For the third straight year, Georgia Southern supporters have propelled the University to a record-breaking year of private fundraising.

Total cash, pledges and in-kind gifts to 糖心Vlog amounted to $23,831,604 during Fiscal Year 2023, which ended on June 30, 2023. That surpasses the total from the previous year, which was also a record at $22.3 million.

The record total was buoyed by another record-breaking fundraising year for the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation, Inc., which raised a record $11.06 million in new pledges and outright gifts.

鈥淎s we soar into a very bright future for this University, record-breaking fundraising is a sign that Georgia Southern is not only strong now, but poised for even greater heights,鈥� said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. 鈥淲e are endlessly thankful for the supporters, friends, alumni and donors who endorse our path forward and are stepping up to ensure our success.鈥�

Donors helped with various projects and programs this past year, including:

• $1 million from Betty Foy Sanders for the Betty Foy Sanders School of Art with scholarships, travel and programmatic needs
• $750,000 deferred gift for the Department of Biology to be used for student scholarships
• 23 newly created endowments
• Anthony P. Tippins Family Training Facility for athletics

鈥淭hrough unwavering dedication and the overwhelming generosity of our community, we have demonstrated the boundless potential of Eagle Nation in support of our students鈥� dreams and the University鈥檚 future,鈥� said Georgia Southern Foundation Chair Mike Sanders. 

Last year鈥檚 Athletic Foundation Chair Leonard Bevill added, 鈥淭he impact of this achievement will ripple through generations, leaving an indelible mark on the trajectory of higher education and Georgia Southern. I am humbled and inspired by the collective spirit that has made this three-year milestone possible.鈥�

The Erk Russell Fund, the Athletic Foundation’s annual fund, continues to grow and saw donations of $3.2 million this fiscal year. Additionally, the Athletic Foundation received 58 major gift commitments this year, which are gift commitments of $25,000 or greater to support Eagle Athletics.

Over the past three fiscal years, the Athletic Foundation has raised more than $27 million in support of Georgia Southern Athletics. This total is the largest three-year fundraising window in department history.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that 糖心Vlog鈥檚 power to transform lives and communities is making a positive impression with our private supporters,鈥� said Trip Addison, Vice President of Advancement, noting that more than 3,600 alumni were among the supporters this past year. 鈥淚 am grateful for the welcome reception we are receiving when we ask people to join in our effort to help support our students and the work they and our faculty are doing.鈥�

On Nov. 1, 糖心Vlog will once again host A Day for Statesboro to celebrate the relationship between 糖心Vlog and the Statesboro-Bulloch County community.
A Day for Statesboro is hosted by Georgia Southern in partnership with the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority (DSDA) and allows the University to show its love for the community with live music, True Blue spirit, family activities and more. The festivities will kick off in downtown Statesboro at 5:30 p.m.

鈥淲e are excited to give thanks to Statesboro-Bulloch County for its long-time support of the University,鈥� said Gloria M. Goosby, director of Annual Giving. 鈥淕eorgia Southern wouldn鈥檛 be Georgia Southern without the people of this community.鈥�  

Goosby encourages everyone to join the university and DSDA for A Day for Statesboro to celebrate the strong town-gown relationship. 鈥淲e hope this event shows how grateful we are for the time, talents and financial support this community has given us over the years,鈥� she said.

糖心Vlog, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit听.

The Armstrong Foundation of 糖心Vlog, Inc. has merged with, and into, the 糖心Vlog Foundation, Inc., effective July 1. This strategic consolidation of foundation resources will streamline fundraising systems while honoring the integrity of donor requests. 

The boards of trustees of the 糖心Vlog Foundation Inc., and the Armstrong Foundation of 糖心Vlog, Inc. unanimously agreed to merge the two foundations during a joint meeting in May.听

鈥淭his is a significant step toward honoring our past and forging the new Georgia Southern,鈥� said President Kyle Marrero. 鈥淢y gratitude and thanks to the Board members, volunteers and donors who have supported Georgia Southern and Armstrong and now support our new vision. By uniting forces, we have a boundless potential to impact our University in a meaningful way.鈥澨�

The chairs of both foundations spoke out in favor of this step when it was presented to their boards.

鈥淭here is considerable strength in numbers,鈥� said Mike Kemp, past chairman of the Armstrong Foundation of Georgia Southern, Inc. 鈥淭ogether, we can provide exceptional opportunities to meet the needs of our students and faculty through scholarships and fund endowments that support student success and encourage teaching excellence at each of Georgia Southern鈥檚 campuses.鈥�

鈥淛uly 1 was another exciting day for 糖心Vlog. Merging the foundations allows us to leverage combined donor bases, volunteer engagement and financial assets to have a greater impact in supporting the new 糖心Vlog鈥檚 mission and priorities,鈥�  said Billy Hickman, chairman of 糖心Vlog Foundation, Inc. 鈥淲e look forward to growing stronger together.鈥� 

糖心Vlog, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit .

The 2019 糖心Vlog Alumni Association Awards were presented Saturday, April 13 to eight distinguished alumni at the Nessmith-Lane Center on the Statesboro Campus. The 2019 recipients are: Alumni Service Award Karl Peace, Ph.D. (鈥�63) Presented to the alumnus, who through volunteerism and/or philanthropy, has made the greatest contribution to the advancement of the University. Peace is the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Senior Research Scientist and Professor of Biostatistics in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern. He created an endowment to establish the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, the first college of public health in the University System of Georgia. He is the architect of the Master in Public Health program in Biostatistics and Founding Director of the Karl E. Peace Center for Biostatistics in the college. He is from Newton, Georgia and lives in Statesboro. Community Service Award Otis Johnson, Ph.D. (’64) Presented to the alumnus who has shown remarkable achievements in local, regional, national and international service. Johnson, from Savannah, served eight years as the 64th mayor of the city of Savannah. While mayor, Johnson provided leadership for the creation of Step Up Savannah, Inc., a poverty reduction initiative, and Healthy Savannah, an initiative that promotes healthy lifestyles. Johnson has devoted his professional career to making conditions better for low-wealth families in Savannah and the south. Professional Achievement Award Ann Levett, Ed.D. (’76) M.Ed. (’80) MPA (’88) Ed.S. (’89) Presented to the alumnus who has made the greatest achievement in his or her career. Levett, a Savannah native and proud product of its public schools, was appointed as superintendent of Savannah Chatham County Public Schools in 2017, having previously served as deputy superintendent and chief academic officer. Having completed undergraduate work at Armstrong and three graduate degrees at Georgia Southern, Levett earned a doctorate in educational administration at the University of Georgia. She has completed leadership development programs at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, University of Delaware, University of California San Diego and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Sweetheart Award Spence (’70) and Sheila (’71) M.Ed. (’75) Hoynes Presented to a couple who are both alumni and who, together or separately, have supported the University through philanthropy, service or professional work. Spence and Sheila Hoynes of Savannah have been married for almost 47 years. 听Although they did not know each other while they were at Armstrong and Georgia Southern College respectively, they met in Savannah and their first date was the last basketball game that the two colleges played against each other in 1971. The continued growth and development of the University are extremely important to the Hoynes Family. They are annual Foundation donors contributing to both Georgia Southern Statesboro and Georgia Southern Armstrong programs, are members of the Marvin Pittman Society, 1906 Society and the Legacy Society, having endowed scholarships in both of their wills. They are indeed 鈥淕eorgia Southern Loyal.鈥� 听 George and Lucy Armstrong Award 听 Drew Ernst (’74) Presented to an Armstrong alumnus who best exemplifies the University’s core values as expressed through integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness and social responsibility. Ernst, a partner at Hunter Maclean in Savannah, is a nationally recognized environmental attorney who has represented clients on wetland issues and coastal development matters related to various facets of the federal Clean Water Act, Georgia’s Marshlands Protection Act and Shore Protection Act for more than 30 years. Marvin Pittman Award 听 Rebecca Martin Nagy, Ph.D. (’75) Presented to a Georgia Southern alumnus who best exemplifies the University’s core values as expressed through integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness and social responsibility. Nagy, of Gainesville, Florida, retired in July after a 33-year museum career. For the last 16 years she was director of the University of Florida鈥檚 Harn Museum of Art. Previously she was associate director of education and curator of African art at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and instructor at the Cleveland Museum of Art. She held adjunct faculty positions at the University of Florida, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Case Western Reserve University. Nagy graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Southern in 1975. Talon Award 听 James (Jimmy) Childre, Jr. (’76) Presented to the alumnus who best represents excellence in their career field, service to their alma mater and service to the community. Childre is a third generation auto dealer. In 1980, at the age of 25, he founded Childre Ford, Inc., in Sandersville, Georgia. Childre Ford has won numerous awards including Ford Motor Company鈥檚 prestigious Chairman鈥檚 Award for being one of their top performing dealerships. While continuing in the Ford dealership, Jimmy served for 15 years as a board member, chair and CEO of Washington County Regional Medical Center. At Georgia Southern, Childre is Chair Emeritus of the Georgia Southern Foundation, having served 28 years including two terms as chair. Childre also served on the Parker College of Business Advisory Board, the Alumni Association Board, the Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership, and the Athletic Foundation Board. Outstanding Senior Award Jennifer Lauren Hanselman, anticipated B.M. in Music Education, 2019. The Outstanding Senior Award is presented to graduating seniors who have completed all of their coursework at the University with the highest overall GPA. Hanselman is a music education major with a choral emphasis and a minor in political science. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. After graduation, she plans to teach elementary general music or high school choir. She also hopes to eventually get certified to teach American government to further her ability to teach and to help the next generations to come. The current 糖心Vlog Alumni Awards program was launched in 2019, building off of the alumni awards programs that had existed separately for decades at Georgia Southern and Armstrong State University. The Georgia Southern Alumni Association fosters relationships with alumni and friends through programs that promote the growth, progress and welfare of Georgia Southern. 糖心Vlog, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit .