------------------------------------------------ Bruce Grube Welcome ------------------------------------------------ Our 2003 academic year opened with the strongest start for students in our 97-year history:  * Our largest enrollment, expected to exceed 15,500. * Our highest SAT scores, which already surpass state and national averages. * Three new academic buildings ready for classes, including the College of Information Technology which occupies one of the finest facilities of its kind in the Southeast. * And two new residential complexes to welcome students to on-campus apartment suites. These developments continue the trend which is advancing Georgia Southern toward our strategic goal -- to be ranked in the top tier of the best comprehensive universities in America within this decade. But Georgia Southernšs true success comes in what we have achieved as a student-centered university. Our students are surrounded with the best qualities of a large university on a campus the right size (about 15,500) to personalize those benefits. Our hallmark is a superior undergraduate experience, emphasizing academic distinction, excellent teaching, and student success. As Georgiašs largest university south of Atlanta, the University also assumes a significant role in the economic development of our state. A growing partnership of leaders in the public and private sectors is investing in Georgia Southernšs vitality and vision to develop the rich potential of its region and the state. Encompassing all those assets is a campus which is one of the most naturally beautiful in the state, spreading over a 634-acre landscape of lawns, lakes, and towering pines. The historic heart of campus is a classic college portrait ­ red brick and white columns framed by an archway of live oaks. An expanding horizon of new buildings is connected by a walking boulevard called the Pedestrium. More than $200 million has been invested in construction and renovation in the past decade, and a new Master Plan is guiding future development. Our learning environment is unique in its array of public attractions ­ a Center for Wildlife Education, a Museum, a Botanical Garden, a world-class Performing Arts Center, and collegiate athletics at the championship level. As we approach our Centennial in 2006, Georgia Southern is ready for a new era of greater expectations, based on our strengths and aspirations. ------------------------------------------------ Mission Statement ------------------------------------------------ Georgia Southern University is a predominantly undergraduate university devoted to "teaching first," a student-centered residential campus that nurtures a fulfilling college experience, and a serving institution strongly identified with the heritage and hopes of its region. The University's uncommon breadth of nationally accredited academic programs in the liberal arts and professional studies attracts a statewide enrollment of undergraduate students. As a University granting professionally-oriented doctoral degrees and an array of master's degrees designed to meet the needs of the region, Georgia Southern is cultivating a resident cadre of leaders with advanced education in critically-needed professions. Our Mission is Rooted in South Georgia, a largely rural region that encompasses coastline, wetlands, cities and rich histories, and areas of endemic privation but abundant potential. Our quest is to uplift our region's educational attainment, cultural opportunities, economic growth, environmental quality, scientific and technological progress, and social and personal well-being. Our hallmark is a comprehensive university experience that promotes student growth and success through creative strategies for using technology, enhancing learning, and connecting all we do to those around us. Most of Our Students are Georgians who begin as full-time freshmen, reflect Georgia's and the globe's cultural diversity, and have the motivation and ability to complete our increasingly demanding programs. Working professionals and transfer students are a growing presence. Student life is characterized by a culture of learning inside and outside the classroom. A safe campus serves as a laboratory for developing citizenship and leadership in a collegial environment. The Georgia Southern experience promotes the development of students who value honesty, civility, and the dignity of work. Our mission is to graduate students who are knowledgeable, clear-thinking, articulate, and effective in problem-solving. Our Comprehensive Curriculum Focuses on undergraduate programs of high quality, enhanced by masters and professionally-oriented doctoral programs pertinent to the region. At the University's core is excellent instruction, strengthened by research and service. Innovative classes increasingly incorporate new instructional techniques and technologies. The University is a Center of Learning applied to regional planning, economic development, partnerships in schools, science, industries, international trade, community needs, and the health of South Georgians. We expand horizons through outreach in sciences and liberal arts, preservation of distinctive cultural legacies, and attention to the integrity of South Georgia's environment. Faculty, staff, and students exemplify service, contributing time and expertise to enhance the quality of life. Scholarship is Central to the Mission of the University. We practice scholarship in terms of the discovery, integration, application, and teaching of knowledge and creative activity. Scholarship of relevance to South Georgia, and of a standard that can earn national or international recognition, is especially esteemed. Georgia Southern Will Be one of the nation's best public undergraduate universities by nurturing a faculty who are devoted to teaching able and diverse students. We will provide society with graduates who are both equipped to master a competitive world and educated to build a better civilization. Georgia Southern exemplifies how kindness, quality, and collaboration can complement efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity. Georgia Southern University will be a catalyst for the aspirations of South Georgians and an emblem of their achievements. ------------------------------------------------ University Profile ------------------------------------------------ Georgia Southern University is the largest and most comprehensive center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia. A residential campus of 15,700 students, Georgia Southern is one of the top universities of choice in Georgia for new freshmen; every state and 80 nations are represented in the student body. The University's hallmark is a superior undergraduate experience emphasizing academic distinction, excellent teaching, and student success. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Georgia Southern offers 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the doctoral level in its seven Colleges: Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Business Administration; Education; Health and Human Sciences; Information Technology; The Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies; and the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology. The University has earned national accreditation in 29 program areas. Founded in 1906 as a district agricultural school, Georgia Southern advanced to become a teachers' college, a senior college, and in 1990 earned its status as the first university in the southern half of Georgia. Since becoming a University, Georgia Southern has invested more than $200 million in a renaissance of buildings and beautification on its 643-acre park-like campus. The learning environment for students and the public is enhanced by a museum of cultural and natural history, a botanical garden, and a unique wildlife education center. A new campus master plan will guide future construction. Georgia Southern serves its mostly rural coastal region through outreach and research in economic development, education, cultural opportunities, rural health, and environmental interests. The University extends educational opportunities throughout the region at graduate centers in Savannah, Augusta, Brunswick, Hinesville, Dublin and at numerous remote sites statewide via distance learning.