VSU Announces Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning

Dr. Anne Price stands on the Patterson Street side of Valdosta State University's Martin Hall, home of the new Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University proudly announces the establishment of the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning. Located inside Martin Hall, this university-wide initiative is designed to expand and enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students while supporting faculty in integrating applied experiences into the curriculum.

The Mary Virginina Terry Center for Experiential Learning serves as a centralized hub for internships, undergraduate research, service learning, study abroad, and other forms of applied learning. It reflects VSU’s commitment to preparing graduates who are career-ready, community-engaged, and equipped with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills required in today’s dynamic workforce.

“My vision for the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning is for it to serve as a vibrant, student-centered hub that enriches the experiences of current students and serves as a public-facing community connection and resource linking VSU and the South Georgia region,” said Dr. Anne Price, executive director of the new center and professor of sociology. She joined the VSU faculty in 2013 and most recently coordinated the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, Trailblazing: Shaping the Undergraduate Experience through Experiential Learning.

“The first priority of the new center will be student success. Our VSU Trailblazers Experiential Learning program will guarantee our VSU students multiple, progressive opportunities to develop and refine their skills in applied, practical experiences that connect their classroom learning to the needs of a changing workforce. The center will prioritize embedding experiential learning experiences in undergraduate curriculum that provide strong returns on investment, as well as offering students complementary co-curricular opportunities they can combine towards an Experiential Learning Certification. It’s a structured approach to preparing our students for careers or graduate school that links their passions and unique talents to skill development and lifelong fulfillment.”

Other priorities for the new center, Price added, include seeking public and private grants, maintaining best practices in experiential education, ensuring equitable access to opportunities for all students (traditional, nontraditional, on campus, online, and commuters), and conducting assessments of program effectiveness.

Experiential learning plays a critical role in the academic setting by fostering deeper understanding through active participation. Research consistently shows that students who engage in applied learning experiences demonstrate higher retention rates, improved academic performance, and greater post-graduation success. By connecting learning to real-world contexts, experiential education cultivates adaptability, collaboration, and lifelong learning — skills that are increasingly vital not only across VSU’s rural Georgia service area but also in a rapidly evolving global economy.

“From a student success and career readiness perspective, experiential learning is extremely powerful because it places students in authentic work and problem-solving environments,” Price said. “It occurs inside and outside the classroom when students tackle real-world problems, take initiative, and participate in service-learning alongside community partners. Experiential learning is a pedagogical approach. It involves students moving beyond learning substantively about a topic to actively engaging, reflecting, and applying what they’ve learned in meaningful contexts. It provides them with an environment and support to experiment, take risks, and learn to overcome challenges.”

VSU received a major $3.9 million gift from Mary Virginia Terry in 2015. The funds were used to establish three separate endowments — the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning; the Mary Virginia Terry Chair in Experiential Learning, which supports the executive director position; and the Mary Virginia Terry Scholarship, which has already provided financial support totaling $441,809 to 197 students.

Prior to the launch of the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning, VSU devoted several years to making a deliberate and strategic investment in ensuring faculty had the tools, framework, and support needed to integrate experiential learning effectively. These efforts ensured that experiential learning was approached as an intentional, academically rigorous component of the curriculum — not an add-on.

This groundwork positioned VSU to move forward with the creation of the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning, ensuring that the center would amplify and coordinate existing efforts rather than build them from scratch. The result is a more cohesive, faculty-driven approach that aligns institutional priorities with classroom innovation and student success. 

“Experiential learning has now become part of the VSU culture, which is invigorating for our instructors as well as our students,” Price shared.

Mary Virginia Terry and her husband, Herman, shared a deep commitment to the power of education. Their various philanthropic investments, including donations to the University of Georgia’s C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business, reflected their belief that learning extends beyond the classroom and that students benefit most from opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world settings.

A VSU alumna, Mary Virginia Terry completed her studies in sociology and anthropology in 1939.

The Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning positions VSU at the forefront of innovative, student-centered education. Through this initiative, VSU continues to strengthen its role as a leader in preparing graduates who are not only knowledgeable but also experienced, confident, and ready to make meaningful contributions in their fields and communities.

Please note that Martin Hall is currently undergoing minor renovations and upgrades. Until those are complete, the Mary Virginia Terry Center for Experiential Learning team is located in University Center Room 3103.