McDuffie News

In 2025, the Thomson-McDuffie Archway Partnership’s “Workforce and Education Issue” work group requested a project to better understand the current state of transportation in the City of Thomson and to explore whether a public transportation system might be a viable option for the community. A team… Full story

Branch Manager Jill Brooks reached out to the Archway Partnership for help designing an educational sign for the butterfly garden located on the Main Street side of the Thomson-McDuffie Library. The garden, planted with native species, often draws complaints during the winter months when the plants go dormant and appear less… Full story

  Georgia Power is an ideal partner to the University of Georgia because the company is on the ground with Georgia communities every day. From its work with the Archway Partnership to research collaborations with UGA faculty, Georgia Power’s impact is felt… Full story

The revitalization of downtown Thomson has been one of its priorities since the UGA Archway Partnership started working with the community in 2017. There has been a range of projects to improve downtown since then, including the comprehensive Renaissance Strategic… Full story

Thomson-McDuffie is welcoming its new University of Georgia Archway Partnership faculty member Sarah Adams, following Sam Perren’s promotion to Operations Coordinator earlier this year. Adams, a Watkinsville native, has served as the Archway Professional in Colquitt County since 2018. Sarah… Full story

Thomson-McDuffie’s Don Powers won the Gulf-South Summit’s award for Outstanding Community Partner Contributions to Service-Learning in Higher Education. Powers has been the long-time chair of the UGA Archway Partnership Executive Committee in Thomson-McDuffie, first while in his role as city… Full story

From downtown redevelopment and beautification to recreation and tourism, an East Georgia community is tapping into University of Georgia expertise to increase opportunities for economic development and help grow local business. Thomson, Ga., a UGA Archway Partnership community and the… Full story

After a two-year hiatus, the University of Georgia New Faculty Tour returned this year with 26 new employees spending four days traveling across Georgia and learning about the state’s economic, geographic, social and cultural diversity. The tour passed through 13… Full story

Census data on Thomson-McDuffie County caught Elizabeth Brown’s attention. Fifty-nine percent of households in the community were run by single parents. “As a social worker, I know the importance of ensuring those children and parents have support to ensure positive… Full story

Thomson-McDuffie County, Ga., is the inaugural recipient of UGA’s Connected Resilient Community (CRC) designation, which recognizes Georgia communities that partner with university experts to increase economic development potential. McDuffie County has been a UGA Archway Partnership community since 2017 and,… Full story