Supporting Rural Georgia

UGA’s Public Service and Outreach works alongside multiple UGA academic partners, including the Colleges of Public Health, Engineering and Environment and Design to help improve health care services, address infrastructure issues and fortify local economies in Georgia’s rural communities. UGA has one of the most robust PSO divisions in the country, with more than 500 faculty and staff working across the state to revitalize downtowns, strengthen government service, create leadership pipelines, protect the coastal ecosystems and help build local work forces to serve local businesses.

World-renowned faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) are conducting revolutionary research to promote the sustainability and profitability of farmers and ensure the safety of our food and fiber supply. Collaborative teams work to address smart water use, crop production, pest and disease management and other prominent challenges facing the industry at agricultural Research and Education Centers. UGA Cooperative Extension extends this knowledge and other programs to citizens through its county delivery system. Since agents and staff are a part of their communities, they understand local needs and can determine how best to respond. Extension also offers a wide spectrum of information for citizens of all ages on growing and preparing food safely, environmental resources, chronic disease prevention, financial literacy and much more.

Our commitment to supporting rural communities includes serving students of all ages. Campus leaders are actively working to increase rural student enrollment at UGA, and programs such as ALL Georgia are designed specifically to help these students feel at home after arriving on campus. Through our experiential learning initiatives, UGA students have access to unique opportunities, including: sponsored internship programs in state and federal government offices; internship and job opportunities offered through business partners, research labs, public service and outreach units, UGA Extension and partner organizations; and more. Additionally, the Georgia 4-H youth development program provides more than 242,000 children with hands-on learning opportunities like environmental education, summer camp and other leadership experiences through positive adult mentors. The majority of participants currently come from small cities, towns and rural non-farms.