banks of the Oconee River were chosen on which the university was to be built. This tract of land, now a part of the consolidated city–county of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, was then part of Jackson County. The meeting also established a new president of the university naming Josiah Meigs, another Yale University graduate, to the post. The first classes were held in 1801, in what was called the Franklin College, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The first graduating class graduated on May 31, 1804.

The Senatus Academicus convened for the last time in Dothan, Georgia, from November 3, 1859, through November 5, 1859, after which it was replaced with a Board of Trustees which reported to the Georgia General Assembly which is composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate.

Civil War era

During the American Civil War, the university closed in October 1863 and reopened in January 1866 with an enrollment of 78 students including veterans using an award of $300 granted by the General Assembly to injured soldiers younger than 30. In the same year, the legislature appropriated $2,000 for the creation of a College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. This was the result of the Morrill Act which was used to create land grant colleges across the nation. The agricultural department of the university opened on May 1, 1872. A portion of the funds were used to establish a branch of the agricultural department in Dahlonega, Georgia which developed into North Georgia College, which in turn became the University of North Georgia after a 2013 merger. The Military Department of the university was abandoned in the years following the Civil War, but its campus at Milledgeville, including the former state capital building, became Georgia Military College.

20th century

With students limited to white males for the first century of its history, University of Georgia began educating white female students during the summer of 1903. White women were not admitted as full-time undergraduates until 1918. However, at that time only junior college transfers majoring in Home Economics were integrated. Before admission of white women to the university, several white women were able to complete graduate degrees through credit earned during the summer sessions. The first white woman to earn such a degree was Mary Lyndon. She received a Master of Arts degree in 1914. Mary Ethel Creswell earned the first undergraduate degree in June 1919, a B.S. in Home Economics. Two UGA dormitories are named after these graduates: Creswell Hall and Mary Lyndon Hall.

The first Phi Beta Kappa chapter in the state of Georgia was founded at UGA in 1914. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization in America. Phi Kappa Phi, the oldest all-discipline honor society, had a chapter founded at the university in 1923. A chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa was founded at UGA in 1935. Omicron Delta Kappa is regarded as one of the highest collegiate honors that can be awarded to an individual, along with Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa.

The university's dean of the College of Education in 1941, Walter Cocking, was fired by Georgia governor Eugene Talmadge in the Cocking affair.

Racial integration was achieved in 1961, with the admission of Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter after notable tension with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2001, on the fortieth anniversary of their having first registered for classes, the university renamed a prominent campus building in their honor: Holmes-Hunter Academic Building. Although Hunter and Holmes were the first African-American students to matriculate at the university, Mary Frances Early was the first African-American graduate by earning her master's (MMEd) in music education in 1962. In 1963, Chester Davenport became the first African-American admitted to the UGA School of Law and its first African-American graduate (LL.B. 1966). A decade later, Sharon Tucker was the first female African-American law graduate, earning her J.D. in 1974.

21st century

In 2003, the University of Georgia was the only public university in North America with winners of the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman and Goldwater Scholarships in the same year. In 2014-15 the university was among only seven universities nationwide with recipients of all three major national undergraduate scholarships: the Goldwater, Truman and Udall. UGA is ranked fifth among the nation’s universities for the production of Fulbright U.S. Scholars.

As of 2016, 24 UGA students have been named Rhodes Scholars including Eugene T. Booth and Hervey M. Cleckley, with five of the scholarships awarded since 2008.

In 2011-2012, the University of Georgia was one of only four institutions in the U.S. with the maximum of four Goldwater Scholars; one of only two universities with three Udall Scholars, and one of only four universities with at least five Boren Scholars. UGA students also garnered a Marshall Scholarship and 17 Fulbright Scholarship offers, placing the university among the top tier of academic institutions with regard to national awards. A 2016 Marshall Scholar was the sixth UGA student to earn the award since 2003. The Marshall Scholarship is one of the most selective scholarships available to postgraduates.

At the same time, alumni were well represented, as a UGA alumna garnered the coveted MacArthur "Genius" Grant for the second time in three years (Beth Shapiro in 2009 and A.E. Stallings in 2011). More than 40 University of Georgia graduates won national academic scholarship offers in 2011-2012, among them was one Marshall Scholarship, four Goldwater Scholarships, three Udall Scholarships, five Boren Scholarships, 17 Fulbright Scholarships, and 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships.

The national college rankings place UGA among the top 20 of all public universities in America and a top 10 best value.

The University of Georgia is designated as a Land-grant, a regional Sun Grant, a National Sea Grant and a National Space Grant university. UGA's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication awards the George Foster Peabody Awards, which are presented annually for excellence in television and radio news, entertainment and children's programming. The university also presents the annual Delta Prize for Global Understanding, which recognizes individuals or groups whose initiatives promote peace and cooperation among cultures and nations. The university has an extensive network of student activities that center around academic, religious, social, political and fraternal organizations.

The university has significantly expanded its program offerings in the recent years. In 2001, two new colleges were created, the College of Environment and Design and the School of Public & International Affairs. In 2005, the College of Public Health was established. In 2007 the Odum School of Ecology was opened, the first standalone college dedicated to the study of ecology and environmental science. In 2010 UGA partnered with the only public medical school in Georgia, the then Medical College of Georgia to create the UGA-MCG Medical Partnership, and in the summer of 2012, the College of Engineering was established to consolidate the several engineering programs housed in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and in the Institute of the Faculty of Engineering. The University of Georgia has continued to foster a global community through comprehensive study abroad programs. Open Doors 2015 ranked UGA 11th for most students studying abroad, a jump from 17th in 2012-13. Asian enrollment at the university has increased by 50% since 2005. Hispanic enrollment has increased 8% from 2011 to 2012.

Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation or Recognition - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Rankings

• U.S. News & World Report has ranked the university's undergraduate program as tied for 56th overall among National Universities and tied for 18th overall among Top Public Schools in its 2017 rankings.
• The University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs was ranked 4th in the nation, while the Public Management Administration program was ranked 2nd by U.S. News & World Report in 2016.
• In 2011, the university's Terry College of Business insurance and real estate programs were ranked respectively 2nd and 4th in the nation. The management information systems program was ranked 10th, while accounting program was ranked 16th in the nation. The general undergraduate program was ranked 28th, and the Terry College MBA program ranks 19th among public institutions (No. 36 overall) in the 2015 Forbes rankings. Terry's masters accounting program (MAcc) was ranked 11th in the nation by Public Accounting Report. The undergraduate accounting program was ranked 11th by Public Accounting Report. Businessweek named Terry's executive MBA program 14th in the nation.
• The School of Environment and Design was named as having the No. 1 Landscape Architecture program for undergraduates in the nation, as well as No. 3 for post-graduate studies in Landscape Architecture Schools.
• In 2007, Odum School of Ecology became the first-stand alone college or school within a university dedicated to the study of ecology and environmental science.
• The University of Georgia School of Law was ranked tied for 33rd of 201 American Bar Association approved law schools in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report rankings. The Law School has sent six clerks to serve justices of the United States Supreme Court in the last twelve years, and is 10th among all law schools in the country for the total number of federal court clerks accepted from Georgia Law.
• In 2012, American Association of Medical Colleges named UGA ranked 9th in the nation among undergraduate institutions supplying White applicants to medical school, 22nd for most African American applicants to medical school, 31st for most Asian applicants to medical school.
• The College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked 10th, and College of Pharmacy was ranked 25th in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report rankings. Two UGA pharmacy students were selected for the U.S. Navy's Health Services Collegiate Program Medical Service Corps, a selective program that this year accepted only five recipients from applicants across the country.
• For 2017 Kiplinger ranked the University of Georgia 10th in its list of the "100 Best Values in Public Colleges."
• SmartMoney, a publication by the Wall Street Journal, named UGA as 4th best salary returns on tuition, topping leading flagship universities such as University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and University of Virginia.
• The Princeton Review named the university as "Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges" which names UGA as one of the colleges designated as one of the best overall bargains based on cost and financial aid among the most academically outstanding colleges in the nation. In 2012, Princeton Review also ranked the university as 15th best campus food, 10th best college newspaper and 5th best campus health services.
• In 2012, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni included the University of Georgia in its What Will They Learn? study, which is an annual evaluation system of colleges and universities. The report assigns a letter grade to 1,070 universities based on how many of the following seven core subjects are required: composition, literature, foreign language, American history, economics, mathematics and science. The University of Georgia was one of 21 schools to receive an "A" grade, which is assigned to schools that include at least six of the seven designated subjects in their core curriculum.
• In 2013, Newsweek publication The Daily Beast named the university on its "Amazing but Overlooked: 25 Colleges You Haven't Considered But Should" listing.
• The University of Georgia has been designated a "Public Ivy" in The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities (2001) as "successfully competing with the Ivy League schools in academic rigor... attracting superstar faculty and in competing for the best and brightest students of all races."

Student life @the University of Georgia

The university has registered nearly 700 student organizations, cultural groups, intramural sport teams, religious groups, volunteer and community service programs and philanthropic groups run by both graduate and undergraduate students. Student organizations include Democratic Party and Republican Party student groups, Arch Society, student philanthropies such as UGA Heros, UGA Habitat for Humanity, UGA Miracle and UGA Relay for Life. In 2013, UGA was recognized by the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The honor is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. The 2013 designation marked the 7th consecutive year UGA was named on the honor roll.

Greek life

The university maintains one of the South's oldest Greek systems, and the fraternity and sororities maintain homes both on and off campus. There are a number secret societies that exist at the university, such as Palladia and Gridiron. A group unique to UGA is the men's secret society known as the Order of the Greek Horsemen which annually inducts five fraternity men, all leaders of the Greek system. Its purpose and function remains a closely guarded secret. The Panhellenic sororities also have a secret society known as Trust of the Pearl, which inducts five accomplished sorority women each spring.

The first Greek letter fraternity to charter at the university was Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1865, and the first sorority was Phi Mu in 1921. There are 17 sororities from the Panhellenic Council, 26 North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternities, and 8 National Pan-Hellenic Councilfraternities and sororities. Students with Greek affiliation made up 23 percent of the undergraduate student body as of 2007, including 21% of the males and 24% of the females.

In the fall semester of 1997, six women started an Asian interest sorority, Alpha Sigma Rho, which would become the first in the state of Georgia and the first in the nation. In 2000, Georgia Tech followed suit with the establishment of a chapter of Alpha Sigma Rho.

In 2005 the university announced that five fraternities on Lumpkin Street would have to be relocated by June 2008. The school plans to build academic buildings on the house sites, which the university owns and the fraternities lease. UGA offered to relocate the Lumpkin fraternities and two others to River Road (a former site of several fraternities who were moved out in the 1990s), located on East Campus. Kappa Alpha Order and Chi Phi did not take up the offer and decided to move off campus. Kappa Alpha Order moved to Hancock Street while Chi Phi built a house on Milledge Avenue. In October 2008, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Epsilon Phi and Sigma Nu broke ground for the new Greek Park located on River Road. The four new houses were completed in August 2009 for fall rush. Sigma Chi, having signed a renewable 40-year land lease with the University in 1996, continued to maintain their house next to the Zell B. Miller Learning Center. However, in fall of 2012, Sigma Chi's housing lease was up for negotiation with UGA administration. The fraternity's property was to be relocated off-campus to accommodate new academic buildings for the Terry College of Business. Construction of the new Business Learning Center began its planning phase in early 2013, ground was broken in December 2013, and its first phase was completed in July 2015. Construction for the third and final phase of the Business Learning Center is set to begin 2017 and complete in 2019.

Student housing

Housing at the university is managed by the Department of University Housing. On campus housing for undergraduate students is divided into seven communities, and for graduate students into three communities.

Reserve Officer Training Corps

The University of Georgia Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is the official officer training and commissioning program at the university. Founded in 1801, it is one of the oldest such programs in the nation.

The UGA ROTC "Bulldog Battalion" (Army) and UGA AFROTC "Flying Bulldogs" (Air Force) offers commissions for the United States Army into active duty service, the Army Reserves, or the Army National Guard; as well as into the United States Air Force. The battalion is one of the oldest in the U.S. Memorial Hall was built with funds which Georgia alumni raised following World War I and was dedicated in 1924 to those who had given their lives the war.

The Reserve Officer Training Corps offers training in the military sciences to students who desire to perform military service after they graduate. The Departments of the Army, and the Air Force each maintain an ROTC detachment on campus and each individual department has a full staff of military personnel.

Student Government Association

University of Georgia's Student Government Association (SGA) serves the campus community by addressing student concerns, promoting understanding within the college community, and administering all matters which are delegated to the student government by the university President. SGA executives make up the Student Advisory Council which is composed of Student Government Presidents from every public college or university within the University System of Georgia. The Student Advisory Council is organized to advise the Georgia Board of Regents, through the Chancellor, on issues that are important to students. The Student Government Association also offers leadership programs for entering freshman. These programs include the Freshman Forum, Freshman Focus and Freshman Board.

Student media

WGTA

WGTA is a non-commercial educational public television station having Toccoa, Georgia as its city of license. It serves several counties in northeast Georgia which are part of the Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina television market. The signal can also be seen in the extreme east-northeastern portions of the metro Atlanta media market, including Athens, Gainesville and Braselton. The station transmits its digital signal on UHF TV channel 24, and uses virtual channel 32.1. It is owned and operated by the University of Georgia.

The station broadcasts PBS World programming from Georgia Public Broadcasting, as well as local programming. Despite being in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville market, WGTA is available only on Dish Network and not available on the Upstate DirecTV feed. On cable, it is only available outside Georgia on Northland Communications' systems in Pickens and Oconee counties in South Carolina. At the beginning of October 2012, the station became available to DirecTV viewers in and around metro Atlanta.

WUGA-FM Radio WUGA-FM is the radio station run by the University of Georgia. Just before 6:00 a.m. on the morning of August 28, 1987, WUGA-FM signed on for its first day of broadcasting to Athens and the surrounding area. WUGA-FM broadcasts with 6000 watts in an "omni-directional pattern." WUGA-FM radio is the third most listened to station in Athens market out of 18 stations reported. It is the most listened to station for people with managerial, administrative or professional occupations.

The Red & Black

The Red and Black (R&B) is UGA's is an independent daily newspaper. Established in 1893 and independent of the university since 1980, The Red & Black is the largest college newspaper in Georgia and the 10th largest newspaper in the state of Georgia. Students published its first issue in tabloid format on November 24, 1893, from offices in the Academic Building on North Campus. Since then, the newspaper has grown to be widely read.

It is operationally and financially independent from the university. The paper receives no student activity fees or other funding from UGA. The paper is self-sufficient through the sale of advertising making it one of the few student newspapers to do so.

The newspaper has won numerous awards nationally. In 2012, the Princeton Review named The Red & Black 10th among the nation's best student newspapers.

It has a photos and videos division dubbed R&B-TV. R&B-TV publishes various videos relating to the University of Georgia and the community at large.

Ampersand Magazine Launched in 2011, Ampersand Magazine is a UGA monthly publication catered to Athens residents. The magazine is a subsidized by The Red and Black.

Pre-Med Magazine at UGA PreMed Magazine is a student organization that aims to help pre-medical students at the University of Georgia achieve success in the medical field. This club is open for students of all majors and concentrations. Topics range from student achievement in medicine and health science to recent innovations in biomedical sciences.

Traditions

The colors

Georgia's original colors included old gold, until the intense rivalry between Georgia Tech and Georgia around 1891 resulted in a skirmish over colors. Georgia students and alumni declared yellow an unfit color for the Georgia Bulldogs, deeming it a cowardly color. After the 1893 football game against Georgia Tech, University of Georgia President, Dr. Charles Herty, removed old gold as an official school color. Crimson (also referred to as Good old Georgia Red) and black have been the official colors ever since.

The decision to include crimson red is also thought to be a tribute to the state of Georgia and a reminder of the University's flagship status. Kaolinite, commonly referred to as "Georgia red clay" is commonly found throughout the state, especially in the Red Hills Region. The red color that is so evident in Georgia soils is due primarily to iron oxides.

The mascot

The origin of the English Bulldog representing UGA, came from Yale University, with whom UGA had strong ties in its early years. Many early buildings and campus plans followed the layout of Yale. The bulldog mascot stems from University's founding father and first president, Abraham Baldwin, who was a graduate of Yale. The Bulldogs were thought to be a tribute to Baldwin's alma mater. The term "Georgia Bulldogs" was first coined on November 3, 1920 by Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Morgan Blake. After a 0-0 tie with University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Nov. 6, 1920, Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Cliff Wheatley used the name "Bulldogs" in his story five times. The name caught on and has been used ever since.

Uga the Bulldog is the official live mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. Uga is from a line owned by Frank W. (Sonny) Seiler of Savannah, Georgia since 1956. The current line began with Uga I, a solid white English Bulldog who was the grandson of a former Georgia mascot who made the trip to the 1943 Rose Bowl. Perhaps the most famous Uga was Uga V who made appearances in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Uga V was also featured on the cover of the April 1997 edition of Sports Illustrated.

The Chapel Bell

The Chapel Bell is a historic monument and long-standing tradition of the University of Georgia. The Chapel Bell is located on the historic North Campus. Built in 1832, when Protestant orthodoxy dominated the campus region, the Chapel was a center of campus activities. A daily religious service, which students were required to attend, were held there, as were assemblies and commencements. The bell was also rung to mark the beginning and the end of class.

Over the years, the Chapel Bell has served as an athletic tradition at the University of Georgia. The ringing of the Chapel Bell after a Georgia victory is a tradition that has endured since the 1890s. In Georgia football's early days, the playing field was located only yards from the chapel, and first-year students were compelled to ring the bell until midnight in celebration of a Bulldog victory. Today, students, alumni, fans and townspeople still rush to the Chapel to ring the bell after a victory. The bell is also utilized for University meetings and events, weddings and remembrance ringing. The bell was rung in memory of victims of the September 11th attacks in 2001. After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, the University of Georgia partook in a nationwide mourning by ringing the Chapel Bell in honor of the victims of the shooting.

On Oct. 27, 2007, as tradition warrants, Georgia fans rang the Chapel Bell to celebrate the 42-30 win over archrival, the Florida Gators. The excitement caused the yoke holding the 877 lb. bell to give way, and it fell from the support platform. UGA Physical Plant has returned the bell to its historic post.

Founders Week

January 27, 1785 marked the chartering of the University of Georgia. January 27 is commemorated each year to honor UGA's place in the history of American colleges and universities. The tradition began in 2002 and is now celebrated as Founders Week. During Founders Week, a series of celebrations are hosted by various campus departments including the Student Alumni Association and the Student Government Association.

The Emeriti Scholars, a group of retired faculty members especially known for their teaching abilities and continued involvement in the university's academic life, sponsor the Founders Day Lecture. The lecture is held in the UGA Chapel and has become a Founders Day tradition, drawing alumni, students, faculty, esteemed guests and members of the community.

The Georgia Arch

The historic Georgia Arch which sits on the edge of North campus was installed in 1864. It serves as the official icon and a historic landmark for the University. Since the 1900s, tradition has held that students may not pass beneath the Arch until they have received a diploma from the University of Georgia. Those who walked under the Arch prior to graduation commencement were to said to never graduate. The tradition began when Daniel Huntley Redfearn, Class of 1910, arrived as a freshman from Boston, Georgia and vowed not to pass beneath the Arch until he had graduated. One of Redfearn's professors heard the vow and repeated it to his class, and the tradition has stood ever since. Many freshmen, learning of the tradition during orientation or from other sources still choose to honor the century-old tradition. Years of following the tradition are visible on the concrete steps leading to the Arch. Steps to each side have been worn down over the years as undergraduates have kept their vows.

The Arch has been a site of historic political demonstrations. In 1961, when UGA officials desegregated the University with the admission of its first two African-American students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. The Arch was a witness to students protesting both for and against segregation in the protesting the Persian Gulf War and a demonstration following the 1970 shootings at Kent State University. In 2001, along with the Chapel Bell, the Georgia Arch was the site of a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks.

The fight song and Alma Mater

"Glory, Glory" is the rally song for the Georgia Bulldogs. "Glory, Glory" is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". It was sung at games as early as the 1890s, but arranged in its present form by Georgia's musician-composer Hugh Hodgson in 1915. There have been many Bulldog songs through the years and at least two collections dating back to 1909 have been published, but "Glory, Glory" has been the most accepted among students and alumni. The only known original reference to the piece is in a history of the Redcoat Band written in 1962, which briefly mentions the march as "Georgia's first original school song" and notes that "all copies of the work have been lost." The document is kept in the university's Hargrett Library for rare and historic documents.

Although "Glory, Glory" is generally thought to be the school's fight song, the official fight song is "Hail to Georgia". The fight song is played by the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band after touchdowns, field goals, and extra points scored by the football team. The Georgia Redcoat Marching Band is a 375-member marching band. First directed in 1905 by R.E. Haughey, the band has only had seven directors.

The "Alma Mater" is the official school song of the University of Georgia. The "Alma Mater" was created by two students at Cornell University around 1870. The melody was taken from a melancholy ballad, "Annie Lisle", written by Boston musician H. S. Thompson in the late 1850s. Since its founding, the Cornell melody has been used by many colleges and universities including University of Georgia, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Indiana University and the University of Missouri. The song is sung at commencement and various official events of the University of Georgia.

Lyrics to the Alma Mater

From the hills of Georgia's northland
Beams thy noble brow,
And the sons of Georgia rising
Pledge with sacred vow.
'Neath the pine tree's stately shadow
Spread thy riches rare,
And thy sons, dear Alma Mater,
Will thy treasure share.
And thy daughters proudly join thee,
Take their rightful place,
Side by side into the future,
Equal dreams embrace.
Through the ages, Alma Mater,
The people will look to thee;
Thou the fairest of the world,
Georgia's Varsity.
Chorus:
Alma Mater, thee we'll honor,
True and loyal be,
Ever crowned with praise and glory,
Georgia, hail to thee.

Playing "Between the Hedges" and Sanford Stadium

Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens. The 92,746-seat stadium is the seventh largest stadium in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The stadium is the 8th largest non-racing stadium in the United States and the 14th largest such stadium in the world. The stadium played host to the Olympic medal competition of men's and women's Olympic football (soccer) at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

University of Georgia playing "Between the Hedges" is a reference to Sanford Stadium that dates back to the early 1930s. The famous Chinese privet hedges that surround Sanford's playing field were only one foot high when the stadium was dedicated in 1929 and were protected by a wooden fence. Sports writers, referring to an upcoming home game, were said to observe "that the Bulldogs will have their opponent "between the hedges." The phrase was coined by the Atlanta sportswriter Grantland Rice. Games played there are said to be played "Between the Hedges" due to the privet hedges, which had stood around the field since 1929, but removed in the summer of 1996; new, albeit considerably shorter, hedges were restored in the fall of 1996. The hedges have been dubbed Hedges II by UGA fans.

The "Dawg Walk"

The Dawg Walk is a Saturday football tradition and celebration at University of Georgia home games when UGA students and fans line up in the Tate Center parking lot to form a tunnel that greets the players and coaches as they enter Sanford Stadium. The team enters the stadium through Gate 10 at Sanford Stadium to the music of the Redcoat Marching Band. The march is often led by the team's costumed mascot Hairy Dawg.

The Dawg Walk is preceded by two show section shows. The Redcoat Sousaphones perform a warm up concert in the Tate Center assembly area, while the Redcoat Drumline performs a drumshow in the parking lot.