Thomas Mote (submitted photo)
The University of Georgia’s Office of Instruction welcomed Thomas Mote to its leadership team as associate vice president for instruction.
Mote, Distinguished Research Professor in geography, previously served as special advisor to the vice president for instruction and joins the office with an extensive background as an educator and researcher.
“I am looking forward to all we can accomplish in the Office of Instruction in this exciting time of new opportunities,” Mote said. “In my work in the Franklin College and Office of Instruction, I have been focused on providing opportunities to students, specifically first-generation, transfer and students facing financial challenges. I am excited to have the opportunity to lead new initiatives and work with our academic units dedicated to student success.”
Before joining the Office of Instruction, Mote most recently served as associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, where he led the Division of Physical and Mathematical Sciences for seven years. Prior to this, Mote was head of the geography department, and he was the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Atmospheric Sciences.
In the dean’s office, Mote managed Franklin College’s instructional budget and summer programs, implemented an expansion of the Small Class Size Initiative and the Initiative to Enhance the Student Experience and implemented new graduate scholarship and fellowship programs.
Mote has been actively involved with campus-wide initiatives, including serving as chair of the university task force on low-cost course materials, which led to the Affordable Course Materials Grant program, and as a member of the Provost’s Task Force on the Future of Computer Science, which resulted in the founding of the School of Computing.
Mote was appointed Distinguished Research Professor in 2016 in recognition of his long record of scholarship in climate science. He is most noted for his research involving the impacts of changing climates on the Greenland ice sheet, and he has received significant grant funding for his research, including from NSF, NASA, NOAA and the U.S. Navy. Mote has been elected as a fellow by the American Meteorological Society and the American Association of Geographers, and he is a former Fulbright Fellow to Brazil.
In his new role, which was effective March 1, Mote oversees the Office of Academic Advising Services, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office for Student Success and Achievement and the Office of Service-Learning, which is jointly supported by the Office of Instruction and the Office of Public Service and Outreach. Mote is leading the expansion of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP-R) initiative, which connects undergraduate researchers and their mentors with graduate students, postdoctoral associates and faculty to collaborate on research projects.
“Tom joins our team with an outstanding career of stewardship and innovation benefiting students, faculty, and staff across the University of Georgia,” said Marisa Pagnattaro, vice president for instruction and senior vice provost for academic planning. “I am inspired by all we can achieve together in the Office of Instruction with Tom’s experience and leadership.”
Mote earned his doctorate in geography from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994, when he joined UGA’s geography department. He is also a recipient of the Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award and the Outstanding Faculty Adviser award from Franklin College.
