Stanton Dobson Jr, Copy Editor
With the advent of the consolidation many students have been left feeling uneasy about their circumstances as students at Armstrong State in the upcoming years.
It is reassuring, however, that Georgia Southern will keep the same programs that are currently offered at each campus until Spring 2022. New and returning students should not expect changes in their academic programs within the next five years.
Nonetheless it is important to us that the student body stay informed of the most important reformation changes that Armstrong is currently undergoing during the consolidation.
The Consolidation Implementation Committee, CIC, approved several recommendations over the summer that the Inkwell has compiled into a summarized list.
Changes related to academic policy include:
– Adopting the Georgia Southern modeled policy on early academic alerts. First-year retention and academic success at Georgia Southern has improved since the implementation of this policy. Freshmen were alerted if they were making unsatisfactory progress in a course, as early as the third week of classes.
– Creating a new Academic Standing Policy. According to the CIC, this new policy would encourage better academic performance, while also providing a better infrastructure for “support, resources, and opportunities.” The approval is intended to facilitate full implementation of the policy by Fall 2018.
There have also been changes to the institutions policy that affecting campus life which include:
– Combining Fraternity and Sorority Life operating policies and procedures, while maintaining the integrity of chapters on each campus.
– Consolidating the Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern Police department, which has already begun.
– Unifying Armstrong’s and Georgia Southern’s email systems by February 2018. Stated directly from the CIC minutes taken on June 28th, “All Armstrong students will receive their new georgiasouthern.edu email address in late February 2018. Armstrong students will use their armstrong.edu account and email address through Spring and Summer 2018 for Armstrong resources, but they will use their new georgiasouthern.edu account and email address for Fall 2018 registration, financial aid, and other Georgia Southern resources”
Additionally there are changes that will shortly be in effect concerning identity and organization. Such changes include:
– Changes to Armstrong’s logo, colors, and mascot. An official logomark will be available starting January 2018. As stated by the CIC, “The new Georgia Southern will preserve and capitalize on strong brand equity…by retaining Georgia Sothern’s visual identity… The Marketing and Communications Office will revise current style and identity guides to reflect naming conventions: Armstrong Campus in Savannah…”
More details on changes concerning attendance policy, exchange students, limited grade replacement, and other student-related regulations can be accessed on the consolidation website.
As we know, it is important to stay informed on the major changes and updates from the CIC. Thus, the Inkwell has created a consolidation section that will be printed in each issue leading up until the merge.
For more daily updated information on the consolidation check out consolidation.georgiasouthern.edu
