Reinhold Heil (born 18 May 1954) is a German musician, producer, and film and television composer. He initially achieved success in Germany as a member of the post-punk and Neue Deutsche Welle groups Nina Hagen Band, Spliff and Nena, and later as a music producer.

As a film composer, he is known for his collaborations with director Tom Tykwer, on films such as Run Lola Run (1998), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), The International (2009), and Cloud Atlas (2012). His television credits include the series Deadwood (2004–06). He often works with Australian composer Johnny Klimek.

Early life
Heil was born in Schlüchtern, in the state of Hesse, West Germany. He grew up twenty meters from Schlüchtern's 10th century monastery, where he was introduced to classical music. Heil learned to play church organ at a young age and in adolescence began training to become a pianist. In his teenage years, Heil's father, who owned the town's only record and hi-fi store, put Heil in charge of selecting all the records sold in his store, inadvertently giving Heil access to the most influential pop music of the times. Heil eagerly immersed himself in rock, soul, jazz, and electronic music.

After graduating from high school in the mid-1970s, Heil left Schlüchtern for West Berlin. At the time, West Berlin was an island of western culture isolated in the middle of communist East Germany and a fertile breeding ground for experimentation and artistic and political self-expression.

While a student at the Berlin Music Academy, Heil supplemented his studies of classical music with studies in musique concrète and early electronic music. He was deeply influenced by pioneering jazz and rock musicians such as Miles Davis and Frank Zappa.

Rock music career
In 1977, Heil met a dissident artist from communist East Germany, the young Nina Hagen, who was electrifying Berlin's punk world with her powerful operatic voice and genre-defying musical style. Hagen asked Heil to join her band as her keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer and for the next few years Heil honed his craft what became the legendary Nina Hagen Band.

After Hagen left the group to pursue a solo career, the remaining band members formed Spliff, one of Germany's most successful rock bands of the 1980s. In the 1980s and 1990s, Heil was widely regarded as one of the best keyboardists in Europe. He is also known as the producer of German Neue Deutsche Welle band Nena's albums and singles, including the hit songs "99 Luftballons" (1983) and "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann" (1984).

Film composing career
In 1994, Heil became friends with Australian expat and bass player Johnny Klimek, a producer of Berlin underground techno DJs. What began as a casual partnership producing trip hop tunes in a Berlin studio, led Heil and Klimek to collaborating with German director Tom Tykwer on scoring Tykwer's second feature, Winter Sleepers. Two years later, the trio scored Tykwer's breakthrough hit, Run Lola Run and all Tykwer's subsequent films through Cloud Atlas (with the exception of Heaven in 2002).

Heil moved to California in 1997 and Klimek followed him three years later. The international success of Run Lola Run, which came out in the US in 1999, got Hollywood's attention. Run Lola Run'''s soundtrack album sold half a million copies worldwide, with 50% of those sales occurring in the US. These were huge numbers for a soundtrack album, let alone a subtitled German-language movie. Run Lola Run was the first film to have a techno score that was not composed of pre-existing music, but was scored directly to picture.

Heil and Klimek continued their film scoring collaboration for a dozen years on such varied projects as One Hour Photo, The International, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, HBO's Deadwood, CBS's Without a Trace, NBC's Awake and the epic adventure drama Cloud Atlas, based on a best selling novel by David Mitchell, directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The score for Cloud Atlas was nominated in 2013 for a Golden Globe award.

In 2011, Heil and Klimek ended their musical partnership though they continued to collaborate on selected projects, most notably for director Tom Tykwer on Cloud Atlas (2012) and director Stuart Beattie's feature, I, Frankenstein (2014).

Heil's distinctive musical signature is characterized by harmonic complexity, memorable and unusual chord progressions, and surprising juxtapositions of organic and electronic custom sounds, which he creates using his large collection of obscure musical instruments, as well as vintage and cutting edge computer software.

In 2016, Heil was awarded the Adolf Grimme Award for his exceptional original music score to the RTL and Sundance TV produced television series Deutschland 83.

Heil is represented by Fortress Talent Management.

FilmographyBerlin Station (Epix) (2016)Deutschland 83 (Sundance TV) (2015)Legends (TNT) (2014)Helix (Syfy) (2014)I, Frankenstein (2014)Haunt (2013)Cloud Atlas (Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score) (2012)Awake (NBC) (2012)Locke & Key (TV Pilot, Fox) (2011)6 giorni sulla Terra (2011)Killer Elite (2011)Happiness Runs (2010)Three (2010)Tomorrow When the War Began (2010)The International (2009)Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Nominated for Saturn Award for Best Music and German Film Awards, Film Award in Gold for Best Film Score) (2006)John From Cincinnati (HBO) (2007)Anamorph (2007)Blood and Chocolate (2007)Deadwood (HBO) (2006)Paris, je t'aime (2006)Land of the Dead (2005)The Cave (2005)Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)Iron Jawed Angels (HBO) (2004)Without A Trace (CBS) (2002)One Hour Photo (Nominated for Saturn Award for Best Music) (2002)The Princess and the Warrior (2000)Run Lola Run (Nominated for Chicago Film Critics Association award for Best Original Score) (1999)Winter Sleepers'' (1997)

References

External links
 Reinhold Heil official website

1954 births
Living people
German film score composers
Male film score composers
German male composers
German keyboardists
German male songwriters
German record producers
People from Schlüchtern
20th-century German male musicians
21st-century German male musicians

Reinhold Heil


Carla Sue Kelly (born 1947) is an American writer in the Regency romance genre. She is the author of over forty books and short stories. Her books are what romance readers call "keepers," i.e. books they keep in their private collections, and accordingly they can be hard to find. Renowned for what she calls "dukeless" regencies, her stories often revolve around ordinary people solving their own problems. While many Regency romances feature soldiers returned from the Napoleonic Wars, several of Kelly's books include soldiers and sailors actively involved in the Peninsular campaign and in the naval blockade that prevented France from invading England, bringing this war to life in an unforgettable way. However, her regencies only reflect a part of her writing interests. She also has a strong interest in the American West, which is reflected in her earliest published works and in her non-fiction. Since 2011, Kelly, who has a Mormon background, has written four historical romance novels that focus on the lives of young Mormon women: Borrowed Light, Enduring Light, My Loving Vigil Keeping, and Safe Passage.

Biography
Born in 1947, Carla Sue Kelly calls herself a navy brat. The daughter of a Navy Officer, she grew up overseas or on one coast of the United States or the other. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she studied Latin American history. She completed a master's degree at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, in American history, with a focus on the Civil War and Indian Wars.

In her varied professional career Kelly has worked as a ranger/historian with the National Park Service at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, and a ranger at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site; a contract research historian for the State Historical Society of North Dakota and history instructor at university level. Kelly is a former staff features writer for the Valley City Times Record newspaper based in Valley City, North Dakota.

Kelly lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She is married to Martin Kelly, former Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota, who is now retired. The couple has five grown children now located in various parts of America.

Literary influences
When interviewed by Lola Sparks in Purple Pens, Kelly identified the following writers as having influenced her:
 Louisa May Alcott
 The Hornblower novels of C. S. Forester
 R. F. Delderfield
 Joseph Conrad
 Nevil Shute
 Jack Schaefer
 Ernest Haycox
 Charles King

In her author profile on the e-Harlequin site, Kelly says her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Lawrenceville Stories by Owen Johnson, and A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. Her favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie, and Crossing the Line. Her favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey, and Peter Robinson.

Writing career
Kelly began writing Regency Romances because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). A major theme in her books is how war touches the lives of ordinary people. In surviving the effects of war and in helping other survivors her characters find in themselves qualities of strength and purpose not previously evident. They are quiet achievers influencing the world on small, personal stages, making a difference in their own lives and others ultimately by acts of kindness rather than daring. Kelly goes against the norms of the genre by focusing her attention not on the glittering world of London society and the social elite, but on the other 99.9% of the population occupying England. Her stories are distinguished by authentic, well-researched detail and lightened by a ready sense of humour.

Kelly has also written an acclaimed series of short stories about the men, women and children of Fort Laramie during the Indian Wars era of American history. In 2003 her entire collection of Indian War stories was re-published in Here's to the Ladies: Stories from the Frontier Army. Two of these stories A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter were awarded Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America.

Awards
 1978 Spur Award:Short Subject (Western Writers of America) - A Season for Heroes (FAR West Magazine)
 1981 Spur Award:Short Subject (Fiction) (Western Writers of America) - Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter (FAR West Magazine)
 1993-1994 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award - Regency
 1995 RITA Award: Best Regency Romance (Romance Writers of America) - Mrs Drew Plays Her Hand
 1997 RITA Award: Best Regency Romance (Romance Writers of America) - The Lady's Companion
 Best Regency Romance All Time, #4
 2001 All About Romance. Readers Award: Best Regency Romance - One Good Turn.
 2001 Romance Readers Anonymous. Best Regency Romance - One Good Turn
 2001 Romance Readers Anonymous. Best Regency Author
 2002 All About Romance. Readers Award: Best Traditional Regency - The Wedding Journey.
 2001 Romance Readers Anonymous. Best Regency Romance - The Wedding Journey
 2011 Whitney Award: Best Romance of the Year - Borrowed Light
 2012 Whitney Award: Best Historical Fiction of the Year - My Loving Vigil Keeping

Additionally, in 2022, her 2011 novel Borrowed Light was placed on the AML 100 Works of Significant Mormon Literature.

Bibliography

Benedict Nesbitt series
 Libby's London Merchant (1991)
 One Good Turn (2001)

Channel Fleet trilogy
 Marrying the Captain (2009)
 The Surgeon's Lady (2009)
 Marrying the Royal Marine (2010)

Borrowed Light series
 Borrowed Light (2011)
 Enduring Light (2012)

Spanish Brand series
 Double Cross (2013)
 Marco and the Devil's Bargain (2014)
 Paloma and the Horse Traders (2015)
 The Star in the Meadow (2017)

Stand-alone novels
 Daughter of Fortune (1985)
 Summer Campaign (1989)
 Miss Chartley's Guided Tour (1989)
 Marian's Christmas Wish (1989)
 Mrs. McVinnie's London Season (1990)
 Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career (1992)
 Miss Billings Treads the Boards (1993)
 Miss Whittier Makes a List (1994)
 Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand (1994)
 Reforming Lord Ragsdale (1995)
 The Lady's Companion (1996)
 With This Ring (1997)
 Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind (1998)
 The Wedding Journey (2002)
 Beau Crusoe (2007)
 The Admiral's Penniless Bride (2010)
 Coming Home for Christmas (2011)
 Marriage of Mercy (2012)
 My Loving Vigil Keeping (2012)
 Her Hesitant Heart (2013)
 Safe Passage (2013)
 The Wedding Ring Quest (2014)
 Softly Falling (2014)
 Doing No Harm (2015)
 Courting Carrie in Wonderland (2017)
 The Unlikely Master Genius (2018)
 One Step Enough (2018)

Short stories
This list excludes articles written in her capacity of journalist or feature writer for various newspapers and magazines, primarily in North Dakota.
 A Season for Heroes. FAR West Magazine, 1978
 Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter. FAR West Magazine, 1981
 Something New in Wedding Bouquet. Signet, 1996
 Make a Joyful Noise in A Regency Christmas Carol. Signet, 1997
 The Christmas Ornament in A Regency Christmas. Signet, 1998
 An Object of Charity in A Regency Christmas Present. Signet, 1999
 The Background Man in The Grand Hotel. Signet, 2000
 The Three Kings in The Regency Christmas II. Signet, 2000
 The Buffalo Carcass on the Company Sink: Sanitation at a Frontier Army Fort. North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains. Vol. 69, 2002
 The Light Within in A Regency Valentine II. Signet, 2002
 No Room at the Inn in The Regency Christmas IX. Signet, 2002
 Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. Texas Christian University Press, 2003
 Let Nothing You Dismay in Regency Christmas Wishes. Signet, 2003
 'To Restore these Children': Fort Totten's Preventorium, 1935–1940. Northern Great Plains History Conference (2004: Bismarck, North Dakota)
 A Hasty Marriage in Wedding Belles. Signet, 2004
 On the Upper Missouri: The Journal of Rudolph Friedrich Kurz, 1851–1852. University of Oklahoma Press, 2005 (Editor)
 An Object of Charity in A Homespun Regency Christmas. Signet, 2008   Note: re-issue of short story published originally in A Regency Christmas Present. Signet, 1999
 "Christmas Promise" in "A Regency Christmas." Harlequin, October 2009
 Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection (Cedar Fort, Inc., from Signet reprints), October 2013
 In Love and War (Cedar Fort, Inc., from Signet reprints), November 2013
 Season's Regency Greetings: Two Christmas Novellas, November 2014
 All Regency Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology Book 10, January 2015)
 "Christmas Eve Proposal" in It Happened One Christmas (2015)
 "Christmas Dance with the Rancher" in Western Christmas Proposals (2016)
 For This We Are Soldiers: Tales of the Frontier Army (2016)
 A Season of Love (2017)
 "Captain Grey's Christmas Proposal" in Regency Christmas Wishes (2017)

Awards
 Spur Award – Western Writers of America, Best Short Fiction – 1978, "A Season for Heroes," published in Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army, 2004, Texas Christian University Press.
 Spur Award – Western Writers of America, Best Short Fiction – 1981, "Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter," published in Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army, 2004, Texas Christian University Press.
 Career Achievement Award – Romantic Times, 1994-95
 Rita Award – Romance Writers of America, Best Regency of the Year – 1995, Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand
 Rita Award – Romance Writers of America, Best Regency of the Year – 1997, The Lady's Companion
 Whitney Award – LDStorymakers, Best Romance Fiction – 2011, Borrowed Light
 Whitney Award – LDStorymakers, Best Historical Fiction – 2012, My Loving Vigil Keeping
 Whitney Award  Finalist – LDStorymakers, Best Historical Fiction – 2013, Safe Passage

References

External links
 Website: Carla Kelly, Author
 "Carla Kelly" (author profile). EHarlequin.com e-Harlequin.com
 "Interview with Carla Kelly". Risky Regencies Blog. (4 March 2007)
 "Interview with writer Carla Kelly". Purple Pens.com (February 2003) Purple Pens
 Regency Award Winners at Good Ton: a Resource for Readers of Regency Romance Novels

American romantic fiction writers
RITA Award winners
Brigham Young University alumni
1947 births
Living people

Carla Kelly


Ailis McSweeney (born 4 October 1983) is an Irish sprinter who specialises in 60 (indoor) and 100 metres. She previously held the Irish record at 100 metres, having posted a time of 11.40 s at an IAAF permit event in Liège, Belgium.

Athletics career
McSweeney is affiliated with the Leevale Athletic Club in Cork City, Ireland.

She won the silver medal at the 2005 Summer Universiade and Bronze in the 4x100 m Relay. She also reached the semi-finals of the 100 m at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. She also competes over 60 metres and was a semi-finalist at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She also finished ninth overall at the 2010 European Championships in Athletics, having missed out on a spot in the final by a one hundredth of a second. McSweeney competed in the 4x100 m relay at the same championships with Amy Foster, Niamh Whelan and Claire Brady. McSweeney ran the anchor leg alongside Olympic legend Merlene Ottey to finish fourth, and missed out on a spot in the final by 0.03 of a second.

McSweeney participated in the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in the Women's 60 metres. In her first round heat, she finished fourth behind winner Hrystyna Stuy, Myriam Soumaré and youngster, Jodie Williams in a time of 7.38 and qualified as a fastest loser. In her semi-final, she started very strongly but ended up finishing seventh with Mariya Ryemyen winning the race  in a time of 7.16, Véronique Mang finishing second and Hrystyna Stuy finishing third and Shane Healy coming fourth. McSweeney clocked a time of 7.34, which was not enough to advance and was 0.04 off the national record set by Anna Boyle.

McSweeney missed the Irish National Championships due to injury and was unable to defend her title. Amy Foster eventually took both the 100 and 200 metre titles.

Personal life
Ailis McSweeney was born on 4 October 1983; her home town is Carrigtwohill in County Cork. McSweeney attended school at St. Aloysius' College in Carrigtwohill, where she led a 4 x 100 metres relay team that went undefeated during her time there. She went on to undergraduate study at University College Cork, finishing a BCL degree in 2004; McSweeney was selected to participate in the Law Faculty Annual Moot Court during her final year.  In 2006, she studied for a Master's Degree in Globalisation at the Dublin City University School of Law and Government while preparing to become a solicitor. McSweeney married Dublin footballer Bryan Cullen in January 2013.

She currently works for A & L Goodbody in the International Financial Services Centre.

References

External links

1983 births
Irish female sprinters
Living people
Athletes from County Cork
Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
Alumni of Dublin City University
Universiade silver medalists for Ireland
Universiade bronze medalists for Ireland
Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade
People from Carrigtwohill

Ailis McSweeney


Giorgi Gakharia (; born 19 March 1975) is a Georgian politician who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Georgia from 8 September 2019 until his resignation on 18 February 2021.

Education
In 1992–1994 Gakharia studied at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, faculty of History. In 1994–1999 he studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is a Master of Political Science. In 2002–2004 he studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University's Higher Business School (Master of Business Management). In 2006–2009 he was an invited lecturer in Applied Biotechnology at Moscow State University.

Business activity
From May, 2004 to November, 2008 Gakharia took the position of the Director-General of SFK Group; from November, 2008 to February, 2013 he took the position of the Director of Germany GR & Business Development at the Lufthansa Service Holding AG. (LSG, Frankfurt am Main) in Eastern Europe, CIS countries and Russian Federation.

Early political life

After winning the 2012 parliamentary elections, a new ruling party came to Georgia, which formed a new government led by Bidzina Ivanishvili in October 2012. Giorgi Gakharia joined the ruling party in 2013 where he was accepted from the very beginning. Because of his past and knowledge, he became the country ombudsman in March 2013, After that, his political life began with the Georgian Dream.

As a result of his success in 2014, he was appointed Secretary of the Economic Council, where he made a name for himself and became an important person in the Georgian Dream.

Political progress

As a result of Gakharia's advancement in politics, he became quite famous, in 2016, the Georgian Dream won a second term and remained in power. After winning the election, a new government was formed where Prime Minister Kvirikashvili named Gakharia Minister of Economy. On November 27, 2016, the new government won the support of the majority and the new cabinet was approved.

Gakharia became the Minister of Economy of the country and at the same time he became the new government. He became even more famous. His influence was growing quite fast. In 2017, Kvirikashvili appointed him Minister of Internal Affairs, from where his main political life began.

Work under new government conditions
During the prime minister of Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Gakharia became a very important person in the country, his influence was especially increased by being the Minister of Internal Affairs, where he achieved a lot of success.

On June 13, 2018, Prime Minister Kvirikashvili resigned. The ruling party has named former Finance Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze as the country's Prime Minister. Parliament declared confidence in Bakhtadze's cabinet on June 20, Where Gakharia was still the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Gakharia became even more influential in the government during Bakhtadze's term as Prime Minister. On July 17, Bakhtadze appointed him First Vice Prime Minister.

Gakharia was the most influential person in Bakhtadze's cabinet, Prime Minister Bakhtadze considered him his right hand man

From May 1, 2019, he becomes the Secretary of the Security Council.

Gakharia, as the Minister of Internal Affairs, was an important figure not only for the government but also for the Georgian Dream. He was particularly critical of the Georgian opposition and the National Movement in particular. Gakharia played an important role in the country's domestic politics.

Gakharia's authority has been significantly shaken since the events of June 20, 2019, although Gakharia still held the position of the most important person in the government

Ministry of Internal Affairs
In November, 2017 the Government of Georgia was reshuffled, including the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; consequently, on November 13, 2017 Giorgi Gakharia was appointed to the post of the Minister of Internal Affairs, replacing Giorgi Mgebrishvili.

Infantry Patrol
Several months after the appointment, for ensuring the security for tourists and tourist areas the Infantry Patrol Subunit was created within the Patrol Police Department of the Ministry. Infantry patrol officers have received 3-week special retraining courses at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; all of them know one or more foreign languages. They are provided with modern police equipment, including the latest generation of shoulder cameras.

Human Rights Protection Department
The Human Rights Protection Department was created on January 1, 2018, in one month from the appointment of Giorgi Gakharia to the position of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The competences of the Department cover the timely response and effective investigation into the cases such as domestic offenses, violence against women, crimes committed on the ground of discrimination, trafficking, crime by/against juveniles.

2019 Georgian protests

On June 20, 2019, Russian politician Sergei Gavrilov was invited to Georgia for a one-day speech in the country's parliament. The session was held in Russian, which provoked protests from a large part of the Georgian population, especially young Georgians. Throughout the day, the population protested against this action of the Russian politician and the support of the ruling team on this issue.

The population organized a huge rally in front of the parliament on the evening of June 20, people demanded the resignation of the speaker of the parliament Irakli Kobakhidze and the punishment of the Georgian Dream government, this protest soon turned into a storm in the parliament.
Minister of Internal Affairs Gakharia issued an order to disperse the protesters, firearms were used. Two people lost their sight as a result of a bullet that took hundreds of people across the country to a clinic that day

People's demand for Gakharia to resign

After June 20, 2019, people started a daily protest in front of the country's parliament, members of the rally demanded the resignation of the Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia due to the events of June 20,
Despite the demand of the population, Gakharia refused to resign, and the anger of the people increased. Despite the demand of the population, the Minister of Internal Affairs did not resign.

Candidate for the Prime minister
On September 2, 2019, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze resigned, the country was waiting for the appointment of a new Prime Minister.
On the same day, the opinion was expressed that the Minister of Internal Affairs and Vice Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia was considered as a candidate for the post of Prime Minister.
Indeed, on September 3, Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of the Georgian Dream party, nominated him as a candidate for prime minister.

Gakharia presented the future plans and the Cabinet of Ministers, a large part of the population did not like this decision as well as the Georgian opposition.

Prime Minister-designate Gakharia arrives in parliament on September 6 to discuss future plans and goals, heated debate between opposition and Gakharia,
The same day, the opposition said they did not support Gakharia and his team.

Gakharia arrived in parliament on September 8 to answer questions and gain support. The Georgian Dream party supported him and approved him by 98 votes on September 8.

Prime minister

In October 2019, as a result of a meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Giorgi Gakharia, Azerbaijan opened the entrance to the Davit-Gareji Monastery for Georgia.

On December 12, 2019, Gakharia was in Ukraine where he met with President and Government of Ukraine. At the same Day, a summit of GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development was held in Yalta, In which Gakharia also took part.

He was Prime Minister of Georgia during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gakharia and his Cabinet coped well with the first wave of the virus. A coordination council was set up, headed by Gakharia. During the pandemic businesses were experiencing difficulties. The government announced a large-scale lockdown which further complicated the situation of the people. On April 24, 2020, Gakharia announced a plan to provide financial assistance to the people, which included a total of 3.5 billion GEL. By this plan government has financed various state taxes. The country provided financial assistance to the people but it did not turn out to be enough. The government has closed all tourism zones and reduced the number of tourists. The second wave of virus hit the country even harder. The government has not announced any restrictions, which has further increased the cases of the virus. Due to the difficult epidemiological situation a curfew was declared in the country on November 9, on November 26, Gakharia announced the second mass lockdown in the country, which was effective until February 1, 2021.

On 2 November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia, Gakharia tested positive for the virus.

On January 21, 2021, Georgia won a dispute with Russia in the Strasbourg court. It was a great victory for the country and the people. On that day, Gakharia appointed Davit Zalkaliani Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, as Vice prime minister

On February 12, Prime minister Gakharia fired the governors of some regions of the country and appointed others.

2020 Georgian parliamentary election

Georgian Dream launched an election campaign in July 2020. Gakharia participated in the campaign from the very beginning as a member of the Georgian Dream party. In September, the party nominated him as a candidate for prime minister in the run-up to the elections, Gakharia was very popular for this period he helped the party considerably, And indeed, under Gakharia's leadership, the Georgian Dream won the election. On December 24, the new parliament approved Giorgi Gakharia's cabinet for a second term. Gakharia was also a very important figure in his party, they called him a worthy leader and Prime Minister.

Resignation

Gakharia's resignation was very unexpected, a few days ago he said he was not going anywhere, but on the morning of February 18, very suddenly, he announced his resignation. As it became known in the future, Gakharia could not reach an agreement in the Georgian Dream, Gakharia also said that he no longer agreed with the positions of the Georgian Dream and he therefore left the party and the position. The situation in the country at the time: Nika Melia, chairman of the United National Movement party, was accused of organizing mass violence during the anti-government protests in 2019. When Melia declined to pay a $12,000 bail, a Georgian court ruled that Melia should be detained before his trial. In response, Melia said the court's ruling was "unlawful", and on 18 February, Gakharia resigned over the decision to detain Melia. Melia was arrested while at United National Movement party headquarters on 23 February. The ruling Georgian Dream party supported Irakli Garibashvili to replace Gakharia, and the Parliament voted 89–2 to appoint him on 22 February.

Separation from the Georgian Dream

On March 22, 2021, Gakharia announced that he remains in politics and is working to set a political agenda. On April 14, 2021, the Georgian Dream Party and the parliamentary majority were abandoned by MPs Giorgi Khojevanishvili, Beka Liluashvili, Ana Buchukuri, Alexander Motserelia, Shalva Kereselidze and Mikheil Daushvili. According to the deputies, they are forming a new party together with Giorgi Gakharia. [3]

3 MPs left the Georgian Dream and were elected by 3 party lists. Giorgi Khojevanishvili was the governor of Shida Kartli before being elected as a majoritarian MP in Gori-Kaspi. Alexander Motserelia, the former governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, is currently the majoritarian MP of Abasha-Martvili-Tsalenjikha-Chkhorotsku, and Shalva Kereselidze, the former governor of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, is the majoritarian of Mtskheta-Dusheti-Tianeti-Kazbegi.

Ana Buchukuri, elected from the Georgian Dream party list, was in the government of Giorgi Gakharia, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Beka Liluashvili - Adviser to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs, and Mikheil Daushvili - Business Ombudsman. [4]

On May 28, Giorgi Gakharia was joined by Giorgi Abashishvili, Head of the Presidential Administration of Georgia, and Levan Dolidze, former Ambassador of Georgia to NATO.
The presentation of the party was held on May 29, 2021. The party is called For Georgia

On the same day, Gakharia was elected chairman of the party, He spoke about the problems within country: corruption nepotism and other, he expressed his and his party plans and goals. Gakharia noted that the country no longer has time to lose and it must develop.

Critical evaluations
On May 31, Giorgi Gakharia held a press conference where he spoke about the problems of the country and his party plans. he also talked about his former teammates. After that, the members of the Georgian Dream began to clearly criticize Gakharia. Irakli Kobakhidze Chairman of the Georgian Dream, said that Gakharia was traitor and was trying to start a crisis in the country, together with the opposition, Similar statements were made by other members of the party.

There was criticism from the opposition as well. Some of them called Gakharia Georgian Dream 2, and Bidzina Ivanishvili's project. Bidzina Ivanishvili Former Chairman of the Georgian Dream  called Gakharia a traitor to the party and Nation, because he resigned when the Party needed him.

Giorgi Gakharia responded to the criticism of his former teammates as follows:
The events are developing in an interesting and faster way than expected... "No one and nothing can stop the truth. Eventually, everyone will understand this. Again without gossiping, we unite for #Georgia, against no one!' read in his letter. On June 8, Gakharia was in political show and he said that he was nobody's project and he was not going to gossip about anyone.

Criticism of Gakharia and his new party continued even more sharply, especially from government-run TV channels, such as TV Imedi, where Gakharia was particularly criticized and told a lot of bad things about him.

On June 23–24, Gakharia and his party attended meetings in the United States, particularly in Washington, DC, while members of the UNM party were in Washington at the same time. Georgian media reported that Gakharia and UNM leader, convicted ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, were in the same hotel, where they met and discussed future plans. This was followed by protests from Georgian Dream supporters, who oppose Mikheil Saakashvili because of his political past. Certain news outlets criticized Gakharia and even called him a traitor and an enemy of the people for meeting with Saakashvili. Gakharia denied this and called the Georgian Dream-run media a pity.

After this information was spread, Giorgi Gakharia was asked to leave his political office in Batumi. Members of Gakharia's team called this action was directed by the ruling party.

Despite great delays, Gakharia continued to promote his party throughout Georgia, saying he and his party would run in the 2021 local elections and bring about change in the country.

Work on the opposition wing

After Gakharia left the Georgian Dream team and left the post of the country's Prime Minister, he began to reform a new political party and start a new political life independently.

He created a team where there were a lot of experienced and young people, the beginning was difficult for their political party but Gakharia had the appropriate knowledge to develop his political party and earn the support of the people.

Gakhaia together with the members of his party started the movement all over Georgia, the presentation of the party for Georgia and the establishment of new party offices, many communications with the people soon made the party quite popular among the population.

Gakharia's Pro-rusiian team had representatives in the parliament, in many city councils. Many Former Georgian Dream Members Also Join Their Team The Georgian Dream team has slowly begun to crumble, with a breakaway party for Georgia growing.

Members of the party for Georgia could achieve a significant result in the October 2, 2021 self-government elections with a major challenge to reduce the support of the ruling team to 43%, which means the approval of the early parliamentary elections in 2022.

The holding of new parliamentary elections was the goal of them and the opposition as a whole, which was to be achieved as a result of the agreement of April 19, 2021. The fate of the 2022 elections should have been decided in the 2021 elections, however, the Georgian Dream government canceled the agreement in July, which would further deepen the confrontation between the opposition and the ruling team.

Giorgi Gakharia continued to recruit the party and prepare for the 2021 self-government elections in order to achieve a high result and to mark the start of the new parliamentary elections in 2022.

Candidate of Tbilisi Mayor

After Giorgi Gakharia, the resigned Prime Minister of Georgia who left the Georgian Dream and then founded a new party, a special confrontation started over him and his party members. That is why Gakharia presented himself as the Tbilisi mayoral candidate from the Party for Georgia at a presentation on September 1.

He presented a plan on how to change the capital of Georgia, He also talked about his former teammates from the Georgian Dream and said that from that day they had to deal with Gakharia personally. He called the actions of the Georgian Dream shameful.

On that day, he also nominated Tbilisi majoritarians and members of the list and started the election campaign for victory in Tbilisi.

Electoral history

References

External links

1975 births
Living people
21st-century politicians from Georgia (country)
Georgian Dream politicians
Government ministers of Georgia (country)
Politicians from Tbilisi
Prime Ministers of Georgia

Giorgi Gakharia


The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD or Delaware) is a privately governed, state-assisted land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 master's programs (with 13 joint degrees), and 55 doctoral programs across its eight colleges. The main campus is in Newark, with satellite campuses in Dover, Wilmington, Lewes, and Georgetown. It is considered a large institution with approximately 18,200 undergraduate and 4,200 graduate students. It is a privately governed university which receives public funding for being a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant state-supported research institution.

UD is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". According to the National Science Foundation, UD spent $186 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 119th in the nation.  It is recognized with the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

UD students, alumni, and sports teams are known as the "Fightin' Blue Hens", more commonly shortened to "Blue Hens", and the school colors are Delaware blue and gold. UD sponsors 21 men's and women's NCAA Division-I sports teams and have competed in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) since 2001.

History

Early years: Newark Academy

The University of Delaware traces its origins to 1743, when Presbyterian minister Francis Alison opened a "Free School" in his home in New London, Pennsylvania. During its early years, the school was run under the auspices of the Philadelphia Synod of the Presbyterian Church. The school changed its name and location several times. It moved to Newark by 1765 and received a charter from the colonial Penn government as the Academy of Newark in 1769. In 1781, the academy trustees petitioned the Delaware General Assembly to grant the academy the powers of a college, but no action was taken on this request.

Transformation to Delaware College
In 1818, the Delaware legislature authorized the trustees of the Newark Academy to operate a lottery in order to raise funds with which to establish a college. Commencement of the lottery, however, was delayed until 1825, in large part because some trustees, several of whom were Presbyterian ministers, objected to involvement with a lottery on moral grounds.

In 1832, the academy trustees selected the site for the college and entered into a contract for the erection of the college building. Construction of that building (now called Old College) began in late 1832 or in 1833. In January 1833 the academy trustees petitioned the Delaware legislature to incorporate the college and on February 5, 1833, the legislature incorporated Newark College, which was charged with instruction in languages, arts and sciences, and granted the power to confer degrees. All of the academy trustees became trustees of the college, and the college absorbed the academy, with Newark Academy becoming the preparatory department of Newark College.

Newark College commenced operations on May 8, 1834, with a collegiate department and an academic department, both of which were housed in Old College. In January 1835, the Delaware legislature passed legislation specifically authorizing the Newark Academy trustees to suspend operations and to allow the educational responsibilities of the academy to be performed by the academic department of Newark College. If, however, the college ever ceased to have an academic department, the trustees of the academy were required to revive the academy.

In 1841 and 1842 separate classroom and dormitory buildings were constructed to teach and house academic department students. These buildings would later form the east and west wings of the Newark Academy Building located at Main and Academy Streets.

In 1843, the name of the college was changed to Delaware College.

The college was supported by a state authorized lottery until 1845. By the late 1840s, with the loss of lottery proceeds, the college faced serious financial problems. A scholarship program was adopted to increase enrollment and revenues. Although enrollment did increase to levels that would not be surpassed until the 1900s (there were 118 college students in 1854), the plan was fiscally unsound, and the financial condition of the school deteriorated further. After a student fracas in 1858 resulted in the death of a student, the college suspended operations in 1859, although the academy continued to operate.

Land-grant college
The Civil War delayed the reopening of the college. In 1867, college trustees lobbied the Delaware legislature for Delaware College to be designated as Delaware's land-grant college pursuant to the Morrill Land-Grant College Act.  Introduced by Congressman Justin S. Morrill of Vermont in 1857 and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the Morrill Land-Grant College Act granted public lands to each state in order to establish schools to teach agriculture and engineering. On Jan. 12, 1869, the Board of Trustees of Delaware College signed an agreement to become the state's land-grant institution. In exchange, the state received a one-half interest in the property of the college and the authority to appoint half of the members of the board of trustees. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act granted Delaware the title to 90,000 acres in Montana which it sold and invested the profits into bonds used to fund the college.

Delaware College's new status as a semipublic college led to the termination of its official connection with the private academy. In 1869, the Newark Academy was revived as a separate institution operating under the 1769 charter.

In 1870, Delaware College reopened. It offered classical, scientific and, as required by its land-grant status, agricultural courses of study. In an effort to boost enrollment, women were admitted to the college between 1872 and 1885.

In 1887, Congress passed the Hatch Act, which provided Delaware College with funding with which to establish an agricultural experiment station. In 1890, the college purchased nine acres of land for an experimental farm located next to its campus. In 1890 the college became the recipient of more federal aid when the New Morrill Act was passed. It provided for annual payments to support land-grant colleges. Under the law, the State of Delaware initially received $15,000 per year, which was to be increased by $1,000 per year until it reached $25,000. Delaware College received 80% of this money. (It did not receive all of it because the law provided that in states in which land-grant colleges did not admit black students, an equitable amount of the granted money had to be used to educate the excluded students. Delaware College had never admitted black students (although it had admitted Native American and Asian students), and as a result the state of Delaware established Delaware State College near Dover for black students, which opened in 1892.) In 1891 and 1893 Delaware College received appropriations from the State of Delaware for the construction of new buildings. One new building built with this money was Recitation Hall.

As a result of this additional funding, Delaware College was invigorated. New buildings, improved facilities, and additional professors helped the college attract more students. Student life also became more active during this period. In 1889 the first football game involving a team representing the college was played. Also in 1889, the college adopted blue and gold as the school's colors.

It was not until 1914, though, that the Women's College opened on an adjoining campus, offering women degrees in Home Economics, Education, and Arts and Sciences. Brick archways at Memorial Hall separated the Men's and Women's campuses and gave rise to the legend of the Kissing Arches (where students would kiss good night before returning to their respective residence halls).

In 1921, Delaware College was renamed the University of Delaware. It officially became a coeducational institution in 1945 when it merged with the Women's College of Delaware.

The university grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century. After World War II, UD enrollment skyrocketed, thanks to the G.I. Bill. In the late 1940s, almost two-thirds of the students were veterans. Since the 1950s, UD has quadrupled its enrollment and greatly expanded its faculty, its academic programs and its research enterprise.

In 2010–11, the university conducted a feasibility study in support of plans to add a law school focused on corporate and patent law.  At its completion, the study suggested that the planned addition was not within the university's funding capability given the nation's economic climate at the time.  Capital expenses were projected at $100 million, and the operating deficit in the first ten years would be $165 million. The study assumed an initial class of two hundred students entering in the fall of 2015. Widener University has Delaware's only law school.

Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus
On October 23, 2009, the University of Delaware signed an agreement with Chrysler to purchase a shuttered vehicle assembly plant adjacent to the university for $24.25 million as part of Chrysler's bankruptcy restructuring plan.  The university has developed the  site into the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. The site is the new home of UD's College of Health Sciences, which includes teaching and research laboratories and several public health clinics. The STAR Campus also includes research facilities for UD's vehicle-to-grid technology, as well as Delaware Technology Park, SevOne, CareNow, Independent Prosthetics and Orthotics, and the East Coast headquarters of Bloom Energy. In 2020, UD opened the Ammon Pinozzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center, which became the new home of the UD-led National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals. Also, Chemours recently opened its global research and development facility, known as the Discovery Hub, on the STAR Campus in 2020. The new Newark Regional Transportation Center on the STAR Campus will serve passengers of Amtrak and regional rail.

Admissions

Undergraduate

The student body at the University of Delaware is primarily an undergraduate population. The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes
University of Delaware as "more selective". For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), Delaware received 33,965 applications and accepted 24,679 (72.7%). The university is need-blind for domestic applicants. Of those accepted, 4,617 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 18.7%. Delaware's freshman retention rate is 91.5%, with 83.6% going on to graduate within six years.

Of the 60% of the incoming freshman class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1170–1350. Of the 11% of enrolled freshmen in 2021 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 26 and 31. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 2 freshman students were National Merit Scholars.

Academics

The university offers more than 150 undergraduate degree programs and, due to the number of academic options, many students complete dual degrees as well as double majors and minors. UD students have access to work and internship opportunities, worldwide study abroad programs, research and service learning programs.

The university is organized into nine colleges:
 Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
 College of Arts and Sciences
 College of Earth, Ocean and Environment
 College of Education and Human Development
 College of Engineering
 College of Health Sciences
Graduate College
Honors College

There are also five schools:
 Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration
School of Education (part of the College of Education & Human Development)
 School of Marine Science and Policy (part of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment)
School of Nursing (part of the College of Health Sciences)
School of Music (part of the College of Arts & Sciences)

Rankings

The university is ranked 352nd globally according to U.S. News & World Report. The university is ranked between 351st and 400th globally, and 152nd nationally according to Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
The Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs across seven departments: accounting and MIS, business administration, economics, finance, hospitality business management, sport management, and enterprise.

As the second largest of UD's eight colleges, Lerner includes 3,368 undergraduate students, 872 graduate students, 209 faculty and staff (2019 statistics), and more than 34,000 alumni across the globe.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs across four departments: animal and food sciences, entomology and wildlife ecology, plant and soil sciences, and applied economics and statistics. As of fall 2019, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources had 81 faculty, 892 undergraduate students and 212 graduate students.

One of the few colleges in the country with a working farm on campus, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources includes a 350-acre outdoor classroom in Newark that includes a working dairy farm, equine barns, statistics and experimental economics labs, botanic gardens, greenhouses, ecology woods, an apiary, farmland, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and a working creamery.

College of Arts and Sciences
Through the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Delaware students can choose from an array of concentrations. They can choose from programs in visual and performing arts, social sciences, natural sciences and many more. The College of Arts and Sciences has 23 academic departments. It is the largest of UD's colleges, with 6358 undergraduate students, 1132 graduate students and more than 600 faculty members, as of fall 2019. The College of Arts and Sciences includes one of six undergraduate programs in Art Conservation in North America.

College of Earth, Ocean and Environment
The College of Earth, Ocean and Environment (CEOE) is made up of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, the Department of Earth Sciences, and the School of Marine Science and Policy. There are four programs in the School of Marine Science and Policy: Marine Biosciences, Oceanography, Physical Ocean Science and Engineering, and Marine Policy. The college offers over nine undergraduate majors, 17 graduate degrees and two professional certificates. Fall 2019 enrollment included 397 undergraduate students and 183 graduate students.

College of Education and Human Development

College of Engineering

The U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Delaware's engineering graduate program as #47 for 2022 and the undergraduate program as #53 for 2021. U.S. News & World Report ranked the undergraduate chemical engineering program #7 in the country for 2021 and the graduate chemical engineering programs as #8 in the country for 2022.

The College of Engineering is home to seven academic departments offering bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree programs. Areas of research focus include advanced manufacturing and materials, coastal and environmental engineering, translational biomechanics, engineered therapeutics and scholarship of engineering education. Undergraduate degrees are offered in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, construction engineering and management, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, information systems, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering. As of fall 2019, the College of Engineering had 177 full-time faculty, 2,492 undergraduate students and 927 graduate students.

College of Health Sciences
The College of Health Sciences (CHS) is home to seven academic departments, including newly created Epidemiology. The College of Health Sciences offers bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree programs that take evidence-based research and translate it into person-centered care. Undergraduate degrees are offered in applied molecular biology and biotechnology, exercise science, health behavioral science, medical diagnostics, medical laboratory science, nursing, nutrition, nutrition and dietetics, nutrition and medical sciences, and sports health. Pre-physician's assistant and occupational therapy tracks are also available. As of fall 2019, the College of Health Sciences included 148 faculty, 2,715 undergraduate students and 504 graduate students.

Graduate College
The first doctoral programs at UD — in chemical engineering and chemistry — were approved in 1946. The university awarded its first doctorate — in chemical engineering — in 1948. Currently, more than 3,600 graduate students are enrolled at UD. The university offers more than 200 graduate and professional degree programs.

Divisions and institutes

Institute of Energy Conversion
The Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) at the University of Delaware is the oldest solar energy research institute in the world. It was established by Karl Boer in 1972 to pioneer research on thin film solar cells and today is one of the only laboratories in the world with expertise in Si, CdTe, and CuInSe2 based solar cells. This included the development of one of the first solar powered homes, a structure still utilized by the university's student-run ambulance service, the University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit. Recently the IEC was the number one recipient of the DOE Sunshot Initiative and was awarded 5 grants totaling $9.1 million to research next generation solar cells to reduce the cost of solar cells by 75% by the end of the decade.

Delaware Environmental Institute
The Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) launched on October 23, 2009. DENIN is charged with conducting research and promoting and coordinating knowledge partnerships that integrate environmental science, engineering and policy.

University of Delaware Energy Institute
The University of Delaware Energy Institute (UDEI) was inaugurated September 19, 2008. UDEI has been selected to receive a $3 million a year grant for advanced solar research.

John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance
The John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance was established in 2000 at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. Its aim is to propose changes in corporate structure and management through education and interaction. The Center provides a forum for those interested in corporate governance issues.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Institute
In February 2017, the School of Public Policy and Administration announced the creation of the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Institute (Biden Institute), named after alumnus Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States, who at the time had recently finished his term as the 47th vice president.

Campus
The campus itself is divided into four areas:
Main Campus, which has most of the academic and residential buildings, is centered on a roughly north–south axis between South College Avenue and Academy Street. At the center of the campus is Memorial Hall, which once divided the Women's College from Delaware College. North and south of Memorial Hall is a large, roughly rectangular green space known either as "The Green" or "The Mall," around which are many of the oldest buildings on campus. Though the buildings were constructed at various times over the course of more than a century, they follow a cohesive Georgian design aesthetic. The Green area is further subdivided into three areas. "North Central," which is north of Delaware Avenue, contains the original men's dormitories (now co-educational) of what was then Delaware College, as well as several classroom buildings north of Main Street in what had been the original Engineering departments.  "Central," which lies between Delaware Avenue and Memorial Hall, contains many large classroom buildings and laboratories. "South Central," which extends from Memorial Hall to Park Place, houses the original Women's dormitories, as well as some classroom buildings and the Morris Library.  Other areas around the Main Campus include "Harrington Beach," a large grassy quadrangle on the east side of main campus that serves as a common meeting and recreation place for students, and is surrounded by three large dormitory complexes and the Perkins Student Center. Several more classroom and laboratory buildings line the streets on either side of The Green, and there exists an area of closed dormitories (the former Dickinson and Rodney dormitory complexes) that lie at the outer edge of Main Campus across South Main Street.
Laird Campus, which has several dormitories as well as a conference center, hotel, and the Christiana Towers apartment complex (currently closed), lies north of Cleveland Avenue between New London Road and North College Avenue. The Christiana Towers are slated for demolition in 2021 or 2022 due to their age and expensive maintenance issues.
South Campus has the agricultural school, all of the sports stadiums (including Delaware Stadium and the Bob Carpenter Center), and the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, which is built on the site of a former Chrysler vehicle assembly plant. It lies south of the Northeast rail corridor and north of Christina Parkway (Delaware Route 4)
The Delaware Technology Park, which lies to the far east of Main Campus, is located north of the train tracks, south of Wyoming Road, east of Library Avenue (Delaware Route 72) and west of Marrows Road and has several research laboratories, classroom buildings, and offices. The Children's Campus, located across the Library Avenue from the Delaware Technology Park, is a 15-acre site home to the Early Learning Center (ages 6 weeks to third grade), the Lab School (ages 6 months to kindergarten) and The College School (first to eighth grades). Also located on-site are UD's Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program and the Center for Disabilities Studies.

In 1891, prominent Philadelphia architect Frank Furness designed Recitation Hall.  Several buildings (Wolf, Sussex, and Harter Halls) were designed by Frank Miles Day, who also designed the formal campus landscape. From 1918 to 1952, Marian Cruger Coffin was appointed the university's landscape architect, a position which required her to unite the university's two separate campuses (the men's to the north and the women's to the south) into one cohesive design. This was a challenge since the linear mall design of each was out of alignment with the other. Coffin solved this problem by linking them with a circle (now called Magnolia Circle) instead of curving the straight paths, which rendered the misalignment unnoticeable to the pedestrian.

North, or Laird, Campus, is primarily residential. It is the former home to the Pencader Complex, which was demolished and replaced by three new residence halls. A total of four residence hall buildings have been built, three named after the three University alumni who signed the Declaration of Independence (George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith, who signed for Pennsylvania); the fourth residence hall was named Independence Hall. The Christiana Towers, an apartment-style residence complex, was closed in 2019, and is slated for demolition. In addition, the construction of a Marriott Courtyard run by the Hospitality Business Management department expanded the campus.

Other major facilities that have opened since 2000 include:

 The David and Louise Roselle Center For The Arts, with facilities for the school's music and theater programs, was opened in 2006. It is named for the university's 25th president and his wife.
 In 2013, two new residence halls, named after former college president Eliphalet Gilbert and Delaware Civil Rights pioneer Louis L. Redding, were opened on the East Campus housing complex.
 Also in 2013, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (ISE) Laboratory opened on the corner of Academy and Lovett streets. In 2015, it was named the Patrick T. Harker ISE Laboratory in honor of the university's 26th president.
 The Caesar Rodney Residence and Dining Hall opened in fall 2015 on Academy Street across from Perkins Student Center.
 The South Academy Residence Hall opened in fall 2017 to the south of Caesar Rodney Residence Hall.
 The Tower at STAR opened on the STAR Campus in 2018.

The University of Delaware Wilmington Campus is outside of the Wilmington city limits, in unincorporated New Castle County.

Administration
In 2015, the UD Board of Trustees elected Dennis Assanis as the 28th President of the University of Delaware; he took office in June 2016. He succeeded Nancy , former Dean of the university's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, who served as interim president in 2015–16. She was named 27th president of the university near the end of her service; she was the institution's first female president.  served after the departure of President Patrick Harker in 2015 to serve as the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Funding
The university receives funding from a variety of sources as a consequence of its historical origins. Among those sources is the State of Delaware budget. In fiscal year 2020, the 10% of the university's revenue came from government grants. Tuition, room, board, and fees were 57% of the university total revenue.

The Delaware First fundraising and engagement campaign is the largest philanthropic campaign in UD history.  Launched in November 2017, the campaign exceeded the goal of $750 million ahead of schedule and extended the goal to $1billion in October 2021.  As of December 2022, the campaign had raised $985million with an expected campaign closing date of June 30, 2023.

Study abroad
The University of Delaware was the first American university to begin a study-abroad program, which was later adopted by many other institutions. The program began when Professor Raymond Watson Kirkbride took a group of eight students to Paris, France, during the fall semester of 1923. Since this initial trip, the University of Delaware has expanded its study-abroad program, which now encompasses more than 40 countries. About one-third of UD undergraduate students take advantage of study-abroad experiences prior to completing their bachelor's degrees.

Delaware's study-abroad program offers many options for students. Undergraduates have the option of studying abroad for a five-week winter or summer session, or an entire semester.

Athletics

The athletic teams at Delaware are known as the Fightin' Blue Hens with a mascot named YoUDee. YoUDee is a Blue Hen Chicken, after the team names and the state bird of Delaware. YoUDee was elected into the mascot hall of fame in 2006, and is an eight-time UCA Open Division Mascot National Champion.

UD offers 21 varsity sports, which compete in the NCAA Division-I (FCS for football). Delaware is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in all sports. Delaware was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in football until the 2006 season. The Fightin' Blue Hens football teams have won six national titles, including the 2003 NCAA I-AA Championship. In 2007, the Delaware Blue Hens were the runners up in the NCAA I-AA National Championship game, but were defeated by defending champions Appalachian State. In 2010, the Delaware Blue Hens were again runners up in the National Championship game, losing to Eastern Washington 20–19 after being up 19–0 earlier in the game.

Former head football coaches Bill Murray, Dave Nelson and Harold "Tubby" Raymond are College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Delaware is one of only two schools to have three straight head coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Georgia Tech is the other).

Delaware's only other NCAA National Championships came in 1983 for Women's Division I Lacrosse and in 2016, when the Delaware women's field hockey team won the school's first NCAA Division I national championship, defeating North Carolina, 3–2.

The Blue Hens have won 27 CAA Championships since joining in 2001:

Unofficially, the women's rowing team has won the CAA title four times since 2001, placing second the other two times. The 2007 men's lacrosse program reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history.

On March 7, 2012, the Division 1 men's ice hockey team (a non-varsity team) won the ACHA National Championship. UD defeated Oakland University 5–1, capturing its first title.

"The Delaware Fight Song" first appeared in the Student Handbook in 1933.  It was composed by alumnus George F. Kelly (Class of 1915).

Intrastate competition
In November 2007, it was announced that the University of Delaware and Delaware State University would have their first game against each other, the game being in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The game was played on November 23, with University of Delaware winning 44–7.  Delaware has won all of the regular season match-ups, which have been called the Route 1 Rivalry. In all, the two schools played eight games between 2007 and 2017. Games are scheduled for 2019 and 2020. In 2019, UD and DSU announced that they have scheduled six games against each other from 2024 through 2030, including the first two games at DSU's Alumni Stadium.

Music

The University of Delaware has a variety of musical performance opportunities available to students, including a wind ensemble, orchestra, and jazz and symphonic band. There are also a number of jazz groups available, including two large ensembles, and a smaller group that focus on improvisation. All ensembles are open by audition to all students at the university, and can be taken either for credit or for no credit. The school also has a steel drum ensemble, and an early music ensemble. There are also a variety of choral ensembles, including the University of Delaware Chorale, an all-women's choir, and three choirs, also open to community members, that constitute the Schola Cantorum. The music department's home is the Amy E. du Pont Music Building, named for Amy Elizabeth du Pont, a prominent benefactor of the university during the 20th century.

In addition, the University of Delaware has a marching band, the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band. The band ranges from 300 to 350 members every year and can be seen performing at every home football game as well as at various festivals and competitions, including the Collegiate Marching Band Festival in Allentown. Additionally, the marching band was selected to perform in the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade in 2009.

In 2006, the new Center for the Arts building opened. This building has a number of recital halls and a large number of practice rooms, most with upright pianos. The practice rooms are locked and cannot be used by students who are not music majors or in an official UD ensemble. The university employs a tiered access system, with larger rooms and rooms with grand pianos being reserved for certain groups of students. In addition the music department also uses their old building, with offices, classrooms, practice rooms, and recital halls. This building has public-access practice rooms with pianos.

In 2005, the University of Delaware Chorale, under the direction of Paul D. Head and accompanied by Betsy Kent, were invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association's International Convention in Los Angeles. In April 2007, the Chorale won the Grand Prix at the Tallinn International Choral Festival in Estonia, having scored higher than 40 other choirs from around the world. In 2010 the Chorale competed in two categories of the 42nd Annual Tolosa Choral Competition in Tolosa, Spain; they received a Bronze and a Silver award. UD-16, a chamber ensemble of Chorale, also competed in Tolosa in two categories and won two Silver awards. In the Summer of 2012 the Chorale was the only American College Choir to be invited to the International Society for Music Education Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece; the UD Steele Ensemble was also invited. On that same tour, the chorale placed in a close second at the Grand Prix of the 25th Bela Bartok International Choral Competition. In 2000, the music department purchased an 18th-century Ceruti violin for professor and violinist Xiang Gao.

In December 2019, the Department of Music in the College of Arts and Sciences was officially renamed the School of Music.

The university also has a student run radio station, 91.3 WVUD, as well as several a cappella groups including one all-female, one all-male, and five mixed groups, several of which compete regularly at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The most successful group is Vocal Point, who placed third at ICCA finals in 2014. In 2020, The A Cappella Archive ranked UD Vocal Point at #12 all-time among ICCA-competing groups.

In addition, the University of Delaware currently has two music fraternities: Phi Mu Alpha for men and Sigma Alpha Iota for women.  Both organizations are active in the music community; hosting a variety of recitals and service events in and around the Newark area.

Student life

Tuition
For the 2022–23 academic year, undergraduate tuition per semester is $14,822 for Delaware residents and $36,082 for non-residents. Total cost of attendance for the 2022–23 academic year (tuition, mandatory fees, room and board) is $32,444 for Delawareans and $54,964 for non-residents.

Media

There are currently two student publications at Delaware: The Review and UDress, as well as radio and television stations.

Print
The Review is a weekly student publication, released in print and online on Tuesdays. It is an independent publication and receives no financial support from the university. It is distributed at several locations across campus, including Morris Library, the Perkins Student Center and the Trabant University Center, as well as various academic buildings and the dining halls. The Reviews office is located at 250 Perkins Student Center, facing Academy Street, and is above the offices of WVUD. In 2004, it was a National Newspaper Pacemaker Award Finalist, and was also named one of the ten best non-daily college newspapers by the Associated Collegiate Press. It currently has a print circulation of 10,000.

UDress magazine is the on-campus fashion magazine which publishes one issue per semester, in conjunction with fashion events.

Broadcast
The student-run, non-commercial, educational radio station at Delaware broadcasts on 91.3 and uses the call letters WVUD, which the university purchased from the University of Dayton in the 1980s. Although not its intended call letter pronunciation, 'VUD has taken on the slogan "the Voice of the University of Delaware." They are licensed to the city of Newark, Delaware and broadcasts with a power of 1,000 watts 24 hours a day with its offices and studios located in the Perkins Student Center.

The transmitting facilities are located atop the Christiana East Tower residence hall. WVUD is operated by University of Delaware students, a university staff of two, and community members. No prior radio experience is necessary, nor is there a need to enroll in any certain major to become a part of WVUD. The radio station has a variety of programming, featuring both music and talk formats.

STN is the student-run, non-commercial, educational television station at the University of Delaware. The station broadcasts second-run movies, original student produced content as well as live sports coverage. The initials, STN, originally stood for Shane Thomas Network, later changed to Student Television Network.

Greek life
Approximately 26% of the University of Delaware's undergraduate student population is affiliated with a fraternity or sorority.  There are over 26 fraternities and 20 sororities (chapters & colonies) in the Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), Multicultural Greek Congress (MGC) and Special Interest Greek Council. They all coordinate via the Greek Council. All Greek organizations participate in an accreditation process. The Accreditation is "a framework for meeting [chapters'] stated missions and creating a positive development experience for all members". Former assessment programs included the Five Star program of the late 1990s, and the CAP (Chapter Assessment Program) used 2014–2021.

Active fraternities include Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Kappa Phi, Theta Chi, Sigma Chi, Alpha Sigma Phi, Delta Chi, Delta Tau Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Pi Kappa Alpha, Kappa Delta Rho, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Zeta Beta Tau, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Pi, Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Phi Delta, Phi Kappa Tau, Alpha Gamma Rho, Delta Upsilon, Tau Epsilon Phi, Alpha Kappa Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Lambda Sigma Upsilon, and Phi Beta Sigma.

Active sororities include Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Lambda Theta Alpha, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Lambda Pi Chi, Delta Phi Lambda, Phi Sigma Sigma, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Xi Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Chi Omega, Sigma Kappa, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Pi Beta Phi, Delta Delta Delta, and Kappa Alpha Theta.

Shuttle service

The University of Delaware operates multiple shuttle routes called "UD Shuttle" that serve the campus. The North/South Academy route runs the north–south length of the campus via Academy Street and offers daily service, with late night service Friday and Saturday. The North/South College route runs the north–south length of the campus via College Avenue and offers service on weekdays. The East Loop route runs a loop through the eastern part of the campus and Newark and offers daily service, with late night service Friday and Saturday. The West Loop route runs a loop through the western part of the campus and Newark and offers daily service, with late night service Friday and Saturday. The Early Bird route offers early morning weekday service serving the north–south length of the campus while the Late Bird route offers late night service daily serving the north–south length of the campus.

Health
The University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit (UDECU) is a registered student organization at the university, which provides emergency medical services to the campus and surrounding community. UDECU has approximately 50 members, all of which are volunteers and students at the University of Delaware. UDECU operates one basic life support ambulance (UD-1), one first response vehicle (UD-2), and a bike team. Advanced life support is provided by New Castle County Emergency Medical Services.

Alcohol use
A campus website claims that a 1993 study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that high-risk drinking at UD exceeded the national norm. On this survey, a majority of students reported binge drinking more than once in a two-week interval. The average consumption for students was nine drinks per week, while 29% reported that they drink on 10 or more occasions per month. UD students were found to be more aware of policies, prevention programs, and enforcement risks than the national average.

In 2005, on the Newark campus of the university 1140 students were picked up by the campus police for alcohol-related violations. Of these, 120 led to arrests. These figures are up from previous years, 1062 in 2004 and 1026 in 2003. This represents approximately 6% of the student population. At least one student organization has undertaken the goal of "providing fun activities for those who chose not to drink" and to "promote the idea that one doesn't need alcohol to have a good time."

 Deaths related to alcohol use
In 2008, a University of Delaware freshman died of alcohol poisoning after attending a party hosted by members of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, where the student was pledging. Although the university has attempted to make efforts in preventing unhealthy alcohol use, a student visiting from another college died on March 19, 2016, in an alcohol-related incident. The student was standing alone on the roof of an off-campus fraternity, and slipped off it. In 2018 the university and other organizations were sued by the family of a sophomore student who attended an off-campus sorority party in Glasgow and was struck and killed by a vehicle while jaywalking with a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit. The university and the other organizations were found not liable for the students death and the case was dismissed.

 COVID-19
The university closed the dining halls for in-person eating after seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases in February 2021 in an attempt to lower numbers which jumped from 72 cases to 87 in one day. Students claimed that other students were to blame for disregarding rules and going out and grouping together unmasked. Similar disregard was seen in October 2020 when 19 student athletes were suspended from all athletics-related activities after they attended a large off-campus party. In August 2021 the school issued a universal mask mandate for all those on campus while inside, except for when a student is present in their own residence hall or floor community and while eating and drinking in a dining hall. The university previously announced in May 2021 that the COVID-19 vaccine was required for all students by August 2021, with UD employees able to opt to be tested weekly. In August 2022 the school issued a mask mandate in all classrooms, research laboratories, and all UD transportation for the first two weeks of the semester.

Law enforcement

The University of Delaware Police Department (UDPD') are responsible for law enforcement on UD's three campuses.  The police represent one branch of the University of Delaware Department of Public Safety, whose employees also include security officers, as well as dispatchers, EMTs, and Police Cadets.

Controversies

Handling of violence by students and on campus
In October 2021, a sophomore male student was accused of assaulting a female student in an off-campus apartment, allegedly having held her captive there for about four hours after choking her unconscious and threatening to kill her. This all happened before throwing her down a flight of stairs. Although he was later arrested on assault, kidnapping and other charges and suspended from the university and barred from its campus, many students protested the perceived inaction from the university which took five days to issue a statement about the incident. The university's lack of a timely response was also highlighted by a student in 2019 who protested after the Title IX process was extended to 100 days instead of the mandated 60 days.

Orientation
In the fall of 2007, the university implemented a new residence-life education program that was criticized for forcing students into polarizing discussions. The program was abandoned in November of the same year.

Power plant
The university agreed to lease 43 acres on the STAR campus to The Data Centers (TDC) for the construction of the data center. The data center plan included a combined heat cycle natural gas-fired power plant capable of generating 248 megawatts of power. TDC claimed that the power plant was critical to ensuring an uninterrupted electrical power supply to the facility, which is critical for data integrity. The TDC business plan also called for sale of excess electricity. Portions of the Newark community questioned the business plan, claiming that the power plant is not an auxiliary part of the data center but a separate industrial use, which would violate the zoning of the STAR campus.

On April 28, 2014, the City of Newark Board of Adjustment upheld its April 19, 2014 ruling that the power plant is an accessory to the data center and that no rezoning was required. The ruling is presently under appeal.  The University of Delaware's Sustainability Task Force sent an open letter to President Harker citing concerns that the project violates the university's strategic plan and Climate Action Plan. On May 4, 2014, the University Faculty Senate voted 43 to 0 (with 8 abstentions) to recommend to the administration that it not allow construction of The Data Center on UD's STAR campus if The Data Center includes any fossil-fuel-burning power plant.  On July 10, 2014, the university announced that it was terminating the lease for the project.

Notable alumni and faculty

Notable alumni of the University of Delaware include 46th President of the United States, 47th Vice President of the United States, and former U.S. Senator Joe Biden (B.A. 1965); First Lady of the United States Jill Biden (B.A. 1976); former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (B.A. 1984); campaign manager David Plouffe (B.A. 2010); Vice Chancellors of the Delaware Court of Chancery Sam Glasscock III (B.A. History 1979, M.M.P. Marine Policy 1989) and Paul A. Fioravanti Jr. (B.A. Political Science); Nobel Prize-winning microbiologist Daniel Nathans (B.S. 1950); Nobel Prize-winning organic chemist Richard F. Heck; Director of Research Division at NASA Henry C Brinton (B.S. Physics, 1957); Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo (M.A. 1988); former president of Emory University James W. Wagner (B.A. 1975); former Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy; Super Bowl XLVII's MVP Joe Flacco; 2002 NFL MVP Rich Gannon (B.A. 1987); and 2008 John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt (B.A. 1993).

Further reading

References

External links

 Delaware Athletics website

1743 establishments in Delaware
Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union
Education in New Castle County, Delaware
Educational institutions established in 1743
Universities and colleges established in the 18th century
Land-grant universities and colleges
Newark, Delaware
University of Delaware
Flagship universities in the United States
Need-blind educational institutions

University of Delaware


Mutual fund fees and expenses are charges that may be incurred by investors who hold mutual funds. Operating a mutual fund involves costs, including shareholder transaction costs, investment advisory fees, and marketing and distribution expenses. Funds pass along these costs to investors in several ways.

Some funds impose "shareholder fees" directly on investors whenever they buy or sell shares. In addition, every fund has regular, recurring, fund-wide "operating expenses". Funds typically pay their operating expenses out of fund assets—which means that investors indirectly pay these costs. Although they may seem negligible, fees and expenses can substantially reduce an investor's earnings when the investment is held for a long period of time.

For the reasons cited above, it is important for a prospective investor to compare the fees of the various funds under consideration. Investors should also compare fees against industry benchmarks and averages. There are many different types of fees, as discussed below. To facilitate the comparison of funds, it is helpful to compare the total expense ratio. The following table shows the weighted average total expense ratios for different types of mutual funds organized in the United States as of December 31, 2020, as published by Morningstar, Inc.

Transaction fees

Purchase fee
Purchase Fee—A type of fee that some funds charge their shareholders when they buy shares. Unlike a front-end sales load, a purchase fee is paid to the fund (not to a Stockbroker) and is typically imposed to defray some of the fund's costs associated with the purchase.

Redemption fee
Redemption Fee—another type of fee that some funds charge their shareholders when they sell or redeem shares. Unlike a deferred sales load, a redemption fee is paid to the fund (not to a Stockbroker) and is typically used to defray fund costs associated with a shareholder's redemption.

Exchange fee
Exchange Fee—a fee that some funds impose on shareholders if they exchange (transfer) to another fund within the same "family of funds".

Periodic fees

Management fee
Management fees are fees that are paid out of fund assets to the fund's investment adviser for investment portfolio management, any other management fees payable to the fund's investment adviser or its affiliates, and administrative fees payable to the investment adviser that are not included in the "Other Expenses" category (discussed below). They are also called maintenance fees.

Account fee
Account fees are fees that some funds separately impose on investors in connection with the maintenance of their accounts. For example, some funds impose an account maintenance fee on accounts whose value is less than a certain dollar amount.

Distribution and service fee
Distribution and service fees are fees paid by the fund out of fund assets to cover the costs of marketing and selling fund shares and sometimes to cover the costs of providing shareholder services. They are also called 12b-1 fees after section 12 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. "Distribution fees" include fees to compensate brokers and others who sell fund shares and to pay for advertising, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to new investors, and the printing and mailing of sales literature. "Shareholder Service Fees" are fees paid to persons to respond to investor inquiries and provide investors with information about their investments. Shareholder Servicing Fees can be paid inside or outside of a Rule 12b-1 Plan.

Funds can charge up to 0.25% in distribution fees and still describe themselves as "no-load".

Other operating expenses

Transaction costs
These costs are incurred in the trading of the fund's assets. Funds with a high turnover ratio, or investing in illiquid or exotic markets usually face higher transaction costs. Unlike the total expense ratio these costs are usually not reported.

Loads

Definition of a load
Load funds exhibit a "Sales Load" with a percentage charge levied on purchase or sale of shares.  A load is a type of commission.  Depending on the type of load a mutual fund exhibits, charges may be incurred at the time of purchase, time of sale, or a mix of both.  The different types of loads are outlined below.

Front-end load
Often associated with class 'A' shares of a mutual fund.  Also known as Sales Charge, this is a fee paid when shares are purchased. Also known as a "front-end load", this fee typically goes to the brokers that sell the fund's shares. Front-end loads reduce the amount of your investment. For example, let's say you have $1,000 and want to invest it in a mutual fund with a 5% front-end load. The $50 sales load you must pay comes off the top, and the remaining $950 will be invested in the fund. The Maximum sales load under the Investment Company Act of 1940 is 9%. The maximum sales load under NASD Rules is 8%.

Back-end load
Associated with class "B" mutual fund shares.  Known as a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC or sometimes Deferred Sales Charge), this is a fee paid when shares are sold. Also known as a "back-end load", this fee typically goes to the stockbrokers that sell the fund's shares. Back-end loads start with a fee of about 5 to 6 percent, which incrementally discounts for each year that the investors own the fund's shares. The rate at which the fee declines is disclosed in the prospectus. The amount of this type of load will depend on how long the investor holds his or her shares and typically decreases to zero if the investor holds his or her shares long enough.

Level load/low load
It's similar to a back-end load in that no sales charges are paid when buying the fund.  Instead, a back-end load may be charged if the shares purchased are sold within a given time frame.  The distinction between level loads and low loads as opposed to back-end loads is that this time frame where charges are levied is shorter.

No-load fund
Associated with Class "C" Shares.  As the name implies, this means that the fund does not charge any type of sales load. But, as outlined above, not every type of shareholder fee is a "sales load". A no-load fund may charge fees that are not sales loads, such as purchase fees, redemption fees, exchange fees, and account fees. Class "C" shares have the highest annual expense charges.

Geographical differences

United States

Breakpoints

Some mutual funds that charge front-end sales loads will charge lower sales loads for larger investments. The investment levels required to obtain a reduced sales load are commonly referred to as "breakpoints".

The SEC does not require a fund to offer breakpoints in the fund's sales load. But, if breakpoints exist, the fund must disclose them. In addition, a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member brokerage firm should not sell you shares of a fund in an amount that is "just below" the fund's sales load breakpoint simply to earn a higher commission.

Each fund company establishes its own formula for how it will calculate whether an investor is entitled to receive a breakpoint. For that reason, it is important to seek out breakpoint information from your financial advisor or the fund itself. You'll need to ask how a particular fund establishes eligibility for breakpoint discounts, as well as what the fund's breakpoint amounts are.

Share class differences

Class A shares typically impose a front-end sales load. They also tend to have a lower 12b-1 fee and lower annual expenses than other mutual fund share classes. Be aware that some mutual funds reduce the front-end load as the size of your investment increases. If you're considering Class A shares, be sure to inquire about breakpoints.
Class B shares typically do not have a front-end sales load. Instead, they may impose a contingent deferred sales load and a 12b-1 fee (along with other annual expenses). Class B shares also might convert automatically to Class A shares with a lower 12b-1 fee if the investor holds the shares long enough.
Class C shares might have a 12b-1 fee, other annual expenses, and either a front- or back-end sales load. But the front- or back-end load for Class C shares tends to be lower than for Class A or Class B shares, respectively. Unlike Class B shares, Class C shares generally do not convert to another class. Class C shares tend to have higher annual expenses than either Class A or Class B shares.

One notable component of the expense ratio of U.S. funds is the "12b-1 fee", which represents expenses used for advertising and promotion of the fund. 12b-1 fees are paid by the fund out of mutual fund assets and are generally limited to a maximum of 1.00% per year (.75% distribution and .25% shareholder servicing) under FINRA Rules.

Waivers, reimbursements and recoupments

Some funds will execute "waiver or reimbursement agreements" with the fund's adviser or other service providers, especially when a fund is new and expenses tend to be higher (due to a small asset base). These agreements generally reduce expenses to some pre-determined level or by some pre-determined amount. Sometimes these waiver/reimbursement amounts must be repaid by the fund during a period that generally cannot exceed 3 years from the year in which the original expense was incurred. If a recoupment plan is in effect, the effect may be to require future shareholders to absorb expenses of the fund incurred during prior years.

Changes in expense ratio (fixed and variable expenses)

Generally, unlike past performance, expenses are very predictive. Funds with high expenses ratios tend to continue to have high expenses ratios. An investor can examine a fund's "Financial Highlights" which is contained in both the periodic financial reports and the fund's prospectus, and determine a fund's expense ratio over the last five years (if the fund has five years of history). It is very hard for a fund to significantly lower its expense ratio once it has had a few years of operational history. This is because funds have both fixed and variable expenses, but most expenses are variable. Variable costs are fixed on a percentage basis. For example, assuming there are no breakpoints, a .75% management fee will always consume .75% of fund assets, regardless of any increase in assets under management. The total management fee will vary based on the assets under management, but it will always be .75% of assets. Fixed costs (such as rent or an audit fee) vary on a percentage basis because the lump sum rent/audit amount as a percentage will vary depending on the amount of assets a fund has acquired. Thus, most of a fund's expenses behave as a variable expense and thus, are a constant fixed percentage of fund assets. It is, therefore, very hard for a fund to significantly reduce its expense ratio after it has some history. Thus, if an investor buys a fund with a high expense ratio that has some history, he/she should not expect any significant reduction.

Expenses matter relative to investment type

There are three broad investment categories for mutual funds (equity, bond, and money market - in declining order of historical returns). That is an oversimplification but adequate to explain the effect of expenses. In an equity fund where the historical gross return might be 10%, a 1% expense ratio will consume approximately 10% of the investor's return. In a bond fund where the historical gross return might be 8%, a 1% expense ratio will consume approximately 12.5% of the investor's return. In a money market fund where the historical gross return might be 5%, a 1% expense ratio will consume approximately 20% of the investor's historical total return. Thus, an investor must consider a fund's expense ratio as it relates to the type of investments a fund will hold.

Other expenses

"Other expenses" are expenses not included under "Management Fees" or "Distribution or Service (12b-1) Fees", such as any shareholder service expenses that are not already included in the 12b-1 fees, custodial expenses, legal and accounting expenses, transfer agent expenses, and other administrative expenses.

References

Mutual funds

Mutual fund fees and expenses