UGA Corporate Connect | Corporate Relations and Engagement

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Corporate Connect will guide your company to the exceptional people, resources and research of the University of Georgia, one of America's top ranked public research Universities.

The expertise of our faculty and the enthusiasm of our students can help your business respond to a constantly changing marketplace. You can join us at the cutting edge of research, in fields as diverse as biofuels and medicine or you can access our world-class resources and facilities to help your organization thrive. We offer strategic giving opportunities to exceed your company's corporate citizenship objectives and allow your organization to help shape Georgia's future. UGA has a history of partnering with some of the nation's most dynamic organizations and offers resources to new and emerging companies.

We encourage you to contact us today and experience the positive difference from a University of Georgia corporate connection at mbmccoy@uga.edu

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Denise Spangler

Focus on Faculty

Denise Spangler, the Bebe Aderhold Professor in Early Childhood Education and head of the department of mathematics and science education, strives to create a classroom environment that is challenging yet nurturing.

Where did you earn degrees and what are your current responsibilities at UGA?

I have a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in mathematics from Illinois State University. My doctoral degree is from the University of Georgia in mathematics education. I am currently a professor of mathematics education and head of the department of mathematics and science education in the College of Education.

When did you come to UGA and what brought you here?

I came to UGA in 1991 to go to graduate school because my master's thesis adviser had gotten her doctorate here and told me this was the best place in the country to study mathematics education. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to experience UGA from both sides of the desk.

What are your favorite courses and why?

My favorite courses to teach are mathematics methods courses for early childhood education majors. It is so important that children receive good mathematics instruction in the elementary grades, and I love working with future teachers to try to make that happen. So often my students have had negative experiences with mathematics in their past schooling, but by learning why certain things work the way they do in math (such as why you invert and multiply to divide fractions) and understanding how to help children learn these ideas in a meaningful way, many of my students have a complete change of attitude about mathematics. They often start their teacher education program scared of teaching math but leave the program excited about it.

What interests you about your field?

Mathematics plays a gatekeeper role in so many ways in our society, and I am intrigued by the various ways we can change that and help people see themselves as more competent mathematically. There are many ways to do that, such as curriculum development and out-of-school activities, but the approach I take is to help future teachers see themselves and their students as mathematically capable. Because I work with future elementary school teachers, I am interested in stopping the problem before it starts.

What are some highlights of your career at UGA?

The biggest highlight of my career is just being here. The fact that I get to count my former professors as my colleagues and friends is a great honor.

How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa?

Because I conduct research on the very thing I teach, my teaching and research are inextricably intertwined and inspire each other. I am constantly challenged to use what I learn from my research to improve my teaching and to take an inquisitive approach to my teaching to better understand my students.

What do you hope students gain from their classroom experience with you?

I strive to create a classroom environment that is at the same time challenging and nurturing because I want students to learn to articulate what they think about a topic (whether it is research, assessment, teaching, national standards or some other topic of study), why they think this, what others (peers and scholars) think about the same topic and why, and the similarities and points of departure between their views and the views of others. In other words, I want students to have informed ideas to take with them and to know how to continue to refine those ideas and how to evaluate new ideas.

Describe your ideal student.

The ideal student has genuine intellectual curiosity, which means she/he is open-minded and reflective, willing to listen to and seriously consider other points of view, willing to share his/her point of view, and open to reshaping his/her views when warranted. I cannot possibly teach future teachers everything they will need in order to teach math in pre-K through fifth grade, so it is essential that they be genuinely curious so that they will continue to learn throughout their careers and so that they will willingly delve into students' thinking.

Favorite place to be/thing to do on campus is...

I love to walk the D.W. Brooks Mall. When I first came to UGA it was a street. Now that it is a green space, it is a beautiful place to walk (with a stop at the Creamery) and enjoy the campus.

Beyond the UGA campus, I like to...

Exercise, read and travel.

Community/civic involvement includes....

I am currently serving my third term on the Clarke County School District Board of Education. I have learned so much about what it takes to run a school district and have met so many wonderful people along the way.

Favorite book/movie (and why)?

My favorite book of recent years is "Memoirs of an Unexpected Life," the autobiography of Queen Noor of Jordan. She was born Lisa Halaby in the U.S., was in the first class of women admitted to Princeton, where she studied architecture, and then worked abroad in Australia and Iran. She left Iran when the shah was deposed and on her way back to New York to go to graduate school, passed through Jordan, met King Hussein and eventually married him. The story of how a strong, independent American woman became a queen in an Islamic country and how she used her talents to advance the plight of women there, while adhering to Islamic customs, is fascinating to me, particularly in these times when there is so much international attention focused on the Middle East.

Proudest moment at UGA?

My proudest moments at UGA are hooding doctoral students at graduation and when I hear from former students. Our students are doing many great things in the world of education around the globe, which gives me confidence and hope for the future.

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UGA Today

Athens, Ga. - University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead is continuing his commitment to students through a personal contribution establishing a need-based scholarship fund, in honor of his parents, designed to help undergraduates study in the nation's capital.

With nearly 7,000 students attending the university who are eligible for the Pell Grant, "raising support for need-based scholarships is one of my priorities," Morehead said, "and I hope to lead the way for many others to help students with financial need."

The federal Pell Grant program, run by the U.S. Department of Education, provides need-based grants mainly to low-income undergraduate students.

Through the scholarship fund, Morehead is paying tribute to the important role his parents have played in his life. The Wade and Virginia Morehead Scholarship Fund will be used to support students with demonstrated financial need who participate in the UGA Washington Semester Program. The program sends students to Washington, D.C., to intern and study with legislators, government agencies, and businesses that call the nation's capital their home.

"The university's initiative to raise need-based scholarships is critical in helping our undergraduate students meet the costs of attending our institution," said Bonnie Joerschke, director of the UGA Office of Student Financial Aid. "President Morehead's generous gift and others like it are important to providing access and educational opportunities like UGA's Washington Semester Program."

Morehead's initial gift of $25,000 establishes the scholarship fund. Additional gifts will help the fund reach $100,000 over the next five years.

Students will be chosen for the scholarship based on financial need at the discretion of the program coordinator. Individual awards will vary from $1,000 to $2,000, and awardees will be known as Morehead Scholars.

In addition to his new pledge, Morehead has been a long-time financial supporter of the Morehead Honors Support Fund in the Honors Program and the Jere W. Morehead Moot Court Fund in the UGA School of Law.

For more information on the Georgia Access Need-based Scholarship Fund, see https://www.externalaffairs.uga.edu/index.php/gateway/info/need_based_scholarships. For more information on the Washington Semester Program, see http://dcsemester.uga.edu/.

Source: Uga

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