Quick Links

Intranet

College Newsletter — Spring/Summer 2012

Do you have a news item you'd like to share with the CAES family? Please send your information and photographs to the Office of Communications & Technology Services at caesnews@uga.edu.

Faculty and Staff Recognition

The UGA Office of International Education recently honored Vicki McMaken, assistant director of Global Programs, with the 2012 Mary Ann Kelley Open Arms Award. Vicki's many responsibilities include welcoming the 100 or more incoming international students, scholars and scientists who study, research or visit the university each year.

Dr. Allan Armitage has been awarded the highly prestigious Liberty Hyde Bailey Award from the American Horticulture Society, based in River Farm, Washington, DC. This is the highest award AHS provides. Read the press release.

Horticulture faculty member Jim Affolter was awarded a Summer 2012 Innovative Instruction Faculty Grant for his project proposal: “Using QR Code Technology to Unlock the Secrets of the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden.”

The UGA Office of Sustainability honored associate professor of horticulture David Berle and Office of Environmental Sciences director Susan Varlamoff with an Outstanding Faculty/Staff 2012 Sustainable UGA Award. This award goes to individuals whom have demonstrated dedicated efforts to conserve natural resources, advance sustainability initiatives and improve quality of life on and off campus. Read the press release.

Two University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty members received Walter Barnard Hill awards in recognition of their public outreach programs. Glenn H. Beard, county extension coordinator for Colquitt County, and Eric Prostko, a crop and soil sciences professor and Extension weed specialist, both received 2012 Walter Barnard Hill Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. Read the press release.

Director of Center for Applied Genetic Technologies

Dr. Scott Jackson has been appointed as the director of the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies. This appointment is effective May 1, 2012. Please welcome Scott into his new role.

Master Gardener Coordinator

Sheri Dorn will be coming on board as the new Master Gardener coordinator in June of 2012. She is coming to us as an agent and former state MG coordinator in Virginia, so she has a wealth of experience. Sheri will have complete responsibility for leading the Master Gardener program and all questions, concerns or policy interpretations will need to come through her.

In addition to handling the Master Gardener program, Sheri will also have a horticulture component to her position. She will be responsible for handling homeowner ornamental questions, circulars, power points, etc. as well as DDDI samples on cultural problems of consumer ornamentals. She will be based at the Griffin campus. Her contact information will be published once she gets started in June.

Appointment of District Extension Director for Southwest District

We are pleased to announce (pending approvals from UGA Administration) effective June 1, 2012, the appointment of Dr. Laura Perry Johnson as the new District Extension Director for Southwest District. We had two outstanding candidates interview for this position and we thank both Brian Tankersley and Laura for their willingness to step up to the challenge of leading Southwest District into the future. Both candidates are imminently qualified and the decision was a difficult one to make.

Laura has served as the 4-H Program Development Coordinator for Southwest District for the past ten years. Prior to that, she served as the Extension 4-H Specialist in Animal Science for eight years. Her BSA, MS and Ph.D. are all from the University of Georgia in Animal and Dairy Science.

Laura’s work in the district office, her many years of service in Extension, and her experiences in leadership development will serve her well as she moves into the administrative leadership role for Southwest District. Although her educational background is primarily in Agriculture and Natural Resources and her most recent job responsibilities have been with 4-H, throughout her career she has demonstrated strong support for, and appreciation of, all three program areas of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Laura Perry Johnson to her new role. We look forward to working with her as the newest member of the Extension administrative leadership team.

Additional Resources for CAES News and Events

For more college news, browse these websites:

For more upcoming events, browse these calendars:

Events at CAES
Cooperative Extension Public Events Calendar
Intranet: Upcoming Events
Athens Conference Office: Conference Events & Registration
Griffin Campus: Local Calendar
Griffin Campus Office of Continuing Education
Tifton Campus: Local Calendar
Tifton Campus Conference Center