The assistant/associate deans and I have just finished our budget narrative for the Provost, so over the next few weeks, I will be sharing data from that report in COEfyi. The data pertain mostly to faculty, students, and budget items. Some data are from fiscal year 2024 (ended June 30, 2024) and others are from calendar year 2024.
Please view the data for students.
To prepare for the University’s change from Qualtrics to QuestionPro, the College has developed a multi-layered response to assist faculty in the transition to the University’s new data collection tool.
We ask that all users log in to their Qualtrics accounts and review the surveys they have created to determine if any can be deleted, deleted after data are downloaded, or need to be maintained (either in Qualtrics or a different tool).
To assist users during the Qualtrics transition, the College will hold multiple “Qualtrics Migration and Export” sessions in spring 2025. During these sessions, we will:
Users should check with appropriate units and sources, such as EITS, IT, IRB, etc., prior to migrating any IRB-approved research projects to free accounts to make sure they are adhering to all policies and guidelines. Before making any changes to how research data are collected/managed/stored, researchers must notify IRB.
In spring 2025, we will also provide units with a spreadsheet listing Qualtrics projects under the College’s account. Active users will be asked to indicate the status of their data collection and their plan for their project. Users will also be provided with the opportunity to download or transition the data to another survey tool.
Individual Qualtrics users with questions can submit those questions to Shayla Lee or Jason Tiller, who will be spearheading the supports for the College during this transition.
We still need volunteers to run for two seats on the Graduate Council representing the College. Thus far, we have only one nominee.
The Graduate Council performs a variety of administrative, programmatic, policy, and strategic roles for the Graduate School. The Council meets approximately monthly during the academic year.
Graduate Council (two vacancies)
To nominate yourself or someone else, please submit this form no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Please ensure anyone you nominate is willing to serve before you nominate them.
Have you ever wondered how game theory is taught? How a trombone ensemble rehearses? How the analysis of qualitative research is discussed? The Office of Instruction’s new program, Faculty 2 Faculty, gives all instructional faculty the opportunity to observe many of UGA’s most celebrated and innovative instructors in action.
There are classes in all disciplines and instructional modes, including small group discussion, large lecture, lab recitation, and music ensemble. After the class, the host will meet with the guests as a group to discuss the pedagogy. Space is limited due to room sizes, so registration is on a first come/first served basis. The window of visits is February 10-21, so please sign up soon using the attached instructions.
The spring 2025 window is open until Tuesday, April 1 for faculty and student researchers who intend to submit a proposal to the Clarke County School District (CCSD) to conduct a research project.
If this will be your first time applying, there is a required meeting to discuss the UGA IRB application submission and CCSD proposal guidance. Please contact Grace Thornton Burger to schedule a time. Experienced researchers should also contact Grace for an updated PowerPoint that provides some revised details. Researchers who need a letter of collaboration for an upcoming grant submission should also be in touch to discuss the process to request this communication.
HRSA: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals (HRSA-25-066)
The purpose of the BHWET Program for Paraprofessionals is to develop and expand community-based experiential training such as field placements and internships to increase the skills, knowledge, and capacity of students preparing to become mental health workers, peer support specialists, and other behavioral health paraprofessionals. The program has a special focus on developing knowledge and understanding of the needs of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth who have experienced trauma and are at risk for behavioral health disorders including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. The program also emphasizes developmental opportunities and educational support in interprofessional collaboration by using team-based care in integrated behavioral health and primary care settings to improve the distribution of a well-trained behavioral health workforce. The program also aims to recruit a workforce that is interested in serving high-need and high-demand areas.
For the purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), all training will be separated into two levels:
All paraprofessional training that does not fall under the definition of a registered apprenticeship will be defined as Level 1 as further explained in program requirements and expectations. Registered apprenticeships (Level 2) are not a program requirement. You are not required to implement Level 2 in your proposal to be considered eligible for this program. If you are implementing Level 2 in your proposed training project, you can receive an additional five points in Criteria 2: Response/approach.
The Mary Frances Early College of Education will support a cohort to join the Faculty Success Program for summer 2025 (May 19-July 27). Tenure-track and tenured faculty who are budgeted for research time and “are looking for the perfect combination of empirically tested methods to improve research productivity through intense accountability, coaching and peer support, and to propel their work-life balance and personal growth to a whole new level” are eligible to participate in this intensive, semester-long program.
Participants will be expected to fully participate in the program as well as attend three one-hour sessions with the associate dean for faculty and staff services throughout the semester. It is our hope that program participants will bring back what they learn in the program to the College.
For more information about the program, please visit the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NFCDD) website. If you have any questions about the program or would like to talk to a former College participant of the program, please email Ed Delgado-Romero, associate dean for faculty and staff services.
As a reminder, faculty can claim a free membership to NFCDD by visiting the organization’s website. Under the “Services” menu, select “Institutional Members,” and then click on the University of Georgia link. Be sure to use your UGA email address to create an account. There are a variety of resources available on the website related to succeeding in academia. All doctoral students can also claim a free membership, which gives access to the same resources, as well as to the Dissertation Success Program.
Summer Time is Writing Time: Get Summer Funds to Write a Grant
The Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Office of Research and Graduate Education has allocated funding to support faculty in writing external grant proposals. Faculty must dedicate a week of time between May 19-June 30 to work on an external grant proposal with assistance from a mentor and an Office of Research and Graduate Education staff member. Successful applications will result in the submission of an external grant between the months of July 2025 and June 2026. Up to three grants of $10,000 will be awarded.
Please view the request for applications for more information and contact Grace Burger with questions.
The Mary Frances Early College of Education will hold a staff and faculty meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Provost Hu will join us for the first 30 minutes to talk about enrollment management, artificial intelligence initiatives, and the School of Medicine. He will take questions afterward.
Please complete this form if you plan to attend.
Inclusive Horizons: Building a Community of Belonging for All
The Mary Frances Early College of Education invites you to attend this year’s conference, “Inclusive Horizons: Building a Community of Belonging for All.” Keynote speaker, Annise Mabry, will inspire attendees to break cycles of poverty and inequity and foster resilience and economic independence in underserved communities.
Breakout sessions include UGA Bystander Intervention training, supporting first-generation college students, inclusion and belonging, and making members of the LGBTQIA+ community feel welcome and safe. New this year, the conference will conclude with a community fair of UGA and Athens community organizations. Join us for food, connection, and community as we look forward toward Inclusive Horizons.
This event is free, but registration is required.
Provost S. Jack Hu invites faculty and staff to participate in Coffee and Connections, a networking event for members of the UGA community. Vice presidents, deans, associate provosts, and other administrators from across campus are also invited to attend. These informal networking events are a chance to build connections with members of the University’s leadership team and each other, while also hearing updates from the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
The 56th Georgia Conference on Children’s Literature brings together educators, librarians, authors, and scholars to celebrate the power of storytelling. Featuring keynote speakers, workshops, and breakout sessions, the event also includes the announcement of the 2025 Georgia Children’s Book Award winner.
Registration is open for the spring 2025 Future Forward Series (formerly Educator-Preparation Workshops). The series has been revamped to benefit all Mary Frances Early College of Education students and features a wider range of topics.
Faculty offering extra credit can contact Kayla McKinney for verification of attendance. These workshops will also be offered to students enrolled in First-Year Odyssey seminars as part of the requirement to attend at least three campus events during the semester.
Workshops (register today):
In the course of instruction, course instructors can record class sessions, but if students are identifiable in the recordings, those portions are protected by FERPA and should only be shared with students enrolled in that specific class during the same semester. Recordings that only feature the instructor or anonymous student participation are not covered by FERPA and can be shared more broadly.
Instructors can contact the Office of Online Learning, the Center for Teaching and Learning, or the Office of Legal Affairs for guidance on best practices and UGA FERPA compliance.
In partnership with the Office of Service Learning through Experience UGA, the Mary Frances Early College of Education hosts kindergarten field trips for Athens-Clarke County students on various Fridays throughout the fall and spring semesters.
This upcoming semester, there will be eight field trips:
Students enter on the ground floor of Aderhold Hall around 9:30 a.m. and will complete some learning activities on the fourth floor until around 11 a.m.
While we will do our best to minimize disruptions, you may notice increased activity and some joyful noise during these times. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we welcome some of our youngest learners to the College. Your support helps create a memorable experience for them!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Hannah Rogers Davis.
Best wishes to the following individuals who departed the College during the last quarter of 2024:
The Mary Frances Early College of Education Career Fair will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 11. This event offers students interested in working in education with the opportunity to connect with representatives from K-12 schools, organizations, and graduate/professional schools from all over Georgia and the U.S. All students interested in a career in education are encouraged to attend. To learn more, visit the event webpage.
Students are expected to wear business professional attire and bring printed copies of their resume.
The Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST) program enables teacher preparation students to immerse themselves in both the culture and classrooms of another country in the final weeks of their teacher preparation program.
Teacher preparation students spend the first eight weeks of their final semester—the student teaching or clinical practice semester—student teaching at a school in Georgia, and the following seven weeks student teaching at a school in one of 16 COST partner countries.
As an independent study program, students participating in COST stay with host families in their assigned country and teach at either a public or international school. Along with refining their teaching skills, the COST program aims to provide a culturally immersive experience to students as they live and work in a different culture.
“At least 50%, if not more, of the COST experience is really a rich intercultural experience where students are going to learn a lot about themselves as Americans, but they’re also going to learn how to live and teach and be in the world in a different way,” said Anna Hiers, lead clinical placement and COST coordinator in the College’s Office of Clinical Practice.
Patrick O’Connor, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, participated in a panel at Samsung’s Galaxy Tech Forums on Thursday, Jan. 23 in San Jose, California.
In the session, titled “The Role of Technology for a Healthier Life,” O’Connor and other experts discussed the use of technology to track and measure health data, as well as the role of AI to consolidate and translate that data for people to better manage their health.
“The issue is not the amount of data but the fragmentation,” O’Connor said. “The key is to bring the scattered data together to create a comprehensive understanding, as health requires a holistic approach due to the interconnectedness of so many factors.”