Fall 2025

  • New Statue Honors Beloved Bald Eagle Mascot

    A new symbol of Eagle spirit stands at the entrance of Allen E. Paulson Stadium, which pays tribute to Freedom, Georgia Southern University’s late bald eagle mascot. The life-size “Freedom to Soar” bronze sculpture has a wingspan of approximately eight feet and weighs 385 pounds. It sits atop a custom cast and polished concrete pedestal…

  • Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 40 Under 40

    Courtney Ashley Nathan Barker Lindsay Brown Latara Castleberry Amessia Chapman Alvie Coes III Caitlyn Cofer Rae Cook Tabitha Coombs Alexis Crawford David Cutler Laura Dalton Jay Dalton Caroline Davis Bowie Evans Ryan Gibson Jordan Given Garrett Green Lauren Guilfoyle Gabriel Hackney Kyle Hadden Jenna Houston Emil Laursen Winfield Lee Alicia Moore Chris Nowicki Matthew Penn…

  • Alumna Makes History in Virginia

    In a historic feat, Georgia Southern University alumna Ghazala Hashmi (’86) has been elected Virginia’s new lieutenant governor. She is the first Muslim woman in the U.S. elected to a statewide office and the first Indian American to win statewide office in the commonwealth. In a previous interview with Georgia Southern Magazine, Hashmi recalled growing…

  • A True Blue Love Story Rooted in Georgia Southern Hoops

    For Professor Emeritus Horace Harrell (’69) and his wife, Diane, Georgia Southern University basketball is more than just a sport. The Eagles team has been at the heart of their love story for more than 50 years. Professor Harrell first started attending games as a student in 1965. The atmosphere was electric, he said. “Back…

  • Building Worlds, One Costume at a Time

    Ann Foley (’98) did not set out to design costumes for Emmy® Award-winning television. In fact, when she arrived on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro Campus to pursue a degree in fashion merchandising, a future in her hometown of Savannah was fully lined up. “I had it all figured out,” she recalled with a laugh. “I…

  • Alyssa Barnes’ Road to Success: A Radio Career Built on Resilience

    Alyssa Barnes is exactly where she planned to be when she graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2010. The multimedia communications major, known as Danie B in Atlanta, is the midday personality and digital coordinator for radio powerhouse V-103. “I’ve always wanted to be on the radio and on TV,” said Barnes, who was raised…

  • Turning a New Page: From Classroom to Changemaker

    Dayle Burns leads Georgia literacy charge When Dayle Burns (‘76) started her college career at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro in 1973, she dreamed of becoming an art teacher to inspire others. She never imagined that one day she would play a key role in Georgia’s literacy movement. Yet from the moment she stepped into…

  • A Professor’s Call to Service and Teaching

    Shaped by Family, Fueled by Service: Harry Hunter Jr.’s Journey from Armstrong to USC Faculty When Professor Harry Hunter Jr., Ph.D., DSW (’75), talks about his life, he starts with Savannah, Georgia, where he grew up with four sisters and one brother. He speaks about his parents, who instilled the values that led to his…

  • Georgia Southern Nursing Alumna Honors Colleagues with Nursing Honor Guard

    Nursing instructor Jennifer Heyer (’94) was looking for a way to honor her fellow nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had several fellow nurses pass away during the pandemic,” she said. “And I knew I had to do something that would commemorate their nursing legacy. So I started researching.” That’s how she discovered the National…

  • From Competitor to Coach: Danny Varnadore Spurs on the Next Generation of Rodeo

    Danny Varnadore (’11, ’15) has a unique office at South Georgia State College, just a short drive from the Florida border. As the head coach of the college’s new rodeo club, his days are spent in barns more often than in classrooms. His journey from professional bull rider to college coach is a winding tale…