1999 Walter Barnard Hill Awards for Distinguished Achievement in University Public Service & Outreach

Douglas C. Bachtel

The name “Doug Bachtel,” immediately recognized in virtually every governmental office and in many households in Georgia, is synonymous with Georgia demographics. In his 18 years at The University of Georgia, Douglas C. Bachtel has demonstrated a firm commitment to public service through his outreach, applied research, and teaching activities. In 1980, he was the first Extension rural sociologist hired by UGA’s Cooperative Extension Service. Since 1991, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics.

The major theme throughout Bachtel’s work is his unparalleled ability to collect, analyze, and disseminate statistical data to support educational programs that meet the needs of a changing society. The information he develops is used routinely by decision-makers and citizens to improve the lives of Georgia’s citizens. Local and state governments, school districts, institutions of higher education, health departments, chambers of commerce, industrial development authorities, police departments, private businesses, and the media are among the many groups that have benefited from his public service efforts.

His outreach activities involve four principal components a comprehensive database project called The Georgia County Guide, presentations to state agencies and public groups, service learning projects by UGA students and applied research projects.

The Georgia County Guide includes approximately 80 tables of agricultural, demographic, economic, educational, and vital statistical information for each, of Georgia’s 159 counties. The data are collected from the annual reports and publications of federal and state agencies as well as of private corporations. More than 100,000 copies of the book have been sold and distributed. Recognizing the need for additional information, Bachtel developed two other statistical reference books – The Georgia Municipal Guide and The Georgia Housing Guide - that provide in-depth profiles of trends influencing Georgia’s municipal population and housing conditions. A fourth Bachtel publication, Passport to Georgia: A Statistical Journey, packaged as a compact report resembling a U.S. passport, presents selected state rankings accompanied with interesting facts such as the state motto and bird.

Bachtel is gifted in his ability to help communities constructively address controversial topics. He frequently makes presentations about serious and complex issues influencing growth and development in the state, such as population growth and decline, education, crime, substance abuse, economic development, race relations, changing family structure, and the importance of leadership. Bachtel is able to able to apply complicated statistical data to local communities for their use in problem-solving.

Bachetl’s outreach activities are brought to the classroom at UGA. Using a “Learning by Experience” model, he develops service learning projects that yield enduring benefits for both the student and the community. Between 1986 and 1998, he secured more than $2.2 million in applied research grants and contracts. The Georgia Rural Health Association (in 1986) and the Southern Rural Sociological Association (in 1991) have given him research awards honoring the extensive use and recognition of his applied research activities. In 1996, he was invited by the government of Argentina to speak at the “International Conference on Hunger” in Buenos Aires.