Heather Waters

Culpepper “Cully” Clark is head of the class

Dean Cully’s hometown is the small, but unique Cairo, GA. His high school’s off-beat mascot, the Syrupmaker, whose fight chant is “Sop ‘em, Syrupmakers,” was simply par-for-the-course growing up. So it’s no wonder that Cully brings a unique POV to everything he does. After leaving his job of 35 years at the University of Alabama, to be the Dean of Grady College at the University of Georgia, Cully is working to change journalism students as journalism itself changes. With new classes, events, and ideas, Cully seeks to bring communications at UGA into the 21st century. “Journalism has changed drastically over the years,” says the race and media specialist. “Obviously technology has changed it.” Cully says that, “it makes no difference whether you see it from a printed page or screen in the telling of a story—all that remains the same. How it’s done is a whole new school, and we need to become a whole new school to reflect that.”

What do you like about wearing a skirt?: “I’m getting in touch with my feminine side.”

What do you like about reading skirt!?: “Well in one way, I really like the pace of it. It moves readers through.”

For more on Cully or to find out how to donate to The Grady College of Journalism, go to grady.uga.edu.

More skirt! scoop on Cully:

- When he left the University of Alabama his students had a bobble-head doll made for him, and it is on the left hand side of the picture above. “You’ve heard of figurehead deans. I’m a bobble-head dean,” he says.

- He is a Hillary fan.

- He has been married for 42 years and has 6 children along with 8 grandchildren.

- Although he is a dean, he still teaches a course on media and social effects.