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College of Public Health Professor Donates $10K to Undergraduate Fund in Health Promotion and Behavior

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The David Hayes Undergraduate Award Fund in the College of Public Health expanded thanks to the generous donation of $10,000 from Dr. Carol Cotton, academic professional in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior.

The purpose of the Hayes fund is to provide undergraduate Health Promotion and Behavior students with the opportunity to develop teaching, research and professional skills. Every health promotion and behavior faculty member and Dean Phil Williams donated to the fund supporting the department, college and program. Aiming for the goal of $25,000, more than $13,000 has been collected.

"(This is) a great place to start," Dr. Cotton said. "The department has no fund yet and this was a great idea to start with a fund to support undergraduates and that honors David Hayes."

Dr. Cotton admires Dr. Hayes, a part-time associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, mentioning he has been a major positive influence on her teaching by being available to answer questions and to talk through teaching strategies.

"He has helped me become a better teacher by being supportive," Dr. Cotton said.

They also share a passion for the undergraduate program and students, she said.

"Many pools of money are available for graduate students, but few are directly devoted to support undergraduate students' travel, study abroad participation, research and conference attendance," Dr. Cotton said. "Very little money is directly devoted to support undergraduate teachers in terms of new in-class materials."

Dr. Cotton's daughter, Kendra Hibler, took Dr. Hayes' sexuality class and continually spoke highly of his class. This direct positive impact on her family further convinced Dr. Cotton of the importance of supporting this fund.

Lastly, Dr. Cotton said the department had no specific fund for donors.

"It is important that as the department creates alumni from the College of Public Health, that our graduates have a direct way to give back to the department," Dr. Cotton said. "Even if they don't know Dr. Hayes, they can still certainly support undergraduate students and their teachers by supporting this fund."

To donate to the David M. Hayes Undergraduate Award, please contact Kate Lindsey at krl@uga.edu or (706) 542-2590.

Contact Information

Kate Lindsey Director of Development N122C Paul D. Coverdell Center University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-7396 706.542.2590 (phone) 706.542.6730 (fax) krl@uga.edu