Georgia Southern University Partners with Georgia Department of Natural Resources to Develop Elite Sports Shooting Education Center

February 7, 2012

Georgia Southern University is partnering with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to develop an elite sports shooting education center in Statesboro, Ga.

The state-of-the-art center is being funded in part by a $3.3 million federal grant that was acquired through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. That funding, along with private and corporate donations, will allow the center to be a unique facility serving as an educational, recreational and competitive venue. The center is scheduled to open in August 2013.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Georgia Southern University and all of southeast Georgia,” said Georgia Southern President Brooks Keel. “This center will have a far-reaching economic impact as elite sports shooting enthusiasts and competitors from around the country travel to this venue to train and compete. We are honored to be working with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to bring this unique facility, and its many economic benefits, to our area.”

Elite sports shooting, which includes archery and indoor-range shooting, is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

“The shooting sports are lifelong activities that promote outdoor recreation, good health, discipline and safety, and an appreciation of conservation,” says Commissioner Mark Williams, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “The elite sports shooting education center at Georgia Southern University will promote these values and activities to its students and the community at large as well as generations to come. In addition, the shooting sports generate more than $478 million in economic impact in Georgia each year, and this facility will be a first-rate addition to our state’s shooting sports amenities.”

Georgia Southern Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Teresa Thompson says the center will be committed to safety and educating those interested in all levels of the sport.

“There is only one other center like this in the country,” said Thompson. “Our students are excited about the educational and recreational opportunities they will have here, and are very proud of the fact that Georgia Southern University is leading the way promoting the opportunities of this clean, intelligent sport. We are very appreciative of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Easton Foundation’s efforts to help us build this center for our students and community.”

“Georgia Southern has been an ideal partner for this endeavor,” says Dan Forster, director of the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division. “With its iconic role in Georgia and its active student base, the University recognized the value of a shooting sports facility immediately and has embraced this program at every level of the organization. Each step along the way, Georgia Southern has brought excellence and innovation to the process and the program. The end result will be a state-of-the-art, world-class facility that will be a model for others.”