Georgia Southern University Welcomes New Faculty Members

August 13, 2008

Along with the thousands of students converging on campus for the 2008-09 academic year, Georgia Southern University is welcoming 60 new faculty members.

‘This group of faculty is one of the best we have had. Georgia Southern University competitively recruits and attracts not only excellent people, but outstanding professionals from both national and international sources,” said Linda Bleicken, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Several members of the new faculty are Georgia Southern University alumni. In fact, two of them Jacob Warren (new Ph.D. in Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health) and Bryant Smalley (new Psy.D. in Psychology) were actually roommates as undergraduates.

‘Jacob was a member of our first University Honors class and Bryant served as a SOAR orientation leader,” Bleicken said. ‘When I talked with them, they were very pleased to come back to Georgia Southern.”

Among the 60 faculty newcomers to Georgia Southern are three new department chairs: William Allison (History), Eric Kartchner (Foreign Languages) and Richard Mercier (Music). A fourth department chair, Peggy Hargis in Sociology and Anthropology, was promoted following 14 years as a professor in that department.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 17,000 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.