Message from the Provost
My first year at Georgia Southern has been a year of accelerated growth and opportunity. Not just for our students but for our faculty and staff as well.
Our enrollment has grown to nearly 34,000 students, while graduate enrollment has grown by nearly 5 percent. We welcomed 6,860 freshmen, and our first-year retention rate surpassed the 80 percent goal we set for ourselves. And we have achieved the metrics required for Carnegie R1 status that we are expecting next year.
As we begin a new academic year, one of my primary goals is to continue building a culture of communication across Academic Affairs — one grounded not just in exchanging information, but listening, learning and creating meaningful opportunities for dialogue.
That work has already begun.
Over the past several weeks, I have had the opportunity to join the opening meetings of each of our colleges, meet with our deans and Academic Leadership Council and student leadership, participate in Faculty Senate and staff council meetings, and spend time with colleagues during our DDDC retreat. Each of these conversations gives me a better understanding of the opportunities before us, the challenges our faculty and staff are navigating, and the work already underway across Georgia Southern.
This year, I am also looking forward to visiting every academic department across the University. I want to hear directly from each department their strategic priorities, the work they are most proud of, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. They are an opportunity for me to listen and learn, while also sharing our priorities and direction for the year ahead.
Communication must move in both directions to be effective.
Just as important is ensuring that we recognize the people behind the work. Across our campuses, faculty and staff are teaching, mentoring, conducting research, developing new programs, serving our communities and finding new ways to help our students succeed. Excellence in Action gives us one opportunity to share those stories and celebrate the contributions that strengthen our University every day.
Building a culture does not happen through one meeting, message or initiative. It happens through consistent engagement and a willingness to listen to one another. I look forward to continuing those conversations with you throughout the year, and more importantly, to turning what we hear into action.
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