Twenty-one proposals have been funded through the New Approaches to Promote Diversity and Inclusion grants program, which was announced in August 2017 by UGA President Jere W. Morehead.
A total of $300,000 was awarded. The $10,000 to $25,000 grants will be used for the development or adoption of new projects that support the recruitment, retention and success of underrepresented, underserved and first-generation students at UGA.
“The range of activities reflected in the New Approaches proposals is truly exciting. These projects will enable us to address a range of challenges confronting our underserved, underrepresented and first-generation students. They allow us to support students and communities across the state of Georgia in new ways,” said Michelle Garfield Cook, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and strategic university initiatives. “The investment of our faculty and staff in this grant opportunity reflects our institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion. It also sends a clear message that the University of Georgia values our students and that we seek to ensure that they are successful in their academic endeavors.”
The program received 39 proposals from units across campus that were reviewed by a six-member committee charged by Cook and Arthur Tripp Jr., assistant to the president.
The recipients and topics of the winning proposals are:
• Thomas Chase Hagood; Division of Academic Enhancement, Office of Instruction; $24,000; “Early Start | Early Success.”
• Danelle Vitale and Veronica Pennington; College of Pharmacy, College of Veterinary Medicine; $22,500; “DawgTrails: Follow the Trail to Become a Future Pharmacy or Veterinary Medicine Professional.”
• Jenna Jackson and Gregory Roseboro; Office of Admission, School of Law; $22,200; “The Benham Scholars Program.”
• Brittani L. Harmon and Mark Wilson; Department of Health Policy and Management, dean’s office, College of Public Health; $21,500; “CPH Pre-Collegiate Summer Institute (PCSI).”
• Hemant K. Naikare, Moges Woldemeskel, Rebecca Wilkes, Ian Hawkins, Lee Jones, Eman Anis; Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine; $20,500; “Opportunities to explore Veterinary Career Options with special emphasis on Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostics.”
• Vivia E. Hill-Silcott and Deborah Elder; Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; $17,500; “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion through Academic Coaching: A Strategy to Increase PharmD. Student Retention.”
• Matthew Auer; School of Public and International Affairs; $16,000; “Emerging Leaders Internship Program.”
• Juan A. Jarrett and Adrianna Creech; Human Resources; Office of Vice President for Finance and Administration; $15,000; “Creating a Foundation for Success: Career Centric Mentorship.”
• Krista Capps; Odum School of Ecology; $14,800; “Enhancing Human Diversity in the Pursuit of Research in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Science at UGA.”
• Marisa Anne Pagnattaro; dean’s office, Terry College of Business; $13,000; “Developing Diverse Talent for the Global Workplace.”
• Suzanne Barbour and Shirelle Hallum; Graduate School, University Health Center; $13,000; “Health Coaching for Graduate Student Success.”
• Gabriel J. Jimenez-Fuentes; Office of Institutional Diversity; $10,000; “RISE Scholars Program.”
• Velma Zahirovic-Herbert and Sopha Anang; Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, College of Family and Consumer Sciences; $10,000; “Advising and Mentoring Minority Students for Success (AMMSS) Program.”
• Vicki Michaelis and Welch Suggs; Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; $10,000; “UGA-Grady High School Sports Broadcast Program.”
• Naomi Norman and Judy Iakovou; Office of Instruction; $10,000; “The Pioneer Project: Outreach to Underrepresented and First-Generation Students.”
• Ben Thomas and Joachim Walther; College of Engineering; $10,000; “Recruitment of local underrepresented group through local STEM clubs with undergraduate mentors from the UGA chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).”
• Robert Baffour and Joachim Walther; School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering; $10,000; “Expanding Diversity in STEM through a Recruitment, Preparation, and Outreach Program for African-American Community in the Atlanta Metro Area.”
• Rosa Arroyo Driggers and Jonathan Brunson; Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Instruction; $10,000; “GearUp4HighSchool.”
• Kecia Thomas and Anneliese A. Singh; Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education; $10,000; “Creating Inclusive Environments in STEM and STEM Education.”
• Kay Kelsey; Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; $10,000; “Bridging Two Nations: Connecting Navajo Nation with University of Georgia through Sa’a naghi bik’e hozho Recruitment Workshop.”
• Swarn Chatterjee and Sheri Worthy; Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, College of Family and Consumer Sciences; $10,000; “Building Capacity for a Diverse and Inclusive Graduate Program in the Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics.”