Academics

• College of Education doctoral student Nicole Harper received a prestigious Fulbright grant to conduct research at Slovenia’s Center for Language and Cultural Communication at the University of Primorska and the American Corner in Koper.

• Georgia Southern’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health was the first such facility in the University System of Georgia.

• US News and World Report consistently ranks the University’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program among the best in the nation. The program is currently the top-ranked program in the state of Georgia.

• The University’s Master of Business Administration and the Master of Accounting are featured in Best Business Schools published by The Princeton Review.

• The College of Business Administration houses the only School of Economic Development in the southeastern United States. Students assist with economic development projects for area municipalities and regions across the state.

• The prestigious American Chemical Society consistently ranks the University’s Department of Chemistry among the top 25 in the nation for certified baccalaureate graduates.

• The College of Business Administration was reaccredited by AACSB International, the association that sets the global standard of excellence for collegiate schools of business. Fewer than half of all business schools meet the rigorous standards to attain this organization’s seal of accreditation.

• The University’s College of Information Technology – the only one in the southeastern United States – provides students with applied learning opportunities to develop software for major businesses and organizations such as NCR, Cogentware, Color Maria and Mapping Basics.

• The University’s Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program is one of only three such programs nationally to be accredited by the Computing Accreditation Board of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

• Black Issues in Higher Education has recognized Georgia Southern University among the top institutions in the country for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded African-American students.

• Internationalization efforts continue to expand for Georgia Southern students. The number of countries to which students studied increased to 21, and the Center for International Studies plans added offerings for summer abroad programs.

• The Coaching Education Program, housed in the University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, was the second in the nation to be accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education.

Research

• Using a $5.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the Colleges of Education and Science & Technology are collaborating to develop methods of improving public school students’ achievement in math and science.

• Georgia Southern University, in collaboration with five U.S., Canadian and Mexican universities, received a $1 million grant from the US Department of Education to increase faculty/student exchanges and develop programs to increase political, cultural and social understanding related to North American integration.

• Researchers in the University’s College of Science and Technology received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study how to increase the number of students who graduate nationally with bachelor’s degrees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Declining numbers of graduates in these fields could affect the United States’ global dominance in these areas.

• Biology professor James Claiborne received a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study cell proteins called sodium-hydrogen exchangers, or NHE, which are responsible for the regulation of acid and salt levels in kidneys, intestines and other essential organs.

• The University’s School of Nursing is using a three-year $880,000 grant to increase minority representation in the healthcare field. The school, a leader in minority recruitment, has developed a program, SCRUBS, to identify and involve minority nursing students all the way from seventh grade through graduation from the University’s BSN program.

• Susie Lanier received the 2006 John Neff Award, which is presented by the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics to a member who demonstrates excellence as a full-time postsecondary instructor.

• Art professor Jessica Hines had her work featured as story illustrations in two 2006 issues of the noted magazine The New Yorker.

• English professor David Dudley’s first novel, "The Bicycle Man," won the 2006 International Reading Association’s Book Award for children’s literature.

• Art professor Christina Lemon’s “Ocean Series” earrings took top honors in the annual competition by NICHE, a trade publication for American craft retailers.

• Physics professor Mark Edwards collaborates with a Nobel Prize-winning physicist on laser cooling of atoms and was honored by selection as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

• Robert Cook, Yamacraw professor of computer sciences, judged the finals of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society International Design Competition.

• Biological sciences professor Lance Durden received the Henry Baldwin Ward Medal from the American Society of Parasitologists, the highest honor from that organization.

Facilities

• The Zach S. Henderson Library is undergoing a major upgrade and when complete will feature approximately 240,000 square feet of space to house the more than 1 million items in its collection.

• The University recently expanded its very popular student Recreation Activity Center. The center now features new indoor multipurpose courts, weight/fitness rooms and indoor/outdoor pools.

• At the forefront of technological innovation, the University continues to expand its wireless network. Currently, the College of Education, College of Information Technology, Russell University Union and Henderson Library are wireless zones.

• The University recently opened its new Center for Art and Theatre, a $7 million, 30,000-square-foot addition to the Fine Arts Building. The new center houses multiple public art galleries and an experimental theatre, the Black Box.

• The $1.8 million Bennett-Ramsey Golf Center is the University’s new world-class practice facility that serves as the home base for the Georgia Southern’s highly ranked NCAA golf team.

• A 12-acre addition is nearing completion for the University’s nationally acclaimed Center for Wildlife Education. The addition will include expanded facilities to showcase waterfowl and the center’s native birds of prey – a popular attraction for thousands of families, school children and university students.

• Eagle Village, a $27 million residence hall that houses 776 students, opened fall 2005.

• The 13,600-square-foot multipurpose Bishop Field House, located in the west end of Paulson Stadium, provides the Eagle football team with state-of-the-art locker room facilities.

• The University’s Information Technology Services supports 65 computer laboratories located in academic buildings and residence halls campus wide. Various labs feature Mac or Windows platforms and some have 24-hour access.

Outreach

• Georgia Southern University researchers have established the Center for Survey Research and Health Information to assist community organizations not only in the creation and administration of surveys but analysis of the results.

• An innovative partnership between Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech allows engineering majors to complete their classes at Georgia Southern, thus expanding engineering education in southeast Georgia.

• The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition are partnering on various projects to improve access to information and cancer care for a 33-county service area.

• The University’s Center for Wildlife Education, located on five beautiful acres at the heart of campus, welcomes thousands of visitors annually who complete a self-guided nature walk through six habitat displays that house multiple species of live birds of prey – including three bald eagles, “Patriot,” “Glory,” and “Freedom.” These habitats - a wetlands area, an old-growth forest, and a mountain display - provide an opportunity to view native raptors in their natural environment.

• The 825-seat Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue, provides world-class cultural arts programming to residents of the Coastal Southeast.

• The 11-acre Georgia Southern University Botanical Garden is a research and educational resource for faculty and students as well as continuing educational programs for the community.

Athletics

• Senior All-America quarterback Jayson Foster was named the winner of the Walter Payton Award for the 2007 season, honoring the most outstanding player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Foster was Georgia Southern's second Payton Award winner -- Adrian Peterson, now a running back with the Chicago Bears, received the award in 1999.

• Georgia Southern’s Eagles football team is one of the most successful in the NCAA Division I-AA, winning six national titles since 1985.

• Georgia Southern University's baseball team set a new NCAA all-divisions record for home runs in a single game when it belted 14 in a 26-8 win over Columbia on Saturday, March 15, 2008. No one team has hit more balls over the fence in one game than the Eagles.

• Georgia Southern University's baseball team recorded its eighth consecutive 30-win season in 2007, a record only achieved by a limited number of teams in the country.

• Head diving coach Mindy Czech was named the 2007 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year. The University’s swimming and diving program placed second at the Northeast Conference Championships - its best-ever finish. Since 2003, the team has been among the top five at every conference championship.

• The Eagles football team has advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs 16 times since 1985.

Georgia Southern University
Office of Marketing & Communications
P.O. Box 8055; Statesboro, GA  30460
Phone (912) 478-NEWS (6397)