The University of Georgia's Walter Barnard Hill Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service

Also, five Walter Barnard Hill Service Awards were presented. Receiving these awards were James A. Feldt, public service associate with UGA's Institute for Community and Area Development (ICAD); Edwin L. Jackson, senior public service associate with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government; Helen H. Mills, head of the Department of Community Learning Resources at the Georgia Center; Joy A. Padgett, county extension agent, Cooperative Extension Service; and Gary L. Wade, associate professor, Cooperative Extension Service.

The Hill Awards were established in 1992 to recognize distinguished achievement in public service by faculty members and public service professionals. The major service units of the University and the colleges and schools nominate individuals through a committee appointed by the vice president for services. The awards recognize significant achievement in areas such as program and project development and management, Extension and public service instruction, technical assistance or consultation, applied research and studies, and instructional or media materials development, among others. The committee considers achievement both of long-term and special impact. Service Award winners receive a permanent salary increase of $2,000; the Hill Distinguished Public Service Fellow receives a permanent salary increase of $3,000 and a supplemental fund for use in the advancement of his or her program or work.

The Annual Public Service and Extension Conference, titled "The Age of Electronic Outreach," attracted more than 400 staff and faculty from The University of Georgia. The conference was designed to provide information about delivering services and instruction using new electronic resources.

Carl Swearingen, president of BellSouth Communications, gave the keynote address, noting the many accomplishments in Georgia in educational and informational outreach in the electronic age. The conference also featured a plenary session focusing on five major tools of technology -- e-mail, Internet, distance imaging, the Geographic Imaging System (GIS) database, and the state's satellite and GSAMS (Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System) network.

1995 Walter Barnard Hill Service Awards

Edwin L. Jackson joined the Carl Vinson Institute of Government in 1971, and since then has helped to draft Georgia's current constitution; has written books, teacher guides, manuals, and textbooks on various aspects of state and local government in Georgia; and has served as host and professional guide for visiting foreign dignitaries interested in U.S. and Georgia systems of government. He is a respected educator, researcher, historian, writer, and consultant. Jackson has conducted workshops for social studies teachers for 17 state and 10 national professional conferences. He served as resource coordinator for the Improving Citizenship Education Project, a three-year K-12 Georgia project to improve student knowledge and attitude, and was a major consultant in the development of the state Quality Core Curriculum for the eighth-grade Georgia Studies course. He has written The Georgia Studies Book, a textbook on Georgia history and government, and How to Hold a Model Legislature, a widely used simulation based on the Georgia General Assembly.

Helen H. Mills joined the staff of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in 1972, and since then has served as information specialist, conference coordinator, and program development specialist. She has been responsible for conceiving, designing, and implementing a variety of new programs over the past 20 years, including the initiation of the Management Support Specialist certificate program; the design and development of the Personal Adult Learning Lab, a state-of-the-art program for individualized learning utilizing computerized personal instruction technologies in a user-friendly environment; and the establishment of three computer training labs. She has guided her staff in working with faculty, private industry, and professional associations in creating new course development guidelines, policies, and procedures for a revitalized program in distance education. She has developed training materials for delivery via independent study for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association has contracted with her to develop a similar program.

Joy A. Padgett began working for the Cooperative Extension Service in 1973, serving most of her career in Polk County, Georgia. She has initiated and developed several programs including the highly successful Weight Off Wisely Program, for which she trained 16 leaders, who have taught 29 10-class sessions, reaching a total of 406 clients. She coordinated the Child Safety Seat Loan Program, which inspired the Cedartown Kiwanis Club to assist in a six-month passenger safety education program, which reached 2,670 students and 1,000 adults, and earned a State Buckle Up America Award. Padgett expanded a Polk County family enrichment training project, compiling an activities manual and conducting training for community volunteers. Project Pride, an effective anti-litter campaign she developed, reached 1,500 K-2 students in two years. Padgett also developed a comprehensive focus on family budgeting and other aspects of financial management.

Gary L. Wade joined the Cooperative Extension Service in 1985. Since then, he has gained national and international attention for his work in environmental landscape management and low-maintenance landscape design. He organized the Georgia Association of Landscape Professionals and two years later facilitated the merger of this organization with the Georgia Nurseryman's Association, one of the first such comprehensive organizations in the nation, representing growers, retailers, and landscapers. He is largely responsible for forming the Georgia Water Wise Council, the nation's first statewide organization representing a consortium of governmental agencies, utilities, and private companies whose main mission is to provide water conservation education. Wade developed a new extension program on water-efficient landscaping called Xeriscape, the publication for which became the most widely circulated publication in the history of the UGA Cooperative Extension Service. His most recent honor involves a request to serve as a technical adviser on landscape projects for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

1995 Walter Barnard Hill Distinguished Public Service Fellow

Note: Information about the Hill Awards and the recipients was provided by the Office of the Vice President for Services at The University of Georgia.