Welcome to the Department of Biology. This website is very complete and offers all the information you need about our courses, degrees and faculty. The Department is focused on student success and as such we are the campus leader on the utilization of high-impact educational practices to increase student retention and graduation rates. Specifically, the Department of Biology:

Was the first to require a Freshman Seminar for all new students, focusing on college skills and career advising;

Leads the university in the percentage and actual number of faculty who conduct undergraduate research experiences with students;

Has required a Senior Seminar capstone experience for decades;

A department is only as good as its professors and staff, and our people have won more university awards for excellence than any other unit at VSU. Here are just a few examples: Excellence awards for research – Drs. Lockhart, Loughry, Nienow and Uyeno; Excellence award for teaching – Dr. Jones; Excellence award for service – Dr. Blackmore and Cantonwine; Employee of the semester – Ms. Regina Ogden. All of this hard work has just one focus, and that is the success of our students.

If I can be of any help to you as a prospective or current student, please e-mail me at rlgannon@valdosta.edu.

Robert L. Gannon, Ph.D.
Professor and Head of Biology