Looking Ahead
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as interim dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. FACS is thriving with growing enrollment in our undergraduate and graduate programs, high levels of funded research and innovative, essential and timely outreach programs.
We were recently re-accredited by the Council for Accreditation of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences through spring 2030. This accreditation confirms that our undergraduate programs provide the highest quality educational experiences and prepare students for professional roles to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.
My main goal as interim dean is to make this transition time as smooth as possible for FACS students, faculty, staff and alumni. There are several new opportunities to navigate this fall.
First, we have a transition in leadership with the retirement of Dean Linda Kirk Fox, who served FACS in this role for over a decade. Due to her outstanding direction, our college is in the great place it is in today.
Jamie Cooper is serving as the interim associate dean until we fill the dean position with a permanent replacement. She will oversee academic programs for the college and start implementing some of our research, innovation and entrepreneurship goals.
Dr. Cooper is the Bill Flatt Professor in nutritional sciences and director of the UGA Obesity Initiative. She has served as graduate coordinator in what is now known as the department of nutritional sciences and directed the emphasis in sports nutrition.
The most important transition we will make this fall is getting back to as close to normal operations as feasible.
Face-to-face instruction and outreach programming is a priority. However, we have all adapted, transformed and evolved the way we do things, so fall 2021 may not look the same as fall 2019. We will be thoughtful about our program delivery, ensuring it is in the best interest of our students, clients and other stakeholders.
In addition to the dean position, we have several other faculty, staff, and administrative searches in progress including the department head for financial planning, housing and consumer economics. We also have some searches planned for August 2022 including a new associate dean for research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
My goal is to help lead the college through this transition and continue to work on moving toward the goals we set for ourselves in the 2025 FACS Strategic Plan in the areas of: Teaching and Learning, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Strengthening Partnerships with Communities Across Georgia and Around the World. Read more here: www.fcs.uga.edu/about/strategic-plan
Your support of the college through the years – and in particular during the challenges brought on by the pandemic – is so appreciated. Thank you for your devotion to our college and our mission. Together, we are stronger.
