Dr. Elisabeth Burgess joined the University of North Georgia (UNG) on Feb. 10 as dean of the College of Arts & Letters, which serves about 4,500 students. She will also serve as a professor of sociology.

Dr. Chaudron Gille, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, said she is eager to see Burgess help UNG deliver for students.

"We are excited to have Dr. Burgess joining us. Her experience in a large and complex university, knowledge of the University System of Georgia, and history of supporting faculty will be huge assets in leading the College of Arts & Letters as we pursue our strategic big bets," Gille said.

Burgess comes to UNG from Georgia State University, where she worked for 27 years and most recently served as associate dean for faculty affairs in Georgia State's College of Arts & Sciences since August 2021.

"I was looking for somewhere with dynamic leadership and a student-focused environment. UNG has both of those in spades," Burgess said. "President Shannon and Provost Gille have a great vision for the university."

Burgess pointed to the diversity of academic offerings in the College of Arts & Letters and UNG's other colleges and institutes as integral to preparing the workforce of the future.

"Students today need to be able to talk across disciplines. The jobs of the future are not going to be narrow," Burgess said. "Our graduates will need to be able to understand criminal justice and artificial intelligence, how science and the arts work together, and similar interconnections. We will need to continue to connect across the university to help our students prepare for what comes next. The big bets and the moonshots are talking to that in many ways."

Prior to assuming the role of associate dean, she served as the director of the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State and professor of gerontology and sociology.

Burgess has received multiple awards, including most recently the Gordon Streib Distinguished Academic Gerontologist Award from the Southern Gerontological Society and the Victor W. Marshall Fellowship in Applied Gerontology. She is also a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

She is a graduate of University System of Georgia Executive Leadership Institute and the Emory Academic Leadership Program. She earned a Ph.D. in sociology and a Master of Arts in sociology at the University of Southern California.

Burgess takes over her new role from Dr. Christopher Jespersen, professor of history and director of special programs in the College of Arts & Letters, who served as dean since 2005.