Since our founding in 1785, the University of Georgia has operated as Georgia’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 235 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,000 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 40,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

 

The UGA Provost’s Taskforce on Academic Excellence in 2019 identified Integrative Precision Agriculture (IPA) as one of five areas for UGA to continue investment and build excellence. Since then, IPA has emerged as Georgia’s brand for digital farming, food, and fiber, representing a signature research area at the interface of agricultural sciences, engineering, and informatics – all areas in which the university continues to invest in heavily. Several faculty cluster hires in IPA and Data Science/Artificial Intelligence were conducted between 2020 and 2023 to broaden technical expertise in these areas and to advance IPA into a university-wide area of excellence. The Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture (IIPA) was established in 2022 to connect agricultural technology research, education, and Extension across UGA and with external partners such as other universities, government entities, and agribusiness. With over 70 member faculty from across six UGA colleges and schools, the IIPA is one of the largest institutes in the university. IIPA is not a promotion and tenure unit and the member faculty in IIPA are tenured and evaluated in their home departments or schools. IIPA nurtures both foundational and use-inspired research topics. Foundational IPA emphasizes the development of theory and methods in areas that are independent of a specific agricultural domain. Use-inspired research IPA emphasizes practical application of foundational research to address current and future challenges in production agriculture, forestry, and food production.