May 2025 Provost Notes

Dr. Christine Mutiti (PI) - College of Arts & Sciences- Biological and Environmental Sciences
Team: Allison VandeVoort, Kalina Manoylov, Samuel Mutiti, and Kristine White

Project Title: Affordable Learning Grant Continuous Improvement Grant: Intro to Environmental Science

Sponsor: University System of Georgia

Funded Amount: $10,000

Dr. Katie Simon (PI) - College of Arts & Sciences- English

Team: Hedwig Fraunhofer and Kerry Neville

Project Title: Affordable Learning Grant Transformation – ENGL 2110

Sponsor: University System of Georgia

Funded Amount: $15,000

Congratulations to Dr. Dominic DeSantis on his award of $49,962 for his Leveraging animal-borne accelerometry to quantify the non-consumptive effects of predators on the activity budgets of prey project.

GC Reads is an introduction to academic life for new students at GCSU. Approximately 85 faculty and staff facilitators are needed for GC Reads in August. GC Reads will be on the afternoon of Friday, August 15. As in years past, two 75-minute sessions will be held. If you are interested in participating but are unsure what is involved, orientation sessions will be held this summer and in early August that are designed to support your success. Facilitators report how rewarding it is to welcome our new students in this way, so please consider participating this year. To sign up, submit this form: https://forms.office.com/r/HZa2f7phrA.

If you have any questions, please contact Cara Smith or Emily Jarvis.

The QEP will sponsor Don’t Cancel Class again for the 2025-2026 academic year. Don't Cancel Class is a collaboration between the Divisions of Student Life and Academic Affairs that invites faculty to schedule a workshop for their normally-scheduled class in the event of a planned absence or as part of the class plan. Faculty are invited to choose from a menu of workshops, discussions, and trainings focused on student success, mental health, or wellbeing topics including transitioning to college, resilience, time management, growth mindset, effective communication, academic confidence, and many more. Faculty may also request a customized workshop or training for their class. Visit https://www.gcsu.edu/wellbeing/faculty-resources to request a workshop or contact emily.jarvis@gcsu.edu to learn more.

To measure the current climate of our students’ mental health and wellbeing, GCSU administered the National Collegiate Health Assessment (NCHA) in March 2025. GCSU had an overwhelming response rate of 18%, which is 6% above the mean national response rate for Spring 2024. A special thanks to Rachel Pope, health educator for Wellness and Recreation, for leading the survey administration. Thank you also to all of the faculty who administered the survey in their classes: Kelly Massey, Kendra Evans, Hedy Fraunhofer, Cassie Napier, Lee Gillis, Mariana Stoyanova, Christine Mutiti, Mark Causey, Mehrnaz Khalaj Hedayati, Matt Milnes, Stephanie Jett, Damian Francis, Angel Abney, Joanne Spalding, Rachel Bray, Helen DuPree, Steve Elliott-Gower, and Valerie Aranda. This year's success would not have been possible without their help!

Operationalized the mobile health unit this past fall and have attended 8 events with the unit performing over 100 screenings including one women’s health preventive screening in conjunction with Atrium’s mobile mammography unit.

A new Simulation and Translational Research Center has been designed and renovations to the space are ongoing, with a target date of relocating the center in July 2025.

Recruiting 7 additional middle Georgia students into the nursing program on the Lettie Pate Whitehead scholarship program expansion brings the total to 28 students in the program.

Nursing and Exercise Science remain two of the most popular undergraduate majors at the university.

An Anatomage unit was added to the School of Health and Human Performance for virtual anatomy dissection instruction.

The School of Health and Human Performance is working to add a pre-clinical pathway through the Public Health B.S. degree.

The COBT brought together the AI Lab, SAP NextGen Lab, and the former Center of Design & Ecommerce by creating a new Center for Technology & Empowerment. Dr. Ward Risvold and Ms. Caroline Collier serve as the center’s co-directors.

A Thought Leadership document in line with AACSB accreditation requirements was proposed and passed. Adjustments to the CoBT Strategic Plan and Societal Impact Plan were made in response to recent guidelines.

COBT created and approved a minor in Entrepreneurship and are creating a Master of Science in Applied AI.

A spring cohort and Double Bobcat pathway for the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management program was implemented.

A successful Alumni Giving Campaign happened in April. Students are already making use of both the Bobcat Trading Room and Bobcat Boardroom. COBT is still working to identify funds for continuous support of the Bobcat Trading Room.

The Executive in Residence program that brings an executive to campus for a week to interact with students was started. Barry Wolfe joined in the fall, and Kevin Neary came from Ireland in the spring. Kevin spoke on Critical Thinking in the Age of AI to a packed A&S Auditorium.

The Executive Forum which is designed for community outreach was relaunched. Kevin Neary from Orcawise spoke in January, while Mike Ciabattoni of CW Holdings, LLC joined in March. The next speaker will arrive in September.

The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy provided $20,000 in funding for mini-grants for CoE undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. Projects funded supported professional development of students and faculty, conference travel, and classroom materials related to early literacy learning.

The creation of a Sensory Room in Kilpatrick was completed this month and will be available for use by students, staff, and faculty in fall 2025. The space will provide a calm, comfortable environment for educational and wellness purposes.

GC Thrive: an inclusive Postsecondary Education Program that enables young adults with intellectual disabilities to attend college, will honor Spencer Kirkley. Spencer is the first program completer who will earn his Certificate of Completion this May.

The College of Education in collaboration with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, obtained approval to provide the undergraduate Special Education program that leads to Georgia Special Education Certification in an online format as a Paraprofessional to Special Education Teacher Adult Degree Completion Program.

SchoolSims, software that provides simulation-based experiential learning for educators and administrators, is being integrated into curriculum with graduate students in the Educational Leadership Program.

109 undergraduate students attended and/or presented at a state, regional, or national conference during fall 2024 and spring 2025. The CoE Leadership Board provided financial support to 45 of these teacher candidates.

Forty-eight Honors courses were offered in 2024-2025, including courses that enhance understanding of multiple perspectives both domestically and internationally (in contrast to 20-25 courses per year when the college was first established).

Honors advising with sessions in all Honors GC1Ys were enhanced; thereby replacing group advising sessions in the evenings.

An Honors Innovation and Entrepreneurship Learning Community was established in collaboration with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to support student learning both within and beyond the Honors College. Aspects included related course offerings, lunch/dinner seminars, and a workshop held in Madison, GA in collaboration with Dr. Harold Mock, Prof. Chelsea Brantley, Dr. Nicholas Creel, Prof. Caroline Collier, and Dr. Ward Risvold.

The National Collegiate Honors Conference was made an annual opportunity for GCSU Honors students. The Honors College has been taking students to state and regional conferences annually. The Honors College added NCHC as a regular activity (rather than an occasional one) by taking 3 students in 2024 and by submitting proposals from 6 students for the upcoming 2025 conference.

A schedule was developed for targeted Front Page posts for the Honors College and the Office of National Scholarships to celebrate the accomplishments of GCSU students, thereby enhancing the university’s reputation. Announcements celebrated the New Orleans fall break program, Honors conference participation, awards like the Quad Fellowship, the Gillman Scholarship, and the Academic Recognition Day award, and events such as Honors Convocation, Legends of Honors Presentations, National Scholarship Info Sessions, and the Research Day Kickoff Keynote Address & Saladin Scholars Awards Ceremony.

The College created the COAS Low Award Programs Task Force comprised of volunteer faculty to work across disciplines to identify strategies to support low awarded programs. This initiative is being co-chaired by Libby Murphy and Sunita Manian.

The Arts Division of COAS showcased the creativity and talent of faculty and students during its Artober celebrations in October 2024. The events featured activities and presentations from four departments: Communication, Art, Music, and Theatre and Dance.

The Department of Philosophy, Religion & Liberal Studies re-envisioned the Interdisciplinary program to better reflect the current directions of the program and student needs.

New Concentrations in Physics were implemented in AY25.

The new Audio Production Certificate is a collaboration between the Department of Communication and Department of English that is designed to help students obtain workforce ready skills.

The Dean’s office increased membership to the COAS Advisory Board.

The new Music Rehearsal Building is set to be completed in Spring 2025, with full occupancy by the Fall semester.

The PALS department held a Vegan Fest for approximately one hundred students, faculty, staff and community members. In addition to sampling a range of vegan foods from East Asia, Mexico, India and the Mediterranean, attendees heard short presentations on topics such as Veganism and the concept of Ahimsa; Veganism’s role in Sustainability; and Veganism and Nutrition.

The college is recruiting an Assistant Dean to increase efficiencies within the College and serve as a professional development opportunity for a senior faculty member interested in gaining leadership experience in the Dean’s office of the College of Arts & Sciences.

As required by SB 464, the Deal Center led the systematic review of universal reading screeners for adoption by the State Board of Education. One of those identified screeners will be offered for free to school districts in Georgia. According to the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act (HB 307), the Deal Center will oversee a review of Georgia’s literacy screeners every three years.

The Deal Center awarded four Implementation Research Grants in FY25 totaling $199,324 and also awarded sixteen Community Coalition Grants in FY25 totaling $248,860, representing a 71% increase in total applications compared to last year and our highest number of applications since the grant was first awarded in 2018.

The Deal Center trained thirteen GCSU students in instructional practices rooted in the science of reading and deployed them to an afterschool reading support program housed at Lakeview Primary over the course the 2024-25 school year. The Deal Center will be evaluating the impact on the students they served.

The Deal Center has served 97 professionals, with for-credit instruction, through the successful completion of 6/8 sessions of their Virtual Learning Series.

In partnership with Nik Philmon at GaDOE, the Literacy Coach Network was launched. This is a virtual space for coaches across the state to come together, support each other, and share resources (3 of 5 sessions complete with 50+ attendees at each session).

Deal Center staff have provided five conference presentations and exhibited at four conferences.

Twenty-eight awards totaling $3,609,868 have been received as of 3/31/25, which exceeds the total amount of awards for FY’24 ($3,517,934). OGSP has expanded the grant sponsor portfolio by submitting applications to 4 new sponsors with 3 funded and 1 decision still pending, worked with Budget and Financial Services to develop processes to identify research expenditures for inclusion on the HERD survey, and also hosted a 2-day grantsmanship workshop for USG institutions.

Currently GCSU has 1,072 graduate students enrolled! It is anticipated that over 500 students will graduate in the spring and summer semesters.

GCSU’s key rankings for 2025 are nothing short of outstanding!

1. No. 1 best online master’s in nursing degree in Georgia
2. No. 17 in the nation, of 198 total institutions ranked (tied)
3. No. 2 best online master’s in business degree in Georgia
4. No. 2 best online master’s in criminal justice degree in Georgia
5. No. 4 best online Master of Business Administration degree in Georgia
6. No. 5 best online master’s in education degree in Georgia (tied)
7. GCSU’s online master’s programs were ranked among the top 100 in the country, and among the top five in Georgia, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 rankings, released very recently.

The Graduate School developed its first official Graduate School Handbook, designed to serve as a comprehensive resource for graduate students. The handbook outlines key policies, procedures, and support services to help graduate students navigate their academic journey and make the most of their graduate experience.

The Office of Admissions received 8,682 freshman applications for Fall 2025, representing a 5% increase from the previous year. For the third consecutive year, GCSU closed freshman applications on April 1, reinforcing our position as a highly sought-after and selective institution. During this recruitment cycle, the admissions team conducted over 600 recruitment visits and connected with more than 16,000 prospective students throughout Georgia and surrounding states.

The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships had a 259% increase in institutional scholarship applications over last year. The office received 541 applications in the previous year and received 1,962 applications for the upcoming academic year. Financial Aid and the scholarship committees are wrapping up the final stages of determining scholarship recipients for the upcoming academic year.

The Registrar’s Office and Academic Advising began the implementation of Modern Campus catalog and curriculum management software, Slate for Student Success, and Campus ESP FERPA management software for students and parents.

The Center for Testing met increased need for testing accommodation services.

This academic year, the Office of Student Success and Career Development partnered with more than 350 employers and graduate schools, providing career and graduate school exploration and networking opportunities to over 1,330 students. In addition, the Office of Student Success and Career Development made more than 6,600 student contacts through more than 260 programs, presentations, workshops, and individual appointments focused on career development and student success.

In its first two months, the newly established Office of Graduate Admissions has made significant strides, implementing successful initiatives—including a targeted fee waiver campaign and enhanced digital marketing—that have led to a notable increase in applications, inquiries, and engagement. Additionally, strategic communication efforts have improved application completion rates, offering valuable insights for future recruitment and addressing key challenges in the admissions process.

Academic Outreach

GCSU Thirst for Knowledge program was increased by 1 student and participation by 5 students.

Adult Learners

A partnership with Atlanta Public Schools was established to enroll paraprofessionals in the B.S. in Special Education for working paraprofessionals.

Afterschool Achievement

The High Achievers Program in collaboration with OGSP, submitted a $200,000 proposal for FY26 to the Georgia Department of Human Services. If funded, it will provide services for Baldwin County high school participants grades 9-12, part time employment for up to two GCSU students, and service-learning opportunities for GCSU students for up to two years.

Afterschool Achievement provided approximately 20 site placements for GCSU Pre-EDU students to complete observations, supported over 50 hours of direct service for GC Journeys students, and hired two GCSU students as tutors.

Communities in Schools

The Read United program was implemented at Midway Hills Primary School and Lakeview Primary School, a literacy-based program that focuses on strengthening students' reading skills and fluency.

$4000 was obtained from the Dollar General Literacy Grant to support purchasing home library books for the students at Lakeview Academy and Lakeview Primary.

$8,500 was received in grant funding from Community Foundation of Central Georgia to strengthen school and community relationships, specifically focusing on residents of the Oconee Heights neighborhood.

Continuing and Professional Education

Learning in Retirement enrollment has increased membership by 39%. Three new specialty camps were implemented this summer (Youth Art, Tech Explorers and Outdoor Adventure). A new program, the Master the Art of Grant Writing: A Comprehensive Workshop Series was created.

Historic Museums

The number of visitors was increased by 600 patrons through the Flannery O'Connor's 100th birthday initiative. The Georgia Association of Museums conference was hosted at GCSU. A collaborative effort with the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy and the Department of Art in which the Sallie Ellis Davis House's WWI-era recruitment poster for African American soldiers was scanned by a digital spectrometer to determine the various components of the object was supported. The "Death after Dark" and Christmas Candlelight Tours were sold out and a new historic dance workshop was offered and over 250 people were served at Music at the Mansion.

SoCPS Collaboration Award

The College of Education was awarded the School of Continuing & Professional Studies Collaboration Award. Rebekah Snider, Executive Director of Visit Milledgeville, won the community partner Collaboration Award.

Study Abroad participation this year is expected to top a record 300 and 25 or more nations. Besides excellent faculty-led programs, Study Abroad placements this year again include high-quality and decidedly transformative opportunities abroad, and to exchange partners, with full semesters and academic years becoming more common. As many as 20 students will pursue international internships this summer, the most ever at GCSU.

A record number of Study Abroad scholarship applicants (35%) applied for “New Horizons” scholarships. Reflecting the increased visibility and attraction of GCSU Study Abroad, that number also highlights the need for increased levels of financial (and other) supports as the SA applicant pool widens.

Discussions continue with schools and universities on three continents to expand opportunities for students and faculty, plus create pipelines.

Assisted by its interns and practicum students, the student-created and student-focused news magazine, “Crossroad,” continued publication, reaching five continents. A new LinkedIn platform to connect international alumni, plus partners and colleagues abroad, is being developed.

Despite a smaller pool, the State Department continues to send students to GCSU, including eleven this year from Albania, Cambodia, East Timor, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.

International enrollments were steady this year as the unit tested a new marketing platform. Students from 30 nations came to GCSU; a figure challenging the best of our aspirational peers.

Continuing its 100% success rate, and expanding the GCSU brand, the International Education Center again successfully mentored two more international students to graduate school placements in the US and abroad, with another two awaiting decisions. One student placed two years ago has now completed her doctoral exams.

The International Education Center applied for, and received recertification of, GCSU’s F-1 student visa program.

Special Collections served as the site for two English capstone projects, one history internship, two information studies internships, and one THRIVE internship in 2025. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Flannery O'Connor Gallery for Southern Literary Works and the Rare Book Room exhibits were updated.

Russell Library’s Collection and Resource Services Department purchased 1041 print and ebooks and licensed four streaming films in support of the curriculum, to supplement the subscription-based databases of ebooks and streaming media we provide.

Library faculty and staff have been configuring and training on an open-source library management system, FOLIO, as part of the statewide migration that is set to go live on July 16, 2025.

Special Collections has worked with Visit Milledgeville to promote Georgia's Trail of Legacy & Lore. The weblink to Heritage Hall is https://www.visitmilledgeville.org/listings/heritage-hall-at-georgia-college/41797/.

The university’s Affordable Learning Georgia Champions Team assisted faculty with two grant applications, both of which were successful.

With support from Academic Affairs and Finance and Administration, the furniture in the atrium level of the library was updated.

The AI Community of Practice was launched and maintained with ten to twelve active members. Topics range from practical applications to ethics of using AI to potential impact on our students.

Processes and procedures to meet the recently adopted USDOE requirements were established and developed. Out of state students who are applying to programs leading to licensure here in Georgia will be required to identify where they intend to reside and Georgia College will make the determination whether the program matches the educational requirements of their state.

Six workshops in the Liberal Arts Skills in the Professions and Individual Wellbeing program were launched and conducted. Topics covered collaboration, teamwork, communication, and critical thinking and focused on how to work with students to understand how these topics were presented in classes and how best to communicate them to others.

The Instructor Peer Coaching was launched and enrolled ten participants. The Instructor Peer Coaching program invites instructors to pair up with another instructor and meet throughout the whole academic year to observe and discuss what they see in each other's classes. The purpose of the program is to engage campus in a deeper conversation about teaching and finding ways to improve its success.

A. 4-day scholarly conference was conducted in September, 2024, that brought 90 presenters and over 250 attendees to GCSU from around the country and the world. This event also showcased GCSU students, faculty researchers, and creative writers and was free and open to the public with support from a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

The institute collaborated across campus to create the highly successful campus-wide Centennial Celebration for Flannery O’Connor, including a unique art opening, music festival, film screening, and song writer’s workshop. Scholar Bob Donahoo was brought to campus to discuss the newly acquired art of Flannery O’Connor.

Prestigious press which recognized the O’Connor Centennial was garnered, including from the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and Southern Living.

The inaugural Southern Gothic Lecture Series was created which brought to campus two distinguished scholars: Teresa Goddu, of Vanderbilt University and Sara Crosby, of the Ohio University. Dr. Vanderbilt also led a teaching symposium for faculty in the environmental humanities.

The second Laidlaw Junior Scholar Fellowship was awarded to Jack Love, who will use the award to support a visit in May 2025 to Special Collections to conduct research with the Flannery O’Connor papers.

A U.S. Department of Education Grant was completed by hosting a symposium for K-12 teachers, including a podcast give-away package to five winners including Baldwin High School and Arts Alliance.

• Is integrating writing support into the HIPS Institute for the first time.
• Beginning The Writing-Enriched Curriculum approach (championed by HIPs Institute kickoff speaker, Chris Anson).

In 2024-25, the Office of Leadership Programs continued the implementation of a common set of Research & Public Service Priorities to inform public discourse and contribute meaningfully to the public good. Teams of students produced more than a dozen research studies with policy relevance for external partner agencies. Additionally, we hosted outreach programming, including the Usery Forum on Leadership, TEDxGeorgiaCollege, and the Leadership Ideas Festival. Our Leadership Clinics have begun a two-year research project, “Georgia 2040,” gathering and analyzing data to envision the future of Georgia across the next two decades. Project teams include “Population and Politics,” “Economy, Industry, and Infrastructure,” “Health and Wellness,” and “Environment, Energy, and Sustainability.” (Pillar: Engage)

• Peer tutors, SI leaders, and Math Lab ULAs have been hired and begun training for upcoming fall semester.
• For enrolled GC students, offering free summer tutoring for almost all math, chem, bio, econ begins with May semester and available online.
• Wrapping up this year with over 10,000 student visits across services.
• Excel Bootcamps and Algebra Review Workshops for fall are currently open for faculty requests.

• The Rural Studies Institute (RSI) received $5,000 funding from the Rural Climate Partnership.
• The RSI launched its Feast for Thought virtual discussion series that featured GCSU professors Sandra Godwin, Stephanie Opperman, Trae Welborn, and Katie Simon.
• The RSI is serving as a host site for the Partnership for Innovation (PIN) internship program and is hosting one Computer Science graduate student from the University of Georgia and an undergraduate student in Management Information Systems from Georgia College & State University as interns.
• The RSI will host additional students from Georgia Tech and Baldwin High School this summer for internship opportunities.
• During this academic year the RSI had partnerships with Drawdown Georgia and the Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (SCORE) at GA Tech.