The University of Georgia bestowed one of its highest honors on the Honorable Steve C. Jones, Senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, and the late Susette M. Talarico, renowned scholar and longtime director of the UGA Criminal Justice Studies Program, at the Founders Day luncheon on Jan. 24.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals, not currently employed at the university, who have made extraordinary contributions to the UGA community by supporting students and academic programs, advancing research or engaging in public service to enhance the quality of life of citizens in Georgia. The honor is awarded in conjunction with UGA’s annual Founders Day celebration.
“Susette Talarico dedicated her career to the University of Georgia, and the profoundly positive impact she made on the culture of this institution cannot be overstated,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Judge Jones also has strengthened our university in numerous ways through his exemplary service to the UGA community and the state of Georgia. It is a privilege to present the President’s Medal to these two incredibly deserving individuals.”
Judge Steve Jones
A distinguished alumnus, Jones has shown extraordinary commitment to his alma mater and provided continuous, selfless service to UGA and the Athens community.
Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1978 and a law degree in 1987 from the University of Georgia. A native Athenian, he devoted his early and mid career to directing the Athens Child Support Recovery Unit and serving as an assistant district attorney, an Athens-Clarke County municipal court judge, and a superior court judge in the Western Judicial Circuit of Georgia.
In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Jones as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. On Jan. 1, 2025, Jones took senior status as a federal judge.
Outside of the courtroom, Jones has helped address challenges and create opportunities in the Athens community and the University of Georgia by fostering collaboration and leading with kindness, humility and grace. Among his many contributions, he led the community-based One Athens initiative to reduce poverty and chaired the Athens Area Community Foundation.
At UGA, he served as president of the Alumni Association and as a member of the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors and the School of Law’s Board of Visitors. He also served on the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees in the roles of secretary, strategic vice chair and executive committee member, and he continues to serve as an emeritus trustee.
Jones was the first trustee to receive the UGA Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award, which endowed a $100,000 scholarship that he directed to the support of first-generation college students with financial need. He also received the School of Law’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award, the Blue Key Service Award and the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award at UGA. His additional honors include the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division Judicial Service Award and the Chief Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service.
Susette Talarico
The late Susette M. Talarico was an internationally renowned scholar in political science and a visionary director of the Criminal Justice Studies Program at UGA. She was a trailblazer for women in academia.
Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Talarico earned bachelor’s degrees in education and theology at the Diocesan Sisters College near Hartford as a member of the Sisters of Mercy. She left the convent after six years to pursue a joint master’s and doctoral program in political science at the University of Connecticut, which she completed in 1976.
Talarico joined the political science faculty at the University of Georgia in 1977. She rose through the academic ranks as the only tenured female professor in her department for many years, eventually becoming the first Albert Berry Saye Professor of American Government and Constitutional Law. She also led the interdisciplinary Criminal Justice Studies Program for over two decades, developing it into the nationally recognized program it is today.
Talarico was an early champion of experiential learning, international education and engaged research. To promote excellence in instruction, she helped found the UGA Teaching Academy and served as a Senior Teaching Fellow. She twice earned the Josiah Meigs Award for Excellence in Teaching and held the General Sandy Beaver Teaching Professorship. She also received the Creative Research Award from UGA, the Outstanding Scholarship Award from the Society for the Study of Social Programs and the Teaching and Mentoring Award from the American Political Science Association, among other honors.
She remained at UGA until her retirement in 2006 and left an indelible mark on all who knew her through her innovative teaching, generous mentorship, impactful research and extraordinary service to the university and her field. Her legacy lives on through the continued success of the many students and faculty members she mentored, the prominence of the Criminal Justice Studies Program, and the lecture and awards in the School of Public and International Affairs that carry her name.
Founders Week
The President’s Medal ceremony is part of Founders Week, when UGA observes the date the university was established: Jan. 27. On that day in 1785, the Georgia General Assembly adopted a charter establishing the University of Georgia as the first institution of public higher education in America.
