Sandersville Mayor and Council heard a report concerning the Archway Partnership during their Monday, June 21 City Council meeting.
Archway Professional Conni Fennell-Burley began by explaining that Archway kept work going throughout the pandemic by utilizing virtual meetings.
“Everything’s going really well with Archway,” said Burley.
In addition, Burley also announced that Michelle Elliott was recently named the new Director of Archway. She has served as an Archway Professional, an Operations Coordinator, and most recently took the helm as Director.
“She’s has a great relationship with Washington County, and is doing a fantastic job with Archway by bringing in new ideas and resources for all of our communities,” said Burley.
The Archway Partnership through the University of Georgia has served 14 communities since 2005. Since that time, an estimated 1,300 students and 200 faculty members have been involved in the program.
Washington County is one of eight communities in the state currently working with the UGA Archway Partnership. The other Archway communities are Burke, Colquitt, Grady, Hart, McDuffie, Pulaski, and Spalding counties.
Some of the projects identified for Washington County include the continuation of the community branding implementation, healthcare and community wellness initiatives, enhancing tourism, and Alzheimer’s/dementia research.
Funding partners for the Washington County Archway Partnership include: the Washington County Board of Commissioners, the City of Sandersville, the Washington County Board of Education, the City of Tennille, Oconee Fall Line Technical College, the City of Davisboro, Community Health Care Systems, Inc., and Georgia College and State University.
The University of Georgia’s Archway Partnership’s mission is to connect Georgia communities with higher education resources to address locally-identified community and economic development needs. In addition, the partnership also helps University of Georgia faculty obtain important research opportunities and provide real-world learning experiences for students.