Serving Georgia During the Pandemic
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
As the Spring Semester concludes, I want to reach out with a special word of gratitude. The resolve that you have demonstrated during these last few months to persevere in spite of the unexpected and unprecedented challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of remarkable. I have never been prouder to serve as President of the University of Georgia.
The path ahead is still uncertain, but over the coming weeks, we will be working to determine a plan for resumption of on-campus instruction in the fall, if state and public health officials allow. The health and safety of our campus community will always remain our top priority. In the interim, we will continue to offer classes in an online format for Maymester and Summer Semester.
I know these times are strange and disconcerting, but the University of Georgia has weathered storms of war, financial upheaval, and disease outbreaks at other times over its 235-year history. We will endure. As we resolve to finish the semester strong, let us find inspiration from the outstanding and innovative service that members of our UGA community are providing to those in need during this crisis.
As a land-grant and sea-grant university, we have a responsibility to serve our community and our state—in good times and in bad. In recent weeks, some of you have gone above and beyond that call of duty as you have embraced the challenge of this moment. I have heard many stories of how our faculty, staff, and students have moved swiftly and decisively to find safe and effective ways to help in areas of critical need. You have reached out to aid front-line health care workers, small business owners, farmers, families, and our most vulnerable citizens. You can read about a few of these examples and learn more about the breadth of our response at UGA’s news site.
To all of you who have been a part of these efforts, I sincerely thank you. You continue to demonstrate through your actions what it really means to be a Georgia Bulldog.
Once again, as we bring this semester to a close, let me encourage all of you to stay safe, to commit to excellence in all that you do, and, most of all, to take care of each other.
With warm regards,
Jere W. Morehead
President
Service Programs and Impact
Assisting Small Businesses
The UGA Small Business Development Center has been hosting webinars to help troubled businesses navigate this difficult period.
Creating Medical Face Shields
Several units collaborated to provide 1,000 medical face shields to the front-line health care workers in our hospitals.
Feeding the Community
UGA’s Campus Kitchen has been preparing and delivering meals to vulnerable populations and local health care workers.
Serving the Needs of Farmers
Cooperative Extension agents continue to serve the critical needs of farmers as they try to maintain our food supply.