For Foundation Fellows, learning extends beyond the classroom. Top faculty from departments across campus, Foundation Fellows alumni, industry leaders, and other experts lead activities for academic enrichment and networking throughout the year. Fellows are also provided with funding to attend enrichment events sponsored by other organizations, such as film festivals, theatrical and aerial dance performances, and art exhibits. Some activities take place on campus, while others may take place in professors’ homes, coffee shops, theatres, yoga and pottery studios, and museums.

recent book discussions | recent seminars and events

Sara Pilzer, FF Alumna and Fulbright Scholar ’06, PhD candidate, Public Policy Department, Duke University
“As a Fellow, I was always eager to attend dinner seminars among the university’s top professors on topics ranging from law to art to physics. Even as first years, we were invited into professors’ homes to eat and chat with experts who valued our opinions yet also encouraged us to question and defend our perspectives. Feeling engaged and welcome among faculty influenced my decision to stay in academia, a place where colleagues and students continually challenge each other to think critically. In addition, these were great opportunities to interact with fellow Fellows, as debates often lasted long after the conclusion of the meals.”

Juan Carlos Cardoza-Oquendo ’12
“In a dinner seminar with creative writing professor Judith Ortiz Cofer, we listened to poetry written from the intimacy of family, discussed the imprint of Latino/a immigrants in the South, and learned a little more about what it takes to inscribe life onto a grain of rice. Over rice and beans, Professor Cofer talked to us about her memories of her childhood home in Puerto Rico and about making a home of Georgia.”

Matt Sellers ’12
“Judith Ortiz Cofer is one of those authors who captivates her audience when she reads her work. Listening to her read to the Fellows was like having simultaneously a window into her culture and a mirror that reflects my own. Her discussion of her art as a reflection of life inspired me to explore ideas about culture and the self in my own writing.”

Lucas Puente ’10
“The opportunity to chat with German Consul General Lutz Hermann Görgens – such an esteemed and experienced diplomat – was a fantastic experience for me. This exemplifies the Foundation Fellowship’s commitment to complementing classroom learning with real-world stimuli.”

Jenny Taylor ’10
“Accompanying prospective Foundation Fellows to Dr. Ken Honerkamp’s home for a discussion of Islam and the Blackamerican with author Sherman Jackson demonstrated how incredible the opportunities provided by the Foundation Fellowship are. Through the course of the night, the content of this challenging book came alive through conversation with Dr. Jackson as he discussed his work, fielded our questions, and explained his vision for the impact of his book.” 

Lauren Pinson and David Fu ’10
“Voice actor and Doug creator Fred Newman was incredibly animated in describing his unique career path. He took his talents and found a career that allowed him to share them. In what other discussion setting does a speaker explain how he created your favorite childhood cartoon’s theme song or teach you how to make the sound of a water droplet using your cheek? It’s a fantastic way to start a connection with such a special UGA alum.”

Laura McDonald ’10
“Professor Coenen invited a group of us into his home to talk about his recent book, The Story of the Federalist. Over delicious food, we talked about how he came to write the book, what decisions he made in editing, and our experiences as readers. The discussion expanded beyond the book to issues of constitutional law and publishing, inspiring each of us to apply what we had read to contemporary circumstances.”

Recent Book Discussions

Coleman Barks, Alan Godlas, Ken Honerkamp - The Essential Rumi

Corrie Brown - The Post-American World

Dan Coenen - The Story of the Federalist

Betty Jean Craige - Conversations with Cosmo

Shane Hamilton - The Retail Revolution

Ken Honerkamp - A Spirit of Tolerance

Jessica Hunt - Special Topics in Calamity Physics; Franny and Zooey

Sherman Jackson, Ken Honerkamp, Alan Godlas - Islam and the Blackamerican

Gwen Kaminsky, Kim Wilson - Lipstick Jihad; Blink

Jere Morehead - Game Change

Maria Navarro - How to Change the World

Robyn Painter - Surviving Justice

Adam Parkes - No Country for Old Men

Ed Pavlic - Winners Have Yet to Be Announced

Kalpen Trivedi - Othello

David Williams - The Left Hand of Darkness; Stranger in a Strange Land; Joyce and the G-Men

Andrew Zawacki - Petals of Zero, Petals of One

Recent lunch & dinner Seminars

Maitreya Badami - Northern California Innocence Project

Derrick Bolton - Stanford University's MBA Program

Judith Ortiz Cofer - The Writer's Life

Cullen Conley - Sundance Institute and Filmmaking Careers

Phaedra Corso - Untangling the Healthcare Reform Debate

Brenda Cude - Personal Finance for Graduating Seniors

Gina Drosos - Corporate Leadership and Change

Chris Franklin, Dale Green - Medical Informatics

John Gittleman - Ecological Change of Global Proportions

Chris Gunter - Biomedical Engineering Research and Development

Robert Hazen - Scientific Quest for Life's Origins

Martin Kagel - German Film Festival

Loch Johnson - America as a Global Godfather

Pam Kleiber - Undergraduate Research Opportunities at UGA

Larry Korb - Military Spending and National Security

Debra Lassiter - Etiquette Lessons

Dino Lorenzini - Public Key Cryptography

Loris Magnani - Is Most of the Universe Really Not Like Us at All?

Fred Manget - National Intelligence and the Law

Amy McGowan - Careers in Management Consulting

Jeff Montgomery - The Athens Music Scene

Myra Moore - Gaining Perspective on the Current Recession

C.L. Morehead - Lamar Dodd Art Collection

David Mustard - New Insight into Charity: Economic, Religious, and Political

Affiliations and Giving Back to the Community

Fred Newman - Live Sound Effects Wizardry

Naomi Norman - Archaeological Sites in War Zones

Peer Seminar - Applying to Medical School

Joan Prittie - Project Safe: Working to End Domestic Violence

Dave Puett - Creating Space for Eclectic Interests

Amy Ross - Human Rights and Wrongs and International Justice

Hugh Ruppersburg - Southern Literature and Culture

Scott Shamp - Social Media and Your Future

Katherine Smith - Contemporary Art and Architecture

Dori Stiles - Career Choices: Don't Waste Your Talent

Patricia Sullivan - Counterinsurgency

Lori Surmay - Baby Law: Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Law

Maria Baetti, FF Alumna ’08, Fulbright Scholar, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria
“As a Fulbright Scholarship recipient studying international relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, I attribute my success here in part to the academic community fostered by the Fellowship as well as the trips, lectures, and discussion groups that were made available to Fellows. Just this week I wrote a paper, sourcing a book I had already read for a discussion group led by Professor Jeff Netter in 2006. Chances like that one to interact with faculty members personally and engage in discussions on topics you are passionate about are what make the Foundation Fellowship such an invaluable program.”

Bill McDaniel, FF Alumnus ’84, General Counsel, McKibbon Hotel Group
“It’s been 25 years since I graduated, and I can still see and hear:

• Former Secretary of State and UGA law professor Dean Rusk caution us against overspecialization as we moved forward with careers (he spoke at length on the need for those who can see both the forest and the trees).
• Art professor and internationally recognized artist Lamar Dodd discuss his latest creations, a series of intricate paintings of open heart surgery in various states of progress.
• Chuck Bullock, political science professor and frequent commentator on all things political in Georgia, explain the then-unexpected Reagan landslide as we watched election returns at his home in November 1980.
• Dan Magill, UGA tennis coach and the true historian of UGA athletics, recount Bulldog exploits and discuss the incredible growth of the athletics program over several decades.
• UGA ecology professor and father of modern ecology Eugene Odum guide the Fellows on a tour of facilities tucked back in the woods just off the Oconee River.