Georgia Southern Presidential Search Committee Named

The newly appointed Georgia Southern University Presidential Search and Screen Committee will hold its initial meeting on Monday, February 23 at 11 a.m. in the President’s Dining Room in the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building on the Georgia Southern campus. Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr. and Dr. Susan Herbst, University System of Georgia (USG) executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, will give the committee its formal charge at this organizational meeting.

A national search will be conducted to replace Georgia Southern University President Bruce Grube, who will step down as President, effective June 30, 2009. Dr. Grube has served the University System in this role since July 1, 1999.

Regent Leebern, at the February 23rd meeting, will outline to the Presidential Search and Screen Committee the duties and responsibilities associated with its role in the search for new leadership at Georgia Southern.

The Presidential Search and Screen Committee will develop a position description; place announcements in appropriate national media and conduct on-campus interviews.

Members of the Presidential Search and Screen Committee are as follows:

• Dr. Luther (Trey) Denton, professor of Marketing, chair of search and screen committee
• Dr. Jean Bartels, chair and professor of Nursing
• Dr. Peggy Hargis, chair and professor of Sociology
• Dr. Fayth Parks, associate professor of Counselor Education
• Dr. Georj Lewis, Dean of Students
• Mr. Brandon Cook, president, Student Government Association
• Mr. Don Howard, chairman, Bank of North Georgia
• Ms. Caroline Harless, Georgia Southern University Foundation
• Mr. Mike Cummings, past chair, Georgia Southern University Alumni Association

The campus-based committee will forward the credentials of three to five unranked candidates to a Special Regents’ Search Committee for the second phase. Regents Felton Jenkins, William H. NeSmith Jr., Benjamin J. Tarbutton III and Richard L. Tucker will serve as members of the Special Regents’ Search Committee chaired by Regent Donald M. Leebern Jr. This committee is responsible for recommending finalists to Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr., who will make a recommendation to the full Board of Regents.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Georgia Southern University College of Information Technology One of Ten VMware Academies in the World to Teach Virtualization

Georgia Southern University’s College of Information Technology, the only one of its kind in the Southeast United States, is now one of only 10 universities in the world to teach the cutting-edge technology of virtualization on VMware software, thanks to VMware and a donation of computer equipment by Corus Consulting and Canvas Systems.

Corus Consulting and Canvas Systems values the equipment at $126,000 but professors in the College of Information Technology said it is hard to put a price on what the donation will add to an IT student’s education and career potential long term.

‘With the equipment from Corus Consulting and Canvas Systems, our students will now have access to an educational experience that not many in the world have today,” said Timur Mirzoev, Ph.D. who is already using the donated equipment in two of his IT classes this semester. ‘We now have x86-based and UNIX servers, FC, iSCSI networked storage, switches, firewalls, VolP and much more dedicated specifically to education. We believe that this type of experience will give our graduates an additional competitive edge when they start their job search in an already in-demand field.”

The new equipment is being used to teach virtualization, which allows one server to host multiple virtual computers without the loss of their purpose or function. In addition, virtualization is changing the way businesses deploy and manage resources, simplifying and speeding IT response.

Designated a VMware Academy, Georgia Southern University’s College of Information Technology may teach VMware courses and certify students as Virtualization Certified Professionals. This certification saves future employers thousands of dollars in training costs and makes Georgia Southern graduates much more competitive in the job market. The designation as a VMware Academy was one of the key elements that impressed executives with Corus Consulting and Canvas Systems and prompted the computer equipment donation.

‘Georgia Southern University’s College of Information Technology is now not only unique to Georgia and the Southeast, but the world. We wanted to work with an institution that was both innovative and a leader in IT education. Being one of only 10 VMware Academies in the world is an outstanding accomplishment for Georgia Southern and shows their commitment to preparing outstanding IT professionals,” said Brian Hoffman, Managing Director of Technology Services for Corus Consulting and Canvas Systems.

‘Georgia Southern graduates will posses hands on skills with industry leading technologies that very few IT students in the world have including many graduates of the most respected universities in the world. These graduates will be productive employees on day one.”

According to Mirzoev, virtualization will ultimately save money, make computer systems perform more efficiently and allow for fast data and resources recovery in case of a disaster. Mirzoev says 90 percent of businesses in the world will virtualize their computer systems within the next five years. Many U.S. government agencies already require disaster recovery plans that rely extensively on virtualization technologies. But because only 10 universities in the world teach VMware technology, Georgia Southern University’s College of Information Technology graduates will be in great demand. ‘As a University, our goal is to be one of the leaders in this field,” says Mirzoev.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Georgia Southern University Launches Online Tour of Campus

Can’t make it to campus No problem. Georgia Southern University has launched an online tour that gives prospective students and their parents a first-hand look at its scenic campus without having to leave home. The new tour is accessible from the University’s Web site at: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Recognized as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country, Georgia Southern’s campus features expansive green spaces designed with the University student in mind. With nearly every campus building within walking distance, the campus has been transformed during the past 10 years to include numerous new buildings and residence halls, a recently renovated library and a pedestrium that runs through the center of campus.

‘This online tour will provide students, particularly those that would have to otherwise travel long distances, the opportunity to see our campus without ever leaving home,” said Susan Davies, director of admissions at Georgia Southern University. ‘While there is no substitute for seeing the campus in person, our online tour is the next best thing.”

Georgia Southern University asked current students and Southern Ambassadors Clay Turner and Waneik Montgomery to host the online tour which was designed to show off some of the most popular features of campus. From the beautiful scenery of historic Sweetheart Circle to taking an ‘inside” look at our newest residence halls, the short tour gives prospective students the feeling of what it’s like to be on campus.

‘We pride ourselves on being a major research university with the feeling of a much smaller private college,” said Davies. ‘Our campus not only amazes prospective students and their parents, but also alumni that have not been back in a while.”

To access the online tour, prospective students and parents can visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu and click on the ‘Watch a Video Tour” link at the top of the University’s home page. Student s may also schedule a personal visit to campus by clicking on the ‘Plan a Campus Visit” link.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Georgia Southern University Honors Student Awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

Georgia Southern University honors student Rose Marie Sheahan has been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Sheahan, an International Studies major and University Honors Program student, will use the award for study at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan.

The Gilman award is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education. Sheahan is the fifth Georgia Southern University student recipient of a U.S. Department of State award in the past two years.

Growing up in rural Springfield, Georgia, Sheahan had dreamed of traveling to Japan. ‘I have always been fascinated with Japan’s culture and language and wanted to learn more about this vastly different society,” said Sheahan.

Departing on March 12, 2009, Sheahan will take part in academic programs at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies that focus on Japanese language and culture.

The University Honors Program serves as the campus clearinghouse for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships and is committed to helping prepare all Georgia Southern University students for these awards.

One of the main objectives of the University Honors Program is to provide students with the opportunity to obtain a global perspective. “Ideally, all of our students would spend a semester or year abroad. I applaud Rose for receiving this prestigious award in order to broaden her educational experience,” said Steven Engel, Ph.D., director of the University Honors Program at Georgia Southern University.

As a requirement of the scholarship, Gilman recipients will also complete a project upon return to their home institution. Sheahan plans to initiate a tutoring program pairing Japanese exchange students with American students at Georgia Southern University. ‘I believe this program will not only have a positive impact on the Japanese students, but also on the American students who will learn more about the culture from those who live in Japan,” said Sheahan. She also plans to assist the Center for International Studies with promoting study abroad opportunities, especially to students like herself from rural Georgia.

After graduating from Georgia Southern University, Sheahan plans to teach with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. JET, an organization that promotes grass-roots international exhcnage between Japan and other nations, offers positons assisting teachers of English in Japanese public school classrooms.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Georgia Southern University Celebrates Expansion of Henderson Library

Georgia Southern University celebrated the expansion and renovation of the Zach S. Henderson Library with a ribbon cutting today in the library atrium.

The ribbon cutting culminated a major capital project that began in the summer of 2004. The $22.75 million expansion/renovation added 101,000 square feet to the library’s original 132,000.

‘It is tremendous to see this dream come true and be so enthusiastically received by students and faculty,” said Bede Mitchell, dean of the library.

‘This is a critical project to the university and has significance beyond what most people can imagine,” said University President Bruce Grube. ‘When we can improve the major academic resource on campus, we can improve everything we’re doing academically.”

The library has come a long way since Georgia Southern’s days as First District A&M School  when the first library was housed in a small room in the Marvin Pittman Administration Building and contained 1,000 volumes, pamphlets and bulletins, and 50 magazines and periodicals. The Rosenwald Library opened on Sweetheart Circle in 1938, and the Zach S. Henderson Library opened in today’s location in 1975.

The library Georgia Southern enjoys today opened to the public on September 22, 2008. It houses more than 600,000 books and bound periodicals, 890,000 microform units, almost 750,000 government documents, and more than 46,000 electronic journals. The library has more than 300 hard-wired computers, and wireless is available throughout the building.

‘We offer attractive and comfortable spaces conducive to group or individual study, a wide range of learning technologies and traditional library collections, and personnel who have the expertise to assist patrons in finding information resources best suited to their needs,” Mitchell said.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Zach S. Henderson Library

Expansion/Renovation Fact Sheet

 

• The Zach S. Henderson Library is as large as a city block.

• The expansion/renovation began in summer 2004, and the expanded portion of the library opened to the public on September 22, 2008.

• The $22.75 million project added 101,000 square feet to the original 132,000.

• The expansion/renovation more than doubled the library’s seating capacity, to over 1,900 seats. The library also has 29 group study rooms.

• Henderson Library now offers more than 600,000 books and bound periodicals, 890,000 microform units, almost 750,000 government documents, and more than 46,000 electronic journals. The library has more than 300 hard-wired computers, and wireless is available throughout the building.

• The Automated Retrieval Collection (ARC) is currently capable of storing about 800,000 items in 5,848 separate bins that are stacked 45 feet high. While most of the library collection is shelved in publicly-accessible stacks, the ARC guarantees more than seven decades worth of collection growth space without having to reduce public seating or store materials outside the library.

• During fall and spring terms, the library is open 143 out of 168 hours each week. It is closed only from 10 p.m. on Friday to 9 a.m. on Saturday, and from 10 p.m. on Saturday to noon on Sunday.

• The expansion/renovation project was carried out by McKnight Construction of Augusta, Ga., the same contractors that completed the original Henderson Library building.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

SOLDIER PORTRAITS Exhibition Opens January 30, 2009 at the Georgia Southern University Center for Art & Theatre

Soldier Portraits, an exhibition of photographs by Savannah artist Ellen Susan, will be on view at the Georgia Southern University Center for Art & Theatre in Statesboro, Ga. January 30 – March 12. The public is invited to attend all exhibition and gallery events free of charge.

The University’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art will host an opening reception on Friday, Jan. 30th from 5-7 pm at the Center for Art & Theatre. Ellen Susan will speak about the exhibition and her creative process on Wednesday, Feb. 18th from 5-7 pm in the Visual Arts Building Auditorium at Georgia Southern University.

Susan uses the wet collodion process”a photographic technique used in the 19th Century during the American Civil War”to make portraits of contemporary American soldiers, many of whom have deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan for multiple tours of duty. The artist describes how she, ‘wanted to produce physically enduring, visually arresting images of people sent repeatedly into war zones.” Many of the soldiers depicted are based in southeast Georgia.

One of her aims in photographing contemporary soldiers this way is to provide a counterpoint to anonymous media representations. The wet collodion process is slow and deliberate, requiring a large view camera and a darkroom onsite. The combination of the long exposures and the peculiarities of its appearance often elicit comments like “you can see into the subject\\\’s soul.”

In contrast, much contemporary portrait work made with view cameras exhibits a neutral, deadpan appearance. While the slowness and formality of large-format photography can lend itself to emotional distance, the specific properties of the wet plate process eliminate even the potential for that kind of image. Susan explains, ‘Personally, I think what the images reveal are simply lusciously

rendered and highly detailed physical attributes of the individuals. I don’t think you can see anybody’s soul in any photograph, but if the appearance is compelling enough, it lets you imagine that you can”and then consider the face and the person it belongs to, and what they might be all about.”

More information about the Soldier Portraits project can be found at www.soldierportraits.com.

For more information on this exhibition and other gallery programming provided by the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, visit http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/art. Georgia Southern’s Gallery

Programming is supported by Student Activity Fees; all events are free and open to the public. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Georgia Southern University will honor reasonable requests for accommodations. The Center for Art & Theatre is open Monday through Friday from 9 – 5 and by appointment. Docent tours are welcome and available upon request by calling (912) GSU-ARTS (2787).

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement.  The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.  Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Career Astronaut and Commander of Apollo 13 to Speak at Georgia Southern

Captain Jim Lovell, whose famous space mission was depicted in the film Apollo 13, will speak at Georgia Southern University’s Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, January 28^th at 6:30 p.m.

Lovell will present his lecture, “A Successful Failure”, and will share tales from his 11-year-career with NASA, tracing the history of America’s sometimes turbulent and always amazing space program, and drawing on his experience as a successful telecommunications executive.

Lovell takes his audiences to the moon, brings them into the tension-filled cockpit of the Apollo 13 mission, and gives them an exciting look at the possibilities of the twenty-first century. His story embodies the spirits of teamwork, leadership, crisis management, goal-setting and excellence.

He educates and fascinates as he relates the skills required to turn a failed system into a successful mission and the tools needed to succeed in the business world of today and tomorrow.

The lecture is sponsored by Georgia Southern’s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement as part of their Spring Leadership and Civic Engagement Week. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on Lovell, view his biography at:http://www.kepplerspeakers.com/speakers/speakers.asp?Capt.+Jim+Lovell

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018

Carolina Chocolate Drops To Perform At Georgia Southern University

African-American String Band The Carolina Chocolate Drops will perform at the Georgia Southern University Performing Arts Center on January 22nd at 7:30 p.m.

The Durham, N.C.-based group of three musicians have quickly become popular for their unique and exciting style of fiddle and banjo music made famous in the foothills of the Carolinas.

Described by Rolling Stone magazine as ‘Modern Jug Band Music”, the group’s performance will be their first of 2009. Part of more than 30 performances planned through May, it will mark the group’s first and one of only two currently planned performances in Georgia this year.

Albert Pertalion, director of the Performing Arts Center at Georgia Southern University originally saw The Chocolate Drops perform at the Savannah Music Festival, in Savannah, Ga. He immediately booked the group to provide a unique experience for not only season ticket holders, but the general public. ‘Their personalities and their music are both infectious – they will give you a new appreciation for this unique style of music and will have you walking away talking about them for a long time,” Pertalion said. ‘I am thrilled to have such a skilled group of musicians performing at Georgia Southern.

This is a first for Statesboro and this will be one of those groups you remember for a long time.” Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson both hail from the green hills of the North Carolina Piedmont while Dom Flemons is an Arizona native. This group is fairly new and is beginning to make it big in the music industry. They most recently performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and have been featured in a number of publications including Rolling Stone.

For more information on the band, visit: www.carolinachocolatedrops.com. To purchase tickets for their Statesboro, Ga. debut or for more information, please call 912-478-7999 or visit: http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/pac.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 110 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

Last updated: 2/2/2018