Frequent Institute of Government collaborator Jon Calabria was honored with the University of Georgia Public Service and Outreach Engaged Scholar Award at the 35th Annual Public Service and Outreach Awards Luncheon held March 30 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.
A professor in the College of Environment and Design, Calabria specializes in ecological restoration, green infrastructure and improving water quality across Georgia and the Southeast. He has built a distinguished career rooted in public service and community-engaged scholarship, consistently bridging academic expertise with community needs while advancing environmental resilience and enriching student learning.
Since joining UGA in 2010, Calabria has forged an impactful partnership with Public Service and Outreach (PSO). He has served as a design expert for faculty working with communities on downtown planning and regularly engages his studio class students in PSO-supported site design projects.
Daniel Wyatt, team lead for the institute’s Defense Communities Resilience Program, said Calabria’s engagement at Fort Benning has been transformative.
“From trail systems to stream restoration efforts, Jon’s vision and expertise have shaped our work on the installation. His fingerprints—and those of the students he mentors—are embedded throughout every phase of these projects. The lasting impact of his leadership is evident not only in physical improvements to the site but in the skills and confidence he instills in the next generation of practitioners,” Wyatt said.
Calabria’s work with the Institute of Government and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant on the redesign of Bradwell Park in Hinesville exemplifies his community engagement. Calabria brought his studio class into the field, where students assessed site conditions, met with stakeholders and developed innovative design concepts. The designs also incorporated stormwater needs and provided the foundation for securing more than $1 million in funding to implement the park’s redesign. The park reopened in 2022.
Over his career, Calabria has delivered millions of dollars in built projects and secured more than $4.7 million in grants. His sustained, community-focused scholarship has advanced landscape architecture and expanded its impact across Georgia, facilitating over $4 million in community improvements ranging from rural downtown revitalizations to coastal resilience planning.
“Moving forward, we hope to enhance economic development by linking communities with non-motorized greenways that respect wildlife habitat corridors and rethink conventional infrastructure crossings,” Calabria said.
His scholarly portfolio includes 15 published works and 70 conference presentations, underscoring his sustained engagement in advancing the field.
Calabria’s commitment to public service has been recognized through multiple honors in the past, including the 2023 Service-Learning Research Excellence Award from the Office of Service-Learning and the 2022 Team Impact Award from the Office of Research. He also took part in the 2022 Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty and was a Service-Learning Fellow in 2011-12.
About The Engaged Scholar Award
The Engaged Scholar Award recognizes a tenured associate or full professor who has made significant career-spanning contributions to UGA’s public service and outreach mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students and campus leadership. The award serves to sustain or enhance the honoree’s public service and outreach endeavors or to support the development of new ones.