As the semester comes to a close, President Marrero answers questions on the upcoming dental school, the $80 million allocated for repairs, and changes with student advising.

Regarding the Dental School

President Marrero has confirmed that the new dental school will be a partnership between Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia and Georgia Southern. GS will serve as the host school, and therefore, cannot answer program-related questions.

President Marrero did not confirm any dates or locations related to the construction of the new facility.

“Planning discussions are currently underway and more information will be shared when available,” said President Marrero.

Allocation of Resources

The University Systems of Georgia administered $80 million to Georgia Southern for rehabilitation and repair. President Marrero shared a few major projects these dollars will help fund.

• Upgrading the HVAC system in the Herty Building, Statesboro Campus
• Replacing the chiller in the Armstrong Recreation Center
• Replacing the roof on the Rosenwald building, Statesboro Campus
• Adding sprinklers to the Newton building, Statesboro Campus

The other funds will contribute towards helping maintain ongoing and regular maintenance projects conducted by the university.

Addressing Advising

This year’s student satisfaction survey indicated that students across all three campuses were more dissatisfied with advising than any other category.

When asked about these results, President Marrero said that the university is taking action by establishing the Enrollment, Marketing and Student Success (EMSS) Division.

These are some of the initiatives this division has initiated to improve advising:

• Creating an advising student journey map “to identify areas for improvement in our processes and policies,” said President Marrero
• “Working with academic deans and the Provost’s office to continue to simplify the curriculum,” said President Marrero
• Developing a student success framework to support the work of advisors
• Implementing consistent training

The department also decided that a renaming was in order to improve advising.

“Additionally, we have changed our name and working philosophy to reflect the extent of our work with students. We are now the Center for Advising, Retention and Completion (CARC),” said Marrero.