FeaturedStudents
Julia Beckhusen
 Julia Beckhusen, an M.S. Environmental Economics major from Vacaville, California, was presented the Outstanding M.S. Student Award on April 12, 2005 at the Graduate Student Reception and Awards Ceremony. She received a B.S. in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis in June 2003.
Julia learned her excellent “work ethic” at a young age. Since the age of sixteen, she has held four jobs. During her last two years of high school, she worked at Carl’s Jr. Her good attendance and hard work earned her the offer of a supervisory position with the corporation after graduating from high school. Julia declined that offer, but gladly accepted the $2500 college scholarship presented to her by the corporation. During her first two years of college, Julia held two jobs at the main library on campus. Because of her finances and the need for a more challenging work environment, she accepted a third job at Office Max. Starting as a cashier, Julia was promoted to the copy center within a year, and she was promoted to supervisor of the copy center the summer after her college graduation.
In addition to her busy schedule at school and work, Julia made time to be involved in an activity that is important to her – the Unitarian Universalist Pacific Central District Camps and Conferences Committee. This is a non-profit organization which holds and sponsors various camps and conferences for families. During summers, Julia worked in the kitchen, on the childcare staff, and led various workshops at camps and conferences. At the age of fifteen, she began attending committee meetings, and her involvement and responsibilities increased through the years. By the age of eighteen, she was the official registrar of both the spring work weekend and the fall family camp, and by the age of twenty-one, the committee elected Julia as Co-Dean of the two-week family camp in the summer. Her leadership and problem solving skills were again utilized in the summer of 2004 as she served as Dean of the two-week family camp which was a great success.
Julia’s decision to attend graduate school stems from her desire to “feel completely confident and be extremely knowledgeable” in her chosen field. Her ambition is to earn a Ph.D. and either teach, work for a state or federal government, or work for a non-profit organization.
Since moving to Georgia, Julia and her fiancé have made an effort to “see Georgia.” They have taken trips to Savannah, St. Simons Island, many parts of North and Northeast Georgia and also to New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Samuel H. Daniel
 Samuel (Sam) H. Daniel, an Agricultural Economics major from Claxton, Georgia, spent 10 weeks of the summer of 2004 as an intern in the office of Senator Zell Miller in Washington, D.C. Sam gained valuable experience working with Senator Miller and his agricultural aid, Merritt Myers, researching issues, meeting with constituents, attending hearings and briefings, and he led tours of the Capitol. In addition to meeting Senator Miller, Sam met a number of the Georgia Congressional Delegation. While in Washington, Sam met interns from all across the nation and participated in a wide array of social events. He enjoyed seeing the historical sights in Washington and participated in a live taping of CNN’s Crossfire. He and his roommates ventured to Baltimore one weekend for an Orioles game, which was great fun for all of them. He currently works in the CAES Office of College Advancement organizing filing systems, arranging mass mailings, preparing for alumni events, and managing the front office.
While in high school, Sam was an Evans County STAR Student and the Salutatorian of his graduating class at Pinewood Christian Academy in Bellville, Georgia. He is in the Honors Program at UGA maintaining a high GPA and is a member of Blue Key and Phi Kappa Phi. He has received four scholarships from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Being of service to others is important to Sam. He is active in a number of volunteer and extracurricular activities in Athens, including serving as the Satterfield Park Youth Baseball Coach, Athens YWCO Youth Basketball Coach, and an Honors Program Peer Advisor. He works with Athens Rotary Adopt-a-Highway, Athens Rotary Dictionary Handout, WOW Playground Building Team, and as an Athens Boys and Girls Club Steak Dinner Volunteer. Sam is the Founder and President of the UGA Rotaract, which is the Collegiate Rotary Club. He is a member of the Arch Society (serving as an official ambassador for the university), AGHON Honorary Society, Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, Dean William Tate Honor Society, Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society, Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club, and serves as a Collegiate 4-H Weekend in the Classic City Small Group Leader. Sam has found his volunteer activities to be “incredibly rewarding.” He encourages others to participate whenever possible. He states, “Commitment to an organization will pay off by getting to meet people, gaining valuable skills, and serving the university and community.”
Sam’s experience in Washington was a positive one. The number of connections he made over the summer was incredible. He gained a unique view of the policy process and can see himself somehow involved in that process in the future. His career goals involve remaining close to agriculture, perhaps working in either agricultural policy or for an agribusiness firm.
Peter Foster
 Peter Foster, an M.S. Environmental Economics major from Phoenix, Arizona, was inducted into the UGA Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the Honor Society of Agriculture, on April 6, 2005. He received a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Business Economics from the University of Arizona in August 2003.
When Peter was a child, his father took him on camping trips to places like Yosemite National Park and Catalina Island. These excursions created an appreciation in Peter for the beauty and wonder of the “great outdoors.” He still enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking along a riverbank or mountain path.
After taking an economics course offered through the Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics Department at the University of Arizona, Peter realized that he could incorporate his economics background into a career that would fulfill his desire to be outside. The class, Economics of Land and Water in the American West, illustrated how both the public and private sectors respond to environmental and natural resource problems. His exposure to the role of economics in resource management kindled Peter’s ambitions to work in an area that will allow him to help in the allocation of various natural resources. He plans to enter law school in August of 2005.
In addition to his love of the outdoors, Peter enjoys listening to music, working out and reading.
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Featured Faculty
Dr. Ivery Clifton
 Dr. Ivery Clifton was presented the Faculty Service Award by the UGA Alumni Association on April 29th, 2005. He recently retired from the university after 29 years of dedicated service. He joined the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1976 and has held a number of positions, including Interim Head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Assistant Dean, and Interim Dean. He also served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Most recently, he served as CAES Senior Associate Dean.
An expert in production and natural resource economics, he made significant research contributions by developing economic models concerning policy implications of non-point pollution and pricing of farm real estate. He was vice president of the Southern Agricultural
Economics Association and chair of an American Agricultural Economics Association committee on opportunities for blacks in agricultural economics.
Dr. Clifton received the Outstanding Minority in Agricultural Economics Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association, the Lee Arrendale Vocational Award and the John Madden Creative Leadership Award. He is a founding member of the Presidents Club and a member of the UGA Alumni Association.
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