UGA named to President’s Honor Roll for distinguished community service

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia recently was named to the first President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished community service. This award recognizes extraordinary volunteer efforts by the school and its students to serve area neighborhoods and Gulf Coast communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

UGA and 140 other institutions of higher education were named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for Hurricane Relief among the nearly 500 schools named to the President’s Honor Roll for other areas of community service at the Campus Compact 20th Anniversary in mid-October. Schools receiving distinguished service recognition provided exceptional community service over the past year, contributing their time, resources, energy, skills and intellect to serve America.

"I have never been more proud of the UGA community than I was in the response to those in need in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "One of the most important components of a UGA education is an understanding that we are obligated to serve our communities, and UGA students, faculty and staff answered that call in heroic fashion."

In addition to setting up and staffing two shelters for 609 evacuees and pets and participating in fundraising activities, UGA faculty, staff and students utilized their discipline-specific skills to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Faculty and students from the Department of Psychology, College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the School of Social Work collaborated with the Athens Area Crisis Response Team to provide psychological and social counseling to evacuees. Representatives from the School of Social Work also formed case management teams to assist evacuees by providing referrals to core services such as relocation planning, housing and medical resources.

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences sent a team to Mississippi to make agricultural damage assessments, load and unload supply trucks and oversee livestock carcass disposal and care of animals.

Consultants from the UGA Small Business Development center helped the Mississippi SBDC provide assistance with business disaster recovery and disaster loans.

Opal Haley, director of UGA’s Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, said, “In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, emergency planners and citizens across the country learned much about how major disasters can impact individuals and resources located far from the scene. UGA students, faculty and staff demonstrated their readiness to respond in a crisis and we are very pleased with the outcome. This additional recognition for all who participated in UGA’s Katrina relief efforts is greatly appreciated.”

UGA established an Office of Service-Learning in July 2005 to promote a culture of civic engagement by supporting service-learning scholarship and community-based partnerships. The Office is jointly supported by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.

“The University of Georgia is a large, complex institution. The Office of Service-Learning serves as a portal for faculty and community members to partner in creating opportunities for students to apply their academic learning to community needs,” said Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach.

The Office of Service-Learning works closely with other units on campus, such as Volunteer UGA, to increase awareness of the contributions that students and faculty members make to communities.

“UGA has set a strong example for college-level civic engagement,” said Stephen Goldsmith, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that works to foster a culture of volunteering and service in America. “Many people and communities have been improved because the University of Georgia and its students identified some of society’s most pressing needs and got involved.”

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is co-sponsored by the Corporation, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The recognition is presented in cooperation with Campus Compact, a national coalition of nearly 1,000 college and university presidents, and supported by all the major national higher education associations.

Writer: Wendy Jones, 706/542-6927, wfjones@uga.edu