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Georgia Southern News Roundup
$512 Million: USG Study Reveals University’s Economic Impact
According to a study released from the University System of Georgia, Georgia Southern had an economic impact of $512 million and nearly 7,000 jobs in the Statesboro and Bulloch County area during the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
“This study shows that Georgia Southern University is a significant economic player in the Statesboro and Bulloch County community,” said Georgia Southern President Brooks Keel, Ph.D. “We are proud that, in addition to the significant educational impact we have on the area, that we can also be a major economic engine for our community and our region of the state.”
The study was conducted by the Selig Center at the University of Georgia and calculated the economic impact for each of the 35 University System of Georgia institutions. The study shows that at Georgia Southern, student spending of more than $266 million dollars accounted for the largest portion of the University’s economic impact and resulted in 3,797 jobs in the Statesboro and Bulloch County area.
2nd Annual True Blue 5K
Homecoming weekend promises to pack in a lot of events in the Eagle Nation, including the second annual True Blue 5K. On November 10, Eagle fans of all ages including students, children and adults will be off and running early on campus before the Eagles vs. Howard University game at 2 p.m.
Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel will start the 3.1 mile race, which begins and ends at the Recreation Activity Center (RAC). As the route winds around historic sites on campus including Sweetheart Circle, the Georgia Southern cheerleaders and mascot Gus will cheer on runners and walkers. The Southern Pride Marching Band drum line will welcome participants to the finish line.
Participants are encouraged to show their True Blue spirit by sporting Georgia Southern colors, costumes and gear. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. at the RAC. Registration is $15 for students and $20 for community members and alumni. To register, call (912) 478-5436 or click here for more information.
Semester starts with a celebration of traditions
Celebrating the first day of fall semester, Georgia Southern hosted the second annual “Day One” event at Allen E. Paulson Stadium after classes ended. This informal orientation to the Eagle Nation is the University’s way of welcoming new freshmen to “Our House!”
University President Brooks Keel, Ph.D., and Head Football Coach Jeff Monken — along with the football team — were on hand to fire up the crowd with several Georgia Southern traditions, which were also enjoyed by alumni, faculty, staff and members of the Statesboro community.
The experience included Georgia Southern’s mascot Gus strutting the sidelines, the Southern Pride Marching Band playing traditional tunes and cheerleaders teaching Game Day customs and cheers in anticipation of the Eagles’ first home game.
Tradition Lives Here
The Eagles now enjoy a renovated locker room in Hanner Fieldhouse. The facility is a virtual walk through the history of Georgia Southern Football, beginning with the image of a player head-butting the bust of legendary coach Erk Russell at the front door. Inside, the walls are covered with pictures of former players, along with the slogan “Toughness, Humility and Effort.” The championship facility also features glass cases containing the retired jerseys of former quarterback Tracy Ham and running back Adrian Peterson.
Eagle Sports TV Offers Free Video Stream of University Events
Fans unable to make it to their favorite Georgia Southern University event can still catch it by watching Eagle Sports TV, a high-quality live video stream online produced by the University’s Center for Academic Technology Support (CATS).
Georgia Southern has invested in cutting-edge HD video and live streaming capabilities for delivery of University events through the Internet. The capabilities allow Eagle Nation viewers anywhere in the world to watch their favorite sporting event, concert, play or speaker live online.
To view coverage of Eagle home football, volleyball, baseball, and men and women’s basketball and soccer games visit gseagles.com. On the homepage click the “Watch and Listen” link at the top. From there, alumni and supporters can access the live video link embedded in the page, and listen to live game audio via desktop, laptop, iPhone, Android device, iPad and other tablets. Archived audio and video content are also available at the site.
CATS is a full service support unit for the University with specialty areas in video and multimedia. The team also delivers original HD University programming such as the online technology show “TechKnow,” “Just Wild,” a wildlife showcase program for the Center for Wildlife Education and the Emmy award-winning “Inside Georgia Southern Football with Coach Monken.” The HD streaming capabilities have placed Georgia Southern at the forefront of educational institutions by delivering 24/7 HD online media to alumni and students.
College of Business Administration
Software Gives Students Edge
Georgia Southern’s accounting students have gained an edge on the competition with a $308,000 software and support donation by ACL Services Ltd., a global provider of business assurance technology for audit, finance and compliance. The company’s Education Futures Program supports college educators in teaching effective use of data analysis software in the disciplines of accounting, auditing and finance. Other universities utilizing the software include the University of Texas, University of Southern California and University of Nebraska to name a few. Georgia Southern was recently named as a sponsored school in the program.
The donation and recognition are the result of Robert Marley, Ph.D., an accounting professor in the College of Business Administration (COBA). Marley, who previously worked with the software at the University of South Florida, was required to submit a proposal on how the software would be used at Georgia Southern. “This software is used by the majority of CPA firms and corporations and our students will now have an additional competitive edge when they are interviewing for jobs,” he said.
Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology
Articulation Agreement With Armstrong
Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel, Ph.D., and Armstrong Atlantic State University President Linda Bleicken, Ph.D., signed an articulation agreement for engineering education between the two institutions.
Students at Armstrong will enroll in core curriculum and introductory engineering courses taught by Armstrong faculty in Savannah during their freshman and sophomore years of the program. Upon completion of their sophomore year, students will earn an Associate of Science degree with a concentration in engineering. Qualified students will then have the opportunity to transfer to Georgia Southern to earn a bachelor’s degree in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering.
The new agreement will help generate an increased supply of qualified engineering graduates. As a result, Georgia companies will have the opportunity to attract, hire and retain work-ready engineers that meet their requirements without having to recruit out-of-state.
Georgia Southern is one of the newest colleges to offer undergraduate engineering degrees in the country. The University has been offering nationally accredited baccalaureate degrees in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering technology for more than 30 years and the recent establishment of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology is attracting national attention and interest.
College of Health and Human Sciences
CHHS Establishes New School
The College of Health and Human Sciences has created the School of Human Ecology (SOHE), realigning several programs within the College. Previously housing six programs, the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Family and Consumer Sciences, SOHR is now comprised of child and family development, interior design, fashion merchandising and apparel design and recreation. The hospitality and restaurant management programs have moved to the College of Business Administration, while the Department of Kinesiology houses the sport management program.
Dr. Cynthia Johnson is the founding chair of the SOHE, which consists of 20 faculty members and 642 students.
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Class Launches New Department
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences has established the new Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, effective July 1. Dr. Adam Bossler, an associate professor, will serve as interim department chair for the year. The Department’s faculty consists of Sharon Tracy, Bekki Davis, Bryan Miller, Laurie Gould, John Stogner and Laura Agnich. Vice Provost Dr. Michael Smith and Associate Dean of CLASS Dr. Christine Ludowise are also members of the Department.
College of Education
COE Explores Mobile Technology
The College of Education recently completed a yearlong iPad project to give faculty an opportunity to explore the creative use of iPads within their own classrooms, as a tool for use by teacher-candidates during their field experiences and for educational administrators. Staying up-to-date on the latest trends in technology and its application throughout the field of education is a core mission at COE. “Our iPad project was designed with this in mind,” said Dr. Judi Repman, who oversaw the COE project. “Our goal is to develop and implement innovative pedagogical strategies to meet the needs of our technology-rich society.”
The project culminated with a day of sharing and reflection, called “Speed Dating with Apps,” which allowed all faculty and staff to share great apps they’d discovered during the year and talk about ways to implement the iPads into the curriculum of COE. Participants also discussed facilitating the use of iPads with University students as they complete field experiences in local schools.
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
Peace Receives Citation
Dr. Karl E. Peace, professor of biostatistics, was awarded a Special Citation by the President of the International Chinese Statistical Association (ICSA) in recognition of his contributions to the growth of the ICSA. Peace was recognized at the Awards Dinner at the Annual Meeting of the ICSA in Boston, where he was a presenter and discussant at the Session: Statistical Paradigms and Methodologies for Clinical Development organized by Dr. James Hung, FDA Biometrics.
In 2004, Peace endowed The Jiann-Ping Hsu Biostatistical and Regulatory Sciences Student Paper Award in perpetuity at the annual ICSA meeting. The endowment provides travel support for a graduate student, whose paper is deemed best by a panel of experts, to attend the ICSA annual meeting and present at the session. In 2006, Peace successfully lobbied the Executive Committee of the ICSA to incubate the central office of the ICSA (OICSA) within the JiannPing Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern. The OICSA is considered pivotal in the growth of the ICSA and provides financial support for a graduate student in biostatistics. Dr. Lili Yu, assistant professor of biostatistics in the JPHCOPH provides oversight for the OICSA.
College of Science and Mathematics
Faculty Member Wins Distinguished Teaching Award
Department of Mathematics professor Hua Wang is the recipient of the 2012 Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Award, Southeastern Section, for Distinguished Teaching. The award recognizes the top educator from the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Wang teaches a variety of courses at Georgia Southern, including frequent sections of honors calculus. He serves as the advisor to the MAA student chapter, is a sponsor of one of the Math Jeopardy Teams at the MAA-SE Section meetings and is a Section Project NExtFellow of the MAA. Wang also works with students on directed research projects, of whom several have won conference awards.