Committee Chair
Laura Alfonso
Phone: 706/542-0744
About CAES: Administration: Committee
History of the CAES SRG
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Staff Representation Group (CAES SRG) was formed in the early 1980s with the support of Dr. William P. Flatt, dean of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture. The SRG was formed for two purposes: to provide a forum for the introduction of staff-related concerns to the college, and to determine the administrative level at which such issues might be addressed. Dean Gale Buchanan continued the administration’s support for the group and encouraged participation. J. Scott Angle, current dean, has met with the SRG and agreed that the efforts of this committee are important to the success of the college as a whole.
The diversity and impact of Georgia agriculture necessitate a CAES presence in 158 of the 159 counties. This presence comprises faculty and staff who work across the state within the areas of research, cooperative extension, and education. Our SRG members come from regions around the state. Originally, the group had ten members elected from the Athens campus units, 4-H camps, Griffin and Coastal Plain Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Service district and county offices, the Rural Development Center, and branch agricultural research stations. The membership was expanded to 16 members after a reorganization of the college under the leadership of Dean Buchanan. The number of off-campus representatives is now greater than the Athens campus membership. Representatives are elected to serve a three-year term, with about one-third of the members rotating off at the end of each year, which allows continuity within the group.
The CAES SRG meets bimonthly at different venues across the state. Meetings around the state have given our SRG an opportunity to personally interact with fellow staff at these respective locations, and to observe the CAES research, extension, and education programs conducted at these sites. The group holds two meetings per year via teleconference to ease travel commitments. Varying the meeting venue has given our membership a better appreciation for the mission of the college and the involvement of CAES staff in facilitating that mission.
Members of the CAES SRG build strong working relationships during their three-year tenure. Membership is a commitment, but it is also an opportunity for both personal and professional growth, as friendships are formed and a college network is established to address issues and offer solutions to diverse concerns. We are proud of the role of our organization within the college and as members of the greater UGA Staff Council community. Our group has, by virtue of the number of CAES classified employees, six representatives on the UGA Staff Council. We have provided leadership at many levels of university governance and will continue to do so in a manner that will reflect the positive values and commitment evidenced by our college.
List of Meeting Sites: Mountain Branch Experiment Station-Blairsville, Rock Eagle 4-H Center-Eatonton, Coastal Plain Experiment Station-Tifton, Georgia Experiment Station-Griffin, Northwest Georgia Branch Experiment Station-Calhoun, Burke County Extension Office, Southeast District-Waynesboro, Haralson County Chamber of Commerce, Northwest District Extension-Waco, 4-H Center on Tybee Island, Fort Valley State University, 4-H Center on Jekyll Island, and several locations on the Athens Campus including Conner Hall, Animal and Dairy Science Department, Soils Test Laboratory, and Botanical Gardens.