University of West Georgia to Hold MLK Day Celebration

The University of West Georgia’s Office of Institutional Diversity will present a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Tues., Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at UWG’s Campus Center Ballroom in Carrollton. The event, which is free and open to the public, will have the theme, “No Time to Sit Down Now.”

The speaker will be Elisabeth Omilami, co-director of the Atlanta-based Hosea Feed the Hungry program. Omilami is the daughter of the late civil rights leader Hosea Williams and his wife, Juanita.

Omilami is also an accomplished actress, having appeared in numerous films such as “Glory Road” and “Ray,” a biography of music legend Ray Charles.

For additional information, call 678-839-5400 or check online at www.westga.edu/diversity.

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Economy Improving, but Expect Slow Progress

The economic recession that has gripped the nation appears to be ending, but that doesn’t mean that conditions will improve dramatically anytime soon, University of West Georgia economist William “Joey” Smith said Tuesday.

“The good news is the bad news is close to being over,” Smith said. “We’re already seeing a turnaround at the local and probably at the state levels. By all measures at the national level we are starting to experience recovery.”

Smith, who spoke at UWG’s annual Economic Forecast Breakfast, said there remain several areas of concern, such as unemployment, home foreclosures and high vacancy rates in residential and commercial real estate.

In many counties of west Georgia, unemployment insurance claims are continuing to rise, but at a slower rate, Smith said. That’s a good sign, because unemployment insurance claims are a leading economic indicator, a predictor of future trends.

“The employment situation is starting to stabilize, but it might be a while before there is a significant drop in the unemployment rate, which is a lagging indicator, providing a look at how conditions have been,” Smith said.

Donald Ratajczak, Regents Professor Emeritus of economics at Georgia State University, also spoke at the breakfast, telling the audience that a lean job market will linger for a while.
“Georgia had the fifth-worst number of job losses in the nation. That’s not something you bounce back from overnight,” he said.

Ratajczak also said that air transportation appeared to be one of the few industries showing some employment growth recently in Georgia, thanks to the presence of Delta Air Lines and other carriers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

Ratajczak said the economic downturn has been brutal for businesses and consumers, but that cutbacks made by companies have helped many of them weather the storm.

“This has been the most remarkable recovery in terms of productivity. In past recessions, businesses have waited too long to cut workers. This time, they started doing it earlier, which actually helped raise productivity,” he said.

Smith talked about how the job losses have had a ripple effect on other sectors of the economy, especially real estate.

In the housing market, foreclosures have soared throughout west Georgia, Smith said, and have yet to show signs of stabilizing.

Early in the recession, foreclosures largely affected holders of subprime home loans and those who were on the margins of being able to afford homeownership, Smith said.

But as the recession has progressed, foreclosures have taken a huge toll on solidly middle class families that held traditional 15- or 30-year mortgages. Many of those households had two incomes but now have one or none, Smith said. Many of them also have had to depend on savings to pay the mortgage, and those savings are dwindling, putting them on the verge of foreclosure.

Vacancy rates, in residential and commercial real estate, also continue to be a problem.
Perhaps not surprisingly, building permits in west Georgia have plunged drastically and don’t show signs of rebounding. From 2007 to 2008, building permits for single family homes fell 56 percent in Carroll County, for example, and are projected to fall this year by 82 percent.
“The only reason we are starting to see some stabilization in housing permits really is that you can’t go below zero,” Smith said.

Despite the gloom that lingers, Smith said positive signs have clearly emerged.

“The recovery so far has been driven by optimism in the stock market and a bounce in consumer confidence,” he said.

In employment, Smith said health care and education remain the strongest sectors and that jobs in local governments will likely increase as the federal and state governments shift more responsibilities to localities.

Ratajczak said that at the national level, banks have not done a good job of making loans, which would help spur the economy. That has forced the federal government to extend more credit.
He also said that unlike the past two recessions, consumers won’t lead the recovery from this crisis, but rather businesses and government activity would.

Ratajczak said he believed the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, that bailed out a number of troubled banks, was absolutely necessary.

“You already lost about 6 or 7 million jobs in this recession. Without that, there would have been a multiplier effect that could have caused 14 or 15 million job losses.”

He also said that while a stimulus package was also necessary to shore up job losses, the one passed by the federal government was loaded with pet projects and earmarks that shouldn’t have been included.

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West Georgia Celebrates Earth Day 2009

The University of West Georgia will celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, with something for everyone that includes cotton candy, Wolfie and recycling. The free event is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. near the Campus Center and the community is welcome to attend.

Faculty and staff, fraternities and sororities, the Geosciences Club and the Geography Honor Society, have planned one of the largest Earth Days to be held on campus.

A Miss Earth Day Pageant, where contestants don only costumes made from recycled products, an Earth Day tee shirt sale, a guest appearance by Wolfie and recycling tubs for ink cartridges, cell phones and aluminum are some of the green and blue attractions for the event.

A traditional Earth Day tree planting will also take place on campus. At 2:30 p.m., three kwanzan cherry trees will be planted near the Calloway Building’s annex. James Hembree, UWG horticulturalist, will provide the trees and dig the holes and faculty and students will help plant. The 10-foot trees will replace a large cherry tree taken down during construction of the addition to Calloway months ago.

Not to be outdone, Aramark, the university food service provider, and Auxiliary Services will celebrate Earth Day all week long April 20 – 24.

Both will help with the green effort Monday through Friday by a different energy saving technique each day. Trayless Dining Day will save hundreds of gallons of water; Dim the Lights Day will lower energy costs, and Weigh the Waste Day, Recycling Day for cell phones and an Earth Day Meal will help the campus community think and eat green.

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$1 Million Gift to UGA will Help Create Children’s Garden at State Botanical Garden

When Alice Richards’ family decided to give $1 million to the State Botanical Garden at the University of Georgia to create a children’s garden, they didn’t know they were helping fulfill a dream she had harbored for almost two decades.

Richards, who lived in Carrollton, was a charter member of the Botanical Garden’s Board of Advisors and one of the garden’s most devoted and beloved supporters until her death in May 2007. The mother of seven and grandmother of 24, Richards loved flowers and the outdoors and had a tender spot for children, said her son Lee Richards of St. Simons Island.

So when Lee and his siblings began discussing distribution of their mother’s estate, agreement to make a gift to the Botanical Garden to create a special garden for children “took about five seconds,” he said. “Mom loved her children and everybody else’s children, and we knew how much she loved the Botanical Garden. We could think of no better place to leave a lasting memorial.”

What the children didn’t know when they made their decision was that almost 20 years earlier Richards had written on her biographical sheet for the Board of Advisors, “I’m particularly interested in the children’s garden.”

“We didn’t learn about that until after we made the donation,” said Lee Richards. “It’s an amazing coincidence.”

Alice Richards was the widow of Roy Richards, founder and CEO of Southwire, the largest maker of cable in North America and one of Georgia’s largest corporations. Roy was a Georgia Tech graduate and neither Alice nor any of their children had any connection to the University of Georgia until Alice was asked to become a charter member of the Botanical Garden Board of Advisors through friends who were knowledgeable about the garden.

She quickly became one of the board’s most committed members and was especially helpful in raising money, said Jeff Lewis, Botanical Garden director. She chaired a Gardens of the World Ball, the Botanical Garden’s major annual fund-raising event, and “was always one of the first to make a pledge for a campaign and get in line to make things happen,” said Lewis.

“She was a very genuine person and she loved the Botanical Garden and her fellow board members, and those of us on the staff felt the same affection for her,” Lewis added.

The Advisory Board conferred emeritus status on Richards shortly before her death.

A children’s garden is a key feature of the Botanical Garden master plan, which Richards worked hard to implement, and fits perfectly with the Botanical Garden’s environmental education focus, Lewis said.

A site for the children’s garden has been identified and planning is beginning to get underway. Lewis said the $1 million—one of the largest gifts the garden has received from an individual—will be the lead gift in a future fund-raising drive for the children’s garden. The Botanical Garden will request it be named the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden.

“This gift continues Alice’s connection with the Botanical Garden and will allow us to move forward much more quickly with the children’s garden and honor the memory of a board member who enjoyed great respect and admiration among all who knew her,” Lewis said.

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Events Chase Winter Blues Away in Carrollton

The University of West Georgia's 20th anniversary season at the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts brings an internationally acclaimed acoustic steel guitarist and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble to town this month. Both shows are sure to chase those January doldrums away.

Often cited as one of the world's top finger style, steel-string guitarists, Grammy nominee Alex de Grassi brings a unique voice to the art of acoustic guitar with his show, “Now and Then,” on Saturday, January 10, at 7:30 p.m.

De Grassi's long held trademark to create a highly orchestrated sound in his solo guitar music will take the listener beyond the instrument into a canvas of evocative compositions and arrangements.

The musician's most recent recording, “Now and Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century” on 33rd Street Records features contemporary arrangements of 11 treasured tunes from the American standards repertoire. His playing weaves together melody, bass, harmony, rhythm and cross-rhythms.

Sponsored by the West Georgia Community Foundation, “Now and Then” is de Grassi's attempt to tell a few American stories and weave a musical fabric whose threads reach through time to unite the present with the past...music for now and then.

“In rediscovering these songs I came to appreciate that folk music is a living tradition, and that each generation will find relevance and a way to reinterpret these songs," the musician explained. “In that spirit, I have arranged traditional melodies to reflect the musical idioms and social climate of today's multicultural landscape.”

De Grassi will also host a workshop for steel guitar fans before the concert at 2:30 p.m. in the theatre. Space for the workshop and remaining tickets are limited and early reservations are recommended.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 for seniors and active military and $5 for children. The workshop is free. To learn more about the artist, visit www.degrassi.com or www.townsendcenter.org.
Two weeks after de Grassi's appearance, the Townsend Center will offer its second annual Live Art at the Townsend Center series with The Chicago Jazz Ensemble starring Jon Faddis on Saturday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc., Live Art soars into the stratosphere with this preeminent jazz big band of the Mid-West.
Celebrated by critics and audiences alike, the 21-member Chicago Jazz Ensemble is an elite group of Chicago jazz musicians, ranging from international stars to acclaimed Columbia College Chicago faculty. Founded in 1965 by distinguished composer and conductor William Russo, the ensemble entered a new phase in its history when Jon Faddis took the helm.

Tickets are $42 for adults, seniors, active military and children. To learn more about the ensemble, visit their website at www.chijazz.com or the Townsend Center's website at www.townsendcenter.org. Ticket subscription packages are also available for three or more shows at the Townsend Center at significant discounts.

The Townsend Center Box Office reopened on Monday January 5. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and one hour before a performance. For more information, call 678-839-4722.

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UWG Ingram Library Hosts WWII Exhibit Through December 12

In observance of Veterans Day, the Ingram Library at the University of West Georgia will host a photograph exhibit, “Images of Small Town Americans in World War II,” from Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Friday, Dec. 12. The exhibit is free and the community is welcome to attend.

The personal collections of 18 men and women who served in Europe, the Pacific and North Africa in World War II documents a pivotal time in these soldiers’ lives and in American and world history.

In 2000, Smyrna resident Patricia Burns started collecting veterans’ oral histories and historical war items for the Smyrna Museum. The photographs in the exhibit were contributed from the veterans’ personal collections.

“These pictures show their youth, vibrancy and contribution during World War II, which forever changed them and the world,” said Burns. “They are also a reminder of so many young men and women who never made it home to grow old.”

The photographs tell the stories of U.S. Navy Signalman Grady “Pete” Burnette, First Lieutenant Dorothy “Dot” Bacon, Technical Sergeant Edward LaPorta and Private First Class Arthur Crowe, Jr.

Burnette hitchhiked from Powder Springs to Atlanta to join the Navy and fought in the Battle of the Java Sea, a major naval Pacific campaign of WWII, on a small destroyer. When the Japanese sank the small destroyer, he was captured and made a prisoner of war for more than three years.
Bacon, of Sumter, SC, served as a nurse in an English hospital during the war, where she worked long hours patching and suturing patients when the surgeons were too busy to do it.

LaPorta, an Italian immigrant, was one of 20 men in his company of 220 to survive the invasion of North Africa. Taken prisoner by the Germans, he was confined to camps in Italy and Germany. On transfer from one German camp to another, he refused to abandon a sick friend, pulling him on a make shift sled and then carrying him the remaining 80 miles, saving his life.

Crowe dropped out of The Citadel to join the army and participated in the Invasion of Normandy where he drove a truck off a landing barge and nearly drowned.

On an advance survey team in the Cherbourg Peninsula, he encountered a retreating German division and using the code word “serenade” helped communicate an order to attack that ultimately launched 800 artillery shells within a 20-second period.

Ingram Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. – 2 a.m.

For more information, call 678-839-5337.

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Economic Forecast Breakfast October 28

The University of West Georgia will host the 2008 Economic Forecast Breakfast on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. Individual seating is still available with registration ending on Friday, Oct. 24.

Dr. William Smith, assistant professor of economics, pictured, and state economist Kenneth Heaghney will be guest speakers at the 12th annual Economic Forecast Breakfast at the University of West Georgia. The event will focus on the economies of the United States, the state of Georgia and the West Georgia region.

The annual event will focus on national, state and regional economic forecasts and will feature guest speaker Kenneth Heaghney, Georgia’s state economist, and Dr. William “Joey” Smith, an assistant professor of economics at UWG.

Heaghney was appointed in 2005 and is responsible for developing the annual tax revenue forecast for the state’s budget. He also advises the Governor’s office on economic policies. Professor and chair of the Department of Economics David Boldt said the featured speaker would shed light on economic issues.

“Kenneth Heaghney has particular expertise concerning the impact of the national economic slowdown and financial crisis on the Georgia economy and the state budget outlook,” said Boldt. “He also has substantial experience in the private sector and will be able to share his insights on the expected impact of the credit market problems on both small and large businesses.”

Smith will present an update on the economic outlook for the West Georgia region. Before coming to the West Georgia campus, Smith was a research associate at the Fiscal Research Center at GSU with a specialization of growth patterns in metro Atlanta and empirical analysis of state tax policies.

The event is sponsored by the UWG Department of Economics, the Richards College of Business, the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Southwire and First National Bank of Georgia.

Co-sponsors include AgSouth Mortgages, Carroll EMC, Citizens Bank and Trust of West Georgia, Fred O’Neal of Edward Jones and Michael Stone of Edward Jones, Systems and Methods, Inc., Tisinger Vance, PC, and Valic-Cliff England Financial Advisor.

The breakfast is widely attended with more than 300 participants expected this year. Each guest attending the conference will receive a copy of the 2007 West Georgia Regional Outlook publication.

Reservations and payments are required in advance. Cost for the event is $25 for an individual registration and $175 for a table of eight. Checks and registration requests may be sent to the University of West Georgia, the Department of Economics, 1601 Maple St., Carrollton, GA 30118. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 24.

For more information on the breakfast, call 678-839-6477 or e-mail Dr. David Boldt, chairman of the Department of Economics and coordinator of the event, at dboldt@westga.edu.

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"I Saw the Walking Dead" Lecture September 16

In partnership with the ongoing “Anne Frank: A History for Today” exhibit, the Ingram Library at the University of West Georgia will host Dr. Leon Bass, a veteran who helped liberate the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. “I Saw the Walking Dead” will be presented on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. The event is free and the community is invited to hear this remarkable story.

Bass, an African-American, served in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion during World War II and described what he saw at Buchenwald to be “the walking dead.” A retired principal at a high school in Philadelphia, Bass has become a national speaker on the subject and was featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II.”

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Anne Frank Exhibit Opens in Carrollton September 7

GFP Note: This exhibit opens at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton on September 7th.

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"Since its publication in 1947, Anne Frank’s diary has served as personal witness to the Holocaust. 'Anne Frank: A History for Today' seeks to continue to teach the history and tragedy of the Holocaust, meanwhile making it clear that prejudice and intolerance are topics as real and relevant today as they were during the Nazi era." - Lorene Flanders

The Penelope Melson Society and the Ingram Library will open the exhibit “Anne Frank: A History for Today” on Sunday, Sept. 7. The exhibit is free and the community is welcome to attend during library hours.

Produced in the Netherlands and made available through the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Anne Frank Center USA, the exhibit juxtaposes photographs of the Frank family with historical events of the time period.

With 55 exhibition panels that chronicle the rise of Nazism and a three-dimensional representation of the dining room of the Secret Annex, the exhibit challenges the audience to think about the value of tolerance, mutual respect and the significance of human rights.

Another component of the exhibit features photographs taken by soldier and photojournalist William A. Scott III as he participated in the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in a segregated all-black army unit. Scott was also a member of one of the leading African-American families of Atlanta who founded and operated The Atlanta Daily World, the nation’s first black owned daily newspaper.

Adding more historical drama to the exhibit is guest speaker Dr. Leon Bass, an educator from Pennsylvania and an African-American soldier who participated along with Scott in the liberation of Buchenwald. He will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. His presentation will also be free to the community through the sponsorship of the UWG Office of Minority Affairs.

Lorene Flanders, professor and director of university libraries, said that the exhibit would open the eyes of its viewers.

“The Anne Frank exhibit on the UWG campus gives members of the campus community and local residents the opportunity to view an exhibit that is touring the nation,” said Flanders. “We expect to welcome some 1,000 eighth grade students to campus to visit the exhibit and appreciate the volunteers who have agreed to serve as docents.”

Sponsors for the exhibit include the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the Richards College of Business, the Honors College, the Advanced Academy of Georgia and the Office of Minority Affairs in association with Ingram Library’s Penelope Melson Society.

The exhibit will be on display through Monday, Sept. 29. Library hours are Sunday, 2 – 10 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, call 678-839-5337.

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West Georgia Excels in Water Conservation

Water conservation is still a hot topic as government agencies grapple on how to conserve water during the dry summer months. The 10-month state mandate on water conservation continues and so does the University of West Georgia’s highly successful water conservation program.

UWG has exceeded the state’s mandate for reduction of water consumption despite record enrollment numbers and a continuing drought. Since Gov. Sonny Perdue gave the executive order for state institutions to reduce water consumption by 10 to 15 percent last October, UWG has complied by 39 percent for the month of November and has maintained an average monthly reduction of 23 percent in water consumption.

The university’s water conservation plan began years before the mandate and that is one reason for the university’s success, said Robert Watkins, director of facilities.

“The university has been proactive in conserving resources with a goal of sustainability on this campus and in the community,” said Watkins. “We have succeeded on many levels and look forward to the new academic year with more successes under our belts.”

In response to the governor’s mandate, UWG implemented additional conservation initiatives that include postponing landscaping projects, extensive training of UWG staff in water conservation, a change in dish washing and food disposal in food services and discontinuing washing state fleet vehicles. UWG crews also increased surveys of university water fountains, faucets and other plumbing for leaks and repaired the equipment as needed.

In 2005, the university’s energy and resource conservation program intensified after an Ad Hoc Energy Conservation Committee formed in response to a request from UWG President Beheruz N. Sethna. For several months the group met to assess ways to reduce natural gas, electric and water usage throughout the campus.

"I am very proud of our water management,” said Sethna. “From the entire spectrum of finding aquifers through the exceptional work of Dr. Randy Kath and our other geosciences faculty twenty years ago to the present day conservation efforts headed by Facilities and Grounds and then the implementation by faculty, staff and students of the University of West Georgia. Water conservation is a way of life at this campus.”

As a result of the committee’s findings, West Georgia began a progressive conservation program that has saved thousands of dollars in energy costs and hundreds of thousands of gallons in water resources.

In addition to the successful conservation efforts on campus, West Georgia’s conservation efforts are being realized off campus. The university has partnered with the city of Carrollton and using one of several artesian wells operating on campus, a water usage agreement allows the city to take 15,000 gallons of water daily, an amount that totals 300,000 gallons a month. Dan Lewis, coordinator of Business and Finance development, said it is a service gladly given to university neighbors.

“This is a way West Georgia helps its community,” said Lewis, who posts a UWG Energy Report each month on the university website. “The wells are a tremendous resource and thanks to those professors in our geosciences department that helped to locate these resources, we are able to utilize them on and off campus.”