College Updates
Highlights from the College during a year of change and resilience
Left: Hamilton Holmes (B.S. ’63) and Charlayne Hunter (A.B.J. ’63) after they received their diplomas from UGA in 1963. Right: Mary Frances Early (M.M.Ed. ’62, Ed.S. ’67) stands in front of the Arch on her graduation day in 1961.
Left: Hamilton Holmes (B.S. ’63) and Charlayne Hunter (A.B.J. ’63) after they received their diplomas from UGA in 1963. Right: Mary Frances Early (M.M.Ed. ’62, Ed.S. ’67) stands in front of the Arch on her graduation day in 1961.
Celebrating 60 years of
desegregation at UGA
On January 9, 1961, Charlayne Hunter-Gault (A.B.J. ’63) and Hamilton Holmes (B.S. ’63) made history when they became the first African American students to attend the University of Georgia. Their heroic steps to integrate campus inspired another groundbreaker, Mary Frances Early (M.M.Ed. ’62, Ed.S. ’67), to enroll at UGA later that summer to desegregate the graduate school.
In recognition of the 60th anniversary of that historic day, the University community celebrated with several virtual events during the spring semester.
One such event was moderated by Cynthia Dillard, Mary Frances Early Endowed Professor of Teacher Education, who led a conversation between Ms. Early and Phaidra Buchanan (B.S.Ed. ’21), a recent graduate of the College of Education and UGA’s first African American Rhodes Scholar.
Organized by the University of Georgia Press, the event brought the two trailblazers together to discuss the past, present, and future of a desegregated UGA, as well as their own personal experiences while attending UGA.
“I have a better sense of everything that Ms. Early went through while she was working to desegregate UGA,” says Buchanan, who keeps in touch with Early. “Before talking with her, I had this misconception that Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes came in and the doors burst open, but Ms. Early had so much of her own struggles, and she had to fight hard to get here and support them. She’s my hero honestly.”
Watch the UGA Press event
Mary Frances Early poses with family and friends at the gala dinner hosted by the College of Education in February 2020.
Mary Frances Early poses with family and friends at the gala dinner hosted by the College of Education in February 2020.
It’s our one-year anniversary!
On February 25, 2020, the College of Education was officially named in honor of Mary Frances Early, who played an integral role in the campaign for racial equality at the University of Georgia and across the South.
To mark the first anniversary of this day, Early hosted a celebratory toast via Zoom with her family and friends, including Dean Denise A. Spangler and UGA President Jere W. Morehead.
Early’s impact on civil rights and music education continues to inspire thousands of students and faculty to pursue their passions in a range of disciplines—from education and counseling to allied health and instructional technology.
Sporting the College’s new T-shirt design, Early (top right) and her friends and family celebrate the one-year anniversary of the College’s naming with a virtual toast.
Sporting the College’s new T-shirt design, Early (top right) and her friends and family celebrate the one-year anniversary of the College’s naming with a virtual toast.
Climbing the ladder
This year’s Mary Frances Early Lecture—held in conjunction with UGA’s 60th anniversary celebration—was delivered by poet, educator, and best-selling author Nikki Giovanni (left.) To highlight the occasion, the College hosted a socially distanced watch party in Aderhold Hall for faculty, staff, and students.
During the event, Giovanni, who serves as a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, highlighted the power of children’s literature, as well as the grace and love of African folk tales and spirituals.
“One of the things that Dr. Early showed us is that we are not afraid,” says Giovanni. “We are going to do what we have to do to carry forward or what the old spirituals say, we are going to climb the ladder. I’m a big fan of children’s literature because it begins as a way for children to understand how important they are.”
When Giovanni’s poems first emerged from the Black Rights Movement in the 1960s, she immediately took her place among the most celebrated and controversial poets of the era. Today, she remains a commanding voice in America’s political and poetic landscape.
Every year, an invited speaker delivers the Mary Frances Early Lecture to honor the quiet determination and dignity Early exhibited while attending UGA. After Giovanni’s lecture, Early reflected on the past year and the role she played in the struggle to desegregate the University.
“Every time I say or read ‘Mary Frances Early College of Education,’ it sends shivers of joy down my spine because when I was at UGA as a graduate student, I could not have imagined that this would happen to me,” Early said at the event. “It is truly a signal that will live on because my life was and still is in education. I know we have a lot to celebrate because of all the progress, particularly over the past few years. It is something that we all must do, and there is still much to be done, but it’s up to us.”
Watch the 2021 Mary Frances Early Lecture
Working together
Higgins named College of Education’s associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion
Last semester, Higgins—along with Briana Bivens (M.Ed. ’16, Ph.D. ’22), a graduate assistant in the College’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)—co-facilitated a workshop focused on diversifying syllabi for faculty and graduate students.
Together, they shared with participants a variety of DEI considerations while highlighting the histories, voices, and contributions of communities that are often marginalized and left out of academic syllabi.
This is just one example of how Higgins, the College’s new associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, assists faculty, staff, and students with diversity efforts to transform policies and practices in the College and beyond.
“One of the DEI Office’s goals for the fall semester was to determine the immediate needs of the College community and decide what was feasible given the pandemic,” says Higgins, who previously served as the College’s interim associate dean for DEI and is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services. “We will continue to offer these sessions as faculty and graduate students continuously seek to transform their syllabi and pedagogy.”
The theme for the 16th annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference centered on joy, healing, and collective action.
The theme for the 16th annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference centered on joy, healing, and collective action.
A virtual look at the spirit of education
During the College’s 16th annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference, the Athens community came together virtually to reflect on the impact of the pandemic and the anti-Blackness social movement. “We believe it is important for our community to collectively address these issues through healing and action,” says Higgins.
Professor Cynthia Dillard delivered the conference’s keynote address on embracing the spirit of education. She highlighted the multiple intersectional and cultural identities of educational professionals to help those in attendance find important lessons on their journey to being the teachers and educational professionals that all students need.
The Mary Frances Early College of Education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund supports multicultural and social justice efforts in the College and across campus.
Top-notch education
Several degree programs in the Mary Frances Early College of Education received top 10 rankings from U.S. News and World Report this year. The competitive analysis examines schools based on criteria such as student-faculty ratios, average federal loan debt of graduates, and online programming.
Bridging the gap
Elizabeth Lazzaro (M.Ed. ’22) turned to UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education to enhance her knowledge in research and maximize her potential in the workplace.
“For me, online was the only option,” says Lazzaro, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in learning, leadership, and organization development. “I was already well established in my career when I decided to pursue a master’s degree, and the online format was the best fit for me to pursue this goal without stopping or delaying my career path.”
Lazzaro works full-time as a talent programs specialist for Gulfstream Aerospace, a company that designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircrafts. With a second master’s degree under her belt, Lazzaro can better connect researchers and practitioners in the company.
“I hope to gain more experience as a coach to help individuals find real change and progress in their career and leadership goals,” she says.
Connect with your passion and advance your career online! With 10 online degrees, 6 certificates, and 3 endorsements, the Mary Frances Early College of Education leads the University of Georgia in online offerings to advance your career. We offer a variety of programs available to educators, instructional leaders, and others who want to expand their knowledge of teaching and research from the comfort of their homes.
It’s a virtual world
College swiftly adapts to new normal of teaching during COVID-19 pandemic
Over the past year, the College—like the rest of the world—experienced a dramatic shift in how daily tasks are completed. Even during the pandemic, the College and wider UGA community continued to operate with the help of dedicated technology and facilities personnel, who helped ensure a smooth transition to an expanded online instructional environment and socially distanced classrooms for limited, in-person instruction.
The College’s Office of Information and Technology stepped up at the onset of the pandemic to help faculty transition their face-to-face courses to an online format. By sharing frequent updates, online teaching tips, and video tutorials on how to use online tools, the College helped faculty convert hundreds of traditionally in-person courses to an online format.
When students returned to campus in the fall, several changes were made to classroom layouts to minimize physical contact in the College’s three buildings. Chairs and desks were spread out in classrooms and hallways for students to use while studying or attending classes online.
Despite these changes, faculty—like the three featured below—quickly adapted their courses and found innovative ways to engage their students virtually.
A virtual safe space
When Jori Hall attended the College’s Innovation in Teaching and Technology Academy last spring, she saw the opportunities virtual reality could provide to her graduate students.
“Not being physically together in a traditional classroom can make it difficult for graduate students to complete group projects and establish a sense of community with other class participants,” says Hall, an associate professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy.
Using a virtual hosting site and avatars, Hall aimed to create a safe meeting space. She started exploring online tools and the extent to which avatar-based meetings in combination with online tools—including discussion boards and Zoom—can promote collaborative learning experiences and a sense of community among students.
Last semester, Hall opened her virtual world to graduate students where they could design their own online avatars. “We look at each other as the avatars we selected,” she says. “In terms of identity construction and communication, it’s interesting to think about what happens if we don’t see each other as we are in the real world.”
Keeping lessons simple
Assistant professor Logan Fiorella is deeply aware of how his lessons affect student thinking.
To help guide learning as an act of sense-making rather than of passive memorization, Fiorella incorporates plenty of examples and visualizations into his lessons and presents information in a conversational style to engage students in creative activities like drawing.
“We found in our research that students learn best from multimedia lessons when we pair solid multimedia design with appropriate generative activities,” says Fiorella, who teaches an online master’s-level course on cognition in the Department of Educational Psychology. “We’ve also found that getting more actively involved in presenting the information, such as by dynamically drawing diagrams for students or using hand gestures, can support learning.”
Ultimately, effective video lessons do not require fancy editing or advanced technology, says Fiorella. By keeping videos simple, instructors can remove extraneous information, highlight essential key points, and provide concrete examples.
Making physical education personal
Before the pandemic, physical education (PE) courses at UGA were held almost exclusively in-person.
Today, online textbooks, instructional videos, and tracking devices have taken a more prominent place in content delivery with instruction, input, feedback, and conversations extending beyond the classroom to improve students’ overall well-being both in-person and at home.
“Since 2013, we have been using personalized heart rate tracking technology with students who are studying abroad while taking a physical education course,” says Ilse Mason, senior lecturer and basic PE program coordinator in the Department of Kinesiology. “By using their Fitbit device and specific software—developed in conjunction with James Castle in the UGA Office of Online Learning—students can track, record, and sync physical activity that corresponds with their individualized heart rate goals for the course.”
Due to COVID-19, PE instructors have expanded the use of Fitbits and other tracking devices by making them available to all students. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to delivering these courses, all classes—from indoor cycling and body conditioning to jogging and weight training—follow a similar structure: (1) conceptual fitness content, so students can learn about fitness, goal-setting, mental health, and exercise, and (2) instructional physical activities, which offer students the ability to personalize their own practice.
EduDawgs vs. EduGators: May the best dean (and team) win!
Last November, the University of Georgia and University of Florida rivalry moved to a new playing field—charitable giving.
In honor of a century-long football tradition, Denise A. Spangler, dean of the UGA College of Education and Glenn Good, dean of the UF College of Education, held a giving challenge between the two Colleges to see which one could acquire the most donors prior to the Nov. 7 football game between UGA and UF.
After posting a video highlighting the giving challenge on social media (which can be viewed below) and a week of fundraising, the two Colleges raised a combined total of nearly $21,000 from 544 donors in support of student scholarships and programming. While UF won the challenge with 278 donors, UGA raised more funds from 266 donors.
View the Giving Challenge video
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