As a veteran, former alumni chapter president and lifelong Georgia Bulldog fan, Adrian Bailey encompasses many of UGA’s values. He’s also an incredible advocate for UGA online classes, having led UGA’s alumni chapter in Richmond and encouraged the Executive Director of UGA Alumni Relations to get an online degree as well!

“I wanted to go to a big-time school with a good reputation, but I was on active duty when I did it, so I needed to have minimal on-campus requirements,” explained Bailey.

After achieving his online Master of Education in Adult Education in 2011 while on active duty, Bailey knew he didn’t want to stop his involvement with UGA — he’s a lifelong dawg fan, after all! Bailey had started getting involved with the alumni chapter in Richmond, Virginia while he was still a student by attending events in the area. Soon after meeting and forming a connection with the previous chapter president, Bailey was invited onto the chapter board. And soon after that, he became chapter president himself for two years!

Bailey’s story is surely a successful one, but it doesn’t end there. Bailey helped the Richmond chapter to win “Chapter of the Year” in 2013. “To get involved just go to an event, meet the people that are there, and talk with folks,” Bailey advised. “The different boards are always looking for new people and new ideas to help get folks in their areas engaged.”

Because of his love for the Georgia Bulldogs, Bailey helped the alumni network in Richmond flourish, where alumni of all ages — with graduation years ranging from 1947 to 2012 — could attend events created to connect and engage those of all ages.

“You don’t have to get involved right off the bat by being a member of the board, but you should go to events and communicate with folks that are at the event,” suggested Bailey. “You’d be surprised to find out where people are from, what motivated them to go to the University of Georgia, what turned them on to the school. You learn about their experiences in school because everyone has different experiences.”

Bailey is very vocal about his passion for the Bulldogs and UGA’s online degree programs and has encouraged many to get their degree online. He even convinced Meredith Gurley Johnson, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, to go back to school and get her online Master’s degree at UGA!

“Meredith mentioned to me that she was a new mother, raising her very young daughter at the time,” said Bailey. “I told her about my experiences and how I felt that it was a very flexible thing — that she could do her course work while she was traveling or in her spare time. So she was very interested about that and got involved about a year later!”

Johnson now also strongly encourages people to take online classes and to stay involved with UGA by participating in alumni events no matter where you are in the world. Staying involved isn’t hard, according to both Johnson and Bailey; it’s as simple as striking up a conversation with a fellow Dawg.