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Welcome to the web pages of Valdosta State University. These are exciting times for our university as we begin the journey of celebrating our Centennial years and building for our next century. We are utilizing a strategic planning process to enhance the educational, cultural, and economic development of the university and the region its serves. We are proud that these efforts have not gone unnoticed. Several of our activities have resulted in Valdosta State University receiving major “Best Practices” and special awards from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and from national organizations, such as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO), and the American Association for Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).
Our Strategic Planning Initiative provides the catalyst for creative thinking to promote a vision for our geographic area and to build productive partnerships with our city, county, state and national leadership. We are working closely with public school systems, the medical community, businesses and chambers of commerce, and local, regional and national organizations. Our efforts are targeted to prepare VSU students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to meet global opportunities and challenges through a learning-centered classroom environment; to expand the boundaries of current knowledge while exploring the practical applications of that knowledge; and to promote the progress of the region through excellence in service outreach, all while respecting the diverse abilities, backgrounds, and contributions of the university community.
We are located in South Georgia near coastal resorts on a Spanish Mission-style campus, nationally recognized for its beauty. We furnish a unique atmosphere with a broad range of student activities, from NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference athletics (National Champions in Football in 2004 & 2007) to a comprehensive curriculum that includes five colleges: Arts, Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Nursing.
Founded in 1906 as South Georgia State Normal College, our classes did not begin until 1913. We later became Georgia State Women’s College in 1922. In 1950 the school became coeducational and we changed our name to Valdosta State College. On July 1, 1993 VSC became VSU.
The city of Valdosta is located on Interstate 75 in Lowndes County, midway between Atlanta and Orlando, providing us with a major strategic base and a metro area status of more than 123,000 people. Our enrollment approaches 11,000 students representing 47 states and 63 countries. Small classes, at all levels, are taught by 500 well-qualified faculty members. Our two campuses, less than a mile apart, have grown to more than 178 acres. We certainly offer unique cultural and educational opportunities to business, industry and the public of South Georgia through performances, workshops, institutes, and continuing education programs.
We invite you to take a look at VSU. Technologically we are on the cutting edge of development with a fully operational fiber optic data network with 56 state-of-the-art student computer labs, all networked to Peachnet and the Internet. A $14 million expansion to the Odum Library, with its Internet Café, and Galileo workstations allow the university to offer on-line network access to infinite source materials beyond its own 1.7 million entries.
Centennial Hall is the focus of VSU’s $35.6 million new student housing and renovation project. It was a direct response to the number one finding and priority of the Strategic Planning Initiative -- to improve and build new housing for students on campus. Centennial Hall is now a reality. Other campus facilities are being planned and 28 construction projects are under way this summer and fall. We invite you to browse through our home pages to see what is happening in “Blazer Country.” Better yet, we hope you will come visit our campus and give us the opportunity to personally welcome you.