The University of Georgia is pleased to welcome Newton County as the newest Archway Partnership community. The Archway Partnership, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach, connects university faculty and students with partner communities to address locally-identified issues through the presence of a community-based faculty member.

The announcement of Newton County’s selection as the newest Archway community was made by Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum at the annual Newton County State of the Community luncheon held in Covington earlier this month.

“Newton County has done a fantastic job preparing for the future by proactively planning and collaborating over the past two decades through the Newton County Tomorrow collaborative,” said Frum. “We have already seen great success through your participation in the UGA Connected Resilient Communities and are excited to expand our partnership with Newton County as a new Archway Community.  All of the expertise of the University of Georgia is on board to help Newton County achieve growth and prosperity goals.”

Newton County was selected for the university’s new Connected Resilient Communities (CRC) initiative launched in 2022 and facilitated by Archway. The community will complete its full CRC designation later this year and has experienced the benefits of the partnership with university faculty and students.

“This community has a strong track record of working together,” said Serra Hall, executive director of the Newton County Industrial Development Authority. “And, this partnership will only strengthen our efforts to collaborate for the benefit of the community.”

The Archway Partnership is an award-winning community-engagement platform recognized in 2022 with the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship award presented by the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU). Since the program began in 2005, more than 1,500 students and 250 faculty members have contributed to projects in communities across the state. 

For more information about the Archway Partnership, the CRC initiative or upcoming partnership meetings in Newton County, please visit archwaypartnership.uga.edu or contact Sharon Liggett ([email protected]).