SAVANNAH — In an interview with the George-Anne Inkwell Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero gave Armstrong students an update on what to expect moving forward.

Construction on the MCC has been going on since the summer. Marrero brought us up to speed on the project.

“The $4.5 million [MCC] renovation project is scheduled to be completed this summer. This project will revitalize the vacant and underutilized spaces on the 2nd floor and in the main lobby to become more functional and operational for students,” said Marrero.

University Housing has been a point of contention at Armstrong; surrounding the controversy has been questions regarding what has been done to address the quality.

Marrero highlighted some of the improvements.
• Painted exterior of all buildings
• Interior paint
• Clubhouse renovation
• HVAC replacement
• Appliances replacement
• Awning replacement
• Breezeway lighting to LED
• Roof replacement — Bldg 1000, 2000, 5000, 8000
• Clubhouse roof replacement
• Building 2000 LVT (vinyl plank flooring)
• Exterior door paint
• Building 3000 LVT (vinyl plank flooring)
• Replaced gutters and downspouts
• Subfloor repair — Building 4000
And this summer, in addition to routine cleaning and repairs, the university is planning the following projects:
• Roof for the 3000 building
• Couches to be replaced
• Adding deadbolt locks for all entry doors

With Statesboro being the flagship campus, many students from Armstrong have to commute; Marrero addressed some of the concerns from students regarding this issue.

“Some majors will continue to be only offered at one campus or another,” said Marrero. Often this is because of available classroom space; facilities for research/teaching [such as engineering in Statesboro and nursing in Savannah]; and the location of corporate partners for internships, labs or other co-op experiences. We have developed technology that allows us to provide synchronous teaching, and we have a shuttle that goes back and forth between both campuses used by faculty, staff and students.”

New degree programs are always welcomed, and Marreo called attention to the fact that on Armstrong, more than 30 academic programs have been developed or expanded in the last five years. Some of the University’s new programs include * BBA in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation, Economics, MBA, BS in Public Health, Online Master of Public Health, Music industry degree, Hospitality Management and Expansion of the Tactical Athlete Program. As well as a master’s in information technology on the Armstrong Campus.

For more information on new programs, you can read here.

When asked about plans to extend the shuttle for Armstrong past 6 p.m., Marrero explained, “There are only six courses at Armstrong this semester that start after 6 p.m. The total enrollment in those courses is 111 students.” The last shuttle leaves Statesboro at 4:30 p.m. for Armstrong, and the return shuttle leaves Armstrong at 6 p.m. to get back to Statesboro.”

As for getting a shuttle for students on Armstrong to attend basketball games, Marrero added that “I do not think we have done a shuttle for basketball games in recent years, but if there’s a significant interest for it, we would gladly consider this idea.”

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