"Twelfth Night," a classic Shakespearean comedy centered around love and mistaken identities, is one of the University's Theatre and Performance program's four mainstage productions of the 2015-2016 season that gets full funding, technical and design support.

This August, thirteen Georgia Southern University students and faculty member, Lisa Abbott, took their production of "Do Not Open," a student devised piece, to the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The show was nominated for the Fringe Sustainable Practice Award based on a review of the content of the show and responses to a questionnaire.

The Georgia Southern Chorale and the Southern Gentlemen won in competition at the "Laurea Mundi Budapest" Festival of Choral Music, held in Budapest, Hungary, July 9-13. The Georgia Southern Chorale won the Grand Prix in the mixed choir category and the spirituals category. The Southern Gentlemen won the open category in pop music and was invited to sing against the Georgia Southern Chorale in the Grand Prix.

More than 150 outstanding high school seniors were recently invited to attend Georgia Southern University's Scholars Day in Statesboro, Georgia.

On May 6 and 7, Georgia Southern University held its annual spring commencement ceremonies for graduate and undergraduate students at Hanner Fieldhouse and Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Interim University President Jean E. Bartels, Ph.D., R.N., conferred more than 3,300 doctoral, master's, specialist and bachelor's degrees from the University's eight colleges during two separate ceremonies.

Georgia Southern University awarded degrees to its largest graduating class ever during two ceremonies this week. More than 22-hundred undergraduates received their degrees at a ceremony held on Saturday morning. Nearly five hundred doctoral, specialist's and master's degrees were awarded on Friday.

Beth Jenkins, a student in Georgia Southern University's Department of Communication Arts, was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Melanoma Foundation of New England (MFNE) for participating in the Your Skin Is In college ambassador program. Jenkins' scholarship was one of six scholarships awarded to college students across the United States for participating in the Your Skin Is In college ambassador program, which is in its first year.

Georgia Southern University recently recognized 1,340 students for excellence in academics on the Spring 2016 President's List. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must have at least a 4.0 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

Four Georgia Southern University Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art Students recently were awarded scholarships totaling $11,800 from the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation. The scholarship recipients are Alexis Barber, Heidi McClain, Macie Giordano and Hilary Luna.

Georgia Southern University recently recognized more than 1,350 students for excellence in academics on the Fall 2015 President's List. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must have at least a 4.0 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

Georgia Southern University recently recognized nearly 2,600 students for excellence in academics on the 2016 Spring Semester Dean's List. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

Georgia Southern University recently recognized more than 2,800 students for excellence in academics on the Fall 2015 Dean's List. To be eligible for the Dean's List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

The Georgia Southern University Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) recently collaborated with the Augusta University Department of Art to present "Trifecta," an exhibition juried and curated by Georgia Southern M.F.A. students Jessamy McManus and Courtney Ryan, on display at Augusta University's Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art.

Georgia Southern University's Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art presented a multimedia exhibition, exploring College Street and the west side of downtown Statesboro, by students in the undergraduate studio art capstone class, on April 29. neighborhood's buildings, lots, green spaces, occupants, history, politics and demographics.

Three Georgia Southern students received Averitt Award for Excellence in Graduate Research and Instruction at the 2016 Research Symposium.

Georgia Southern University's Annual Honors Day Convocation was held at the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center recently. Individual awards were presented to 188 students and various honor societies also recognized new inductees. Held each spring to highlight distinguished students from all disciplines and areas of college life, the following local students were honored:

The First-Year Experience (FYE) program at Georgia Southern announced Brandon Lee as the winner of its annual FYE Peer Leader of the Year award in recognition of his excellence in mentoring first-year students.

Georgia Southern Fashion Merchandising and Apparel students took home first and second place at the ninth annual Night of Spectacles on April 2 in Atlanta for creating unique fashions from recycled eyewear. The fashion show benefits the Georgia Lions Lighthouse foundation and challenges designers to create high fashion looks embellished with and inspired by broken eyewear collected through the Lighthouse's recycling program.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Georgia Southern University's Southern Orientation, Advisement and Registration (SOAR) Team recently traveled to Greenville, North Carolina, to attend the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW) where they won several awards. SROW is a regional conference through the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education (NODA) attended by undergraduate orientation leaders, graduate students and orientation professionals.

Georgia Southern University has chosen its 2016 Southern's Orientation, Advisement, and Registration (SOAR) Team. SOAR Leaders help orient new students and their families to Georgia Southern during the summer SOAR sessions. Out of 122 students who applied for the coveted SOAR Leader position, 25 were selected based on their leadership potential, work ethic and ability to represent the University.

A group of incoming Georgia Southern University freshman begin college before classes start, by gaining leadership experience giving back to the Statesboro community. The two-week volunteer project is designed to help them learn about their new college and their new home. During BUILD (Building Undergraduate Involvement and Leadership Development), the 80 students selected took part in constructing a Habitat for Humanity house, repair work at the Kiwanis fairgrounds in Bulloch County, as well as a number of home repairs through the Kingdom Builders Organization. "At Georgia Southern University, we have a culture of service to others," said University Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement Jodi Middleton. "We teach our students that an important part of leadership is taking the time to help those who need it. By giving this group of students the opportunity to serve the community before they even begin classes, we are instilling in them what we hope will be a lifelong love of volunteerism." Freshman chosen to participate were selected for their leadership potential. Georgia Southern University students logged a total of 26,000 service hours during the 2010-2011 academic year. The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement offers opportunities to serve throughout the academic year, everything from working at nursing homes in Statesboro, to building trails in the Great Smokey Mountains, and helping orphanages in Honduras. While service to others in Statesboro is the focus of BUILD, the two-week event also helps ease freshman into the college experience. "The transition to college can be a challenge for anyone. Students who participate in BUILD have the advantage of living on the campus and making a new set of friends before school starts. They interact with professors and administrators. So, by the time class starts they truly feel like a part of the University and the Statesboro community," explained Middleton, "We've found that students who participate in BUILD have a much easier time with the first months of college and they are more likely to do well in their classes as a result." The following students from your area participated in BUILD:

Eighteen Georgia Southern University students have been named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Selected for grade point average, campus or community leadership and service, and achievement or recognition in their area of study, the students are also required to be a junior or senior. Students are nominated by the faculty, staff and student body of Georgia Southern. Local students named include:

Thirty-five Georgia Southern University students have been named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Selected for grade point average, campus or community leadership and service, and achievement or recognition in their area of study, the students are also required to be a junior or senior. Students are nominated by the faculty, staff and student body of Georgia Southern. Local students named include:

The Georgia Southern University chapter of Phi Eta Sigma, a national honor society for college freshmen, has initiated 404 new students. To be eligible, initiates earn a minimum GPA of 3.6 while enrolled full-time. The University is proud of these high achieving students and the outstanding freshman class. Phi Eta Sigma recognizes and promotes academic and service excellence among first-year students. The oldest and largest freshman honor society, Phi Eta Sigma was founded at the University of Illinois in 1923. The honor society now has 371 chartered chapters throughout the United States. In 2010, it inducted its 1,000,000th initiate. For more information on Georgia Southern's chapter, visit http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/fye/PhiEtaSigma.htm. The following students from your area were initiated into Phi Eta Sigma:

Georgia Southern University's Golden Key International Honor Society was awarded the Gold Level of Chapter Standards, by satisfying the highest level of standards requirements in academics, leadership and service. During the past academic year, members worked to attain the highest level of chapter standards by fulfilling a wide range of requirements. Some of these included achievements in networking, diverse service projects, member engagement, producing timely activity reports and collaboration with other student organizations. The chapter also used innovative methods to create an external face identifying with the community. The chapters leadership played a significant role in its advancement. They attended webinars on new methods to promote integrity among its members. The following are Golden Key officers:

Georgia Southern University recently recognized 125 students for excellence in academics on the 2011 Summer Semester President's List. To be eligible for the President's List, a student must have at least a 4.0 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. The University is proud of these high-achieving students from your area: