Alumni

The University of Georgia’s Double Dawgs program is now being offered on the UGA campus in Griffin. The program allows students to simultaneously work towards a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree and complete both degrees in five years or less. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is the first to bring the Double Dawgs program to Griffin, Georgia.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 percent of all jobs will require a master’s degree by 2022. The Double Dawgs program is designed to help students reach that goal sooner.

“Double Dawgs programs give students the opportunity to earn a valuable second degree in about the same amount of time it would take to earn a bachelor’s degree, in most cases,” said Melissa Gordon, assistant director of academic affairs. “Basically, you start working on your master’s degree while you are finishing your bachelor’s degree. It’s amazing that you can get two UGA degrees in such a short length of time.”

More than 100 Double Dawgs programs are now available to UGA students at the university’s main campus in Athens, Georgia.

Students at the Griffin campus who are working toward a bachelor’s degree in environmental resource science from CAES can enter the Double Dawgs program to earn a master’s degree in plant protection and pest management. 

Christy Sutton has been an educator for 10 years, and has spent the last five years teaching second grade mathematics at Lee County Primary School. She serves as the school’s mathematics team leader and is a member of the school’s leadership team. Christy has presented numerous times at the Georgia Mathematics Conference. Through the implementation of hands-on activities and a focus on student discourse, Christy’s goal is for all students to be confident in their mathematical abilities. She believes every student has the right and ability to learn mathematics, and strives for students to realize their potential in becoming mathematicians. For the past four years, Christy has spent time working with projects for Georgia’s Department of Education. She has helped rewrite the Georgia Frameworks, revise the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE), and participated in creating webinars. Most recently, she helped create videos for second grade teachers titled "GSE Mathematics Standards in the Classroom." Christy earned an A.S. in early childhood education from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, a B.S., summa cum laude, in early childhood education from Georgia College and State University, and a M.E. in mathematics education from the University of Georgia. She is certified in early childhood education, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and middle grades mathematics.

The University of Georgia Alumni Association has released the 2017 Bulldog 100. This annual program recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. More than 500 nominations were submitted for the 2017 list.

The 2017 Bulldog 100 includes businesses of all sizes and from industries such as veterinary medicine, IT consulting and pest control. Several areas of the country are represented, including companies from as far north as New York and as far west as California. Of the 100 businesses, 79 are located within Georgia, and only one business has made the list all eight years: Vino Venue/Atlanta Wine School.

The Atlanta office of Warren Averett CPAs and Advisors verified the information submitted by each company and ranked the businesses based on a compounded annual growth rate during a three-year period.

Justin and Kristen Merrick, twin daughters of Mike and Karen Merrick of Concord, graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in May, each with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. They earned their bachelor of science degrees in biological science from UGA-Griffin in 2009 after graduating in 2005 from Fayette County High School. Justin graduated cum laude and will be practicing in Fayetteville at Fayetteville Animal Hospital and Southern Crescent Animal Emergency Clinic. Kristen graduated magna cum laude and will be practicing in Sharpsburg at East Coweta Veterinary Hospital. Both women are members of Phi Zeta, the honor society of veterinary medicine. (Photo and article credit: Griffin Daily News, Sunday, June 22, 2014, p. A14)