VSU Awarded $5 Million for Education Center Renovation

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University’s Education Center will soon undergo a much-needed renovation, one that will foster creativity and innovation and strengthen the vital role VSU plays in improving K-12 education across South Georgia and beyond. 

In April, the Georgia General Assembly approved a $37.7 billion state budget that includes $5 million for the VSU Education Center project. 

Governor Brian Kemp signed the fiscal year 2026 budget on May 9.

“This funding will allow us to create spaces that are more student friendly and encourage students to work and collaborate in the Education Center — both when they are in class and when they are not,” said Dr. David Slykhuis, dean of the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education at VSU. “It will also allow us to create spaces that more closely mirror the type of environments our future teachers will be seeing when they begin teaching in schools.”  

“Faculty will be energized by the new spaces to continue to use innovative pedagogical methods to ensure we maintain our reputation as producing some of the most sought-after graduates in the state,” he added.

VSU’s Education Center has not had a major renovation since it was constructed in 1970. The upcoming project will create contemporary learning and gathering spaces that will better prepare future educators and leaders to drive meaningful change in the K-12 schools they serve.

“We are very appreciative of University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, members of the Board of Regents, the governor, and the Georgia General Assembly for their support of this project,” said Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, president of VSU.

“I want to say a special word of thanks to our dedicated city and county leaders and our Lowndes County legislative delegation, including Senator Russ Goodman, Representative John Corbett, Representative James Burchett, Representative John LaHood, and Representative Dexter Sharper, for supporting this project and being champions for Valdosta State University every day.”

Alan Sanderson, associate director of facilities planning at VSU, said the design team selection process for the Education Center renovation project will take place during Summer/Fall 2025, followed by the design phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in Summer 2026.

“Our goal is to provide targeted renovations to underutilized and inefficient areas of the building,” he shared.

Assuming no delays, the Education Center renovation should be completed during Spring 2027.  

VSU’s Education Center is primarily home to the university’s Department of Teacher Education and Office of Professional Education Services. It is a destination for students who want to pursue careers in elementary education, middle grades education, secondary education, American Sign Language/English interpreting, health and physical education, special education, teacher leadership, coaching, Deaf education, and more.

“VSU has a 112-year-old legacy of preparing teachers to teach in schools across Georgia,” Carvajal said. “When our institution of higher education first opened its doors in 1913, our purpose was to train teachers, and while we now offer more than 150 academic programs from a variety of academic disciplines, teacher preparation remains a central and vital function of our university.

“The redesigned environment that will be created through this $5 million renovation project will strengthen our ability to offer a learning experience that prepares our students to meet evolving teaching standards and performance expectations when they stand at the helm of their own classroom after graduation. We know the impact a high-quality teacher can have on our communities and the people who call them home. That’s why we continue to look for ways to invest in our teacher training programs more than a century later.”