James January-February 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 36
A ROLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Georgia State may have the widest variety of academic offerings in
the state— offering more than 250 undergraduate degree programs in more
than 100 fields of study, and more
than 137 graduate degree programs.
In fact, U.S. News and World Report
has named GSU the No. 1 public university for undergraduate teaching for
five years in a row.
“We started as a school of commerce for working professionals, so
I would say we are best known for
our business programs, particularly
computer information systems and
finance,” Blake said. “Our media arts
programs are very popular, and demand is hitting capacity in those. From
a research perspective, our biomedical
sciences are highly interdisciplinary
and innovative, and our faculty there
are leading significant research projects and receiving prestigious grants.”
GSU is one of the University System of Georgia’s research universities—
and holds the designation of an R1
university. That’s the highest category
for research institutions in the U.S.
“We’re one of the fastest-growing
R1s in the nation,” Blake said.
Georgia’s research institutions are
all expected to play a significant role
in addressing global issues to improve
the human condition while also giving
students a top-notch education and
make an impact on workforce development in the state. But he emphasizes,
“Georgia State is different from the other research universities in the state in
that we’re the most accessible. Another
way that we’re different is that, in many
research institutions, there tends to be
a culture where you have prominent
researchers who don’t interact with students often, and then you have another
culture of instructors who don’t engage
in research. Whereas at Georgia State,
so many of our faculty teach our students and conduct high-level research.
They’re very focused on the mission of
the institution and the success of the
students. I believe we are a next-generation research university.”
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The university’s research spans a
wide range of disciplines— from public
health and neuroscience to criminal
justice and urban policy. Faculty and
students collaborate on cutting-edge
projects that address critical issues
such as healthcare disparities, urban
development, and social justice. The
National Institute of Health (NIH) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
are among the many organizations
that fund GSU’s research initiatives,
reflecting the university’s growing
reputation for scholarly excellence.
A ROBUST STRATEGIC PLAN
According to Blake, Georgia State
University’s strategic plan is based
on four foundational pillars: Identity,
Placemaking and Belonging; Innovating Research, Scholarship and Creative
Activity; Student Success 2.0; and
Beyond College to Career.
“In the past 10 years, GSU has
grown exponentially, it’s expanded
through the city with the consolidation with Georgia Perimeter, become
nationally known for our student
success initiatives and became a place
where students with a broad range of
socioeconomic backgrounds can be
successful. With our strategic plan,
he continues, “we’re building on our
strengths and building out a bold new
vision and initiatives. We want to double the productivity of research. We’ve
got to go to the next level with Student
Success. And we really want Georgia
State to be a place that feels like an
urban institution, but also have places
where students feel like a traditional
campus— and they can be proud and
have an affinity. And we’re going to
introduce career-ready practices right
into our curriculum.”
ADDRESSING COST
With the costs for secondary
education always on the minds of students and parents, Blake said GSU has
found ways to address expense issues
and assist students. “We’re affordable,”
he stresses.
“If you look at our base tuition price
in-state and out-of-state, we’re competitive throughout the nation,” said Blake.
“We also have a practice called Panther
Retention Grants, which allows us to
give small amounts of money to students who are struggling financially—
anywhere from $300 to $500, and those
amounts can really make a difference
for students to continue. About 87 percent of our students downtown receive
financial aid, and we’re very good at
giving our students the best opportunity to maintain the funding they may
have. For example, if it looks like a student is losing their HOPE Scholarship,
we give them tutoring and counseling
to keep HOPE alive.”
Blake goes on to say that because
of GSU’s data-driven advisors working
with students, the institution is able to
reduce students’ average time to earn
a degree by nearly a whole semester.
Of course, that saves students— and
Georgia taxpayers— millions of dollars
in unnecessary tuition and fees.
