Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication announces the official launch of its $100 million “Centennial Campaign for Grady: Democracy’s Next Generation.”
Announced at the college’s Centennial Gala in Athens, the goal of the campaign is to secure investments and assets totaling $100 million in value by 2015, the 100th anniversary of the college’s founding.
“The Centennial Campaign will do for Grady’s next 100 years what generations of alumni, faculty and students have done to bring the college to its present stature among the best journalism and mass communication programs in the nation,” said Dean E. Culpepper Clark.
“The campaign will match resources with ambition, positioning the college for a future that honors its remarkable history and alumni,” Clark added.
Campaign priorities include building endowments for Grady’s renowned faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, acclaimed centers, institutes, and programs, and developing an enterprise zone for the teaching, research, and production resources made possible through the recently acquired WNEG-TV television license.
A distinctive feature of the campaign is that it will leverage private gifts with entrepreneurial activities through the creation of a Center for Media Democracy, of which WNEG-TV will serve as the cornerstone, Clark noted.
Announced as co-chairs of the Centennial Campaign for Grady are Maxine Clark (ABJ ’71), founder and CEO, Build-a-Bear Workshop, St. Louis, MO; Betty Hudson (ABJ ’71), executive vice-president of communications, The National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; Henry Grady III, (BBA ’84), managing director, Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey, Atlanta; and Donald A. Perry (ABJ ’74), vice-president of public relations, Chick-fil-A, Inc., Atlanta.
“Grady College is a tradition and a trust, from the McGill program to the Peabody Awards, to our students who are truly democracy’s next generation,” added Clark. “The power of media for social and public good unites us all. We begin this historic campaign to build endowment and opportunity for faculty, staff, students and alumni at Grady.”
Campaign highlights, coverage of the Centennial Gala, and information are available at www.grady.uga.edu/centennial
Gifts to the Centennial Campaign from alumni and friends may be made online at www.grady.uga.edu or by contacting the Office of the Dean at 706/542-4989.
A lead gift to the campaign was made by Delta Air Lines and announced at the gala by Grady Board of Trust president Tim Mapes, who offered for silent auction on behalf of Delta two tickets to any Delta destination in the world. The successful bid and gift to the campaign was made by Dan and Karen King of Duluth.
Established in 1915, the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers seven undergraduate majors including advertising, broadcast news, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to WNEG-TV, the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Peabody Awards, internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious prizes for excellence in electronic media. For more information, see www.grady.uga.edu.
