Features

  • Together We Soar Campaign Overview

    CampaignOverview $300 Million by December 31, 2030 $151.8 Million as of April 30, 2026. 112 New EndowmentsCreated $44.4M Student Success $22.3M Campus & Community Projects $33.3M Teaching & Research $46.1M Athletic Initiatives How Can You Help? Create a Scholarship Support Capital Projects Make a Planned Gift Give Online Corporate Matching Gifts Join the 1906 Society

  • Alumnus Soars: Eagle Grad Helms Major University in Metro Atlanta

    Clayton State University President Georj Lewis, Ed.D., (’07) has deep- rooted connections to Georgia Southern University. Not only is he an alumnus, but he also has served in pivotal leadership roles at Georgia Southern, including dean of students and vice president for student affairs. “It was one of the best times in my life and…

  • FROM STUDENT LEADER TO UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: HOW RUSSELL KEEN’S GEORGIA SOUTHERN EXPERIENCE SHAPED HIM AS A LEADER

    When Russell Keen, Ed.D., (’99, ’14) was appointed president of Augusta University in July 2024, it was more than a professional milestone – it was a full-circle moment. A first-generation college student raised in Augusta, Georgia, the journey to university leadership began years earlier at Georgia Southern University, where he discovered his passion for education,…

  • Georgia Southern Alumnus Jermaine Whirl Leads Savannah State University

    Jermaine Whirl, Ed.D., (’10) is celebrating. At age 39, the new leader of Savannah State University is the youngest president of a Historically Black College and University in the country. He started his college journey as an economics student, hoping to serve as an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank. But whispers of an old…

  • Soaring into Memory: Farewell to Freedom, Our Cherished Live Mascot

    “Soar Beyond.” These words perfectly capture the spirit of Freedom, our beloved bald eagle mascot. For years, Freedom soared above the crowds at Georgia Southern University events — football games, graduation ceremonies and participated in community outreach initiatives. His presence inspired generations, teaching us about wildlife, endangered species and the importance of conservation. Sadly, Freedom…

  • Tammie Williams sitting in front of an underwater ocean life tank at the Georgia Aquarium.

    Can’t Put a Number on Wonder

    Mouths drop in awe as the huge body of a whale shark fills the Observation Wall of the Ocean Voyager Gallery at Georgia Aquarium. Its shadow passes over the heads of visitors crowding the glass, putting mere feet between them and the largest fish in the world. Tammie Williams (’98, ’15) beams as the shark…

  • From Post-it Notes to Gallery Walls

    “I’ve always been an artist,” said alumna Allison James (’13). “According to my mom, she has these little Post-it Note drawings of bears that I did when I was 18 months old. I don’t even know if I was walking yet. And Mom still has them.” 

  • From The George-Anne to the Pulitzer

    Charles Minshew (‘11) slept with the radio on, as was his habit, when he awoke early to reports of a shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. He jumped up and raced to the office of the Denver Post, where the newsroom was already busy working on the story.

  • Breaking the Waves

    BREAKING THE WAVES Barbara Melvin Breaks the Glass Ceiling to Become First Female CEO of South Carolina Ports As the first female CEO of the South Carolina Port Authority, Barbara Melvin (’92) has navigated a compelling journey from the peach orchards of Fort Valley, Georgia, to the bustling docks of Charleston. Her story of success…

  • Gracie's Corner

    A Journey of Unexpected Turns

    From Georgia Southern’s Chemistry Labs to YouTube’s Global Stage Javoris Hollingsworth’s (’07) story of internet stardom began in Jeffersonville, Georgia, about 20 miles from Macon. “Jeffersonville is a very small town where everybody knows everybody else,” Hollingsworth said as he reminisced about growing up there, and the Sundays he spent in church with his grandmother.…