The University of Georgia Tifton campus will recognize nine College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences graduates at a special ceremony slated for Saturday, Dec. 9. The ceremony will be held in the seminar room of the NESPAL building on the Tifton campus from 2-4 p.m.

UGA-Tifton students who will receive bachelor’s degrees include:

• Dalton Bennet of Homerville, Georgia, in agribusiness

• Garrett Brown of Perry, Georgia, in agriscience and environmental systems

• Cory Smith of Hahira, Georgia, in agricultural education

• Carter Turner of Blackshear, Georgia, in agribusiness

UGA-Tifton students who will receive master’s degrees in plant protection and pest management include:

• Nancy Bostick of Tifton, Georgia

• Leanna Leach of Augusta, Georgia

• David Sutherland of Cordele, Georgia

• Christopher Tyson of Swainsboro, Georgia

Danielle Simmons of Vienna, Georgia, will receive a master’s degree in crop and soil sciences.

George Vellidis, UGA-Tifton’s director of academic programs, said that the campus’s dedicated faculty and research scientists are instrumental in mentoring the students in their fields of expertise.

“The demand for our graduates remains high due to UGA’s attention to quality over quantity,” he said. “We are proud that most of our undergraduate students are already vetting job offers during their final semester.”

Most UGA CAES majors require students to participate in hands-on programs outside the classroom via research projects, internships, student teaching or related activities. Vellidis said that the students’ experiential learning experiences are one of the reasons employers recruit UGA-Tifton graduates.

“Our graduates will do well because of the opportunities they took advantage of here on the Tifton campus,” Vellidis said. “It is always bittersweet to see our graduates leave, but we enjoy seeing where their degrees take them — locally, nationally and even internationally.”