Interim President Shelley Nickel addressed upcoming changes for the future of Georgia Southern in her Fall 2018 convocation speech on Aug. 8.

“In our inaugural year as a consolidated university, Georgia Southern enters a rapidly-changing landscape in higher education,” Nickel said. “Technology has dramatically changed the way we approach our curriculum and course offerings, and how students learn and interact.”

Nickel talked about the growing concern of universities across the south, which is struggling with dropping enrollment numbers caused by universities in other states.

“Already, colleges and universities from all over the country are beginning to create incentives to attract students from our region to their schools. At the same time, some counties in Georgia, particularly in rural areas like South Georgia, are already seeing declines in the number of 15 to 24-year-olds, our pipeline of students,” Nickel said.

To deal with these dropping numbers, GS is investing in and implementing the Student Success Plan, which will improve programs on campus and help forward the success of present and future students.

GS is also investing in the Regional Academic Plan to adapt different programs on campus to better meet the needs of the workforce.

Additionally, Nickel said that Armstrong is gaining new majors, including a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics, a BBA in Logistics and a Bachelor in Public Health.

Along with the plans that are to be utilized, Nickel expressed her gratitude toward the university’s faculty and staff and everything they do to help students succeed.

“Our faculty not only provide strong academics to our students, but also serve as mentors, helping them find opportunities and make decisions about their career,” Nickel said.

A video of Nickel’s full speech can be viewed here.

Rachel Adams, The George-Anne News Reporter, ganewsed@georgiasouthern.edu