Georgia, University of public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Athens, Georgia, U.S. It is part of the University System of Georgia and is a land-grant and sea-grant institution. The university includes the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; colleges of agricultural and environmental sciences, business, education, environmental design, family and consumer sciences, journalism and mass communications, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine; and schools of forest resources, law, and social work. It offers a full range of undergraduate, master’s, education specialist, professional, and doctoral degree programs, and the law school awards a doctorate in jurisprudence. Campus facilities include the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, the State Museum of Natural History, the Institute for African American Studies, the Georgia Museum of Art, the Marine Institute at Sapelo Island, and the Center for International Trade and Security. The College of Journalism and Mass Communication administers the Peabody Awards program, which annually recognizes outstanding broadcast journalism. Total enrollment exceeds 30,000. and the competitive Bulldogs sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference. There are more than 600 student clubs and organizations, including about 60 Greek chapters that involve almost 25 percent of UGA students. Community service is a particularly big focus, with student-run philanthropies such as UGA Miracle, a yearlong fundraiser and 24-hour Dance Marathon for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. First-year students must live on campus, but Atlanta is 60 miles away for those itching for a road trip.The university is the oldest institution of higher education in the state, incorporated in 1785 by the General Assembly of Georgia. The university, then known as Franklin College, did not have a site until 1801; its first class graduated in 1804. Instruction in law began in 1843, and the law school was organized in 1859. When the university received land-grant status in 1872, it received federal funding for agricultural and mechanical studies. Notable alumni include surgeon Alfred Blalock, poet Henry Timrod, Supreme Court Justice John Archibald Campbell, and football player Fran Tarkenton.The University of Georgia has renowned graduate programs in its College of Education and Law School. As both a land and sea grant university, UGA is active in research and promotion of agricultural and sea-based programs. One unique offering at UGA is the Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, the first school of its kind when it was launched in 2007. Notable alumni of UGA include U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Food Network personality Alton Brown and AFLAC CEO Dan Amos.
