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GSW’s Fall 2019 enrollment increased by 1.5 percent from Fall 2018, as was reported by the University System of Georgia (USG) this month. Georgia Southwestern’s total enrollment now stands at 2,950 students. This number includes both undergraduate and graduate students.
“We are very pleased to report an increase in enrollment at Georgia Southwestern for the Fall of 2019,” said GSW President Neal Weaver, Ph.D. “The entire campus is focused on student success and growing the impact of the University by attracting and graduating more students who will impact the regional economy through their career choices.”
Read more about enrollment numbers and factors that influence the increase here.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a portion of a $3 million grant to GSW to increase the number of underrepresented minority students (URM) graduating with degrees in the STEM fields—science, technology, mathematics and engineering.
GSW is a founding member of the first-ever Southwest Georgia consortium of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), or the Southwest Georgia LSAMP Alliance.
Initial LSAMP scholars are Nadia Ford of Atlanta, freshman Biology major; Awung Betanga of Atlanta, freshman Computer Science major; and Chelse’ Perry of Americus, senior Biology major.
Learn more about the LSAMP program here.
GSW hosted its inaugural Science Day for more than 250 local high school students on Friday, November 1. Students participated in hands-on science experiments and lab demonstrations led by GSW science majors and professors.
Students from Americus-Sumter High School, Furlow Charter School and Schley County High School explored science firsthand through a series of 18 rotational sessions that covered biology, chemistry, mathematics, anatomy, astronomy, physics and glassblowing.
“The goal of Science Day is to promote all STEM areas to high school students from local schools through hands-on experiments and demonstrations,” said Nedialka Iordanova, GSW chemistry professor and one of the organizers of the event. “We hope students are also encouraged to continue their education in one of GSW’s science programs.”
Learn more about Science Day here.
GSW’s mascot, Surge, will celebrate his 10th birthday on Saturday, November 16. First introduced in 2009, Surge has been a staple at numerous campus and athletic events ever since.
In honor of this milestone birthday, Georgia Southwestern hosted a birthday celebration for students, faculty and staff on Thursday, November 14. Community members are invited to celebrate with Surge at the men’s basketball home opener on Saturday, November 16. With tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m., fans will have the opportunity to submit birthday wishes to be read by the announcers, sing happy birthday, and cheer on the Hurricanes with Surge.
GSW is partnering with Southwest Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates (SOWEGA CASA) for an Angel Tree Project to benefit foster children in SOWEGA CASA’s service area. The goal of the project is for every foster child in SOWEGA’s 12-county service area to have gifts during the holiday season.
The project will provide gifts for over 300 “angels,” with ages ranging from two months to 17 years old. There are two Angel Trees on GSW’s campus, located on the third floor of the Student Success Center and the first floor of the Wheatley Administration Building. Those interested in participating are invited to visit the trees during regular business hours to adopt an “angel.”
For more information, contact GSW’s Division of Student Engagement and Success at (229) 928-1387 or stop by the third floor of the Student Success Center.
Dr. Mark Laughlin, Professor of Music, visited Baker County High School’s music program and spoke with juniors and seniors about GSW’s academic programs, Preview Days, scholarships, and the university application and audition process. The band, under the direction of Mr. Tim Beck, also performed for Dr. Laughlin.
GSW is implementing a new student leadership development program called CliftonStrengths for Students on campus to help students discover their inner talents, strengths, and gifts. The goal is to foster an environment for students to learn, develop and apply their individual talents to their present and future endeavors.
“This nationally recognized program will help our students tap their natural gifts and strengths to achieve personal goals,” said Laura Boren, vice president for Division of Student Engagement and Success. “Our motivation for this program is to engage students in their personal growth and eventually become a Strengths-Based campus. This effort contributes to our commitment to the University System of Georgia’s Momentum approach.”
Every student has the opportunity to complete the online CliftonStrengths assessment for free. This new leadership program is another approach focused on GSW’s commitment to student success through academic, professional, and social engagement.
Members of the Biology and Geology Clubs, along with faculty, participated in a River’s Alive Cleanup on October 4, 2019. Students and faculty removed trash and debris from Town Creek at Magnolia Street and from the Bowen Property/Willet Creek on the Georgia Southwestern campus. Approximately 175 pounds of trash and debris were removed. River’s Alive is Georgia’s year-round volunteer cleanup program that target’s all waterways in Georgia and is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The mission of the program is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia’s water sources. The GSW clean-up was organized by Michele Smith (Department of Chemistry, Geology, and Physics) and Yonnie Williams (Department of Biology).
GSW students and staff recently attended the 2019 Georgia Suicide Prevention Conference held at The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. from September 23-25. The theme of this year’s conference was “Connect, Communicate, Care.”
Students Angel Griffin, Jared McAllister, Brooke-Kristen Roach, and Gabrielle Davis accompanied Alma Keita, Assistant Director of Counseling, and Angie Christmas, Administrative Assistant for Student Health and Counseling Services, to the conference. They participated in the student panel along with students from other universities. GSW’s students are pictured with Mrs. Betty Maxwell, Miss America 2016, and her husband Spencer. The group would like to thank Kappa Sigma Fraternity for their donation to Suicide Prevention initiatives, which covered the conference costs for the students.
Business students at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently had the unique opportunity to speak with an executive from one of the country’s largest companies on Wednesday, October 23. Dacona Smith, Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Sam’s Club, met with one of GSW’s College of Business and Computing classes to share his story of success.
Smith, who started as an hourly Wal-Mart associate, discussed a number of business tips with the Principles of Management class. Smith also answered a number of questions from students, with topics ranging from his career and balancing college course with work to building trust as a company and presenting to company executives.
"Getting the opportunity to gain insight and wisdom about the world of business from someone like Dacona Smith, who worked his way to the top, was an experience that resonated with me on so many levels,” said sophomore pre-management major Jordan Busby. “The words he shared during his visit – most importantly his philosophy, 'You can leave, but never quit' – will be a memory to take with me as I pursue a career that I can excel in."
Read more about Smith’s visit to campus here.
On the heels of Georgia Theater Conference, GSW’s Dramatic Arts program has hosted 3 additional Regional One-Act Play Festivals.
Students from 17 area high schools attended the Georgia High School Association festival on October 22, the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools festival on October 29, and the Georgia Independent School Association Festival on November 5. Over 500 high school students, teachers and parents were on campus for these events.
LSAMP Scholars Awung Betanga and Nadia Ford attended the 2019 Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence Conference, held October 25-27, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The theme of the conference was “Building a Diverse STEM Talent Pool: Classrooms to Careers.” The conference included keynote presenters sharing success stories, interactive workshops for undergraduate students preparing for a future STEM career or graduate program, networking opportunities, and undergraduate/graduate research presentations. Betanga and Ford were accompanied by Dr. Samuel Peavy, Professor of Geology, and Dr. Michele Smith, Professor of Chemistry.
The Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) held their 9th Annual Summit on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The Theme of the summit was “Breaking the Shackles of the Mind.” Speakers included Tony Lowden (opening keynote); Judge Dexter Wimbish (lunch keynote); Alicia Morgan Ledbetter, LMSW, CPS; Ashley Morgan, LMFT, MAC; Alma Keita, Ed.S, NCC,LPC. The Summit panel was comprised of GSW alumni (pictured below), including Christopher Michael Austin, Community Center Directory for the City of Macon and Production Manager and On-Air Personality at WXFM; Dermaris Keeyon Battle, Site Director and Coach at Webster County Schools; Marcus Johnson, Assistant Director of the Academic Success Center at Georgia Military College; and Sedrick Swan, Director of Leisure Services for the City of Perry.
Some of the Summit attendees were from Valdosta State University and Central Georgia Technical College Macon, Warner Robins and Milledgeville campuses.
GSW’s Dramatic Arts program will be performing Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. The show runs November 14-16 at 8:00 p.m. and November 17 at 2:30 p.m, in the GSW Fine Arts Theater. Admission is free and open to the public.
Dr. Evan Kutzler, assistant professor of history, recently continued his local history series in the Americus Times-Recorder with “The Haunting in the House of Rylander.” It unpacks the history behind a local “haunted house” in Plains, Georgia.
Dr. Jason Berggren, associate professor of political science, had seven encyclopedia articles published in the last twelve months. Bonnie K. Levine-Berggren, an adjunct professor in the History and Political Science department, was the co-author of three of them. Of the seven articles, five were published in Women in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of Women as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders. The entries were on Michele Bachmann, Rosalynn Carter, Geraldine Ferraro, Sarah Palin, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Two more articles were published in Religion and Contemporary Politics: A Global Encyclopedia. The entries covered religion and the U.S. presidents, and Judaism in the United States.
Dr. Jason Berggren, associate professor of political science, recently presented a paper entitled, "Beyond the Confederacy: Reimaging and Reconstructing the Cultural Landscape of the American South" at a conference held at the American University of Beirut / Le Commodore Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon. The conference on "Destruction/(Re-)Construction: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Cultural Heritage in Conflict" was sponsored by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Dr. Evan Kutzler, assistant professor of history, presented “Seeing like a State, Smelling like a Sanitarian” at the Southern Historical Association’s annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. This research is part of his forthcoming book, Living by Inches: The Smells, Sounds, Tastes, and Feeling of Captivity in Civil War Prisons (University of North Carolina Press, forthcoming December 2019).
On October 18, Dr. Gary Fisk, professor of psychology, gave a presentation on the use of PowerPoint in education for the Research on Teaching and Learning conference at Kennesaw State University. The presentation included best practices from his book, Slides for Students
Find more events on the GSW academic calendar and on CanesConnect.