Armstrong Atlantic State University

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Armstrong Atlantic State University
Established: 1935
Type: Public
President: Thomas Z. Jones
Faculty: 292 full time
Students: 6,831[1]
Undergraduates: 6,060[1]
Postgraduates: 771[1]
Location: Savannah, Georgia, United States
Campus: 268 acres
Colors: Maroon and Gold         
Nickname: Pirates
Website: http://www.armstrong.edu

Armstrong Atlantic State University, abbreviated AASU, is a state university located in Savannah, Georgia. It is a unit of the University System of Georgia and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. AASU currently enrolls over 6,800 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Forty-one percent of the students are from the Savannah-Chatham County area. Others come from throughout Georgia, the nation, and 74 countries. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the university awarded a total of 1,121 degrees; of that, 768 were baccalaureate and 265 were master's degrees.

AASU's main 268 acre campus is located on Abercorn Street, right across from the Savannah Mall. In addition to the main campus, AASU operates the Brunswick Center (along with Georgia Southern University and the Coastal Georgia Community College) and the Liberty Center, located in Liberty County.

Contents

[edit] History

The university was founded in 1935 as Armstrong Junior College, and was originally housed in the historic Armstrong House adjacent to Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah. The Armstrong house was originally donated to the city by the family of George F. Armstrong. The college eventually grew to encompass six buildings in the Forsyth and Monterey Square areas of Savannah. In 1959, as Armstrong College of Savannah, it became a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia. The Board of Regents conferred four-year status on Armstrong State College in 1964. Two years later, in 1966, the college moved to its present 268-acre site, a gift from the Mills B. Lane Foundation and Donald Livingston.

It was designated a university by the Georgia Board of Regents in 1996 and its name was changed to Armstrong Atlantic State University. Additional buildings joined the six original structures as Armstrong added professional and graduate programs and quadrupled in size. 59 percent of the student population comes from outside the Savannah-Chatham County area including Georgia, the nation, and more than 70 countries.

[edit] Sports

Armstrong Atlantic State University's athletics program (the Pirates) competes at the NCAA Division II level and the school is a charter member of the Peach Belt Conference. Men's athletic teams include basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf. Women's teams include basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and soccer. Of note, the women's tennis team has been quite successful, earning NCAA National Championships in 1995, 1996, 2005, and 2008.

[edit] Academic programs

Today the university offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs in a number of areas, including Adult Education, Communicative Disorders, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Health & Physical Education, History, Math, Music, Early Childhood Education, Health Services Administration, History, Liberal and Professional Studies, Middle Grades Education, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Public Health.

[edit] Student activities and facilities

The university offers a variety of extracurricular activities. AASU runs a student newspaper, has more than 70 student clubs, several Greek organizations, and academic honor societies. Other activities students have access to are student dramatic, choral, and instrumental groups, and the Faculty Lecture Series. AASU hosts nationally-known speakers, contemporary concerts, art exhibits, and performances by classical and modern artists.

University facilities include multimedia classrooms, five computer labs, writing and math tutorial labs, an advisement center, an honors suite, three theaters, and an art gallery. The campus also offers a recreation center, lighted tennis courts, two indoor basketball courts, an indoor heated swimming pool, an indoor running track, a fitness center/weight room, and a baseball diamond.

[edit] Economic Impact

AASU has an economic impact on Savannah's metropolitan statistical area of more than $195.2 million. The AASU Center for Regional Analysis works closely with the business community to assess economic issues in the region. The center has been cited as one of the few in the country forecasting local economic conditions.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Highlights

  • The College of Health Professions is the largest and most comprehensive health professions education center of its kind in Georgia.
  • The AASU Men's and Women's Tennis Team finished first in the 2008 Division II National Championships.
  • Eighty percent of local nurses and non-physician medical staff attended AASU.
  • Ninety percent of law enforcement and corrections officers in southeast Georgia attended AASU.
  • More than half of the area's Teachers of the Year are AASU graduates.
  • The College of Education's Educational Technology Training Center was one of 13 Georgia programs to receive the Best Professional Development Program of the Year Award from the Georgia Staff Development Council.
  • The National Science Foundation has awarded a $483,760 grant to AASU that will support scholarships for qualified students pursuing careers in computer science, information technology, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics.
  • The Department of Nursing received $3.4 million in grants to boost nursing enrollment, attract disadvantaged students, and expand free primary healthcare services.
  • AASU received $1.1 million in grants from the Goizueta Foundation since 2003 to establish and support a comprehensive Hispanic/Latino recruitment and retention initiative.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Semester Enrollment Report (PDF). Office of Research and Policy Analysis. University System of Georgia (2007-11-12). Retrieved on 2007-12-23.

[edit] External links

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