Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University

File:Georgia Southern Logo.svg
Type	Public
Established	December 1, 1906
Endowment	37 million
President	Dr. Bruce Grube
Students	16,841
Undergraduates	14,855
Postgraduates	1,985
Location	Statesboro , Georgia , USA
Campus	"College town"; 675 acres (2.73 km²)
Athletics	Division I 14 varsity sports
Colors	Blue and White
Nickname	Eagles
Mascot	GUS the Eagle Glory and Freedom-Live mascot
Website	http://www.georgiasouthern.edu

On Forest Drive looking between the College of Education and the Nursing building towards the College of Information Technology.

Sunset at the lake on the campus of Georgia Southern University looking across the lake towards Lakeside Cafe (left hand side) and the College of Information Technology (rooftop visible behind the trees).

Standing on the pedestrium looking across towards the lake.

Standing on the lake side looking towards Russell Union student center and Betty Foy-Sanders art building.

Standing on the pedestrium looking towards College of Business Administration and the College of Education.

Late evening standing in the grass circle next to the College of Education building looking towards the pedestrium between the College of Information Technology on the left and the College of Business on the right.

The Builders of the University terrace behind the administrative buildings around Sweeetheart Circle.

The Center for Art and Theatre with the Arts Building to the left. The Center for Art and Theatre has gallery space as well as space for theatrical productions.

Georgia Southern University, is a public co-educational regional research university located in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. It is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia and is the sixth largest institution in the University System. Georgia Southern opened in 1906 as First District A&M School and was the first institution in south Georgia to achieve University Status in 1990. The University has a residential campus of 16,841 students, with every state and 87 nations represented in the student body.

The university is organized into eight colleges and offers 120 bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorate degrees. Georgia Southern's athletic teams are known as the Eagles and compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Southern Conference. The Eagles football team has won six national championships.

Academics

The President of Georgia Southern University is the head administrator and is appointed and overseen by the Georgia Board of Regents.

The University offers more than 120 bachelor's degree, masters degree, and Doctorate programs in eight colleges:

• College of Business Administration
• College of Education
• College of Information Technology
• College of Health and Human Sciences
• Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies
• Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
• College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology

In Fall 2007, four new graduate programs, including two Doctoral programs were introduced.

The College of Business Administration houses the only School of Economic Development in the southeastern United States.

The College of Information Technology is the only one in Southeastern United States, and one of the few in the nation.

The Zach S. Henderson Library[1] is undergoing major renovation and expansion[2] and will be completed in the Fall of 2008. Henderson Library is the only one in Georgia which operates a 24-hour schedule. Special Collections[3] include the Marvin S. Pittman Research Collection and the Oral History Collection. The librarians provide free reference and research assistance via instant messaging[4], or by e-mail, telephone, or in person. Henderson Library welcomes any and all visitors.

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 to African-American students.

Georgia Southern is home to the world-renowned Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology. An integral part of this program is the U.S. National Tick Collection; it is the largest collection of ticks in the world, with more than one million specimens, representing most of the world's 850 species.

Rankings

As of April 2006, Georgia Southern was classified as a Doctoral/Research Institution[5] and ranks as one of the top 262 national universities by US News.[6]

The University’s Master of Business Administration and the Master of Accounting are featured in Best 282 Business Schools published by The Princeton Review. [7]

US News & World Report consistently ranks the University’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program among the best in the nation, and has once again recently ranked the program in its 2007 edition. The program ranked 11th in the nation; ahead of schools like Emory and Vanderbilt [8]

Georgia Southern University has one of the best Logistics programs in the nation. According to Supply Chain Management, the University is ranked 16th among private and public institutions. [9]

The prestigious American Chemical Society consistently ranks the University’s Department of Chemistry among the top 25 in the nation for certified baccalaureate graduates.[10]

Location

The town of Statesboro is located inland from the east coast off of Interstate 16 between the cities of Macon (which is in central Georgia) and Savannah (located on the coast of Georgia at the mouth of the Savannah River). Statesboro is less than one hour's drive from Savannah or Augusta, about an hour and a half from Macon, and about three hours from Atlanta.

History

The school which was to become Georgia Southern University was founded as a district agricultural school named First District A&M in 1906 as one of several agricultural and mechanical trades schools chartered by the Georgia General Assembly, the state legislature. During the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s the school expanded, offering a richer curriculum with an emphasis on education and changed its name for the first time to Georgia Normal School. It progressed from a two-year to a four-year teacher's college called South Georgia Teacher's College during those years. In 1959, the school became known as Georgia Southern College when it became a senior college within the University System of Georgia followed by receiving university status in 1990. In April 2006, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching officially announced that Georgia Southern changed classifications from its previous Masters I designation to the National Doctoral/Research University level. Despite this classification change, the University System of Georgia will continue to consider Georgia Southern a regional university for its organizational purposes and budget/tuition calculations. [11]On October 30, 2006, Georgia Southern University was visited by President George W. Bush, marking the first time that a current President has visited the campus. The presidential visit was a first for Statesboro, Georgia as well.

Athletics

Main article: Georgia Southern Eagles

The Georgia Southern Eagles compete in baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, volleyball, soccer, softball and track & field. The football team has won a record six NCAA Division I-AA national championships (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999 and 2000). It also has been to the College World Series twice (1973,1990). The university also offers intramural teams for all varsity level sports, as well as others such as equestrian events, fencing, and judo. Georgia Southern's football team plays at Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

Erk Russell and football

File:GeorgiaSouthernEagles.png

Georgia Southern Eagles logo

Main article: Georgia Southern Eagles football

In 1982, former University of Georgia Defensive Coordinator Erksine "Erk" Russell was hired to restart the football program at Georgia Southern College (as the university was called at the time), a program that had not competed in forty years. Three years after.America's winningest coach, orchestrator of two national championships, 68 wins and 14 All-America selections -- all during a seven-year period. In the ensuing 105 days, Georgia Southern ascended to the top spot in the NCAA I-AA football poll and Russell smoked 15 victory cigars. The Eagles extended Division I's longest home win streak from 26 to 37 games, en route to gaining distinction as the only 15-0 college team of the twentieth century. Russell's final record at Georgia Southern, after his retirement in 1989, was 83-22-1 (.788). During the Mike Sewak Era, Russell unfortunately cut ties with GSU after his son Rusty was fired from the coaching staff. In 2006, with the hire of new Head Coach Brian VanGorder, he was reunited with the program. He addressed the team the night before his shocking and sudden death on September 8, 2006. Georgia Southern University and thousands of friends, family, and fans gathered at Paulson Stadium to mourn the passing of Erk Russell, one of America's most exciting and successful college football coaches. The cause of death was a stroke while pulling out of a gas station on the west side of Statesboro. He was 80. Since Russell's departure, football has continued to be prominent at Georgia Southern, which now lays claim as the most successful Division I-AA program ever. Head coach Tim Stowers succeeded Russell and won the 1990 national title, while Paul Johnson added two more in 1999 and 2000 with teams led by all-time Division I rushing leader Adrian Peterson. On December 9, 2005, Brian VanGorder became the sixth head football coach at Georgia Southern. In January 2007, Coach VanGorder left the Eagles to be the Linebackers Coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Not long after VanGorder's departure, Athletics Director Sam Baker announced Chris Hatcher to take over the Eagles. Hatcher, who was previously the head coach at Valdosta State University, where he had an all time record of 76-12, promised more championships will be added to the six that have already been won.

Student Housing

Georgia Southern currently has twelve housing facilities. At the end of the Spring 2008 semester, three residence halls, Winburn Hall, Oliff Hall, and Johnson Hall, will be torn down to make way for the newest residence hall to be named Centennial Place. It will be the largest residence hall at Georgia Southern, with four buildings housing 1,034 beds in 398 units, smart classrooms, and retail space.

Brannen Hall

A traditional style dorm with double bedrooms. Dedicated on October 12, 1963, Brannen Hall was named after Harvey D. Brannen (1886-1940) whose services as a state legislator (house and senate) from the 49th district were instrumental in helping Georgia Southern grow and expand its programs. Although a lawyer by training and vocation, Mr. Brannen established a prosperous insurance firm in Statesboro, where his record of church work and activities as a Shriner were well known and lauded.

Eagle Village

Eagle Village is a suite style dorm with both private and single bedrooms. Eagle Village is Georgia Southern's newest hall. Completed for the 2005-2006 school year, Eagle Village houses roughly 775 new freshmen every year.

Kennedy Hall

Kennedy Hall has both suite and apartment style rooms. There are two separate buildings for each kind of rooms. Joseph E. Kennedy (1930-1997) was a State Senator, Regent, and Leader in Service to Georgia. Kennedy, a native of Claxton, Georgia exemplified leadership, service and character, from the battlefields of Korea to high office in his state capitol. A graduate from Georgia Military College, he earned 3 medals for service in Korea and the rank of captain in the US Army. As a Georgia Senator from 1967-1991 and president pro-tem for 8 years, he was honored statewide for outstanding leadership. Devotion to South Georgians and dedication to opportunity through education inspired him to champion the advancement of Georgia Southern as a University for the region. A legislative leader in building the University System of Georgia, he was named by the Governor to the Board of Regents in March, 1997, shortly before his death on June 19, 1997.

Sanford Hall

Sanford Hall has apartment style dorms with double bedrooms. On December, 19, 1936, this new men’s dormitory was dedicated in honor of Steadman Vincent Sanford (1871-1945), one of Georgia’s best-known educators. His distinguished career carried him from classroom teacher in 1903 to the chancellorship of the board of regents of the University System of Georgia in 1935. He served as a professor of English at the University of Georgia, was the founder of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism, served as Dean of the University and its President from 1932 to 1935, and then served as Chancellor of the system. Sanford was also elected as president of the Georgia Education Association.

Southern Courtyard

Completed in late July, 2003, this complex offers deluxe suites to upperclassmen and transfer students only. Southern Courtyard is similar to Eagle Village, in that students have their own private bedrooms, except Southern Courtyard is bigger and the beds are double beds instead of twin XL.

Southern Pines

Completed in late July, 2003, this complex offers deluxe suites to upperclassmen and transfer students only. Southern Pines contains suite style bedrooms and a single bathroom for two students.

Formerly known as "The Pines."

University Villas

Purchased in February 2008, this complex offers 2 and 4 bedroom apartments to upperclassmen and transfer students only. Before University Housing purchased University Villas, it was an off campus apartment complex known as Campus Courtyard. It has both townhouses and flats. After current residents move out, University Housing will spend 4 million dollars renovating the apartments for the fall semester.

Watson Hall

Watson Hall is made up of two buildings with two different kinds of room choices.

Named after Georgia Brown Watson (1912-1993), Emerita Professor of Psychology and Emerita Head of the Department of Psychology. Ms. Watson was a pioneering educator, Major in Women's Army Corps in WWII, author in retirement, and she also attained a record of “firsts” for women during her tenure at Georgia Southern University, 1949-76. She was first to earn full professor rank and to chair a department and a division, first in the University system awarded two Emerita titles. Ms. Watson keynoted the celebration of the College's historic passage to University Status in 1990.

The Watson Commons are a traditional style dorm with double bedrooms. They each have a bathroom to be shared with a neighboring room of two more residents.

Watson Pods are also a traditional style dorm with double bedrooms. The difference is that residents don't have a bathroom to share with two other neighbors, but with the whole floor.

Former Residence Halls

Residence halls that have been torn down or vacated and are now used for other purposes.

Johnson Hall

Johnson Hall was built in 1971 and named to honor Sophia Johnson, Dean of Women. Johnson Hall was originally built to house freshman women at Georgia Southern College. In 1998 Johnson hall became a co-ed residence hall and home to the Success-In-U program - Georgia Southern’s first Living Learning Community. Men and women have lived in this residence hall for the past 10 years. Over 400 students lived in Johnson each year.

Oliff Hall

Olliff Hall was built in 1966 and dedicated on October 30th by Governor Sanders. Olliff was named to honor the late Charles P. Olliff, Sr., one of Statesboro’s outstanding business leaders. The cost to build Olliff hall was $949,843.00. Originally Olliff Hall was built to house Junior and Senior women at Georgia Southern College. Over 300 students lived in Olliff Hall each year.

Winburn Hall

Winburn Hall was built in 1966 and dedicated on October 30th by Governor Sanders. Named to honor R.L. (Mr. Bob) Winburn, the comptroller of Georgia Southern College from 1931 till he retired on July 1, 1951, Winburn Hall cost $810,717.00 to construct. Winburn Hall was originally designed to house sophomore women at GSC. Over 250 students lived in Winburn Hall each year.

Student activities

Georgia Southern Performing Art Center

The university has a botanical garden at Bland Cottage, the Performing Arts Center where national acts as well as Georgia Southern student shows are performed. Student media include a college radio station (WVGS 91.9 The Buzz), and a daily college newspaper, The George-Anne Daily. Various departments within the university offer students the opportunity to participate in, as well as enjoy, events such as concerts, plays, and musicals. Several national organizations such as the ACM are represented by student chapters.

The Recreation and Activities Center (the RAC) has an area for weight lifting, several basketball courts, an indoor track, two dance studios, equipment for yoga and pilates, several racquetball courts, and an indoor climbing wall. During Spring and Fall 2006 semesters, the RAC was expanded, adding additional basketball and multi-purpose courts, weight and fitness rooms, an Olympic size swimming pool, a rehabilitation pool, and more space for CRI (Campus Recreation and Intramural) personnel. With completed expansion, the RAC is now one of the finest collegiate recreational facilities in the nation.

Greek Life

There are three governing bodies for Greek organizations at Georgia Southern University, governing all NIC, NPC, and NPHC recognized organizations on campus. The first North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), or National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Greek organization at Georgia Southern was Tau Kappa Epsilon, which colonized on the campus in 1967 and chartered in 1968. The Southern Greek Housing Corporation, a 501(c)3 corporation representing NIC and NPC Greek organizations on campus, owns and operates the Greek housing community, which maintains property adjacent to the University on Olympic Boulevard. The corporation is managed by a board of directors, consisting of fraternity and sorority alumni. There are also Greek-letter professional fraternities (such as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia which was founded at Georgia Southern in 1953), along with a number of academic honor societies (such as Alpha Upsilon Alpha and Phi Alpha Theta).

Social Sororities (NPC, NPHC)

National Panhellenic Conference

Organization	Symbol	Chapter (Chartered)	Chapter Symbol
Alpha Delta Pi	ΑΔΠ	Epsilon Pi (1968)	ΕΠ
Phi Mu	ΦΜ	Kappa Mu (1968)	ΚΜ
Kappa Delta	ΚΔ	Delta Lambda (1968)	ΔΛ
Alpha Xi Delta	ΑΞΔ	Inactive (1968)
Zeta Tau Alpha	ΖΤΑ	Zeta Xi (1968)	ΖΞ
Chi Omega	ΧΩ	Inactive (1968)
Alpha Omicron Pi	ΑΟΠ	Alpha Lambda (1988)	ΑΛ
Kappa Kappa Gamma	ΚΚΓ	Zeta Upsilon (1990)	ΖΥ

National Pan-Hellenic Council

Organization	Symbol	Chapter (Chartered)	Chapter Symbol
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.	ΑΚA	Lambda Kappa (1979)	ΛΚ (Inactive)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.	ΔΣΘ	Xi Eta (1979)	ΞΗ
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.	ΣΓΡ	Nu Omicron (1993)	ΝΟ (Inactive)
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.	ΖΦΒ	Epsilon Xi (1989)	ΕΞ

Social Fraternities (NIC, NPHC)

North-American Interfraternity Conference

Organization	Symbol	Chapter (Chartered)	Chapter Symbol
Alpha Tau Omega	ΑΤΩ	Eta Zeta (1968)	ΗΘ
Delta Chi	ΔΧ	Georgia Southern Colony (2002)
Delta Sigma Phi	ΔΣΦ	Georgia Southern Colony (2004)
Delta Tau Delta	ΔΤΔ	Epsilon Omega (2006)	ΕΩ
Kappa Alpha Order	ΚΑ	Delta Theta (1968)	ΔΘ
Kappa Sigma	ΚΣ	Kappa Zeta (1968)	ΚΖ
Pi Kappa Alpha	ΠΚΑ	Iota Upsilon (1993)	ΙΥ
Pi Kappa Phi	ΠΚΦ	Gamma Kappa (1968)	ΓΚ
Sigma Alpha Epsilon	ΣΑΕ	Georgia Alpha (1989)
Sigma Chi	ΣΧ	Eta Zeta (1970)	ΗΖ
Sigma Pi	ΕΠ	Inactive (1968)
Sigma Phi Epsilon	ΣΦΕ	Georgia Epsilon (1993)
Tau Kappa Epsilon	ΤΚΕ	Lambda Upsilon (1967)	ΛΥ
Sigma Nu	ΣΝ	Inactive (1969)

National Pan-Hellenic Council

Organization	Symbol	Chapter (Chartered)	Chapter Symbol
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.	ΑΦΑ	Xi Tau (1980)	ΞΤ
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.	IΦΘ	Georgia Southern Colony (2005)
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.	ΚΑΨ	Iota Pi (1978), Omicron Phi (2005)	ΙΠ (defunct), ΟΦ
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.	ΩΨΦ	Zeta Delta Delta (1987)	ΖΔΔ
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.	ΦΒΣ	Pi Rho (1987)	ΠΡ (Inactive)

Notable Alumni

Some notable Alumni of Georgia Southern include:

• Dan Cathy (President, Chick-fil-A)
• Adrian Peterson (Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton Award winner)
• Jayson Foster (Miami Dolphins wide receiver, Walter Payton Award winner)
• Tony Townley (Founder, Zaxby's Chicken)
• Charlie Norwood (Former US Congressman)
• Rob Bironas (Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl kicker; holder of several NFL records, most notably, most field goals in a game with 8)
• Michael Curry (Former NBA Player, Former President NBA Players Association)
• Todd Greene (Former MLB catcher)
• Tracy Ham (College Football Hall of Famer, 1995 CFL Most Outstanding Player)
• Joey Hamilton (Former MLB pitcher 1994-2003)
• Earthwind Moreland (Former NFL cornerback)
• Jeff Sanders (Former NBA first round draft pick)
• Fred Stokes (Former NFL defensive end, Super Bowl XXVI champion)
• Mark Collier (Actor)
• Lee Berger (Explorer)
• Luke Bryan (Country singer)
• Linnes Finney, Jr. (President, National Bar Association)

Sources

• "TSC Blues Review Interview with Erk Russell" Southern-Connection.com August 2002
• * Presley, Delma Eugene (2006). The Southern Century: Georgia Southern University 1906-2006. Georgia Southern University. ISBN 13:978-0-9788650-0-9.

External links

• Georgia Southern University web site
• Board of Regents of The University System of Georgia web site
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia