A budget cut casualty during the Great Recession, the University of Georgia’s New Faculty Tour was revived Monday night, with Hall County serving as the first stop on the statewide tour. A bevy of community leaders and elected officials welcomed the group, as it stepped off a bus that had lost its air conditioning traveling from Athens and walked into the cool Gainesville Civic Center at 830 Green St. “I’d like to challenge you all to be more connected to the people and issues facing this great state,” said Philip Wilheit Sr., president and CEO of Gainesville’s Wilheit Packaging and vice chairman of the state Board of Regents. “The more you understand Georgia, its people and its issues, the more passionate you will be in helping to make Georgia a better place to live, work and play.”