UGA The University of Georgia IRP
UGA Fact Book 1996
Research, Service, Auxilliary, and Administrative Units Section
 
RESEARCH, SERVICE, AUXILIARY, AND ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

PART 5

THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS devises and implements innovative techniques to identify, contact, and recruit superior students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Included in these efforts are programs or activities which might positively enhance the respect and acceptance of the University of Georgia by outstanding students. The office's three main programs are the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, the regional-state and national History Day Program, and the eight Advanced Placement Institute courses for Georgia's advanced placement teachers. The office also contributes time and effort in support of the Governor's Honors Program for gifted high school students, the University's undergraduate admissions' office, the International Science and Engineering Fair, the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, and a workshop program for the state's science and math teachers. The office has an international agreement with the Universidad Evangelica Boliviana Nursing Division to develop mutual programs of research and teaching in microbiology, tropical ecology, and nursing training in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

THE GEORGE FOSTER PEABODY AWARDS recognize excellence and achievement in radio and television. Categories for entry include news, documentary, entertainment, education, programs for children, public service, and individual achievement. The awards program, administered by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, was established at the University in 1939 and the first awards presented in 1940. Each spring the Peabody National Advisory Board meets on campus to select the annual recipients based on recommendations of student and faculty screening committees. Peabody Awards are presented at an annual all-industry banquet in New York sponsored by the University. Programs and other material submitted by entrants are preserved in The Peabody Collection of The University of Georgia Libraries. Representing the best of broadcasting for more than fifty years, The Peabody Collection is considered one of the world's most important archives of moving image and sound recordings.

THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, a magnificent facility located within the University's newly constructed Performing and Visual Arts Complex on East Campus, houses two music recital halls: Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall is named for the founder of the UGA School of Music and seats 1,100 in a festival-style setting where seats surround the stage; Ramsey Concert Hall is the smaller venue seating 360 and is named in honor of the late Bernard Ramsey, a major benefactor of the University. Both halls boast superb acoustics and state-of-the-art recording systems. The Performing Arts Center serves as a showcase for world-class performers and ensembles such as pianist Andr Watts, violinist Midori, the Vienna Choir Boys, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It also provides a home for UGA's faculty and student performers.

THE POULTRY DIAGNOSTIC AND RESEARCH CENTER carries out basic and applied research programs on diseases which are of economic importance to Georgia's poultry industry. Diagnostic, laboratory, and consultative services are provided to individuals and groups in all phases of poultry production. The center houses the Department of Avian Medicine of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The department teaches courses in avian medicine to veterinary and poultry science students and directs graduate students in avian medicine, medical microbiology, veterinary pathology, and poultry science.

THE PSYCHOLOGY CLINIC is an independent community mental health facility operated by the Clinical Psychology Training Program of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia. The clinic seeks to provide specialized psychological services to the community and to serve as a training facility for the Clinical Psychology Program. Quality services are provided to faculty, staff, and students and to the surrounding community on a sliding scale basis. The Psychology Clinic offers a wide range of treatment and assessment services to meet the varied psychological needs of the people in the northeast Georgia area. Psychotherapy is available for depression, anxiety, marital and family problems, chronic pain, a variety of children's problems, and other problem areas. All initial contacts are free of charge.

THE PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION administers a program to provide safety and security to all members of the University of Georgia community. Division programs encompass all areas of life safety and property protection. The University of Georgia Police Department, a major component in the Public Safety Division, is comprised of employees with full police authority in the State of Georgia and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An essential proactive aspect of the Police Department is the Crime Prevention Bureau which provides education and training to the University community in order to eliminate conditions which might lead to criminal acts. Services provided by the Police Department include an Escort Van Service and emergency telephones which are located at strategic points on campus.

The Environmental Safety Services Department strives to ensure safety through plan review, environmental surveillance, training, hazardous chemical material management and hazardous chemical spill response, fire inspections, radiation safety, hazardous materials management and disposal, laboratory safety, occupational safety, environmental health, and safety and hazard training (Employee Right-to-Know).

The Division's special departments, programs, and services include: a Hazardous Materials Treatment Facility for proper disposal of hazardous materials generated principally in research activities; the management and enforcement of the University's broad license for radioisotopes; an active lab safety program; the Occupational Health and Safety Program; asbestos abatement; the Environmental Health Program to ensure compliance of University-owned food establishments with sanitation regulations; a comprehensive Right-to-Know Program; a University Fire Safety Officer who works with University officials to improve the status of fire safety in University facilities; and a team composed of various program officers to coordinate and manage major hazardous chemical spills on campus.

THE RAMSEY CENTER FOR PRIVATE ENTERPRISE has as its major mission the furtherance of understanding of the principles of private enterprise. The center engages in research studies that demonstrate the benefits of economic decisions made in a competitive environment and in teaching undergraduate and graduate students the principles of private enterprise, the theoretical underpinnings of market economies, and other appropriate subjects. In addition to its teaching and research functions, the center carries on an active service program involving public lectures and seminars dealing with the private enterprise system.

THE DEAN RUSK CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW was founded in 1977 as part of the School of Law to improve the effectiveness of relations among citizens, private sector entities, and government at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Using advanced electronic information-processing techniques, the center's professional staff and part-time researchers mobilize University, business, and governmental resources to develop theoretical and practical approaches to improve the efficiency of governance, trade, and investment. On occasion the center helps implement the approaches by providing private and public sectors with essential manpower and information. In the past the Dean Rusk Center developed several major initiatives for federal action concerning North American cooperation and overseas trade regulation and representation. It also has analyzed new approaches for expanding Georgia agricultural exports. The center publishes research reports, holds conferences, and sponsors research for Georgia citizens that cover fiscal and monetary policy, international arrangements, and domestic affairs.

THE SAVANNAH RIVER ECOLOGY LABORATORY (SREL) is a research unit of the University of Georgia. The overall mission of the Laboratory is to acquire and communicate knowledge of ecological processes and principles. SREL conducts basic and applied ecological research as well as education and outreach programs under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina.

THE SIMON S. SELIG, JR. CENTER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH serves the state by issuing economic forecasts, conducting applied economic research, and publishing research findings and economic statistics. The Selig Center is a major source of information for national, regional, state, and local media. The center also provides information to business leaders, government agencies, and the general public and is an official cooperating agency with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Construction Statistics Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Selig Center faculty serve as economic and financial advisors to many public and private organizations.

The Selig Center hosts economic forecasting luncheons in Albany, Augusta, Atlanta, Brunswick, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, and Thomasville. The annual Georgia Economic Outlook publication provides accurate forecasts and detailed commentary on seven economic sectors: agriculture, construction, public utilities, financial markets, manufacturing, services, and retailing. The Selig Center's bimonthly business periodical, Georgia Business and Economic Conditions, features articles on various aspects of the state's economy. Specialized monographs and the Georgia Statistical Abstract also inform the public.

THE SPEECH AND HEARING CLINIC of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders provides comprehensive evaluation and therapy for individuals of all ages with language, hearing, or speech problems, including articulation, voice, and fluency problems. Individuals may refer themselves or their children to the clinic or may be referred by other professionals such as physicians or teachers. The clinic sponsors a summer preschool for hearing impaired children.

THE STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA is a public, non-profit, educational facility under the auspices of the University of Georgia. Its mission is to foster appreciation, understanding, and stewardship of plants and nature through research, collections and displays, horticultural gardens, and educational programs. The garden is located at 2450 South Milledge Avenue, one mile south of the Athens South Bypass (U.S. 129/441). Founded in 1968, the garden now encompasses over 300 acres, much of which borders the Middle Oconee River. The garden features a number of specialty gardens and collections plus five miles of nature trails. The Visitor Center/Conservatory features a permanent display of tropical and semitropical plants along with classrooms, offices, a gift shop, and a cafe which serves lunch daily. The garden is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk. The Visitor Center/Conservatory is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excepting certain holidays.

THE SURVEY RESEARCH CENTER, a unit of the Institute for Behavioral Research, serves the data collection and analysis needs of the University and the larger community. The center's services encompass all aspects of the design and implementation of survey research projects and includes sampling and measurement; data collection and coding; data management and analysis; and report preparation and interpretation. These combined services are available for the execution of complete studies or any single service or combination of services can be contracted.The center can provide clients with the latest developments in survey interviewing methodologies and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), thus substantially shortening the time required for data collection and analysis. In the fall and spring of each year, the center conducts the Georgia Poll, a regular omnibus survey of the state's population. Individuals unable to justify purchasing an independent survey may subscribe to a particular poll by purchasing a question or series of questions of their choice. Results for each subscriber are reported along with a battery of standard socio-demographic indices of background attributes.

THE TORRANCE CENTER FOR CREATIVE STUDIES, a unit in the Department of Educational Psychology, is a research and instructional center concerned with the identification and development of creative potential. The center accomplishes its purpose by developing, implementing, and evaluating projects at the local, national, and international levels. Programs sponsored by the Torrance Center include the Challenge Programs, the Georgia Future Problem Solving Program, and the E. Paul Torrance Lecture. The center maintains the Torrance Library and Archives, a collection of information on creativity, gifted education, and future studies.

THE UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (UAP) is funded by the U.S. Administration on Developmental Disabilities and other federal and state agencies. It is responsible for interdisciplinary training of University graduate and undergraduate students and dissemination of information, technical assistance, and exemplary projects and research directly related to persons with developmental disabilities and their families. Administered by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Georgia UAP includes faculty in four schools/colleges on campus and at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Included are projects for: early intervention, family support and AmeriCorps personal assistance services, cultural diversity, arts/physical fitness for elderly persons with and without developmental disabilities, aging initiative that builds coalitions between aging and disabilities networks to promote person-centered futures planning, arts initiative featuring annual exhibition and statewide collection of art works, and research for Head Start, family processes, and awareness and prevention of the maltreatment of children with disabilities. The Georgia UAP operates Project STARS, a clearinghouse for media related to developmental disabilities.

 

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This document was last modified on May 26, 1997.