Donors have long been a powerful source of progress at the University of Georgia, and the past year was no exception. Private donations to UGA in fiscal year 2023 reached $242.8 million, the second-highest fundraising total in the university’s history. Fiscal year 2023 donations created 16 faculty positions, 150+ scholarships and 300+ endowed funds.

Three graduates of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are among the University of Georgia Alumni Association's 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. Among the young alumni addressing the world’s most critical issues, leading businesses and serving their communities are three honorees from CAES: a community advocate, a veterinarian and an obstetrician providing women’s health care in rural Georgia.

Poultry, specifically broiler production, is Georgia’s top livestock agricultural commodity, with an average of 31 million pounds of chicken produced every day throughout the state. At the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, experts have helped developed biomapping technology for processing facilities that is making the food supply safer.

The photo was simple: a man in blue scrubs against a beige wall with a blue pill in his mouth. The caption was anything but. “My name is Dr. Jake. I’m a physician who treats mental illness, and I take medication for my mental health. And by the way, I’m proud of it.”

In the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, students are exposed to new ideas, concepts and methods in classrooms and labs every day. The Ratcliffe Scholars Program, part of the college’s experiential learning programming, supports undergraduate students as they deepen their understanding of their chosen fields through internships, study abroad programs and other immersive learning experiences.

Clustered around a surgical table, students carefully perform procedures on their patients, carefully monitoring every vital sign to ensure a successful outcome. This may sound like a scene from a medical school or residency, but it describes the experiences of undergraduate students in “Avian Surgical Techniques,” a course offered by the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.