ÌÇÐÄVlog

December 10, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

As we close out the fall semester and enter this season of celebration and reflection, I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for your continued commitment to our students. The energy across our campuses as we near the end of the fall semester has been so exciting, from academic and research achievements and community engagement to end-of-year celebration events.

I am thrilled that Georgia Southern Football has earned an invitation to a postseason bowl game! This is an exciting opportunity for our University community to once again cheer on our Eagles on a national stage. Rivals will unite for the second time this season as we face App State in the JLab Birmingham Bowl, which will be held at Protective Stadium on December 29. Thank you to Coach Helton, our student-athletes, Athletics staff, and the many individuals across campus who support our student-athletes throughout the year. Go Eagles!

December is also a special time as we celebrate one of the most meaningful milestones in our academic calendar and the culmination of our students’ achievements — commencement. This semester, approximately 2,200 students will graduate with associate, baccalaureate, master’s, specialist, or doctoral degrees during ceremonies in Savannah and Statesboro. These accomplishments reflect years of hard work and determination by our students, supported every step of the way by our faculty, staff, families, and community partners. Thank you for the crucial role each of you plays in preparing our graduates for productive careers and lives of leadership and service.

Earlier this week, following SACSCOC approval, the Board of Regents approved the consolidation of ÌÇÐÄVlog and East Georgia State College, effective January 1, 2026, marking a major milestone made possible through months of dedicated work by our Consolidation Action Teams and many more. This approval affirms that our unified institution meets required standards and allows us to move forward with full operational integration, preserving East Georgia’s open access mission while expanding pathways and enhancing the student experience across campuses. I look forward to providing a detailed update and outlining upcoming milestones during a January town hall on the East Georgia campus in Swainsboro. I appreciate each and every one of you who have engaged in this process!

Soaring Beyond, Because of You

I want to highlight Alejandra Daniel, a remarkable student who graduates this fall with her master’s in biology. A former dance major turned scientist, Alejandra cemented her passion for biology nearly 100 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean while scuba diving to study coral species. This experience affirmed her path as a researcher. She shares that the encouragement and mentorship of Georgia Southern faculty gave her the confidence to pursue this opportunity and thrive in it.

While underwater, Alejandra realized that not only did she have a knack for scientific study, her background in dance gave her the physical stamina to carry the heavy equipment and control her body underwater so she could study the coral ecosystems below. After graduation, Alejandra will continue her journey as a Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow at Georgia Southern, pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental science and dedicating her work to soar below sea level and protect ocean ecosystems.

Alejandra’s success is possible because of the faculty who inspire, the staff who support, the advisors who guide, and the community that believes in the power of education to change lives!

As we wrap up the semester, I hope you find time for rest, celebration, and connection with family and friends. Thank you for all you do to advance our mission and strengthen our university community. I look forward to beginning a new year with each of you as we continue to Soar Beyond together. 

Sincerely,

Kyle