Athens and the University of Georgia have been partners since birth. 

They grew from the same parcel of land purchased by the state from Daniel Easley in 1801. The town was incorporated in 1806, the same year that Old College, UGA’s first academic building, was opened and developed as businesses located near the university. 

There could not be one without the other.

In the ensuing centuries, other institutions – Athens Technical College, Piedmont College, and the University of North Georgia – also opened in the area, making Athens the center of higher education in north Georgia.

We are proud to be a university town.

The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce has long recognized this fact through its University Relations Committee. The committee serves to let the higher education community know that we value its academic and economic role in the community; to connect Chamber members with the vast resources of the state’s flagship and other institutions; and to support higher education as a critical component of the area’s economy.

According to The Selig Center at the Terry College of Business, UGA’s economic impact on the Athens area exceeds $2 billion annually and accounts for more than 22,000 jobs. 

Think about that for a moment. The economic power of the University of Georgia is unparalleled, and it is in our interest to ensure the viability of all the institutions of higher education that serve this region. 

It is our goal on the University Relations Committee to help Chamber members and the general Athens community understand what higher education does for the Athens-area economy and how to connect with its resources to benefit business and economic development. To that end, we have hosted a number of events, most recently a breakfast with the new dean of the Terry College of Business, Ben Ayers, hosted by Athens First Bank & Trust. Similar events have been held for new deans in public health, journalism and mass communication, education, engineering and public and international affairs, and another for the vice president for student affairs. 

An event called Scholars to Dollars attracted more than 100 business and community leaders to hear from nine of UGA’s Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars. Eminent Scholars are recruited by the state of Georgia in areas of research that have defined economic development potential.

We organized a presentation at East Campus Village on the future of student housing for local real estate professionals and developers. Gerry Kowalski, director of housing at UGA, and Charles Perry of Ambling University Development Group, addressed both on- and off-campus housing trends and offered advice to the members of the audience. Four UGA students offered perspectives on what students want in housing options.

We have hosted two sessions on how to conduct business with the university in an effort to help Chamber members become comfortable with university and state practices. A session on university students as customers was held for local retailers and service providers.

We are planning to hold more of these events in the coming years to strengthen the relationship between the Athens business community, the University of Georgia and the higher education sector. 

Chuck Toney, Jackson Spaulding, is a member of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce University Relations Committee.