Riden Family steps up for UGA Dance

After returning to the U.S. following World War II, Victor Riden Jr. graduated from the UGA while his wife Annette worked as a secretary for the university. The Riden family's deep connections to UGA, both historically and in the future have taken form in generous support for the UGA department of dance as the newly named Victor and Annette Riden Lobby in the Dance Building:

The couple had two children, Martha and Vic Riden III, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and his master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. The Riden family has deep connections to UGA, both historically and in the future. Two of Vic’s three children are enrolled, and the family has been loyal supporters, donors and football season ticket holders since the mid-1960s.

Vic is a retired managing partner with the consulting firm Accenture and a dedicated volunteer for several nonprofit organizations in Georgia. He kicked off the Dance 2.0 fundraising campaign with a matching gift. The hope was that potential donors would be more likely to give knowing that their gift would be matched by the sum Vic gave, doubling their impact.

As it happened, the campaign — and Vic’s gift — seemed to strike a chord with the Athens and dance community. In just four months, the funds Vic provided were fully matched by other gifts, intended to serve as a catalyst for the additional fundraising required to support the department’s transformation.

“I see the dance department as an underdog on campus, so I knew my parents would approve of me supporting this hidden UGA jewel and rallying others to support the program in their name,” Vic said.

“They were both humble, hardworking people with big hearts and a focus on serving others,” he continued. “I hope by naming the renovated lobby after them, that will say to people ‘any one of us can make a huge difference, especially when we work with an organization like UGA.’”

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Image: A UGA dance student performs in the newly named Riden Lobby at the UGA Dance Building. (Submitted photo)