Athens, Ga. – Hiram Abdullah, a professional associate in the College of Education’s Office of Information Technology, developed the winning design in the college’s recent Centennial Logo Design Contest.
The contest is just one of the first steps in preparation for a year-long celebration that will officially begin June 13 and kick off a year of special events and commemorations recognizing the history and achievements of those who studied and worked at UGA’s College of Education over the past century.
The college-wide contest drew 41 entries from 18 contestants that included faculty, staff and students. A panel of judges from the college’s leadership, faculty, technology and communications offices selected the winning design and two runners-up.
The two runners-up were Jennifer Wooten, a Ph.D. student in language and literacy education, and Winnie Smith, an administrative assistant in the dean’s office.
“We are delighted by the number of creative and solid entries and are very proud of our talented faculty, staff and students who entered this contest,” said Karen Watkins, associate dean for research and external affairs.
Abdullah, who received his B.S. degree in computer science from North Carolina Central University, joined the College of Education in 2005 as the media services manager. He provides instructional technology support to COE faculty, staff and students.
“In developing the design, my goal was to create a synergy between old and new, merging traditional with contemporary. Since the logo is a celebration of a milestone for the college, I thought it was important to incorporate a modern twist on something familiar so the image is centered on the Arch, a timeless icon of the university,” said Abdullah. “The logo is symbolic of academia in general – where there is a constant influx of new ideas around a constant theme, a quest for knowledge and growth. During the creative process, I considered more complex motifs but kept the lines of the logo clean enough so that the image could have universal applications such as on a brochure or t-shirt.”
Abdullah was awarded a $500 cash prize for his winning design. Smith and Wooten received $50 cash prizes for their designs.
The College of Education’s centennial logo will be used on publications, Web sites, T-shirts, golf shirts and a wide variety of other items during its centennial year of 2008.
The College of Education was authorized by the University of Georgia System Board of Trustees on June 13, 1908 and its first home was Peabody Hall, located at the southern end of the quad on North Campus. The building, which opened in 1913, was built with funds UGA received from the George Peabody Fund.
The College’s first dean was Thomas Jackson Woofter, who was instrumental in developing Georgia’s first teacher preparation programs. He also helped pioneer an effective system of county school supervision for the state and proposed the establishment of a State Board of Education, which was passed by the Georgia Legislature in 1911.
