The Religion Ambassadors have organized several community-building events for Religion majors and minors this fall. To welcome students back for the new school year, they hosted a taco party picnic in September. In October, they arranged a pumpkin painting party. Additionally, with the addition of a new coffee machine in the department, the Ambassadors have been holding a monthly coffee and doughnuts event for students and faculty.

Five students have been selected to serve as Religion Ambassadors for the Department of Religion throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. Congratulations to Meagan McColloch, Ailey Gustafson, Ian Roberts, Sammy Gary, and Mary Margaret Woods. The Ambassadors plan and organize community-building events for our majors and minors, advertise our program through social media, and recruit new UGA students into our program. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication in leading the Religion department.

Chera Jo Watts, doctoral candidate in the Religion Department and the Institute for African American Studies, has been selected by the Franklin College Scholarship Committee to receive a Jane Mulkey and Rufus Green Graduate Fellowship in Arts and Humanities. This fellowship is made possible through the philanthropic generosity of the Green family.

Dr. White, Chair; Associate Professor (New Testament and Early Christianity), is a scholar of ancient and modern interpretations of the New Testament, the reconstruction of Christian origins, and the development of early Christianities. He is particularly interested in the figure of Paul in Christian theopolitical discourse, as well as the intersection of memory, historiography, and ideology in the development of Pauline traditions. His first book, Remembering Paul: Ancient and Modern Contests over the Image of the Apostle, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014.

Dr Jodie Lyon, Principal Lecturer in the Department of Religion, has been chosen to join UGA's 2024-2025 Fellows for Transformative Teaching cohort. Dr Lyon has previously been recognized for her teaching through the Franklin College Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award, and she directs the undergraduate program in Religion as the department's Undergraduate Coordinator. Congratulations, Jodie! 

The goals of the Fellows for Transformative Teaching program are to:

Carolyn Medine was honored with this year's Women's Studies Faculty Award from the Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Georgia. The annual award is presented to a faculty member whose scholarship, mentorship, and leadership has notably enriched the academic culture at UGA and beyond. Many congratulations, Carolyn!

The Department of Religion was pleased to welcome six new graduate students in Fall 2024 with exciting research plans. Two of our incoming graduate students are working in the area of medieval and modern Islamic studies, two in New Testament and early Christianity, one in Hebrew Bible and the ancient Mediterranean, and one in theologically engaged anthropology in the contemporary United States. The new students had a chance to meet returning students over lunch before the semester started. At the lunch they also met Dr.

Kevin Steele is honored in this year’s 40 under 40 class at University of Georgia (https://news.uga.edu/uga-announces-40-under-40-class-of-2024/). He graduated from UGA in 2017 with a AB (dual degree) in International Affairs and Arabic. He works as a Director of Operations at the White House Situation Room.