Standard Number 3.10.7: The institution operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off campus, that are adequate to serve the needs of the institution’s educational programs, support services, and other mission-related activities.

Full Compliance

Georgia Southern University operates and maintains physical facilities, both on and off campus, that are adequate to serve the needs of the University’s educational programs, support services, and other mission-related activities. “The University offers a student-centered environment enhanced by technology, transcultural experiences, private and public partnerships, and stewardship of a safe residential campus recognized for its natural beauty.”⁶⁵ Georgia Southern’s campus meets the University’s needs in a variety of ways, including through use of the facilities described below. In addition, through its Physical Plant department, the University provides custodial services, facilities planning design and construction services, landscape services, mechanical services, a service response center, and structural services. These units are essential in maintaining the smooth operation of the University on a daily basis. Furthermore, the University has developed and implemented a Master Plan. This document plays a vital role in ensuring that present and future development of campus facilities and physical plant align with Georgia Southern’s objectives and goals identified in its Strategic Plan and Mission Statement.

The Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building and the Performing Arts Center provide a leading-edge environment for lifelong learning and cultural enrichment and provides the University’s Theatre program with a prime performance venue. The original 28,000 square foot facility was recently renovated to add 11,600 square feet of meeting space, a 376 seat auditorium and nine meeting rooms (12 if subdivided). Another 105,000 square feet were added in a second construction phase completed in 2001, which includes an 825 seat Performing Arts Center, 600 seat multi-purpose room, other meeting rooms, office space, and full kitchen. The Nessmith-Lane Building is equipped with training support systems, audiovisual equipment, and telecommunication equipment to provide an excellent environment for training programs, conferences, workshops, seminars, symposia, and business meetings, as well as related functions and entertainment.

The University relies heavily on the Henderson Library for support of its academic programs. This 158,000 square foot building is currently undergoing extensive renovations to add another 101,000 gross square feet to the existing structure. The new facility will have the capacity to maintain an on-site storage retrieval center that will allow the library to move toward a model of seamless information access. The construction will also triple the library’s available public seating to provide a greater variety of study and research spaces, to create an “information commons” that combines print and electronic reference sources and services, to establish a congregating area to provide a sense of community, and to introduce new electronic services such as self-production hardware and software. This new facility will also become the permanent home of the Center for Excellence in Teaching providing this Center with a central, primary location on campus and providing faculty with easy access to the Center’s important mission-related resources. Georgia Southern has a number of other renovations underway that will enhance the campus environment and support the University’s purpose, including Phase III of the Art Building and renovations to the Herty Building. (For additional details, see major construction projects.)

To provide support for its academic programs and enhance the technology environment, Georgia Southern maintains several general and special purpose computer labs that house approximately 1,400 computers. The largest general purpose labs are located in the Henderson Library, the Newton Building, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Information Technology. These labs are staffed and maintained by Information Technology Services. A number of departments also maintain their own computer labs.

To enhance the student-centered environment of the campus as well as promote healthy lifestyles, the University operates the Recreation Activity Center (RAC) which includes a main gym (with three courts), a climbing wall, racquetball courts, an auxiliary gym, a weight room (with circuit, free and cardio equipment), group exercise room, multipurpose room, elevated track, as well as administrative office space. The RAC is also targeted for expansion, adding another 120,000 square feet to the existing facility. This addition will include space for indoor courts, weight/fitness room, indoor pool(s), and other specialized spaces as well as expansion and upgrading of the outdoor fields. Georgia Southern also has multipurpose playing fields for softball, soccer, flag football, rugby, lacrosse, and ultimate Frisbee. The Hanner Fieldhouse provides a main court, old Hanner gym, activity room, indoor pool, and outdoor lighted tennis courts plus two softball fields. The Marvin Pittman Gym houses multipurpose space used primarily for cheerleading, dance, fencing, martial arts, wrestling, and volleyball. Finally, there is an outdoor pavilion available for students and employees.

Georgia Southern University achieves its objective, advanced through its Mission Statement, of expanding access to higher education to the southeast region of Georgia through outreach programs, external degree programs, and off-campus instruction. Four regional facilities factor centrally in the University’s ability to provide these programs.

The Brunswick Center is a consortium composed of the Coastal Georgia Community College, Armstrong Atlantic State University, and Georgia Southern University, and is located on the campus of the Coastal Georgia Community College in Brunswick. The Center serves as a residence center for the two universities, and its staff assist students enrolled in either the primarily undergraduate programs at Armstrong Atlantic State University or the primarily graduate programs at Georgia Southern University. Georgia Southern offers the following degrees through this Center: the Bachelor of Business Administration in Management; the Master of Business Administration; the Master of Public Administration; the Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades Education, and School Administration and Supervision; and the Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Family Nurse Practitioner. Since the Center is physically located on the 193-acre Coastal Georgia Community College campus, students have access to all of the facilities available on campus. Furthermore, the Center is outfitted with all of the relevant instructional technologies and distance learning technologies utilized in these degree programs such as GSAMS.

The Coastal Georgia Center is a University System of Georgia facility located 45 minutes away from Georgia Southern’s main campus in historic downtown Savannah. The original 40,000 square foot full-service conference center includes a tiered Assembly Hall with desk-front seating for 360; a 4,000 square foot dividable multipurpose room; and seven meeting rooms seating from 12 to 65 people. A new 13,000 square foot addition to the Center added five new classrooms, two distance learning rooms, and a new computer lab. The Center utilizes state-of-the-art technologies including a wireless laptop computer system that turns every room into a virtual computer lab at a moment’s notice as well as several new computer labs and distance learning/computer rooms capable of live interaction between numerous sites. Since the graduate programs in the College of Business Administration and the College of Education offered at this Center by Georgia Southern University rely heavily on distance learning technologies, this Center provides an ideal facility. It is also well-equipped for Georgia Southern’s non-credit continuing education activities.

The University System of Georgia Dublin Center provides the facility for Georgia Southern to offer its programs by standard classroom delivery, distance learning, Internet, and WebCT. Georgia Southern University offers junior- and senior-level courses leading to bachelor’s degrees in Early Childhood Education, Middle Grades, Business Administration in Management, Criminal Justice, and Nursing. The University’s graduate programs include the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education in Educational Leadership, School Psychology, Early Childhood, Middle Grades, and the Master of Public Administration.

Armstrong Atlantic State University , Georgia Southern University, Savannah State University, East Georgia College, and Coastal Georgia Community College form the Liberty Center—a University System of Georgia Residence Center located at Hinesville-Fort Stewart. Georgia Southern offers the Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration degree programs, and the facilities provided through this Center are more than adequate to meet the needs of these degree programs.