UGA President Jere Morehead has approved $1.7 million for additional security measures on campus, such as callboxes and cameras, he announced during his State of the University address last week.
The money will fund 50 call stations in parking lots frequented by students that will also provide enhanced lighting and camera coverage, according to a news release. The university will also build fences around the Health Sciences Campus and increase support for 911.
“We are constantly reviewing new initiatives to make sure we are providing a safe and secure campus environment,” Morehead said in his Jan. 29 speech, delivered by prerecorded video.
UGA committed $7.3 million to security measures after former student Laken Riley’s murder while jogging on the Intramural Field trails last February, and has spent $25 million over the past nine years. That includes boosting the number of campus police officers by 21%, hiring 12 campus safety ambassadors who serve as student escorts, starting the Ride Smart program offering students discounted Lyft rides at night, upgrading 650 streetlights and installing 4,000 feet of perimeter fencing, 23 emergency call stations and 20 license plate readers.
Athens-Clarke County also beefed up police spending after Riley’s murder, buying a mobile command center, mobile surveillance trailers and all-terrain vehicles to patrol trails.
Morehead also announced that UGA had achieved a goal of 1,000 need-based endowed scholarships. “These scholarships are critical to our mission and commitment to making UGA financially accessible for more students regardless of their families’ income,” he said.
Other initiatives and achievements Morehead highlighted include:
• a record $628 million in research and development spending, including grants from the National Institute of Science, Department of Defense and National Institute of Health.
• a four-year graduation rate of 79% and a six-year graduation rate of 89%, with 96% of graduates finding jobs.
• a “creative engagement wing” at the Miller Learning Center for students to work with artificial intelligence and other new technologies.
• securing $100 million in state and private funding for the new School of Medicine building on the Health Sciences Campus, as well as applying for accreditation.
• a $100 million, 10-year partnership with the Army to “enhance resiliency of military installations and their surrounding communities.”
• completing phase one of the Science and Ag Hill Modernization Project, dedicating the renovated Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, breaking ground on a new freshman dorm, dining hall and parking deck, completing Sanford Stadium renovations, a new softball training facility, renovations to Foley Field and starting construction on a new outdoor track.
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