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Dear Alumni and Friends,
Happy New Year and welcome to the very first edition of the ROAR Report- a monthly letter from the Office of the President. This publication supports our 2030 strategic plan objectives: 3.1 and 3.4, which focus on storytelling and celebrating our students, employees, and alumni. More importantly, this newsletter provides me a platform to share timely updates with our Savannah State Community.
As we enter the spring 2026 semester, we have several major projects, initiatives, and priorities ahead. First, the GA legislative session begins in earnest. This year, we’re working with the state legislature to secure $48.6m in construction funds for our new student engagement, health, and wellness facilities. This project includes demolishing the old Wilcox Wiley facility, renovating the two-story portion of King-Fraizer, and building a new Wilcox Wiley facility between the SSU Student Union and Tiger Arena. We’re currently in the design phase of the project and look to finalize conceptual plans in February. With the legislature's support, construction funding will be approved, and we will begin in FY2027. As part of our advocacy work over the last couple of years, we’ve hosted SSU Day at the Capitol. We are scheduled to host SSU Day in February. We encourage each of you to participate.
We’re excited to share that the institution received a one-time Title III grant of $5m to support our infrastructure development. Working with our provost and academic deans, we’ve outlined a plan to spend the funds before the September 30, 2026, deadline. Per guidance from the federal Department of Education, we could spend funds only on buildings we’ve recently completed work in, thereby limiting our ability to enhance buildings such as Payne Hall and Kennedy. We will utilize future state funds to enhance those facilities in the upcoming fiscal year.
1. Campus Technology Infrastructure Modernization & Utility Mapping - $588,553
2. Building Security Modernization Card Access Implementation - $614,135
3. Development of Advanced Robotics & Integrated Security Operations Center - $1,344,275
4. Enhancing Classroom & Career Success in Mass Comm - $1,205,626
5. Lab & Class Upgrade in Howard Jordan - $250,449
6. Building Modern Labs for Interdisciplinary Science Education - $1,000,000
I’m also delighted to announce that, from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029, Savannah State University has been awarded $3,882,918 to support our proposed project, AI Teaching & Learning Collaborative: Transforming Teaching, Learning, and Educator Preparation with Artificial Intelligence. The grant was made possible through the collaboration of the Hyundai College of Education, College of Sciences and Humanities,
the College of Engineering Technology and Computing, and the Savannah Chatham County Public School System.
Lastly, I wanted to give you an enrollment update. Last fall, we landed at 3,178, down from 3,208 (33 students). The loss of students is directly attributed to students not meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements, resulting in the loss of their financial aid. Recent changes to Title IV funding will impose additional restrictions on how much students can borrow and, on their eligibility, based on the number of credit hours attempted. Our team has identified several issues and is implementing a system to address them.
The other side of the story is that our credit hours attempted were up: 85,673 in fall 2025 vs. 82,611 in fall 2024. This is significant because the University System of Georgia’s state funding formula is heavily weighted toward credit hours. 80% of the formula is based on credit hours, not headcount, on a two-year rolling average. The remaining 20% is based on the institution's operational and maintenance needs. Thus, we won’t take a hit in our state funding.
I’ll provide an update on our spring semester enrollment numbers in February.
Overall, I’m excited about 2026. Whether it’s faculty research, athletics, or alumni success, we have a lot to be excited about throughout the Tiger Family! I hope you’ve enjoyed the inaugural edition of the Roar Report. More to come in February and beyond!
Go Tigers!
Dr. Whirl
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