College Update 5/1/25

FACS Faculty Leadership Fellows 2025-2027 

I’m delighted to announce the next cohort of FACS Faculty Leadership Fellows:  

As with the first cohort, these fellows are in different streams and ranks of faculty positions and they span the academic departments in FACS. Their projects are designed to produce positive impact for students and faculty in the college and to position us well for the future within UGA and our fields. I’m grateful to these faculty for submitting their ideas. I am also grateful to the first cohort of FACS Faculty Leadership Fellows - Ali Berg, Kristy Archuleta, Megan Ford, Jenn Gonyea, Yoo-Kyoung Seock, and Dee Warmath - for their dedication to their projects, their accomplishments, and their leadership over the past two years.  

Research in Higher Education 

In other news, we continue to be engaged and proactive in adjusting to recent changes in higher education. I will remain in contact with department heads and relevant faculty and staff over the summer. We held the “Research in These Times” panel discussion and will be convening a session in the fall about existing data that faculty have and other topics that emerged from that panel. My plan is to have monthly topical meetings with faculty. If you have ideas, please let me or your supervisor know what they are.  

Faculty Searches 

I want to thank you for your involvement in all the searches we have conducted this academic year. We are closing in on the hiring for next year. We have been successful with several searches and are finishing up several lecturer and clinical positions.  

Promotion and Tenure 

We want to take one more time to congratulate faculty who were successful in the promotion and tenure process. Starting in July 2025, the following faculty have been promoted: 

Safety and Emergency Resources in FACS 

We have followed up on the college fall assembly about safety with additional training for the Administrative Cabinet in FACS. Lighting around the Home Management houses has been improved by the university and continues to improve around campus. Dawson Hall also has additional lighting along the pathways and near the patio area.  

We will continue to work with the safety committee and staff over the summer. We are working on a new Emergency Resources tab on the FACS website to make it easier to find information. We will add to it over the summer, so please check it out in the fall! 

FERPA Updates/directory changes  

Effective December 31, 2024, the USG adopted a unified definition of directory information under Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that requires us to make changes to our online directory.  

  

To ensure FERPA compliance and meet privacy and safety best practices, the college must receive written and signed consent from individual students before it can post any student likeness such as a photo or any non-public/non-directory information on our directory. 

  

To comply, we will require undergraduate and graduate students to sign and return an electronic consent form in order for their information to be included in our online directory. The form and instructions can be found here: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/otis/add-reactivate-student-profile  

  

Please contact webmaster Jimmy Hansen (jphansen@uga.edu) or Cal Powell (jcpowell@uga.edu) if you have questions.   

  

More information on the new policy can be found on the Office of the Registrar page. 

  

Sidewalk and Roadway Safety 

There is no higher priority than the safety of our community at the University of Georgia. In that spirit, several new initiatives and programs can be expected in 2025 to focus on the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, micromobility vehicle users and drivers. Highlights of those efforts include: 

Please remember that safety is our collective responsibility. Together, we can make a difference on our campus. As you move around campus and the Athens community, please keep the following points in mind: 
  

For additional resources, please visit the Watch for Dawgs website. 

Sense of Belonging Survey 

The Student Success and Advising Center conducted a survey to gather insights on sense of belonging for FACS students to assess student engagement, experiences, and opportunities for improvement. The instrument included Likert-scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. Out of 401 total responses, 334 surveys were fully completed. The survey results provide a clear picture of student sentiment across key areas: faculty support, advisor accessibility, classroom environment, and overall sense of belonging. Of the respondents, 88% of students agree that faculty believe in their potential, indicating strong support and encouragement from instructors. 

  

Kudos to all of the FACS faculty for their commitment to student success and achievement!! 

  

FACS Ambassadors 2025-26 

We are thrilled to welcome 32 dynamic individuals who will serve the college as student ambassadors for this upcoming academic year.   

  

Upcoming events 

May 1 – Furnishings and Interiors Senior Showcase (TMI)   

May 1 – Ribbon Cutting for Clarke Middle Health Center – 5:30 pm  

May 1 – RPM Career Night – Rialto Club  

May 9 – Spring Convocation 

May 15 – Development Workshop and Executive Committee Retreat  

June 16-18, 2025 – GATFACS in Athens   

August 8 – New Faculty Orientation  

Sincerely,   

Anisa M. Zvonkovic, Ph.D. 

Dean and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences