Four accomplished University of Georgia faculty members have been named Fellows of the 2025-2026 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program.

The program, which launched in 2007, seeks to prepare campus leaders for executive careers in higher education. Fellows are selected through a competitive process and come from a wide variety of backgrounds in leadership and academic interests.

UGA’s 2025 – 2026 SEC ALDP Fellows are:

• Philip Hong, dean and professor, School of Social Work
• Neil Lyall, associate dean for physical and mathematical sciences and professor of mathematics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
• Juan Meng, UGA Athletic Association Endowed Professor, head of the department of advertising and public relations, and director of the Cannes Lions Program, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
• Connie J. Rogers, professor and department head of nutritional sciences and Bill and June Flatt Chair in Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer Sciences

“Drs. Hong, Lyall, Meng and Rogers have made extraordinary contributions to the University of Georgia, and I congratulate each of them on this well-deserved honor,” said Benjamin C. Ayers, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

UGA’s SEC ALDP Fellows represent a range of disciplines from across campus.

Hong has served as dean and professor in the School of Social Work since 2022, fostering a rigorous focus on academic excellence, cutting-edge research and impactful public service. Under his leadership, the school has strengthened its position as one of the best social work programs in the nation. Its graduate program is ranked No. 10 among public institutions in the most recent U.S. News & World Report survey, and its online master of social work program was ranked No. 1 by BestColleges.com. Prior to joining UGA, Hong held the positions of associate dean for research and the Lucian and Carol Welch Matusak Professorship at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work.

Lyall leads Franklin College’s division of physical and mathematical sciences and serves as the liaison for the departments of chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics and astronomy, statistics and the School of Computing. He also oversees instructional budgets, workforce planning, enrollment management, experiential learning and honors for the college at large. Before joining the dean’s office, he served as the head of the department of mathematics and director of graduate studies. His primary research interests are in the fields of harmonic analysis and arithmetic combinatorics.

Meng leads the department of advertising and public relations’ faculty recruitment, performance evaluation, curriculum revision, program development, program assessment, operations and budgeting. She also oversees student and alumni engagement, outreach and development, emergency responsiveness and accountability. During Meng’s tenure as department head, the department was named one of the top five education programs in the nation in 2024 and 2025 by PRWeek, a leading trade publication. Additionally, she directs UGA’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Study Abroad Program.

Rogers oversees the department of nutritional sciences’ strategic and operational functions, including managing and leading the department’s research, education, and service, outreach and extension mission. As chair of the Academic Nutrition Departments and Programs Community within the American Society for Nutrition, Rogers leads a data collection initiative on policies and procedures, curriculum and resources allocated to graduate education in academic nutrition departments and programs across the U.S. Her research focuses on the role of changes in energy balance and various nutritional factors on chronic disease risk and progression. She has published more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.

The SEC ALDP program includes three components: a university-level development program designed by each institution for its own participants; two SEC-wide three-day workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants; and a competitive fellowship designed to provide administrative growth opportunities for former Fellows.

UGA’s Fellows will meet monthly on campus with senior campus leaders and participate in leadership development activities that relate to the cohort’s interests.

“Joining the SEC ALDP is an exciting next step for these campus leaders who are looking to advance their already impressive careers,” said Elizabeth Weeks, associate provost for faculty affairs, interim vice provost for academic affairs and UGA’s SEC ALDP liaison. “This program has proven to be an excellent way for faculty leaders to hone their skills as the next generation of higher education leaders.”