Georgia Southern University - Statesboro, GA

[andremurra]

This thread is devoted to all that matters to Georgia Southern University. Topics may include anything that is directly affected by or that directly affects the university including Expansion Projects/Updates, Economic Impact on Area, University Politics, the Strategic/Master Plan, The Campaign for National Distinction, Demographics & Statistics, Town & Gown, etc.

As many people know and understand, Georgia Suothern University is a completely different community within itself. In many ways the university is disconnected from the City of Statesboro while the two entities are team players in other areas. Development of the university is very important to Statesboro and the region, so this thread will deal with the projects and advances that are specifically relating to the Big Blue.

[andremurra]

Brad Paisley plays Paulson - April 27, 8pm

For all you country music fans out there, Brad Paisley is playing at Georgia Southern for the Spring Concert. Tickets will go on sale to Students for field access on Feb. 26 thru March 2, faculty/staff and students can purchase general admission tickets starting on March 3, and the general public can being purchasing on March 26. Tickets are selling on etix.com.

GSU generally has one major concert per semester, although we havent had any for a while. Kanye West broke the bank when the university almost spent about $250,000 to organize that concert, but he broke the signed contract because he was basically scared - since this was after his comments were made which started a lot of racist drama in Statesboro between various groups of people. Kanye stated that he broke the contract because he does not do open air stadium concerts, when he had just performed three the week before. There were even internet sites started that ordered for brutality toward white students if they showed up at the concert. The developers of the websites were suspended from GSU. So obviously, cancelling was in the university's best interest. After many students felt let down with no fall concert scheduled, the university booked Ciara at the last minute for $50,000 - but that concert was a flop due to the 15 degree weather the night of the event. About 1,000 students showed up. The 3 Doors Down concert the semester before, however, was a mild success with over 8,000 in attendance.

Im not particularly looking forward to a redneck gathering, but I want to support the local entertainment scene so I am planning to attend the Paisley concert.

Wanda Sykes Tours 'Boro

Wanda Sykes will be bringing laughs to GSU Hanner Fieldhouse on March 24th at 8pm. Students can purchase tickets starting on Feb. 14 and the general public can being purchasing on Feb. 24th.

$17M Secured for Additional Construction

Progess is going well on the $7M Fine Arts Phase III addition to the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art Building which includes a new 300-seat Black Box Theatre. Also another $5M has been secured from the Board of Regents for the Phase IV addition to the Arts Building as well as $5M for the renovation and addition of the Foy Fine Arts Building. I have not seen any renderings of the Phase IV or the Foy projects so this will be interesting. Phase II of the $25M Henderson Library renovation and expansion is going along smoothly.

[andremurra]

I posted this in the Savannah Profile thread. Someone was arguing that GSU should be listed as a Savannah school. I thought it was funny that Ogeechee Technical College was also listed as a Savannah school, especially since it is common knowledge that all the Technical Colleges in Georgia were designated specific outreach areas - in Ogeechee's case, it is Bulloch, Screven, and Evans Counties.

Armstrong-Atlantic State University

Savannah College of rt and Design (SCAD)

Georgia Tech-Savannah Campus

Savannah State University

Savannah Technical College

Brewton-Parker Evening College

Ogeechee Technical College

St. Leo College

South University

[andremurra]

GSU Celebrates Centennial Today at Sweetheart Circle - 5pm-8pm

http://www.gadaily.com/?page=story&entry=511

[MorganA15]

Ticket Sales Top 9K

The average number of tickets sold per day for the Brad Paisley concert was 100, but since Monday it's jumped to 300.

article: http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/3386/

I'm positive that this number would be higher, but Brad just came to Savannah in November.

I wanted to go, but something came up and I can't.

[andremurra]

Ticket Sales Top 9K

The average number of tickets sold per day for the Brad Paisley concert was 100, but since Monday it's jumped to 300.

article: http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/3386/

I'm positive that this number would be higher, but Brad just came to Savannah in November.

I wanted to go, but something came up and I can't.

[andremurra]

As we discussed on the Statesboro, GA main thread about The Centennial which is going to be a mega residence hall for Georgia Southern. It was originally planned to house 2400-4000 students at 6-stories. I spoke with one of the VP's a couple weeks ago and asked about that project. He/She said that they were indeed going to tear down Olliff, Winburn and Johnson to build the mega complex, but unfortunately will not be able to house as many students as originally desired. Likely the building will not reach 6-floors because of what underneath the ground. It is common knowledge that Georgia Southern sits on one of the "marshiest" areas of an already very "marshy" city. We have heard reports about how the IT Building sank three feet after the first year it was open, etc. They cant afford to build a 4000-room complex that may sink, especially after the Eagle Village flooding, where they had to accomodate all the residents of the flooded parts of the building into area hotels until they could resolve the issue. The Centennial will still be a mega complex, and very significantly larger than Eagle Village (which says a lot). The number rooms are more likely going to be in the plus/minus 1900 range. But that number could change since they are still in the planning/negotiation stages. I also asked about he $60-million Student Union, and he/she stated that they have determined a spot in the center of campus near Lakes Ruby & Wells that will most likely be the proposed location. He/she "is hoping for at least 4-stories for the new union."

[MorganA15]

So what will be done with the old union?

[andremurra]

Well, the current "old union" is what we call the William's Center, and basically its an auxilliary union but also houses various offices such as Career Services, Student Media, Academic Advisement, etc. This project is a little while down the road, but most likely, they will keep the theatre and ballroom of the russell union and other meeting spaces, but convert most of the rooms to offices or whatnot. There is no telling at this point though.

Edited May 25, 2007 by andremurra

[MorganA15]

So when should things start happening on The Centennial?

Oh and BTW, what all is going on at Paulson? I heard something about remodeling the bathrooms, concessions, and some other things.

[andremurra]

GSU Numbers (as of Fall 2006):

Official Fall 2006 Enrollment - 16,425

This number is significantly less than the actual number of students who enrolled in the Fall semester. This official number is counted after the "last day to withdraw without academic penalty". Usually by this point in the semester, there have been about 800 students withdraw from school.

When I worked for 'a particular office' two years ago, there were originally 16,897 students enrolled in our Fall 2005 semester, but our official number that was released in October was 16,100 because of the withdrawals we had to process. There is likely no way for someone outside of the administration to know what the original number for 2006 was, but I am going to guesstimate that it is around 797 more than the official number - which in 2006's case would be somewhere around 17,222.

There were 1,942 graduate students enrolled in Fall 2006 - of which 1,391 were women and 526 were ethnic minorities. Of the 14,483 undergraduates, 3,144 were black non-Hispanics. Georgia Southern University is well known in the black community for two reasons: It boasts the second largest black enrollment in the state (Georgia State enrolls close to 7,000 - while University of Georgia enrolls less than 2,000), and it also graduates more blacks than any other institution in the state.

GSU awarded 2,660 degrees during the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

The freshmen class of 2000 was 2,861. After four years, 379 had completed their programs of study. After five years, 996; and after six years, only 1,227 had completed their academic programs. For the 2000 Freshmen Class, the six-year graduation rate was only 43%.

The freshmen to sophomore retention rate for students entering Fall 2005 (to Fall 2006) was 76%.

Of the 7,360 first-year freshmen who applied for admission into GSU for Fall 2006 ~ 3,486 were accepted, and 2,750 enrolled. Admittance Rate is 47%. Yield Rate is 79%. Of those who applied, 37% became enrolled.

Admission Decisions:

Very Important

Rigor of Secondary School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Considered

Class Rank

Not Considered

Application Essay

Recommendations

Interview

Extra-curricular Activities

Talent/Ability

Character/Personal Qualities

First Generation

Alumni/ae Relation

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Religious Affiliation/Commitment

Racial/Ethnic Status

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Level of Applicant

Edited May 31, 2007 by andremurra

[andremurra]

Centennial Village Phase I

I just wanted to update everyone that Georgia Southern has announced the first phase of Centennial Village. This academic year will be the last year for Johnson Hall, Olliff Hall, and Winburn Hall. The three residence halls will be demolished after this academic school year to make way for Phase I of Centennial Village. This phase will construct a 1,000 bedroom residence hall. This building will be one of the largest in Statesboro, as it will house more residents than any residential complex in Bulloch County. Campus Club is currently the largest residential complex as it houses just under 1000 people in 17 buildings. This will house 1000 students in ONE residence hall. Im not sure how tall it will be, but I was told that it may be up to 6-stories if the soil permits. It will probably be one of the taller buildings in Statesboro as well.

[MorganA15]

Centennial Village Phase I

I just wanted to update everyone that Georgia Southern has announced the first phase of Centennial Village. This academic year will be the last year for Johnson Hall, Olliff Hall, and Winburn Hall. The three residence halls will be demolished after this academic school year to make way for Phase I of Centennial Village. This phase will construct a 1,000 bedroom residence hall. This building will be one of the largest in Statesboro, as it will house more residents than any residential complex in Bulloch County. Campus Club is currently the largest residential complex as it houses just under 1000 people in 17 buildings. This will house 1000 students in ONE residence hall. Im not sure how tall it will be, but I was told that it may be up to 6-stories if the soil permits. It will probably be one of the taller buildings in Statesboro as well.

Edited August 25, 2007 by MorganA15

[andremurra]

This thing is going to be massive.

I'm still wondering what they're going to do about parking. I know they want to retain the "suburban" feel, but having a massive asphalt parking lot will ruin it.

[andremurra]

Georgia Southern University Highlights for 2006-2007:

The only school in the USG to increase its average SAT score of incoming freshmen for 12 consecutive years. Freshmen SAT average of 1104. SAT average has increased 117 points since Bruce Grube became our 11th president in 1999. Final Enrollment count for Fall 2006, was 16,425. First-time, fulltime freshmen accounted for 2,732.

Phase I of the $22.7 million project opened in October 2006. The first phase consisted of an 89,000 sf addition to the eastside of the original building. The addition also included the 45 foot tall Automatic Retrieval Collection (ARC), capable of storing 800,000 items in 5,848 storage bins. The second phase is slated to open in Fall 2008.

The Department of Chemistry was ranked #19 by the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training

[ironchapman]

I do not know how the parking will look. It will probably be an Eagle Village type design but with the parking in the center instead of on the side. I think that would be more efficient, but its wont look as pretty of course. I am pretty sure that the whole project will be 2000 bedrooms (1000 in each building) but because of the soil type, it make actually be 1000 in two buidings (although I dont think that will be the outcome simply because the plot is so huge for just 1000 bedrooms). Even if the project consists of two buildings, it will still be the largest in Bulloch County. If it then becomes 2 buildings with 2,000 bedrooms it may be the largest in the region. We need to remember though that Statesboro and GSU will lose the bedrooms from Johnson Hall, Winburn Hall, and Olliff Hall. The good news is, that I will know a lot more soon. I am probably going to have to retire this screenname soon because of what Im getting involved in locally, but I promise Ill still be on the forum regardless.

[andremurra]

At the end of the Spring 2008 semester, Olliff Hall, Winburn Hall and Johnson Hall as well as the ROTC building and the SDRC will all be torn down to make way for Centennial Place. Exact bedroom counts have not yet been released, but officials are stating that CP will accommodate approximately 1,000 beds. The exact number will likely be around 11-1200-ish, but for the time being, their sticking to saying 1,000. Due to the soil type, the structure will more likely be 4-stories instead of six. They are still finalizing architectural plans so such specifics have not been announced yet. I have heard one person say it will be 3 stories, but everyone else Ive talked to are saying 4.

On the bottom floor at street level, the university is working to bring in some retail and restaurant establishments to line Georgia Avenue and Forest Drive creating a walking-type mall facing the bookstore and foy.

The Foy Buildng "project will do extensive renovations in the Foy Builing to convert it from a general arts instructional facility to a music facility. The building HVAC infrastrecture will be totally replaced. Modifications to existing spaces and technology upgrades will be included in the work."

[ironchapman]

^Cool. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Centennial looks like when it gets finished. I'd like to see what sort of retail & restaurants they can bring in.

[andremurra]

Centennial Place

Sitework begins on Bulloch's Largest Residential Complex in March 2008

Four 4-story Buildings --- 1,001 Beds --- 263,477 Square Feet --- $44-million

1,001 beds - Centennial Place

964 beds - Campus Club

840 beds - The Exchange by Fairfield

796 beds - Eagle Village

754 beds - Copper Beech

Street-level retail and commercial Spaces will be available facing Georgia Avenue and Forest Drive.

Edited November 5, 2007 by andremurra

[912]

http://www.savannahnow.com/node/406808

Albeit 10 years or so late, GSU is finally looking at the possibility of moving from I-AA to I-A in football!

[ironchapman]

http://www.savannahnow.com/node/406808

Albeit 10 years or so late, GSU is finally looking at the possibility of moving from I-AA to I-A in football!

[912]

Yeah, I read about this earlier in the Statesboro Herald. I was going to post it, but I see you beat me to it. I personally wouldn't mind seeing GA Southern move up. We're about the same size as GA Tech is and they're I-A, albeit one of the smaller I-A schools. It would be interesting to see how the dynamics of the in-state rivalries would change if GSU was to move up. Obviously, Tech vs. UGA is a set-in-stone tradition, but what about UGA vs. GSU, Tech vs. GSU, or even some of our rivalries with smaller schools like West Georgia.

Anyways, fromsc2tx, did you by any chance go to GSU? You've made quite a few posts about the university lately and I was kind of curious.

EDIT: Actually, the Herald's article goes a little more in depth, so I'm going to post it as well.

[andremurra]

Facilities update:

Georgia Southern needs to add 6300 parking spaces by 2017 to accommodate the expected 25,000 student enrollment for that year. In the short term, the school needs to add 1200 spaces by 2011 just to handle our current growth. There is no more land. Current enrollment is at 16,841 (highest in history, also the mean SAT score rose to 1108 - up from 1105 last Fall).

Georgia Southern

Edited December 2, 2007 by andremurra

[j.midtown]

I did a stint there, but I majored in alcohol!

I guess the question now is, if GSU is committed to upgrading facilities & the NCAA grants a move up to I-A, what conference should they join? I feel reasonably confident the SEC wouldn't have them. Maybe they could get into the ACC? It would be a good way to convince WVU to join them, and there would still be enough parity.

The only other conference I can think of would be the C-USA. The Big East is another possibility.

[Pete17]

j, I have to agree. The Sun Belt has made great strides in the past few years and I believe it would be a good match for Southern, especially based on geography and competition level.

I'm on the fence on the idea of moving up, but if they do they need to be competitive. There's no use doing it just to take a check and be everybody's punching bag. If things go well there's the possibility of changing conferences sometime in the future.