This year’s Public Service and Outreach tour of the state will take about 40 new University of Georgia faculty through 14 cities and 43 counties Aug. 7-11.
 
The group departed Monday from the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel after orientation and a send-off from President Jere W. Morehead. From there they traveled by bus to Jaemor Farms near Gainesville to learn about agribusiness in north Georgia and the growing agritourism industry across the state.
 
Other highlights of the trip will include a visit to Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, and Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega; stops at the Georgia Capitol and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta; and a driving/walking tour of Senoia, where participants will learn about the growing film industry in Georgia.
 
In addition, the tour will take faculty members to the new Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center on the UGA Griffin Campus; the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth; Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins; agricultural facilities at UGA Tifton; the Okefenokee Swamp in Waycross; and Gulfstream Aerospace and the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant facilities in Savannah.
 
The week will end with a visit to the Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History and the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah; and a stop in Sandersville to learn more about UGA’s Archway Partnership and the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development.
 
“This tour is an ideal way for our faculty members who are new to the university, and many to Georgia, to learn about the diversity of the state’s culture, history, geography and economic drivers,” said Laura Meadows, interim vice president for UGA Public Service and Outreach. “They see firsthand how this university partners with governments, businesses and communities to boost economic vitality across the state. We hope they discover opportunities to use their own academic expertise to further the mission of the land-grant and sea-grant institution.”
 
The New Faculty Tour is coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and is made possible by major support from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. Additional sponsors include the UGA Alumni Association, UGA Foundation, and a multitude of other units and supporters of the University of Georgia.