VSU Announces Opening of J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship
The VSU community gathered in early March to celebrate the opening of the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration’s new J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship.
The J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship will serve as a creative and collaborative hub for students, faculty, and staff across all academic disciplines — the arts, education and human services, nursing and health sciences, humanities and social sciences, math and science, and business. It will bring emerging student entrepreneurs, faculty, staff, and experienced entrepreneurs together to ignite a spirit of innovation and foster connections that extend across the university, the region, and even the world.
VSU, VCS Partner to Expand Educational Equity, Improve Student Achievement
VSU has earned a $300,000 grant from Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity to transform the standards of teacher preparation with a focus on developing highly effective, compassionate, and adaptive teachers.
Over the next three years, VSU will work with Valdosta City Schools and Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity to guide the creation of equity-oriented preparation programs that seek to develop educators — new and experienced, in the classroom and in leadership roles — who reflect and respect the value of an increasingly diverse elementary, middle, and high school student body.
Danielle Buehrer, a V-State alumna, was recently selected to spend two weeks overseas during Summer 2023 as part of the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program. She will serve in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, assisting the International University of Grand-Bassam in applying for accreditation with an institutional accreditation agency in the United States.
Buehrer is the vice provost for institutional effectiveness at Mercer University and a recognized expert on accreditation processes. She has served as a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges liaison at several different institutions, leading them successfully through reaffirmations of accreditation and several substantive changes.
Buehrer earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1997 and a Master of Public Administration in 2008 from VSU.
Taurence Phillips, a V-State alumnus, was recently named principal of Main Elementary School in Rome, Georgia. He has served as assistant principal of Hutto Elementary School in Bainbridge, Georgia, since 2020. He began his career in education in 1998 as a music teacher with Ware County Schools.
Phillips earned a Bachelor of Music in Music in 1996 from VSU. He is currently enrolled in the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders Aspiring Principals Academy.
Michael Oppel, a V-State alumnus, was recently named vice president and loan officer for Stone Bank’s Government Guaranteed Loan Division. He previously worked for Colony Bank.
Oppel earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2010 and a Master of Business Administration in 2012 from VSU.
James Thomas, a V-State alumnus, was recently recognized in the International Production and Processing Expo’s Young Leaders Under 30 program, which recognizes the next generation of meat and poultry professionals between the ages of 21 and 29.
Thomas is the processing superintendent at the Wayne-Sanderson Farms processing facility in Pendergrass, Georgia. He has worked for the company for five years and has served as a logistics analyst, management trainee, production supervisor, and processing superintendent.
Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from VSU in 2015.
VSU Counseling Center Earns Georgia’s 2023 Clinical Program of the Year Award
VSU’s Counseling Center recently earned the Georgia College Counseling Association’s 2023 Clinical Program of the Year Award, which recognizes the development and implementation of a unique clinical program or group for college students.
The Georgia College Counseling Association was impressed by the VSU Counseling Center's commitment to serving as a practicum and internship site for master's level counseling students each semester and providing them with real-world individual, group, and crisis counseling experience as well as training and more.
Herbarium Year: VSU’s Richard Carter Discusses Significance of Plant Specimen Resource
With more than 90,000 specimens, VSU is home to the second largest herbarium in Georgia. Dr. Richard Carter, professor in the Department of Biology and herbarium curator, will discuss the herbarium and its local and global importance at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the VSU Odum Library Auditorium.
The herbarium started in the 1920s with just a handful of specimens. When Carter assumed curatorship in 1984, the collection had reached about 30,000 specimens. It has since earned a number of grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and more.
VSU Highlighted in Georgia Trend
A recent Georgia Trend story, “Valdosta-Lowndes County: South Georgia Capital,” highlighted VSU’s role as a key partner in preparing students for management jobs.
“As South Georgia’s flagship institution of higher education, VSU knows that a strong and healthy network of talent is necessary to help our region’s businesses thrive,” said Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, university president. “That’s why we are so committed to finding fresh ways to meet employer demands while also preparing our graduates for lifelong success.”
Carvajal said VSU’s new strategic plan calls for more focus on degree programs that are most in demand by today’s employers and then expanding internships and other real-world learning opportunities in those programs. In addition, “our innovative new Online College for Career Advancement helps by providing adult learners a tailored degree-completion option made just for the way they live and learn, so that they, too, can become leaders in their chosen careers,” he added.
VSU Honors 162 Employees for Dedication to Blazer Nation
VSU is excited to celebrate faculty and staff loyalty and longevity this spring.
“VSU is a special place, and while our front lawn, palm trees, and Spanish architecture are all among a long list of reasons so many love our institution, it is our people who truly make the difference,” said Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, university president. “Thank you to each of these difference-makers for investing in Valdosta State and our students. VSU is a special place because of all of you.”
The Valdosta Daily Times Celebrates the VSO
The Valdosta Daily Times says the Valdosta-Lowndes County area is fortunate to be home to the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra because it helps make the area a great place to live and visit.
The VSO's next concert, "Heroic," is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on April 29 in VSU's Whitehead Auditorium.
Created in 1990, the VSO serves both the cultural life of Valdosta and the regional academic mission of VSU. The high standard of performance of the orchestra enables it to attract guest soloists of national and international renown to the Valdosta community. The orchestra's membership is a unique blend of resident artist-faculty, students studying professional music disciplines, talented community performers, and carefully selected professionals from a five-state region.
VSU Takes Fresh Approach to Mental Health, Suicide
With suicide being the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 24, VSU recently partnered with the Jordan Porco Foundation for Fresh Check Day 2023 — a fresh approach to student mental health.
Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health. The national program also helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus, in the community, and across the nation.
VSU’s Jalen Smith Featured on Watch The Yard
Watch The Yard recently talked to Jalen Smith, president of the Student Government Association at VSU, for their series highlighting the people who are leading colleges and universities across the nation.
Smith graduates May 6 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He plans to pursue a master's degree in public policy and a career in public service and lawmaking.
From the Watch The Yard story: "Leadership to me means leading a group or organization to a place that will prove to be transformational for the individuals in the organization and the organization itself. I believe that leadership can change the leader, the followers, and the organization as well."
VSU’S Jazmin Borges Wins Research Award at LSAMP Summit
Jazmin Borges’s research, “Gopher Tortoise Mortality and Reliability of Passive Integrated Transponders at Reed Bingham State Park,” recently won the People’s Choice Award at the 2023 Southwest Georgia Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Summit Juried Poster Competition in Columbus. She is a senior from Griffin, Georgia, who plans to graduate from VSU with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Minor in Environmental Studies, and a Minor in Psychology on May 6.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the LSAMP initiative is designed to assist institutions of higher education in diversifying the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in those disciplines.
VSU’s Jasmine Freeman Wins Research Award at LSAMP Summit
Jasmine Freeman’s research, “Utilizing the Continuous and Absorption Spectrum to Calculate the Components of Stars,” recently won first place at the 2023 Southwest Georgia Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Summit Juried Poster Competition in Columbus. She is a senior from Shelby, North Carolina, who anticipates earning a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from VSU in May 2025.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the LSAMP initiative is designed to assist institutions of higher education in diversifying the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in those disciplines.
VSU Hosts International VIP Tour
Members of the Georgia-based Consular Corps recently visited Valdosta as part of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s 2023 International VIP Tour.
For more than 30 years, this annual tour has put a spotlight on Georgia’s diverse communities for a distinguished and influential international audience. This year’s tour highlighted South Georgia’s unique history, industry, tourism, and educational institutions, and included a stop at VSU.
Fun Fact: VSU is home to 96 international students from 41 countries this spring.
VSU’s Darius Thomas Recognized for Equity, Inclusion Leadership
VSU’s Darius Thomas recently earned the 2023 Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) Equity and Inclusion Leadership Award.
The Equity and Inclusion Leadership Award recognizes an ASCA member who has shown outstanding commitment, persistence, and innovation in working on equity and inclusion efforts.
Thomas joined the VSU staff in July 2022 as director of Student Conduct and Title IX for the Division of Enrollment and Student Affairs.
VSU Fraternity, Sorority Students Give Back to Campus
Twelve VSU fraternities and sororities were recently invited to participate in Greek Week Community Service Day 2023.
Dozens of Greeks answered the call to give back, volunteering their time to serve the university, The Haven, and PruittHealth.
“All of our Greek organizations were founded on the tenets of siblinghood, scholarship, and service,” shared Madison Beaumarchais, assistant director for Fraternity and Sorority Life at VSU. “Our students take each of these components seriously and really enjoy giving back to the community that supports them. Greeks are involved in various long- and short-term projects around Valdosta and prioritize giving back as much as they can.”