As you consider joining the faculty at Valdosta State University, we want you to know that you will be part of a vibrant community of teachers and scholars, who work together to fulfill VSU’s Strategic Plan to serve as a catalyst for regional comprehensive progress.  Here are some of the accomplishments and facts about the Blazer Nation.

NATIONAL RANKINGS AND RECOGNITIONS

  • Most Affordable MBA Programs (College Consensus, 2021)
  • 25 Best Online Master’s Degrees in Counseling (Best Masters Program, 2021)
  • Top 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Higher Education Online Programs (Best Colleges Online, 2021)
  • Best Online Colleges in Georgia (Best Colleges Online, 2021)
  • Top 44 Best Online Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction Programs (Top Education Degrees, 2020)
  • Best Nurse Practitioner Programs in Georgia (Nursing Process, 2020)
  • A Top 25 Online School (Online U, 2020)
  • Most Affordable Online Doctor of Education Programs (ORG, 2020)
  • Best Colleges for Vets and Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Vets (Military Times, 2020)
  • Tier 1 School (Educate to Career, 2020)
  • Ranked among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs and Best Online Graduate Education Programs (US News and World Report, 2018, 2019, 2020)
  • Silver and Gold Level Recognition (Exercise is Medicine, 2017, 2019)
  • Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation, 2018, 2019)
  • Military Friendly School (GI Jobs Magazine, 2017)
  • Best Colleges for Educational Leadership Minors (Zippia, 2017)
  • Ranked #1 for Most Affordable Online Business Programs (SR Education Group, 2017)
  • Top Online Colleges, Master’s and Doctoral (SR Education Group, 2017)

ACADEMICS

Six academic colleges housing twenty-seven departments offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees

THE ARTS

  • Home of Peach State Summer Theater, the official musical theater of Georgia
  • Home of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, winner of the American Prize in Orchestral Performance (2014)
  • Home of the South Georgia Strings Project
  • Home of the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery and the Martha G. Smart Gallery
  • Home of the South Georgia Film Festival
  • Home of VSU-TV and WVVS-FM (hosting National Public Radio)

ATHLETICS

  • National Championship, Division II, Football (2004, 2007, 2012, 2018)
  • National Championship, Division II, Baseball (1979)
  • National Championship, Division II, Softball (2012)
  • National Championship, Division II, Men’s Tennis (2006, 2011)

OUTREACH

  • The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) supports regional economic development and promotes activities that strengthen the competitive positions of regional business.
  • The Center for Exercise Medicine and Rehabilitation (CEMR) delivers select primary, secondary, and tertiary services for students and employees of VSU, local municipalities, industry, and citizenry. It includes the Athletic Training Clinic and the Fitness and Wellness Center.
  • The Center for South Georgia Regional Impact (SGRI) connects South Georgia’s biggest questions with answers from world-class faculty researchers and VSU students ready to serve their community.
  • The Copeland African American Museum collection spans more than 150 years of history and features more than 75 artifacts and is open for group tours.
  • FamilyWorks Clinic provides brief therapy to families, couples, and individuals who come from all over South Georgia and north Florida.
  • The Office of Professional and Community Education (PACE) at Valdosta State University enhances the quality of life in the region by providing educational, artistic, cultural, technological, and economic development activities and programs.
  • The STEAM Center for Applied Creativity and Innovation utilizes creative methods to educate South Georgia in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Its programs and resources are available to learners of all ages in order to achieve its missions of creating a collaborative community that cultivates increased STEAM literacy for all.
  • The UGA Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University is a public service outreach unit that provides business and economic development assistance for Atkinson, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, and Thomas Counties in South Central Georgia.
  • The Valdosta Speech and Language Clinic offers state-of-the-art services in the area of treatment and evaluation to individuals of all ages within the community and surrounding areas

RESEARCH

  • Faculty expended $1.7 million in sponsored research grants in FY2020.

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • Freshman to sophomore retention rate has increased 9% in two years, now at 74%
  • Six-year graduation rate has increased 3.5% over the past two years.
  • In Fall 2019, VSU served 11,270 students (headcount) with FTE of 9,766 of which:
    • 2% are undergraduate students; 23.8% are graduate students
    • 7% are female
    • 4% enrolled full-time
    • 7% of undergraduates lived on campus
    • 7% are white, 33.7% are black, 1.9% are Asian, 7,1% are Hispanic/Latino (any race)
    • 1,553 enrolled as beginning first-year students
    • 6% attend fully-online programs
    • 77% of new freshmen are from Georgia
  • VSU’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 172 continues as Georgia’s largest AFROTC detachment
    • 6 year trend of continued growth with a 51% increase in new cadets from Fall 2019 setting a record size of 153 cadets for the program
    • 67% of returning cadets hold a 3.0 or greater cumulative GPA and 53% of these cadets are maintaining a 3.5 or better GPA
    • 83% of cadets scored 90% or better receiving Excellent marks on their Air Force Fitness Assessment
  • VSU has 416 full-time and 177 part-time instructional faculty (Fall 2019).
    • 6% of full-time faculty are tenured or on track towards tenure
    • 77% of full-time faculty have a terminal degree in-field
    • 7% female, 49.3% male
  • Accredited by the Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • In addition to the $8.5 million endowment held by VSU, The VSU Foundation, Inc. manages 129 endowed funds with a total value of $52.6 million to support scholarships, faculty research, athletics, and facilities.

SPECIALIZED AND PROGRAMMATIC ACCREDITATIONS

  • SACSCOC: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • AACSB: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International
  • Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
  • ACS: American Chemical Society
  • ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • ALA: American Library Association
  • ASHA: American Speech and Hearing Association
  • CAAHEP: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
  • CACREP: Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs
  • CAEP: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • CCNE: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • COAMFTE: Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy
  • CSWE: Council on Social Work Education
  • GaPSC: Georgia Professional Standards Commission
  • NASAD: National Association of Schools of Art and Design
  • NASM: National Association of Schools of Music
  • NASPAA: National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
  • NAST: National Association of Schools of Theatre
  • PRSA: Public Relations Society of America