In observance of the University of Georgia’s 226th anniversary, Jeanne Barsanti, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita in the department of small animal medicine and surgery, will present the annual Founders’ Day Lecture on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel.
Barsanti’s talk, entitled “Animals, History and Humans,” is open free to the public.
“The talk will focus on the history of the founding of the university, the animal that was essential to that founding and the relationship of that animal to the history of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and at the University of Georgia,” Barsanti said. “The name of the animal I would like to reserve before the talk to allow a small measure of suspense.”
The annual Founders’ Day Lecture recognizes the date UGA was established in 1785, when the Georgia General Assembly adopted a charter creating the university as the country’s first state-chartered institution of higher education.
The event is sponsored by the University of Georgia Alumni Association and the Emeriti Scholars, a group of retired faculty members known for their teaching abilities who continue to be involved in the university’s academic life through part-time teaching, research and service assignments.
Graduate student Kelly Cummings will deliver the student response to Barsanti’s address. From Marietta, Cummings is a first-year student in the College of Veterinary Medicine and is planning to pursue a career in small animal medicine.
“We are honored to have Dr. Jeanne Barsanti deliver this lecture,” said Deborah Dietzler, executive director of the UGA Alumni Association. “The Founders’ Day Lecture serves not only to remind us of our state’s long-held commitment to education but also inspires us to plan toward the future.”
The lecture is part of Founders Week, a five-day series of events highlighting the university’s origins.