Monday, February 28, 2011

WATER HEATING AND WATER CONSUMPTION ENERGY-EFFICIENT TIPS FOR COLLEGE LIVING

Most of us living in college dorms or apartments don’t think twice about our water heating and consumption. But when we wash our clothes or take showers, we could be following a few simple tips to make sure we are being energy efficient – and cost-efficient as well.

First, install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators – they reduce hot water consumption by up to 50 percent. And take showers instead of baths – you’ll use about half as much water. (And save time as well.)

Report leaking faucets to your manager or resident assistant – one drop of hot water per minute wastes about 60 gallons of water per week and the energy to heat it. Also, wait until your dishwasher is full before turning it on. Automatic dishwashers require the same amount of hot water and electricity to wash a partial or full load. Turn off the drying cycle if you don’t need to dry dishes immediately.

When doing laundry, be sure to wash a full load of your clothes at a time – in warm or cold water, and rinse in cold water. Hot water should be used sparingly, and so should detergent: over-sudsing makes your machine work harder.

Dry clothes in consecutive loads so the dryer doesn’t have to reheat every time. Separate loads into heavy and lightweight items for more even drying, and remove clothes when they’re still slightly damp. Be sure to clean the lint filter after each load.

Use these tips to save energy and cut down on expensive monthly payments!

Friday, February 25, 2011

UWG Wins Coveted National Honor for its Go West Campaign




The University of West Georgia has won a coveted Best of Show honor in the 26th annual Educational Advertising Awards, a national competition sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report.

The Best of Show honor is the competition’s highest award, and this year was given to just 17 institutions nationally, among more than 1,000 that submitted entries.

UWG was joined by Emory University and Savannah College of Art & Design among Georgia institutions that made the top ranks.

UWG was honored for its Go West branding campaign, a multimedia effort that was launched late last year.

In addition to Best of Show, UWG won three category awards: a gold in the Total Advertising Campaign category, a bronze in Television Advertising/Series and a bronze in Radio Advertising/Series.

Category awards are divided by enrollment, with UWG falling into Group 4, schools with 10,000 -19,999 students.

Judges for the awards consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals and the editorial board of Higher Education Marketing Report. Honorees were chosen for their “exceptional quality, creativity and message effectiveness,” according to the publication.

For more information on the awards, visit http://www.hmrpublicationsgroup.com/Higher_Ed_Marketing_Report/hemr_awards_competition.html

For more information on UWG’s Go West campaign, visit http://gowestgeorgia.com/

Thursday, February 24, 2011

UWG Graduate is Published in USA Today


Yong Suh is a 2001 graduate from the University of West Georgia Honors College and Advanced Academy of Georgia. He recently wrote an opinion piece in USA Today about IBM’s new Watson computer, and the potential impact it could have on the healthcare field.


Suh established the Yong D. Suh Scholarship Fund to recognize and assist outstanding Advanced Academy scholars who intend to complete their undergraduate education degrees at UWG’s Honors College.

He entered UWG at age 16, and graduated top of his class with a B.S. in chemistry. He was one of only four undergraduates in the nation selected to serve as a National Institutes of Health research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Francis Collins, then director of the Human Genome Project.

Suh was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, and the only Marshall scholar in UWG’s history. The Marshall scholarship was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in recognition of the post-World War II European Recovery Plan, also known as the Marshall Pan. The scholarship is considered very prestigious, and is only awarded to 40 scholars in the U.S. every year.

While at Oxford he completed two master’s degrees in the amount of time it takes to earn one, graduating with a M.Sc. in research and pharmacology and a MBA at age 23. He went on to work on the Human Genome Project, on Wall Street, and is now working to earn his MD at Johns Hopkins.

Dynamite Day with UWG Athletics

This Saturday is Dynamite Day at UWG, featuring four exciting sporting events. Check out all the action on the UWG campus!

11 a.m. -- Football spring scrimmage

Art History Forum



Tenth Annual Georgia Undergraduate Art History Forum

Sponsored by

The Georgia Undergraduate Art History Consortium

The College of Arts and Letters, NGCSU

The Department of Visual Arts, NGCSU

Friday, February 25, 2011

10 am - 4 pm

Stuart Center for Continuing Education

North Georgia College & State University

Dahlonega, GA

Free and open to the public. For directions, go tohttp://www.northgeorgia.edu/directions/ ; campus map : http://www.northgeorgia.edu/CampusMap/

Participating Institutions in 2011:

Agnes Scott College - Armstrong Atlantic State University - Emory University - Georgia State University -

LaGrange College - North Georgia College & State University - University of Georgia -

University of West Georgia - Valdosta State University - Wesleyan College

10-10:30 Registration and Refreshments (registration continues)

10:30-12:30 Sessions IA and Session IB

12:30-1:45 Lunch at the Activity Room

1:45-4 Sessions IIA, IIB, and IIC

10:30-1 2:30 Session IA Room 215

Chair: Dr. Dorothy Joiner, LaGrange College

Alyssa Penrod – Japanese Tea Ceremony – LaGrange College

Patrick Kenna – Doryphorus – LaGrange College

Elizabeth Golden – Petra: The Nabateans and Their Contact with Rome and Egypt, as seen in Rock-Cut Tombs –Wesleyan College

Sunday Richie – The Significance of the Ribbed Vaulting System of Durham Cathedral –University of West Georgia

Hannah Lucas – The Effects of Christian Church Reform and Medieval-Revival Architecture –University of West Georgia

10:30-12:30 Session IB Room 216

Chair: Dr. Katherine Smith, Agnes Scott College

Katie Clenney – Pipilotti Rist: Digital Media – Wesleyan College

Jillian Loeffler – David Hockney: Photocollage – North Georgia College & State University

L. Blake Lane – Analyzing Dancing Nana, by Niki de Saint Phalle – Valdosta State University

Kathryn Schroeder – Changing Shoes, Eluding Constraints: Zhang’s Three Generations Series –LaGrange College

Meghan Ryan – Arresting Texts: Jenny Holzer’s transformation of public space through text-based media – Agnes Scott College

1:45-4 Session IIA Room 215

Chair: Dr. Libby Bailey, Wesleyan College

Hannah Rawcliffe – The Ruins of Eldena: Personal and Political Elements – Wesleyan College

Emma Kearney – Spinning a Tale: Familial Editing and Influence in the Life of Pope Urban VIII Tapestry Cycle – Agnes Scott College

Rebecca Pedersen – Bernini, Ovid, and the Art of Reading – Emory University

Angela Edwards – Legacy of Emma Hamilton to Neoclassicism – Armstrong Atlantic State University

Ashley Williams – Penetrating the Veil: Jean-Léon Gérome’s Harem Paintings and “erotic imperialism” – Agnes Scott College

1:45-4 Session IIB Room 216

Chair: Dr. Rita Tekippe, University of West Georgia

Gretchen Lawhorn – Addressing Identity and Authenticity: An Examination of Yinka Shonibare – Georgia State University

Abigail Upshaw – Strike a Pose: Thoughts on the Grande Odalisque and Jessie Mann as Model –University of Georgia

Jessica Locklar – Nubile Discovery in Edvard Munch’s Oeuvre – North Georgia College & State University

Erin Barfield – The Imagery of Balthus: Rationales of Controversy in Fine Art – Valdosta State University

Jennifer Raines – Julie Speed: Contemporary Painter and Surrealist – Armstrong Atlantic State University

1:45-4 Session IIC Room 217

Chair: Dr. Deborah Jamieson, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Caitlin Ryan – Creating the Ideal: Aleksandr Rodchenko’s Vision of the Soviet Artist – Emory University

Alexandra Morrison – Matisse’s Variation on a Still Life by de Heem (1915-1916): Maintaining artistic order during the rise of Cubism – Emory University

Nathan Skinner – The Development of Joaquín Torres-García’s Universal Constructivism – North Georgia College & State University

Marie Elizabeth Ellis – An Examination of the “Pur Classique” Tradition: Blurring the Lines Between Artistic Genres in Eugène Delacroix’s July 28, 1830 – Georgia State University

Avery Bartlett –A lithographic insight into the Mexican Revolution – North Georgia College & State University

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION AT UWG

The University of West Georgia’s Juried Student Exhibition is currently on display in both the Bobick Gallery and Gallery Two in the Humanities Building. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m.

This annual exhibition showcases the most exceptional and creative artwork produced by the Department of Art students. Ben Goldman, artist and director of the Kibbee Gallery in Atlanta, selected 38 pieces from 119 submitted. Work in all media is represented, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and ceramics.

For more information or if you are interested in purchasing artwork, call Megan Haralson in the Art Department at 678-839-6521.

Transfer Student Preview Day Coming Soon

Prospective transfer students and their families are invited to Transfer Preview Day at the University of West Georgia on Friday, March 4, 2011, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Located just 45 minutes from Atlanta, the University of West Georgia boasts a student enrollment of more than 11,200 students, a beautiful 645-acre campus, and state-of-the-art facilities. Come see how you can make your mark when you go west.

The recommended check-in time for Transfer Preview Day is 1:00 p.m. and takes place in the Technology-enhanced Learning Center (TLC). A welcome session follows at 1:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom, including welcoming remarks by University President Dr. Beheruz Sethna and UWG transfer student Ashley Hodges. After the welcome session, the learning adventure will continue with an Academic and Department Fair being held from 2:00 - 3:10 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. The event will spotlight the University's academic departments as well as the University's Student Affairs departments. Other events will include:

  • Taking a walking tour of the campus
  • Visiting our upper-classmen residence halls
  • Speaking with a university representatives

Concurrently, a Transfer Admissions Information Session (2:00 and 3:10 p.m.) and a Transfer Credit Information Session (2:40 p.m.) will also be held in the Campus Center Ballroom.

At the end of the day, students have the opportunity to visit the University Bookstore (10% discount for Preview Day participants), eat at UWG's Z-6 Cafeteria (cost is $7.07 per person), or visit the Commuter Student Lounge in the University Community Center.

For more information or to pre-register, call the Office of Admissions at 678-839-5600 or go to www.westga.edu/transferpreview. Students and their families who do not pre-register may still register on-site at the Technology-enhanced Learning Center starting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 4.

For driving directions, please visit www.westga.edu/index_directions.php and follow the Preview Day signs once you arrive on campus.

Amazing things happen when you Go West. Come see for yourself.

Scholarships Available to Students Seeking Journalism Careers


Apply Now for Atlanta Press Club $1500 Journalism Scholarships

Dreaming of an exciting career in journalism? There's no better to start than by applying for an Atlanta Press Club Scholarship. The awards will be presented to outstanding Georgia college or university students who are pursuing careers in journalism. Multimedia submissions are highly encouraged.

Four students will each receive $1500, a year's membership to the APC and the coveted distinction of being recognized by one of the largest press clubs in the country. The deadline to apply has been extended to Wednesday, March 2, 2011. To access the application and for additional information click here or call Elaine Hudson at 404.577.7377.


Monday, February 21, 2011

UWG Coming Events

MARCH

4: Transfer Preview Day

7-11: Spring Break

26: USG Gala

APRIL

4-8: Greek Week

10: Preview Day

14: Howlin at the Moon Athletics Fundraiser

MAY

2: Campus Memorial Service

7: Commencement

JUNE

1: Duke TIP Ceremonies

JULY

29: Athletics Golf Tournament

30: Commencement

AUGUST

27: NAA Six Flags Day

OCTOBER

1: Foundation sponsored Tennis Tournament

8: Great Strides Walk

20: Fall Homecoming concert (Tentative) Athletics Fundraiser

22: Homecoming (Tentative)

Campus Safety and Security

The University of West Georgia is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for students, employees and visitors. Effective campus safety policies and procedures for reporting problems can help assure security for people and property.

Tips for your protection

1.Always walk with others in well-lit areas

2. Become familiar with the blue light emergency phones – wwww.bf.westga.edu/pubsafe/

3.Always lock your doors and windows, in your room and vehicle, at all times

4. Never prop open exterior doors to residence halls

5. Become familiar with emergency exits

6. Always be aware of your surroundings


7. Keep valuables out of sight

8. When traveling, carry a cell phone and let others know where you are going

9. Program emergency numbers in your phone

10. Never accept rides from or pick up strangers

11. Attend parties with friends and look out for each other

12. Never accept drinks from strangers

13. Never drink and drive

14. Hang up on harassing phone calls and make a report with the police department

15.Report crimes and suspicious activities to the police immediately – be prepared to give as much information as possible

Security

Although the University makes every effort to provide adequate campus safety, the best security system is one in which every member of the community is alert. The University Police patrols the campus and is readily available to assist on a 24-hour basis. University Police not only assists the campus community when reporting thefts, accidents, and fires, but also provides emergency medical assistance, late night escorts, and motorist assistance including battery jump starts and helping when keys are locked in vehicles. The emergency number for police, fire, and ambulance is (678) 839-6000.

UWG Researchers Seek Survey Participants from LGBT Community


Sociologists at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton are conducting research into the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Two confidential questionnaires are on SurveyMonkey.

The first survey examines parents in same-sex relationships.

Researchers said an important part of the project is to determine how people feel about identities that are associated with being in these relationships.

The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UWGparentingsurvey. The deadline for completing the parents survey has not been determined.

For questions, participants may contact the principal researchers: Associate Professor of Sociology Laurel Holland at 678-839-6331 or lholland@westga.edu; or Assistant Professor of Sociology Pam Hunt at 678-839-6336 or email: phunt@westga.edu.

The second survey explores the connection between same sex domestic violence and police response. It can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UWGperceptions.

The deadline for completing the authorities survey is Feb. 28, 2011.

Researchers said an important part of this project is to determine how people feel about the identities associated with authority figures and identities associated with the LGBT communities.

The information provided by participants will help sociologists understand relationships between authorities and same sex couples.

If participants have any questions about the study they may contact Sarah Bozeman Rhine at sbozema1@my.westga.edu or her advisor Pam Hunt.

Participation in either survey is voluntary. Participants may decline or not answer certain questions or withdraw at anytime. If participants choose to withdraw before completing the survey the information provided will be used, unless researchers are asked to destroy it.

Researchers in both projects stressed that no names or other identifying information will be used. Also, no references to individuals will be made in any part of either study. No individual’s response will be linked to the results.

Each survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Written reports of both surveys will be available in the next year. If participants are interested in reading a report of the findings, they may e-mail one of the researchers involved in the particular survey and provide a name and address. This information will not be linked to the surveys.

As an incentive for completing the questionnaires, participants will be entered in a pool to win a Visa Gift Card. At the end of the survey participants may enter their names, e-mail or phone numbers. This information will not be connected with participants’ answers. The Visa incentive ends on Feb. 28, 2011.

Participants in the parenting survey will be entered in a pool to win a $100 gift card. Those in the LGBT authority figure survey will be in a pool to win a $50 gift card.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Scholarship to Benefit Advanced Academy Students






The University of West Georgia recently established the Dr. Donald R. Wagner Endowed Scholarship to honor Wagner for his advocacy in education over the past 36 years at UWG. The scholarship will benefit UWG Advanced Academy students.

“The main reason for this is that the Academy kids are not eligible for any federal funding, like Stafford loans or Pell grants,” said Wagner. “They don’t have the options that other students have.”

Wagner is a professor of political science and dean of the Honors College, Extended Degree Programs and the University System of Georgia E-Core. He also helped initiate UWG’s Advanced Academy, one of the few programs nationwide that features a residential dual-enrollment program for high-school students. Under Wagner’s tenure as dean, the Georgia Board of Regents bestowed recognition on UWG for establishing the state’s only Honor’s College.

UWG alumnus Dr. Fred Richards said that Wagner has also left an indefinable mark on thousands of students’ lives that he has touched through his teaching, personal championing and advisement.

“I have sent students in to see Don over the years, who are troubled […],” said Richards. “I really believe that at the time, if Don had not been there, they might have had a difficult time. Don has a wonderful spirit. He says, ‘I know you’re smart. I know you can do it. And I’ll help you out.’”

The scholarship will be awarded annually to a UWG student by a scholarship committee within the Honors College. Recipients must be a student enrolled in the Advanced Academy of Georgia, must be academically eligible for a Presidential Scholarship and must demonstrate financial need as screened through UWG’s financial aid office.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

State Senator Ronald Ramsey, Sr. Speaking at UWG



The Black Student Alliance and the Student Activity Council are

sponsoring a speech in honor of Black History month by State Senator
Ronald Ramsey, Sr.(43rd District) on this coming Friday, February 18.
Mr. Ramsey will speak in the Campus Center Ballroom at 6:00 p.m.
Students and the public are invited.


IBM Watson Wins Jeopardy, Humans Rally Back



By Ian Paul, PCWorld Feb 17, 2011 5:13 AM

IBM super computer Watson came away victorious during Jeopardy Wednesday, but not before the game show's former champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter rallied a formidable defense. In the end, however, the humans were no match for Watson, which won with a commanding lead of $77,147 after three days of Jeopardy play. Jennings took second place at $24,000 and Rutter was third with $21,600. "I for one welcome our new computer overlords," Jennings jokingly wrote in his answer during Final Jeopardy on Wednesday's broadcast. The three-night Jeopardy challenge was taped in January at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York.

As victor, Watson takes home a $1 million prize, which IBM plans to donate to World Vision and World Community Grid. Jennings and Rutter will also donate 50 percent of their winnings to separate charities.

Read the full story: http://www.pcworld.com/article/219900/ibm_watson_wins_jeopardy_humans_rally_back.html


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

UWG Adds Ph.D. Program to its Doctoral Studies

The University of West Georgia is proud to announce that it has been granted approval to offer its first Ph.D. program, which will bolster its doctoral-study offerings.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has approved the program with a major in Psychology: Consciousness and Society.

"I'm very pleased at the approval of our Ph.D. program in psychology,” said Beheruz N. Sethna, president of UWG. “While we have other doctoral programs, this one is our first Ph.D. program and is a significant step forward in our journey to be a first-class destination university."

Currently, UWG offers a Psy.D. doctoral program in psychology (Individual, Organizational and Community Transformation), which will be phased out and replaced with the new program.

There are two doctoral programs in education: an Ed.D. with a major in professional counseling and supervision and an Ed.D. with a major in school improvement.

UWG’s psychology department has drawn international attention for its unique programs reclaiming psychology as the holistic study of human experience. Instruction is based on an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates literature, history, art, sociology and other fields.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Winter Choral Concert at UWG


The University of West Georgia Concert Choir and Chamber Singers present a Winter Choral Concert on Thursday, February 17.

The concert is at 8:15 p.m. in the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts.

It is free and open to the public.

The Concert Choir will perform selections from the 2011 GMEA All-College Chorus repertoire, including: “Laudate Dominum” by Nancy Hill Cobb; “Sing unto God” from Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus”; “If Music Be the Food of Love” by David Dickau; and the spiritual “By and By” arranged by Carol Barnett.

The Chamber Singers will perform: “The Divine Image” by contemporary Mexican composer Jorge Córdoba Valencia; “Ave Maria” by contemporary Spanish composer Javier Busto; and “It Takes a Village” by Joan Szymko. They will also perform two spirituals, “All My Trials” and “Wade in the Water.

Also appearing on the program will be students taking a special topics Anthropology course entitled “Shakers and other Utopian Societies in the United States.”

As part of this course, taught by Dr. Marjorie Snipes, the students are learning Shaker songs. They will perform alone and with the Concert Choir.

“Ye Followers of the Lamb” will be performed in both the original Shaker style, and in the more formal, stylized, choral version arranged by Edwin Ferguson.

“The students are really looking forward to collaborating on the Shaker pieces,” said Kevin Hibbard, the chairman of the Music Department and the director of choirs and voice. “It’s been very educational for both classes.”

For more information on this and other music events, call 678-839-6516 or visit www.westga.edu/music.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Heating and Cooling Energy Efficient Tips for College Living


When the weather gets chilly, it gets difficult for college students not to touch that thermostat to keep warm at night. But turning your home into a sauna can be costly – and it isn’t energy efficient, either. Here are a few simple heating and cooling tips for campus living in dorms and apartments:

First, set your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter and then leave that dial alone. With each degree decrease on your thermostat in the winter and increase in the summer, you can immediately see a three to four percent decrease in energy use.

Make sure that furniture, curtains, rugs and other items do not block vents and registers to make sure that air flow is sufficient throughout your home. On winter days, open window shades that allow direct sunlight to enter to help heat your home. On summer days, close shades to block the sun’s rays.

If your heating and cooling equipment is in your unit, clean or change the filters every three months. A dirty filter makes your equipment work harder – which will result in higher bills. In summer, avoid using appliances that produce heat during the hottest times of the day.

Use these tips to save energy and cut down on expensive monthly payments!