A University of Georgia degree is closer than you think.

The University of Georgia Griffin Campus, originally established as the Georgia Experiment Station in 1888, has played an integral role in the development of modern agriculture. While the campus is mostly known for its groundbreaking advancements in agricultural and environmental sciences, UGA-Griffin began offering degree-completion programs in 2005. Students at UGA-Griffin enjoy low student-to-faculty ratios, and many students are able to take advantage of on-campus work and directed research opportunities so that they can gain real-world work experience while earning their University of Georgia degree.

UGA-Griffin also hosts the Office of Continuing Education, which provides innovative lifelong learning opportunities through its programs. In addition, Continuing Ed offers youth and community outreach programs, as well as conference space for other meetings and special events.

Contact us for more information about academic programs or for other general inquiries.

Subscribe to

Spotlight on Campus News and Events

Previous Pause Next

UGA professor earns award from American Phytopathological Society

Posted on
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Photo of Dr. Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza

It is said that if you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life. For Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza, this has come true through his work as a plant pathologist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. His passion and hard work have been recognized with the American Phytopathological Society’s (APS) 2021 Excellence in Extension award.

The award recognizes an APS member who has made outstanding contributions by creating, developing or implementing extension-related programs or materials or has provided significant leadership in an area of extension of plant pathology.

“I was ecstatic when I got the call from the APS President,” said Martinez-Espinoza. “I couldn’t believe it. There are so many deserving people who put their soul into their work; I am honored and humbled to be selected.”

David Buntin, interim assistant provost and campus director for the UGA Griffin campus, was delighted to learn of the award presented to Martinez-Espinoza.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza and his work,” said Buntin. “His hard work and dedication to plant pathology extension is well known on the UGA Griffin campus and we are thrilled he is now being recognized by the APS. We congratulate Dr. Martinez-Espinoza and are glad to have someone of his caliber at UGA-Griffin.”

Filed under:

Burnham named ABWA Scholarship recipient

Posted on
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Pictured are (l-r) ABWA members Wanda Chronic Howell and Rita Johnson with scholarship recipient Dusty Burnham and UGA Griffin Interim Assistant Provost and Campus Director, Dr. David Buntin.

Each year the Iris Chapter of ABWA (American Business Women’s Association) presents a scholarship to a student who is pursuing a degree in business or a business-related field on the University of Georgia Griffin Campus. This year the scholarship was open to students in the Terry College of Business, those pursing a degree in Agribusiness, or those in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Dusty Burnham, who is currently a senior pursuing a degree in General Business from the Terry College of Business, was recently named the 2021 recipient of the $750 scholarship.

“The ABWA Iris Chapter has a proud history of supporting women as they expand their education and pursue their dreams. We are all honored to support Dusty in her education,” stated Kathleen Smith, President of the ABWA Iris Chapter. “We are proud of all her accomplishments and look forward to seeing her develop her talents further as she builds her life ahead.”

Burnham noted she was incredibly grateful and excited to find out she was selected for the scholarship and for the support of the ABWA.

“I was thrilled to learn of my selection for this honor and I am deeply appreciative of their support,” said Burnham. “This scholarship will allow me to finish my degree on a good financial note and will strengthen my community of peers.”

Filed under:

UGA plays pivotal role in food safety

Posted on
Friday, June 11, 2021
Photo of Dr. Francisco Diez Gonzales

World Food Safety Day is celebrated annually on June 7. Established in 2018 through a U.N. General Assembly resolution, the day seeks to bring awareness to foodborne risks and “to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food,” according to the U.N.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the U.S. That means that roughly 1 in 6 Americans will contract a foodborne illness this year, and these illnesses are spread through common foods such as produce, meat, fish, dairy and poultry. 

Globally, the impact is more significant, with children under the age of 5 and people living in low-income countries hit hardest. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 600 million people contract foodborne illnesses annually, and of those, 420,000 will die. Yet the organization fears that the actual numbers are much higher, as there are places in the world where surveillance data for foodborne illnesses are not available. 

The CDC says that most of these illnesses are caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites that are transmitted to humans through the food they consume. This is why food safety is a vital component of the entire agricultural production system and is critical to ensuring food security.

Filed under:

Computer software helps solve what-if questions in agriculture

Posted on
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Photo of the 2021 DSSAT Attendees in front of the Noami Chapman Woodroof Agricultural Pavilion

Anyone familiar with agriculture knows that a successful harvest largely relies on environmental factors. An especially hot summer with no rain in sight or poor soil quality can cause as many problems as a late cold snap right in the middle of planting season. Often farmers must rely on trial and error to get the best results. But for agricultural scientists, the guessing game can be reduced thanks to a computer software program called Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT).

Created by a team of researchers from the universities of Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Guelph and Michigan State University in partnership with the International Fertilizer Development Center, DSSAT is designed to better understand agricultural systems and environmental influences to make predictions that give farmers options for their crops. The current version — version 4.7.5 — can model growth, yield, irrigation, and fertilization requirements for 42 different crops, as well as regional environmental impact. DSSAT has been used by more than 16,500 researchers, educators, consultants, extension agents, growers in more than 174 countries worldwide.

Filed under:

UGA Weather Network celebrates 30 years of service to agriculture in Georgia

Posted on
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Photo of Pam Knox reviewing a UGA weather station

On June 1, 1991, the first agricultural weather station operated by the University of Georgia began transmitting data from Griffin, Georgia. Since then, the UGA Weather Network has grown to include 87 stations scattered across the state, providing weather data to a variety of users. On June 1 this year, this 30-year record of continuous weather data makes the UGA Weather Network one of the oldest state weather networks in the country.

The network, originally known as the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network, was the brainchild of Gerrit Hoogenboom, an adjunct professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the UGA College of Engineering. He placed the first four stations at UGA facilities around the state  — in Griffin, Tifton, Midville and Watkinsville — and directed the network until 2010. He was followed by Ian Flitcroft, who retired in 2018. Hoogenboom, now a professor and preeminent scholar at the University of Florida, still uses the UGA weather data as inputs in his ongoing Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) training classes that are offered each summer on the Griffin campus.

Filed under:

1 of 5