James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 28
We have set in motion a strategic
plan to grow and invest in our research
enterprise, with the goal of growing
public impact research.
For example, our Institute for Water
and Health recently received a grant
from the federal government to unite
partners across a wide range of networks— including municipalities, environmental agencies, businesses, school
districts, and local communities— to
collaboratively address current challenges to water resources in our region and
to apply innovative approaches to water
quality diagnostics. Examples like this
allow Georgia Southern to further our
reach and our impact—all to better serve
the people who live and work in Georgia.
Address your efforts to grow and invest in
your Public Impact Research Agenda.
Georgia Southern has stated its
goal, “Soaring to R1,” to become an
R1 Carnegie designated institution by
2028! We have made steady progress
in developing infrastructure, improving processes, and increasing research
activities since our initial designation as
a Carnegie Doctoral-Research university
in 2018. Responding to the imperative
for a robust research university to support the rapid economic development
of the Southeast Georgia region, as well
as its designation as a national research
university, Georgia Southern embarked
on a mission to expand its academic
programs, grow its research capacity,
and foster commercialization activities.
In alignment with the strategic
plan and building on a legacy of strong
community partnerships as well as its
core mission as a comprehensive, public
university, Georgia Southern launched
its Public Impact Research Agenda to
support the discovery, application, and
dissemination of new knowledge to
engage with the pressing challenges of
the people living in the communities
we serve. Though not exclusive and not
comprehensive of all areas of research
at the university, we have identified
five specific focus areas of existing
institutional strength to be strategically
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RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE INSTITUTE FOR WATER AND HEALTH’S NEW LAB.
leveraged— to increase our research
capacity and make meaningful and sustainable differences in these academic
fields: Logistics and Supply Chain Innovation, Coastal Resiliency, Holistic Fitness
and Wellness, Advanced Materials and
Manufacturing, and Vibrant Communities:
Prosperity, Education, Public Health, and
Safety. These specific areas will have a
lasting impact on the quality of life and
advancement of our region.
into foundation courses across freshman, sophomore, junior and senior
classes to overtly highlight how these
skills are relevant to their professional
lives. Students at the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences complete
learning modules and class assignments
in career assessment, professional networking, interviewing, and job search.
First year results showed significant
increases in student confidence levels
for all four class modules, as well as
How is the university striving to ensure
an increase in the number of students
that the current generation of college
utilizing the services of the Office of
students is prepared to address Georgia’s
Career and Professional Development.
workforce needs?
Similar programs are being developed or have been implemented for our
Our employer partners tell us they
other academic colleges and our First
want graduates with proven career read- and Second Year Experience programs.
iness skills such as critical thinking, oral
Finally, we know that there may be
and written communication, teamwork no better way to prepare students for
and professionalism. While these comprofessional success than by ensuring
petencies are implicit in the traditional
that they complete professional experiacademic curriculum, and often gained
ences (internships, co-ops, study abroad,
through group projects and co-curricufaculty-sponsored research, etc.) while
lar activities, we want to ensure that ev- in school. Each academic college is
ery student that graduates from Georgia investing in building strategic employer
Southern is, in a word, Ready.
partnerships to increase these essential
To this end, our innovative Office
experiential learning experiences.
of Career and Professional Development
has developed Ready Day 1, an umbrella What’s next for your athletic program?
program for career development that incorporates career readiness competenIt’s no secret that athletics is very
cies into the academic experience from important to Eagle Nation. In the last
freshman year through graduation.
five years, we have seen record stuOne example is our Ready Day 1
dent-athlete GPAs, achieved new attenacademic experience at our College of
dance records, and reached milestone
Behavioral and Social Sciences. This
successes on the field of play across our
program, launched in fall 2022, weaves
17 sports. Thanks to the support of our
intentional career readiness curriculum donors and passionate fans, we have
