February 22, 2019
by Jere W. Morehead, President
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends, UGA’s Commit to Georgia campaign has reached its $1.2 billion goal 16 months ahead of schedule. This thrilling milestone was made possible by donations from nearly 150,000 contributors who are helping the University increase scholarship support for students, enhance the learning environment, and solve grand challenges for our state and the world.
To date, donors have created 785 endowed scholarships, which will be awarded to UGA students year after year. This number includes 370 need-based scholarships established through the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program. Through this program, the UGA Foundation matches donor contributions dollar-for-dollar. We are well on the way to reaching our initial goal of 400 Georgia Commitment Scholarships by the end of the campaign, and my hope is that many more will be created beyond that number.
Commit to Georgia campaign contributors have helped fund several new and renovated facilities in Athens and other UGA locations, including Delta Hall in Washington, DC; the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, and the Business Learning Community. They have helped students take advantage of experiential learning opportunities such as internships and study abroad. In addition, they have created 87 endowed faculty positions, which help UGA recruit and retain top scholars and researchers.
I deeply appreciate all that our supporters have done to amplify the University of Georgia’s positive impact on the world. As the campaign continues, I look forward to seeing how much higher we can raise the bar—and increase the campaign’s transformative impact—between now and the completion of the campaign on June 30, 2020.