President’s October message to campus

October 4, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

The past few weeks have certainly been busy and eventful!  We celebrated homecoming with a week-long slate of activities (more than 30 events) that hosted thousands of Georgia Southern alumni, current students and community members. The celebration included a variety of special events, reunions, social gatherings, the traditional homecoming parade and the True Blue 5k – which I ran with a record group of over 400!  The week was capped off with the crowning of our Homecoming King and Queen – congratulations Kenneth Edouazin and Emily Grace McWhorter– and a win against Ball State.

Continuing our commitment to campus engagement, please plan on joining us for Celebrate Together on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah on Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Residential Plaza! The event will feature a festival of departmental and student organizations, as well as fun extras that include a dunk tank (I’ll be there for 30 minutes…good luck), a foam pit, rock wall, archery tag and a live DJ, to bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. Free hot dogs and drinks will be available for all guests and free t-shirts will be available for students, alumni and event volunteers (while supplies last). Last year’s celebration was awesome…let’s make this one even better!

Speaking of the Armstrong Campus, the Armstrong Task Force has been actively working to finalize their Phase I charge — through analysis of trend enrollment data and market assessment alignment, identify 4-6 academic programs that can be marketed and used to increase enrollment for fall 2023. I have received their initial recommendations and we will use this month, October, to communicate the findings and prepare our marketing and delivery strategies.  Phase II of their work will begin immediately so we can develop a long-term plan to differentiate the Armstrong Campus as a unique and critical component of Georgia Southern University. Please continue to engage with us by visiting the website landing page for information and to provide feedback and ideas: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/president/armstrong-task-force/.

Earlier this week, I sent an email to campus announcing that nominations for the 2022-2023 University Awards of Excellence are now open through November 18! I encourage you to engage and nominate your colleagues and/or teams. We have such outstanding faculty and staff that deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions aligned with our strategic pillars and values…and don’t forget that each awardee receives $1,000 in professional development funding along with a medallion. The nomination and application processes have been streamlined this year for ease.  Nominate a deserving faculty and/or staff member or team HERE. 

It was recently announced that we have won the competitive bid to host the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) beginning in Summer 2023 through Summer 2026! GHP is a residential summer program for approximately 700 juniors and seniors throughout Georgia who have high overall scholastic achievement and have demonstrated aptitude in theater, art, dance, math or science. This year’s program will take place June 18-July 25 on the Statesboro campus. We also will host the Interview/Audition Day, which will bring 1,500 students plus approximately 4,000 family members to campus on Saturday, March 11. The Office of Special Events and Protocol will be engaging campus partners as we begin preparation to welcome these high achieving students to our campus and showcase Georgia Southern.

As we begin October and return to campus after closing for Hurricane Ian, I am thankful that the storm had very little impact on our region, and I appreciate our emergency preparedness team who mobilized in anticipation of the storm to ensure the safety of our campus communities. The Georgia Southern community extends our heartfelt sympathies to the Florida and South Carolina communities that experienced immense destruction and loss of life. 

We have much to be grateful for here at Georgia Southern.  

Sincerely,
Kyle

Last updated: 10/4/2022