Looking Ahead

Although the 2020-21 school year was impacted by the persistence of COVID-19, all the bright spots and success we achieved through our service, teaching, and research serve as a reminder of the College’s unwavering resilience and commitment to excellence.

Among these bright spots was Phaidra Buchanan’s selection as a Rhodes Scholar—the first African American Rhodes Scholar from UGA and the first Rhodes Scholar from the College of Education. In addition, we marked the first anniversary of the naming of the College for Mary Frances Early and the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of UGA in early 2021. These important milestones encouraged a redoubling of our efforts and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in light of events that have transpired in our country.

As always, I remain incredibly grateful for the ways our students, staff, and faculty have navigated the pandemic—from faculty employing innovative technological tools for effective learning to staff who have worked to keep our classrooms, research, and clinic facilities safe to the ways our students adapted to new formats and locations for experiential learning.

I look forward to applying what we learned this year to shape the future of the College.

With gratitude,

Denise A. Spangler
Dean