Georgia Southern University

Kathryn Randall, of Alpharetta, Ga., completed the Summer Studio Program with Painting and Printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University. She was one of just 22 students from across the U.S. and the world who were accepted into the program. The Summer Studio Program has helped propel to great success many previous participants. It included a rush of studio visits, seminars, critiques, immersive studio time, contact with mentors visiting artists and critics directed at developing participants' work and ideas.

Several Graphic Communications Management students in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) submitted work for consideration in the Gutenberg Awards - Print Media Contest over the summer. The Gutenberg Awards recognize exceptional achievement in the field of Graphic Arts. This year, the BFSDoArt had 19 winners in three categories with two first place awards. Alexis Barber, Charles Crawford, Tim Davis, Hilary Luna, and Heather Yeomans received first, second and third place honors in the Flexography Printing category. Luna was awarded first place and Barber took fourth in Screen Printing. In the Litho-Pringing - Spot Color category, Mackenzie Paller and Talia Thornburg each were second place winners, while Yeomans and Daniel Thornton each received fourth place honors. Luna, Caleb Scott and Tommy Martin each placed fifth. In the Litho Printing - Process Color category, Yeomans, Thornton, Chris Upchurch, Ebony Johnson, and Seqouyah Stinson each placed fifth.

Nursing students from Georgia Southern's School of Nursing spent two weeks over the summer in Costa Rica participating in a yearly study abroad trip. Led by Marian Tabi, Ph.D., professor in the School of Nursing, students learned about the culture of Costa Rica through lectures, host families, site visits and service learning activities.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Candace Moon, a junior biology major at Georgia Southern University, is one of only 36 national winners of a $6,000 undergraduate scholarship from Phi Eta Sigma, the national first-year honor society. The scholarship funds will help Moon in her senior year at Georgia Southern, where she is studying in the pre-dental professional program, after which she hopes to attend dental school and pursue a career as an orthodontist.

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.

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.

The Georgia Southern University Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art presents "B.F.A. Senior Exhibition" May 2 - 6 in the University and Contemporary Galleries at the Center for Art & Theatre.This exhibition features work from senior 2D and 3D studio art majors, enrolled in the BFA Portfolio course taught by Gallery Director Jason Hoelscher, and pursuing their bachelor of arts degrees.

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's Model UN delegation returned from the National Model United Nations (NMUN) Conference, the largest Model UN conference in the world, with an Outstanding Delegation Award. Georgia Southern was also recognized for Outstanding Position Paper Writing for the 14th time in 15 years. The team competed against more than 200 schools from around the world, and more than 3,600 hundred delegates.

Six Georgia Southern students took home awards at the local level of the 2016 American Advertising Awards (ADDY) in Savannah this month. Sixteen students from Georgia Southern and 50 students from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) participated in the student competition in categories such as mobile app, packaging, integrated campaigns, posters, brochures and logo designs.

Three College of Business students representing the GATA Sales Team traveled to New Orleans during spring break, March 17-20, to compete at the American Marketing Association's 38th Annual International Collegiate Conference. Chareva Myles competed in the AMA Perfect Pitch competition sponsored by AeroTek, while Taylor Porter and Jakeia Kitchens competed in the ABC Supply Co. International Sales Competition.

On Friday, April 1, the Georgia Southern Enactus team competed and won at the Enactus Regional Competition in Atlanta. The student-led organization focuses on providing economic support to the local area through sustainable entrepreneurial projects.

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.

Riley Theis, a senior chemistry major, won the best research talk at the 48th Annual Southeastern Undergraduate Research Conference at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Her presentation, "Spectroscopic, Structural and Energetic Analysis of Noble Gas Cations," was one of 95 student presentations from around the country.

Georgia Southern University undergraduate student Lena Hudson presented a poster on using high-performance liquid chromatography to study adsorption of dissolved organic matter on mineral surfaces at the 48th Annual Southeastern Undergraduate Research Conference at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Georgia Southern University undergraduate student, Cydnie Michell, presented a poster on the preferential absorption of environmental chemicals on aluminum surfaces at the 48th Annual Southeastern Undergraduate Research Conference at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

"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.

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.

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.