In the latest in a series of steps to enhance the learning environment, the University of Georgia is investing $4.4 million to reduce class sizes by hiring faculty and creating more than 300 new course sections. 

“This major initiative demonstrates the University of Georgia’s strong commitment to putting students first,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Reducing the number of large class sections in critical instruction areas will improve student learning and success and further enhance our world-class learning environment.”

The first of the new faculty members will begin teaching this fall, and a total of 56 will be hired in the coming year. By fall 2016, a total of 319 new course sections in 81 majors will be added, the majority of which will have fewer than 20 students. 

UGA currently has an 18-1 student/faculty ratio, and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten noted that the new courses will help ensure students receive even more personalized attention from their professors.

She added that the push to decrease class sizes at UGA builds upon a series of academic enhancements the institution has implemented in recent years. Last fall, the university hired 10 new faculty to teach in 80 high-demand course sections. In the spring, the university approved a new graduation requirement that will make UGA the largest public university in the nation to require that each of its nearly 27,000 undergraduate students engage in experiential learning—such as internships, research, study abroad or service-learning—prior to graduation.

“UGA offers the broad range of resources and opportunities that a major research university provides as well as personalized and hands-on learning experiences that are typically associated with smaller universities,” Whitten said. “It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s exactly what our world-class students deserve.”