Office of the President

Tiger Points of Pride

Quality Academic Programs
In April 2005, the College of Business Administration was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, which is the hallmark of excellence in management education. The AACSB accreditation brings global recognition to the SSU College of Business Administration and sets the path for program growth.

In February 2005, the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents (BOR) authorized SSU to establish a bachelor of science degree in behavior analysis beginning in the fall. Students will be able to pursue minor concentrations in criminal behavioral analysis and applied forensic analysis.

In 2004, the Master of Social Work (MSW) program was re-accredited by the Council on Social Work Education for the full eight-year cycle. Initial CSWE accreditation was awarded in 2000. The undergraduate degree program is also fully accredited by CSWE.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) reviewed the civil, electronic and mechanical engineering technology programs at SSU and reaffirmed each until 2007. The programs have been accredited since 1973. SSU also offers the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program (GTREP), allowing students to take classes at SSU and graduate with a degree from Georgia Tech in civil, computer, mechanical or electrical engineering.

The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) has accredited the Department of Mass Communications in May of 2007. The department of Mass Communications, located in the John F. Kennedy Fine Arts Building is a unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Economic Impact/Development
Savannah State University 's total impact on the local economy was approximately $90 million during fiscal year 2004, according to a study conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia 's Terry College of Business. The study, released in 2005, was commissioned by the University System of Georgia's (USG) Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP).

The Survey Research Center (SRC) at SSU contracts with companies, governments and nonprofit organizations to design and conduct survey research projects. The SRC has the capabilities to handle a wide range of research projects – from product tests to opinion polls – using a number of methodologies for data collection and analysis. The center is an important resource for students who have career interests in research and the social sciences.

Facilities
Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year on a new $14 million academic building that will house the social and behavioral sciences. A new classroom building for chemistry and technology-related programs was one of five system-wide projects added to the BOR's list of major capital outlay projects in 2005.

The Drew-Griffith science building is about to undergo a $4.9 million renovation that will take approximately 16 months to complete. A two-story annex to the building, which houses the biological and environmental sciences, was completed in 2003 and includes the Environmental Analytical Laboratory with approximately $950,000 worth of cutting-edge equipment. The $4.1 million annex added approximately 20,000 square feet of classrooms and labs.

Technology
In 2005, SSU was named a Digital Content Leader by WebCT, the world's leading provider of integrated e-learning systems for higher education, for the third consecutive year. In the three years the international award has been given, SSU has gone from being in the top 27 institutions to the top six institutions to receive the award. The selection is based, in part, on the university's commitment to advance its online learning mission. The university has 36 Web-enhanced courses.

SSU is one of the few USG campuses offering wireless technology, which means students can access the Internet from any location on the 173-acre campus.

Grants
In 2004, the university received two grants totaling $248,525 from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to improve student retention and enhance selected academic degree programs, namely environmental science and mass communications.

The university received a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Minority Access to Graduate Education and Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (MAGEC-STEM) program to increase the number of ethnic minority students graduating and pursuing careers in the STEM fields. The university welcomed approximately 35 MAGEC-STEM students for the first summer session in 2004, and all of the students enrolled as freshmen in the fall.

SSU was awarded a $150,000 grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund five graduate students in the Public Administration and Urban Studies graduate degree programs. SSU was one of only 19 universities in the nation to receive the grant through the Community Development Work Study Program (CDWSP), which is overseen by HUD's Office of University Partnerships. The goal of the program is to prepare minority and economically disadvantaged students for careers as community builders.

Stellar Faculty/Administrators
Dr. Randy Gunter, vice president for Student Affairs, has been named one of 10 NAFEO (National Association For Equal Opportunity) Kellogg MSI [Minority-Serving Institutions] Leadership Fellows for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Dr. Dionne Hoskins, associate professor and NOAA fishery biologist, has been selected by Minority Access, Inc., to receive a role model citation at its National Role Models Conference in Sept. 2005.

Dr. Kenneth S. Sajwan, professor and coordinator of the environmental science program, received the Richard Nicholson Excellence in Science Teaching Award at the 14th Annual National Conference of the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) in Math, Science and Engineering in February 2005 in Washington, D.C. The recipient of many honors, Dr. Sajwan also received the 2004 National Science Teachers Association's Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr. Chellu S. Chetty, professor of biology and director of the Minority Biomedical Research Program at SSU, was one of nine individuals selected by President Bush to receive the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) during a ceremony at the White House in May 2004. The award included a $10,000 grant for mentoring.

In 2004, Dr. Alex Kalu, professor of electrical engineering in the College of Sciences and Technology, received a $55,000 grant from the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation to support a partnership with the University of Namibia .

Stellar Students
Eric Keddo, 2005-06 Student Government Association (SGA) president, participated in the first Nissan Student Government Leadership Program (NSGLP) held August 2005 at Tugaloo College in Tugaloo, Miss. The NSGLP invited SGA presidents and vice presidents from 60 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to the inaugural three-day program, which provided students with valuable leadership training and networking opportunities to enhance their service as leaders on their respective campuses.

SSU student Sean Ingram, a senior political science major from Atlanta , Ga. , won the prestigious Diplomacy Award at the Harvard World Model United Nations in Edinburgh , Scotland, for exemplifying the true spirit of diplomacy in the Middle East Multilateral Summit. SSU's Model UN team traveled to Scotland March 29-April 1. The team was one of only two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) at the international conference that attracted approximately 1,200 students from 50 countries. The first-year SSU Model UN team competed against veterans from West Point, William & Mary, the University of North Carolina and more.

Neikelle Lashley, a senior accounting major from Trinidad , received a $5,000 scholarship from the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA). Lashley attended the NABA 2005 National Convention in June 2005.

The Coastal Empire Sound Explosion, SSU's marching band, was one of 10 HBCU bands invited to perform in the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase for two consecutive years. Each appearance, in 2004 and 2005, earned $10,000 for scholarship awards from American Honda Motor Corp.

Savannah State University 's Dance Ensemble and other SSU students performed at the Ameriquest Mortgage Super Bowl XXXIX Half