Kudos: Bagdy receives research award; UGA delegation visits Côte d’Ivoire
Bagdy receives research award
Lauren Bagdy, an assistant professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, received the 2025 Charles M. Reigeluth Emerging Researcher Award from the Systems Thinking and Change Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. This award recognizes scholars who are early in their careers and “whose work is emerging as important to the field of systemic change, diffusion of innovations, systems theory, or change management.”
UGA delegation goes to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire for discussions on role of higher education in economic development
Robert Branch, professor and department head of the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, led a four-member UGA delegation to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from Aug. 22-28. This was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of State and UGA to promote discussion of “strengthening the economy of Côte d’Ivoire through helping future professionals gain access to excellent educational opportunities.” The U.S. Embassy, the Université Jésuite d’Abidjan, and CERAP hosted the event, where 26 institutions of higher learning were represented in the University Partnership Workshop. The workshop objectives were:
- Generate a one-page proposal outlining the way you will implement the mission of the US/CIV partnership
- Assemble a functioning robot that exhibits evidence of logic
- Create an action plan for the next 12 months
Topics covered included capacity development, higher education administration, STEM collaborative robotics, principles of collaboration, leading change, strategic planning, higher education systems, and sustainability.
Members of the UGA delegation included Branch; Erik Ness, director and professor of higher education in the McBee Institute of Higher Education; Brandy Walker, senior public service associate in the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development; and John Mativo, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology.