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The New Georgia Southern

2018 marked a historic change for higher education in southeastern Georgia. The New Georgia Southern—combining 82 years of Armstrong State University with 111 years of Georgia Southern University—was officially launched on January 1, 2018. The new institution is the state’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta.

fish lens shot of sweet heart circle's flag pole with the American flag, Georgia flag, and Georgia Southern flag
With 138 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, Georgia Southern now serves more than 27,000 students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico as well as 102 nations. While the new Georgia Southern draws the vast majority of its students from Georgia, it includes a growing proportion from coastal South Carolina and northern Florida making it a true regional leader in education.

Georgia Southern University remains accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges—the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. The commission approved the consolidation prospectus in early December 2017. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia then granted final approval for the creation of the new Georgia Southern University in a December vote.

Now a multi-campus university with the Statesboro Campus, the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hinesville, the new Georgia Southern offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through nine colleges:

  • the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing,
  • the College of Arts and Humanities,
  • the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences,
  • the College of Business,
  • the College of Education,
  • the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies,
  • the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health,
  • the College of Science and Mathematics,
  • and the Waters College of Health Professions.

president Hebert sitting on a couch with an American flag behind himA Word from President Hebert

This year marks the true start to weaving the traditions and values of two storied institutions into one strong community—an even stronger Eagle Nation. Together, we will make the new Georgia Southern truly great.

The rigorous process of the consolidation of Armstrong State and Georgia Southern included four heavily-attended town hall meetings, 15-plus consolidation implementation committee (CIC) meetings, numerous public speaking engagements and Q&A sessions, and countless faculty, staff and student meetings. All told, more than 500 recommendations from our 95 operational working groups including hundreds of faculty, staff and students from all corners of each university were submitted and approved in 2017. And the first few months of 2018 have seen all that planning play out as web pages have been updated, application processes have meshed, degree programs have been adjusted and emails have been switched—thousands of changes big and small with much more to come.

I want to thank all of those students, faculty, staff, alumni and business and community members who worked diligently outside of their regular duties to create these foundational plans. In addition, the entire university community in Statesboro, Savannah and Hinesville contributed to this consolidation in numerous ways, and we are so grateful for the commitment and the hard work you all have given and will continue to provide.