2026-27 Aspire Fellows
- Application deadline: Friday, May 15 at noon
In the Aspire Fellows cohort program, mid-career and senior faculty members will engage in reflective practices to plan for the next phase of their careers. Fellows will build on their existing successes and strengths to create and complete a signature project that will extend their professional impact. To support this project, each Fellow will formulate and adopt an individual professional development plan and engage in a series of workshops that augment skills, including project management, leadership, and communication. The program fosters strong community connections across the University and empowers seasoned faculty to navigate their role in the complex higher education landscape.
Program time commitment is from August 2026 to April 2027. Participants agree to devote approximately six hours per month. Further, participants will affirm that they can attend the scheduled meetings.
Apply through the program application.
Fall 2026 Creating a Sustainable Writing Practice
- Application deadline: Thursday, June 11 at 5 p.m.
The Creating a Sustainable Writing Practice (CSWP) cohort program will take your writing skills and habits to the next level. Participants will enjoy camaraderie with and accountability from fellow writers during regular writing sessions. At the Planning for Productivity Sessions at the beginning and end of the semester, the cohort will learn about and try out various planning tools and productivity strategies. At the Writing and Accountability Sessions every two weeks, the cohort will meet online to set goals and share progress, challenges, and successes. The rest of the time, participants will work on their own writing projects, and we’ll hold each other accountable by writing together during these body doubling sessions.
- Instructional team: This program is facilitated by Lindsey Harding, director of the UGA Writing Intensive Program, and Sara Steger, assistant director of First-Year Writing.
- Participants and application: All faculty are welcome. We invite faculty new to this program and faculty who have previously participated.
Apply through the program application.
- Nomination deadline: Friday, April 10
The Mary Frances Early College of Education Faculty Senate Steering Committee encourages you to consider nominating yourself to serve on one of the committees below for a two-year term beginning fall 2026. Nominations will be collected and, where appropriate based on Senate operating procedures, members will be selected through a College-wide vote. Faculty can serve on two concurrent committees.
- Academic Appeals: This committee hears and acts upon academic appeal cases that cannot be resolved at the department level. One seat in the five-person committee is open. All departments are eligible for nominations. Department heads are not eligible to serve.
- Scholarships: This committee assists in the review and selection of recipients for scholarships awarded by the College. Four seats in the five-person committee are open. All departments except Communication Sciences and Special Education (which already has representation) are eligible for nominations.
- Awards: This committee selects nominees and/or recipients for awards in teaching, research, and service sponsored by the College and the University. Former award winners are strongly encouraged to serve on the committee. Four seats in the five-person committee are open. All departments except Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education (which already has representation) are eligible for nominations.
- Promotion and Tenure: This committee considers faculty applications for promotion and tenure and makes recommendations to the dean according to the standards and procedures described in the University of Georgia’s Guidelines for Appointment, Promotion and Tenure. Three seats for faculty who hold the rank of professor are open. Department heads, associate deans, and faculty who are serving on the University Promotion and Tenure committee are not eligible to serve. All departments except Counseling and Human Development Services; Kinesiology; and Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education (which already have representation) are eligible for nominations.
Please indicate your interest by completing this form.
2026 Well-Being Fair
- Date: Wednesday, April 29
- Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Location: Tate Student Center Grand Hall
The University of Georgia benefits and well-being team is proud to introduce the inaugural UGA Well-Being Fair, a dynamic event designed to support faculty and staff in every dimension of well-being. This interactive experience goes beyond a traditional resource expo. It’s an opportunity to explore practical tools, connect with campus and community partners, and invest in your overall well-being all in one place.
Spring 2026 Staff Appreciation Celebration
- Date: Tuesday, May 19
- Time: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
- Location: Stegeman Coliseum (register today)
Photos of UGA staff will be featured during the event as a way to celebrate and recognize our community. Submit photos of staff by Wednesday, May 6 so that they can be included in the celebration.
PreventT2 program to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes
UGA Extension is accepting registration for upcoming cohorts of the PreventT2 program. The PreventT2 program offers a proven approach to preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes through modest lifestyle changes made with the support of a coach and a group of peers. Participants learn how to make nutritious food choices, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes. PreventT2 groups meet for a year—weekly for the first six months, then once or twice a month for the second six months to maintain healthy lifestyle changes. The meetings are one hour in length.
Upcoming cohorts and meeting times are listed below; please contact the coach at the email listed to request to join their group:
- Coaches: Nancy Adams, FACS extension agent for Gilmer County; and Michelle Quick, FACS extension agent for Glynn County
- Coach: Amanda Harner, FACS extension agent for Monroe County
- Email: Amanda.Harner@uga.edu
- Start date: Thursday April 23; meetings are Thursdays from noon-1 p.m.
- Info session: Thursday, April 16 at noon on Zoom (contact Amanda to register for info session)
- Coaches: Angelica Davis, FACS extension agent for Bartow County; and Zoe Soltanmammedova, FACS extension agent for Cobb County
- Email: Angelica.Bridges@uga.edu
- Start date: Tuesday May 5; meetings are Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-noon
- Info session: Tuesday, April 14 at 11 a.m. on Zoom
Join the Department of Educational Psychology’s monthly virtual brown bag session to explore how we move strong ideas, interventions, and innovations from research into real-world practice. Together, we will learn more about the field of implementation science and how it can guide our research and practice.
This session is designed for anyone who:
- Studies and designs interventions
- Works with schools, families, or communities
- Is frustrated when “what works” doesn’t get adopted, sustained, or scaled
- Wants their research or practice to have real-world impact
This event is open to graduate students and faculty. No experience with implementation science is required.
Olivia Lempner (B.S.Ed. ’26) pursues her interest in exercise and sport science through her involvement with the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology Lab, as well as Exercise is Medicine at UGA, a student organization that promotes community and the importance of physical activity and exercise around campus. She served the latter as director of event planning and executive director.
Lempner joined the Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology Lab in March 2024 and said the experience has been a highlight of her time at UGA.
“Throughout my time in the lab, I have gained more and more confidence in my abilities to be a great researcher. I believe that this experience has made me feel the most prepared for my master’s program,” she said.
Read the full story on our website.
Hill, Nicolaides receive Outstanding Mentoring Award
Janette Hill, a professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, and Aliki Nicolaides, a professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy, received the Outstanding Mentoring Award at the 2026 Graduate School Honors Luncheon last week.
Hill received the award for mentorship in professional and applied sciences. She is faculty in the College’s learning, design, and technology program and a professor of interdisciplinary biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine whose research interests focus on learner-centered environments from a social constructivist frame.
Nicolaides, who received the award for mentorship in social and behavioral sciences, is a professor of adult learning and leadership whose research centers on exploring the intra-active dynamics of learning that generate personal and societal transformation. She cofounded the College’s Generative Learning and Complexity Laboratory and is president and a founding steward of the International Transformative Learning Association.
Doctoral students recognized in UGA’s top 100 student employees list
Congratulations to AI4STEM Education Center’s Jennifer Kleiman and Ying Zhang for being recognized in UGA’s top 100 student employees of 2026 for their outstanding contributions and achievements.