For the past four years, UGA (University of Georgia) has kept their goal of developing new presidential hiring initiatives focused on enhancing the learning environment for students.  

According to an article by Online Athens, under UGA President Jere Morehead, the university called this year’s initiative the “Investing in the Student Experience,” aimed at hiring 25 new faculty and staff members.
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"At the heart of the University of Georgia is an unrelenting commitment to excellence in teaching and learning- it is our first principle," Morehead expressed in a UGA news article. "This exciting new initiative represents the latest in a series of strategic investments to elevate-even higher-the academic experiences of our students."

The focus is recruiting outstanding teachers and staff members in the academic disciplines to combat the spike in growth due to student demand.

In recent years, UGA has not only seen an increase in the number of incoming freshmen but also the high academic averages that come with them.

The latest numbers show that many new incoming students have an average 4.0 GPA and an ACT score of 30.

The newly implemented initiative will help the latest crop of students reach their academic goals in majors such as computer science, management information systems, finance, financial planning, engineering, statistics, biology, biochemistry/molecular biology, and international affairs/political science.
"One of the things that sets the University of Georgia apart is our deep commitment to providing students with the types of learning opportunities that help them thrive during their time on campus and after graduation," said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. "The Investing in the Student Experience hiring initiative builds on that history, and I look forward to welcoming our new faculty members and academic advisors to campus."


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It was a great trip back home for the University of Georgia’s Bulldog football team whose fourth quarter field goal nipped Notre Dame’s fighting Irish, 20-19.
 
This past Saturday night, Sept.9, at South Bend, Indiana, the Dawgs’ (2-0) constant resilience paid off when redshirt sophomore kicker Rodrigo Blankenship hit the eventual game-winning field goal from 30 yards out with a little over three minutes left in the contest.
 
Kirby Smart, Dawgs’ head coach, could be seen after the game a little speechless when he spoke to NBC media.
 
They chopped and they chopped and they chopped, Kirby told the press.
 
It was a seesaw battle throughout the first half with neither offense making much of a statement.
 
With the score tied at three points, the Irish managed to sneak in a touchdown score on running back Brandon Wimbush’s one yard run.
 
Six minutes later UGA’s wider receiver Terry Goodwin made an incredible leaping five-yard touchdown grab from starting quarterback Jake Fromm.
 
Goodwin finished the night with two receptions for 36 yards and the one score.  Fromm went 16-for-29 for 141 yards a touchdown, and one interception.
 
The tie ball game lasted all but two more minutes when the host’s kicker Justin Yoon connected on a 42-yard field goal.
 
After the half, the Irish increased their lead after Yoon made his third field goal from 37 yards out for a 16-10 lead.
 
Sony Michel, UGA’s tail back, would put the road team up with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown run before Blankenship’s final game winning field goal.
 
Michel led his squad with 73-rushing yards on 13 attempts. His counterpart Nick Chubb finished with 63 yards on 13 carries.
 
The Dawgs are back home this Saturday, when they welcome the 2-0 Bulldogs of Samford University.

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As reported in the Athens Banner-Herald, Athens Academy is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The academy was created because of a small group of parents who saw a need for their children to be challenged more than they were in the public-school system. The committee who helped the school come to fruition included John Wilkins III, John “Buck” Griffin, Dr. Harvey Cabaniss, Tommy Tillman, Harold Beasley and Mary Erwin.

Athens Academy Head of School John Thorsen said that this group formed a school that began with 12 teachers and 147 students.

Having first started out at a farmhouse at Hawthorne Avenue and Jefferson Road, it was not until 1970 when J. Swanton Ivy donated 105 acres off U.S. Highway 441 inside Oconee County that would become the future location for the academy.

The first headmaster was Ronnie Griffeth, and in 1975, the school hired its first football coach, Mike Castronis.

In the 1990s, thanks to the efforts of Robert Chambers and Reinhard Mohn, the school houses the Bertelsmann Media Center, which offers the latest innovations in technology and education.

The school also acquired a new Science & Art Building and the Harrison Center for Arts and Preschool.
And just recently the academy added the Chambers Center, a new administration building named for Robert Chambers, who was the school’s headmaster from 1983 until he retired in 2013.

The new administration building is a 14,500-square-foot office space which provides space for receptions, gatherings and meetings.

“It’s excellent,” Thorsen told the paper about the Chambers Center. “Everyone who has come in has been very pleased. The thing I love about it is we have a lot of student traffic in here every day.”

​Throughout the years, many notable graduates had their beginnings at the academy, including Secretary of State Brian Kemp, professional golfer Vicki Goetze, Aaron Rental’s CEO John Robinson, Landmark Properties CEO Wes Rogers and actress Mallory Moye.
 
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