A new specialty Emory University license plate will be available from Georgia's Motor Vehicle Division beginning later this month.
The new license plate will be available for a $25 manufacturing fee and a $35 special tag fee, according to a Sept. 9 Emory Report article.
Purchasing an Emory license plate does more than demonstrate school pride. The money from the license plates will fund a need-based scholarship program for enrolled undergraduate students at Emory, according to the Emory Report article.
Gleason said the revenue from plate sales will be used as Loan Replacement Grants, which benefit families with total income of less than $50,000. These grants are substitutes for the Federal Subsidized Stafford Loans that are normally awarded in aid packages, and make paying for an Emory education less of a burden for families with demonstrated need.
For each purchase, $10 will be given annually to Emory as part of Georgia's revenue-sharing plan for specialty license plates. The plan seeks to encourage more specialty plate purchases by providing incentives for colleges to promote them, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services' website.
According to Jan Gleason, assistant vice president of marketing for University Marketing, the project to create a new license plate design began when the Georgia DDS alerted Emory that the 2004 version would be discontinued due to the state's new license plate production process.
Gleason said a visually-powerful final design was picked out of about 20 options.
The design was a collaborative effort between Barry Atwood, manager of graphic design for Campus Services, and Stanis Kodman, visual brand manager of the Emory Creative Group.
"The main design criteria for the new plate was to create a design where 'Emory' was the strongest visual element," Gleason said.
The plate will feature Emory's shield and torch logo along with the Emory name and display University colors with a blue and gold background.
There are currently about 2,000 Emory specialty plates on the road, according to the Emory Report article.
"I hope people associated with Emory who live in Georgia will like the new plate and order them," Gleason said.
The first Emory license plate came out in 1996 and displayed the Haygood-Hopkins Gate with the Lamp of Learning. In a 2004 redesign, the plate showcased the Emory shield.
College freshman Sabrina Paxton said she supports the specialty license plate because it creates a connection between Emory and the community, and that Emory spirit can be spread throughout Georgia while the community gives back to the University through scholarship funding.
Georgia resident and College freshman Adam Harrison-Trent said he will also be purchasing a plate for his car to "help others enjoy the Emory experience that [he has] had and uphold the Emory legacy."
– By Alyssa Posklensky
