In
conjunction with the kickoff of the Archway to Excellence Campaign,
the University of Georgia is announcing three new cumulative
giving societies that recognize major donors to the University
of Georgia and the Arch Foundation. The new giving societies
will recognize individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations
whose cumulative gifts have reached $1 million and above. The
societies reflect all gifts —current, deferred and in-kind—
and, in order to be perpetual, will not be limited to the current
campaign.
The Crystal Arch Society is named
for UGA's most recognizable symbol and the main entrance to
campus, the Arch, located on the edge of campus along Broad
Street. The Arch is modeled after the state seal of Georgia
and its three columns stand for wisdom, justice and moderation,
the state motto. Two gates could close the original iron arch
on campus when it was installed in the 1850s, but the gates
soon disappeared. In 1946, electric lights and stone steps were
added to the Arch. For many years, freshmen were foridden to
walk under the Arch and upperclassmen enforced the rule. The
Arch is also represnted in the Archway to Excellence Campaign
logo.
The Abraham Baldwin Society is named
for the legendary Georgia politician, educator and founder of
the University of Georgia. In February of 1784, he was asked
to sit on a board of trustees charged with administering a land
grant of 40,000 acres set aside by the state for the purpose
of establishing a "College or Seminary of Learning."
After establishing a law practice, he was elected to the legislature
in the fall of 1784. Baldwin wrote the charter for the University
of Georgia, and saw it adopted by the state legislature in January
of 1785. This charter was the first ever written and adopted
for a state-supported public University.
The 1785 Society is named for the
year that UGA was chartered by the Georgia General Assembly,
making it the first state-chartered university in the nation.
Governor John Milledge bought and then donated 633 acres of
land as a site for the university, and classes began in 1801
with 30 students in a temporary classroom. Today, there are
372 buildings on 614 acres on the main campus in Athens, more
the 33,000 students attend UGA and the University has more than
200,000 living alumni.
