Remembering Elizabeth Huggins
By Amy Zhou | Editor in chief
Elizabeth Huggins, EdD, Augusta University’s first director of First and Second Year Experiences and a former instructor, passed away over the weekend of Sept. 19.
Huggins earned her undergraduate degree from Furman University and later received both her master of education and doctor of education degrees from the University of Georgia.
Her lasting impact on Augusta University will forever be felt by the countless faculty, students and colleagues whose lives she touched.
Huggins began teaching students at Augusta University in 2000. In 2013, she became the university’s first director of First and Second Year Experiences, where she spearheaded the development of several programs that are an integral part of the Augusta University student experience.
She led the Jaguar Jumpstart Program, a five-week summer program that helps incoming students transition to college through coursework, academic support and community engagement.
Huggins helped organize Freshman Convocation, an annual and beloved tradition welcoming each incoming class to the university.
Huggins also developed INQR 1000, a mandatory course that helps Augusta University students learn how to navigate college life, explore career paths and prepare for their futures.
Huggins’s dedication to student success earned her national recognition through the National Resource Center and Penguin Random House annual campaign in 2023. She was selected as one of only 10 student advocates nationwide.
Beyond her academic impact at Augusta University, Huggins was remembered just as much for the person she was and the people she inspired around her.
Kim Davies, dean of the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, reflected on what it was like to work alongside Huggins.
“If you never had the chance to meet Beth Huggins, you truly missed out on someone special,” Davies said. “She was this incredible mix of sweet and tough, patient and efficient.”
According to Davies, one of Huggins’s greatest sources of pride was being an unwavering advocate for students.
”No matter how busy she was, she always took the time to truly listen to students, and she was constantly working to make things better for them,” Davies said.
Huggins’s office, affectionately known as “The Treehouse” since it overlooks the Summerville campus, was a popular spot for students to drop in and ask for advice.
“That office is her,” Davies said. “It is going to be so hard for some students to visit the actual office without her there but also comforting as it is her.”
Huggins built a caring staff from the ground up and turned the conversations she had with students in the office into real programs that mattered.
One example was the Southern City Swing Tour, which gave students the opportunity to visit Savannah, Greenville and Charlotte and meet young professionals. The idea came after students told Huggins they had never been outside Augusta or Atlanta and didn’t know what career opportunities were out there.
Huggins with students at the southern city swing tour. (Photo by Michael Holahan/Augusta University)
“She was genuine,” Davies said. “She didn’t lie to [students] or tell them things were easy when they weren’t easy.”
Davies said she learned many important lessons from Huggins.
“She is a great example of making the most with what is provided,” Davies said. “And maybe most important, and something she knew but the rest of us hopefully learned from her, was to focus on students.”
Through the programs she founded, the students she continuously advocated for and the colleagues she worked with, Huggins’s legacy on Augusta University will be felt long after her passing.
“Some folks work at a university, and others give their heart and soul to make it the best they can for students,” Davies concluded. “Dr. Beth Huggins gave her heart and soul, and she made AU a better place.”
Note: Image at the top of the page by Michael Holahan/Augusta University.
Contact Amy Zhou at amyzhou@augusta.edu.
