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.

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Spotlight on Campus News and Events

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Free online school garden workshop for educators

Posted on
Friday, June 5, 2020
Photo of seed container

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension will be offering a free, online school garden symposium for educators starting at 10 a.m. June 16.

Four one-hour presentations will be presented on the following topics:

  • Fruit in the school garden — Ashley Hoppers, Gilmer and Fannin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent
  • Seed saving — Rosann Kent, lecturer, Department of Education, University of North Georgia
  • Vermiculture — Josh Fuder, Cherokee County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent
  • Using the Great Georgia Pollinator Census with school gardens — Becky Griffin, Extension school and community garden coordinator

Participating teachers will learn four presentation-related activities that they can take back to the classroom with them, according to Griffin, who is organizing the workshop. There will be time during the webinar for questions and networking.

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UGA agriculture faculty produce COVID-19 video, materials for farm workers

Posted on
Friday, May 29, 2020
Photo of Dr. Francisco Diez-Gonzalez and Claudia Buzo

As the spring harvest approached, members of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association knew they would need assistance to provide important information about COVID-19 safety measures and food handling protocols to workers who make up the majority of the seasonal agricultural workforce, many of whom are native Spanish speakers.

University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension faculty responded quickly by producing a COVID-19 safety video in Spanish that could be incorporated into farm employee trainings. 

UGA Extension Southwest District Director Andrea Scarrow, Tift County Extension Agent Justin Hand, and Assistant Professor Laurel Dunn in the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology were a part of the group that spearheaded the effort to quickly produce and distribute the video resources to producers throughout the state.

Bill Brim, CEO of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tift County, previously worked with UGA Extension to develop financial education materials in Spanish for temporary workers at the farm, so he knew who to ask when the need for COVID-19 educational materials arose, Scarrow said.

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Slaughter named ABWA scholarship recipient

Posted on
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Photo of Melissa Slaughter scholarship recipient of the 2020 ABWA Scholarship

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 in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. The 2020 recipient of the $750 scholarship is Melissa Slaughter, who is currently pursuing a degree in Consumer Economics from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Slaughter stated she was shocked to find out she was this years’ recipient, but she is very grateful for having been selected.

“I am beyond honored. Working, living, and being a part of Spalding County has enhanced my life. I am very thankful all the opportunities God has blessed me with. If you believe then you will achieve!”

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UGA scientist leads coronavirus research on Griffin campus

Posted on
Friday, May 15, 2020
Photo of Dr. Malak Esseili

Back in January when she heard COVID-19 had been identified, Malak Esseili stopped taking her children along on trips to the grocery store. She also called her sisters and told them to begin wearing infinity scarfs they could easily use as makeshift masks while in public.

As an assistant professor of food virology at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Esseili has been focused on studying the microbial ecology of human viral pathogens (such as human noroviruses), and now her work includes the emerging viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Esseili came to UGA in March 2019 after eight years with the Food Animal Health Research Program at The Ohio State University (OSU) where she studied with Qiuhong Wang and OSU Distinguished Research Professor Linda Saif, who has conducted research on coronaviruses and other zoonotic viruses for decades.

While COVID-19 is a new — or novel — virus, coronaviruses are not new. Named for the crown-like spikes on their surface, human coronaviruses were first identified in the late 1960s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are seven coronaviruses that can infect humans. They include Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV and the new SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.

There are also coronaviruses that affect animals, including bovines, poultry, cats, dogs and other animals.

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