We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sally Ann Hudson Ross (Ed.S. ’80, Ed.D. ’84), retired professor emerita of the Department of Language and Literacy Education (formerly Language Education) at the College of Education. Ross retired in 2004 after 17 years of dedicated service to the College.
Throughout her career at UGA, Ross focused on writing instruction, teacher collaboration, student-centered instruction, and partnerships between K-12 and University faculty in reforming teacher preparation. Prior to retiring, she received the Hill Award, the University’s highest award in public service in recognition of her outreach work in English education, and authored and secured state and federal grants.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 14 at 11 a.m. at Oconee Presbyterian Church (2601 Hog Mountain Road, Watkinsville, Georgia) with a reception to follow. The memorial service will be posted on YouTube as well. Sally will be buried alongside Rex, her late husband of 22 years, in South Lawn Cemetery, Coshocton, Ohio.
For more information, please read her full obituary. Join us in keeping her friends and family in our thoughts.
We are proud to recognize and thank a distinguished group of faculty members whose commitment to mentorship has contributed to student success in our College and the University of Georgia. From guiding undergraduate researchers to refining their own skills as professional mentors, these educators embody the spirit of leadership and service.
We celebrate our mentors across three programs:
Hutchinson-Crim Mentors: Fostering dedication to education
The Hutchinson-Crim Mentorship Program pairs outstanding undergraduate students in the College with faculty mentors for an entire academic year. These mentors provide critical guidance to students who demonstrate a sincere love for learning and a desire to grow through professional partnership. Their investment ensures these students are supported academically and intellectually, while the funds donated by professor emerita Sylvia Hutchinson provide financial support for students.
We thank the following Hutchinson-Crim mentors:
- Deborah Barany, assistant professor, Kinesiology
- Jennifer Brown, professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Bob Capuozzo, clinical associate professor, Educational Theory and Practice
- Shelby Cosner, Morrill M. Hall Chair in Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy
- Kristen Sayeski, professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
If you are interested in serving as a Hutchinson-Crim mentor, please reach out to Hannah Rogers Davis. (Note: Mentors are paired with students based on students’ needs and interests.)
CURO Mentors: Empowering undergraduate research
Through the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO), these faculty members have facilitated “sustained, progressive, and faculty-mentored research” for students. Whether guiding a first-year student or a CURO Research Award recipient, these mentors provide the technical expertise and encouragement necessary for students to make scholarly contributions. Student scholarship is celebrated at the annual CURO Symposium, where their work is showcased to the entire University community.
We congratulate and thank the following CURO mentors:
- Javad Anjum, assistant professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Deborah A. Barany, assistant professor, Kinesiology
- Michael Barger, associate professor, Educational Psychology
- Sandie Bass-Ringdahl, clinical professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Jamie A. Cooper, professor and department head, Kinesiology
- Ed Delgado-Romero, associate dean for faculty and staff services and professor, Counseling and Human Development Services
- Ashley Harrison, professor, Educational Psychology
- Hannah Krimm, associate professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Caroline Lisee, assistant professor, Kinesiology
- Robert C. Lynall, associate professor, Kinesiology
- John Mativo, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
- Kevin McCully, professor emeritus, Kinesiology
- Chris Modlesky, Athletic Association Professor, Kinesiology
- Kristen Sayeski, professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Julianne Schmidt, professor, Kinesiology
- Michael D. Schmidt, professor, Kinesiology
- Lehong Shi, assistant research scientist, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
- Tony Wolf, assistant professor, Kinesiology
- Jing Xu, associate professor, Kinesiology
- Shijun Yan, assistant professor, Kinesiology
- Xiaoming Zhai, associate professor, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education, and director, AI4STEM Education Center
Graduate School Mentoring Certificate
Finally, we honor the faculty who have completed the Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate to date. This rigorous program, based on the nationally recognized CIMER Entering Mentoring curriculum, involves seven modules focused on:
- Setting expectations: Building a foundation for mutual understanding
- Effective communication: Mastering consistent and clear dialogue with graduate mentees
- Fostering independence: Guiding students toward professional autonomy
- Inclusive mentorship: Adapting guidance across diverse identities and perspectives
Completion of this series also grants these faculty members invitation into the McCoy-Hutchinson Graduate Mentoring Academy, a community dedicated to the highest standards of graduate advising.
We congratulate the following faculty members who earned mentoring certificates:
- Javad Anjum, assistant professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
- Lauren Bagdy, assistant professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
- Janette Hill, professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
- Kevin Moore, professor, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
- Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, senior associate dean for academic programs and professor, Educational Psychology
- Jill Stefaniak, associate professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
Mentorship is often the difference between a student simply finishing a degree and truly finding their professional calling. To our Hutchinson-Crim, CURO, and Certified Graduate mentors, thank you for your tireless dedication. Your work is a testament to why the University of Georgia remains a leader in student success and research excellence.
As a community, the University of Georgia has worked diligently to meet federal guidelines for digital content accessibility. Following the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to extend the compliance deadline for ADA Title II digital accessibility (“Final Rule”) to April 24, 2027, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has likewise extended its compliance deadline from May 11, 2026, to May 11, 2027.
While the deadline has been extended, the University’s commitment to digital accessibility remains unchanged. Colleges, departments, and administrative units should continue to ensure that all digital content complies with applicable federal, state, and Board of Regents requirements by the April 24, 2027 deadline set by the DOJ.
Please note that these federal requirements apply to all University digital content, regardless of how it is distributed, whether centrally hosted (e.g., eLC) or maintained on other platforms. The additional year is intended to support units in strengthening their understanding of accessibility best practices and in completing the review and remediation of existing content. Resources can be found on the Digital Accessibility Services website.
We encourage you to build on the momentum established over the past year through the Accessibility Steering Committee, the Accessibility Working Group, and the Digital Accessibility Services team in EITS. While this compliance effort is substantial, it represents a meaningful and lasting investment in accessibility across the University.
Thank you for the work you and your teams have already contributed, and we encourage you to continue that process in the months ahead. Please direct questions to your digital accessibility liaisons, the EITS Digital Accessibility Services team, or to the Equal Opportunity Office.
A team of faculty members from the College of Pharmacy, Mary Frances Early College of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, and School of Medicine have been working on the development of a Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) program. The team has recommended working toward this goal by building a concentration and potentially certificate programs that anchor to the online M.Ed. in Learning, Leadership, and Organization Development.
At this point, we are collecting feedback from health professions faculty to better understand what would be valued most in a program like this. MHPE programs are commonly associated with schools of medicine like Johns Hopkins University and University of Illinois-Chicago. We believe this program could serve not only the growth of health professions faculty at UGA, but also be of interest to health professionals across our region of the U.S.
Please take a moment to share your feedback via the survey by Friday, May 15.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Henriette Lundgren or Aliki Nicolaides. We have all served on the team working toward the development of this program.
- Application due to OR&GE: Tuesday, June 9
- Application due to sponsor: Tuesday, June 23
The Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor is soliciting applications in support of the administration of the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the TQP program is to:
- Improve student achievement
- Improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving teacher preparation and enhancing professional development to hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education accountable for preparing teachers who meet applicable state certification and licensure requirements
- Recruit highly qualified individuals into the teaching force
The TQP program also supports the use of registered apprenticeships as a high-quality, work-based learning pathway for preparing and credentialing new teachers based on demonstrated skill and merit, particularly in high-need schools and subject areas experiencing teacher shortages.
Please view the full application guide for complete details on the program and proposal preparation, and complete the OR&GE project submission form if you are interested in pursuing this opportunity.
- Application deadline: Wednesday, May 20
Applications are now open for UGA’s new Faculty Innovation Fellows program, a unique opportunity for faculty members to build their skills and become leaders in shaping the future of innovation on campus. The program seeks faculty who want to champion innovation and build cultures of leadership and entrepreneurship in their colleges, schools, and departments.
As an Innovation Fellow, you will receive a $20,000 stipend over a two-year term, as well as specialized innovation, leadership, and business training. You will also have access to university leadership, create visibility for your work through PR opportunities, and build strong connections to other parts of the UGA community. This program is an exceptional opportunity to enhance your professional profile, contribute to the future of our academic environment, and open doors to private sector engagement.
Faculty Innovation Fellows is a university-wide initiative that will provide the UGA community with information, training, and assistance—all from faculty peers—to increase the success of our innovation ecosystem.
By serving as a Fellow, you will take an active role in strengthening your college’s innovation ecosystem and in moving the UGA Innovation District forward, while developing your leadership and collaboration skills. You will not only enhance your own career but also those of colleagues and students, bringing the benefits of innovative thinking and UGA entrepreneurship resources to the people around you.
For more information about the program, please watch the video overview.
What Fellows get:
- $10,000 per year for two years
- Business, innovation, and leadership training
- Engagement with UGA leadership
- Visibility through Innovation District communications
- Connections across and beyond UGA
- Interdisciplinary perspective on innovation
- Entryway to private sector engagement
What Fellows do:
- Discover: Help Innovation District professionals become aware of the latest research, publications, patents, and other commercializable ideas from your unit
- Share knowledge: Be a resource for your peers to help them make full use of the innovation and entrepreneurial programming at UGA
- Lead outreach: Educate and engage your unit on the value, opportunities, and resources available at the Innovation District
- Foster collaboration: Encourage colleagues to work across disciplines and foster a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship
- Mentor: Coach your colleagues and contribute to UGA’s growing network of innovation leaders
Please direct any questions to Chris Rhodes, executive director of the UGA Innovation District.
The College’s marketing and communications team produces a monthly report of our strategic communications efforts, including the top performing stories and social media posts from the previous month.
View April’s communications report.
For decades, researchers and clinicians have recognized a strong link between childhood trauma and later addictive behaviors. Yet a key question remains: what explains that connection?
New research from Amanda Giordano in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services found that arousal dysregulation—or disrupted functioning of the autonomic nervous system—may predict substance use and behavioral addictions in college students.
“We wanted to explore the extent to which childhood trauma affects college students’ engagement in potentially addictive behaviors, but mediated through hyperarousal or hypoarousal,” said associate professor Giordano. “We believe that trauma and addiction have a complex relationship that we want to try to understand better. People who’ve experienced early trauma may oscillate in between hyperarousal and hypoarousal at different times and then turn to different addictive behaviors in an attempt to regulate their internal states.”
Read the full story on our website.
Adah Miller, Ding receive Glickman Challenge Grant
Emily Adah Miller, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education, and Ai-Chu Elisha Ding, an assistant professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, received the Glickman Challenge Grant provided by professor emeritus Carl Glickman and his wife, Sara, to support faculty in implementing collaborative projects in high-needs schools.
Adah Miller and Ding will extend a collaborative partnership between faculty at the University of Georgia and the Clarke County School District (CCSD) to strengthen elementary science instruction at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, J.J. Harris Elementary School, and Whitehead Road Elementary School. In partnership with district science leaders and instructional coaches, the project seeks to improve science learning outcomes while simultaneously supporting English language development for multilingual learners.
Building on four years of successful collaboration with CCSD, the project uses project-based learning and language-intensive instructional strategies to shift science teaching from teacher-centered delivery to student-centered inquiry and collaboration. The work is especially responsive to the needs of economically disadvantaged schools with high percentages of English language learners. Preservice teachers from UGA will work alongside practicing teachers in site-based methods courses, creating reciprocal learning opportunities in lesson planning, classroom implementation, and reflective practice.
Across three years, the project will establish teacher leadership teams, provide sustained professional development, and develop short-form instructional videos demonstrating high-leverage science and language-development strategies. These resources will be housed on the district science portal to support long-term scalability and sustainability. Ultimately, the project aims to improve elementary students’ science achievement, language development, collaboration, and engagement while building teacher capacity and instructional leadership across the district.
Thank you to the Glickman Challenge Grant committee, comprised of:
- Kathy Thompson, chair, Department of Educational Theory and Practice
- Ruth Harman, previous recipient, Department of Language and Literacy Education
- Lou Tolosa-Casadont, previous recipient, Department of Language and Literacy Education
Congratulations to the College’s Research Conference graduate student winners
The Mary Frances Early College of Education congratulates the following graduate students for awards received in the 3MT™ Selling Our Scholarship and Graduate Student Poster competitions during the 2026 Research Conference.
3MT™ Selling Our Scholarship
- First place and fan favorite: Brittney Kilgore
- Second place: Jessica Bishop
Graduate student posters
- Administration, policy, and systems: Lori Crawford
- Health and wellness: Liwei Zhao
- Language, literature, and digital literacies: Fangfang Chen
- Learning and teaching: Kirstin Wilson
- Methodology, measurement, assessment, and evaluation: Micaela Blumenstein
- Social, diversity, and cultural studies: Ana Soler
Thank you to all faculty and students who attended this year. It was a great event, and we appreciate your participation.