University of Georgia

By James A. Barham, PhD

The University of Georgia (UGA) was founded in 1785, making it one of the oldest public universities in the US. The school is organized into 17 schools and colleges, two of the best-known of which are the Mary Frances Early College of Education and the School of Law.

Among numerous specialized research institutes housed at UGA, we may mention the Institute of Bioinformatics, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, and the Bioenergy Systems Research Institute. The university’s distance-learning program—UGA Online—offers 20 master’s programs, 17 professional certificates, and scores of individual courses.

Distinguished UGA-associated individuals include the following:

• Molecular biologist, Cynthia Kenyon
• Evolutionary biologist, Beth Shapiro
• Ecologists—Eugene Odum, Stephen Hubbell, and Monica Turner
• Philosophers, Edward C. Harper and Yuri Balashov
• Poet, Natasha Trethewey
• Novelists, Stuart Woods and Philip Lee Williams
• Humorist, Lewis Grizzard
• Science writer, Deborah Blum
• Trumpeter and educator, Fred Mills
• Tenor, Tituss Burgess
• Singer-songwriter, Charles Kelley
• Rock musicians, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe
• Hip-hop musician, Danger Mouse (Brian Joseph Burton)
• Actors, Wayne Knight and Kyle Chandler
• Television journalist, Charlayne Hunter-Gault
• Radio and television personalities—Maria Taylor, Amy Robach, Deborah Norville, and Ryan Seacrest
• Historians, William S. McFeely and Edward J. Larson
• Political scientist, Kerwin Swint
• Environmental economist, Bjørn Lomborg
• Former US Senators— Saxby Chambliss, Johnny Isakson, Phil Gramm, and Zell Miller

UGA is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).