Southern Polytechnic State University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Southern Polytechnic State University | |
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| Georgia's Technology University | |
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| Established: | 1948 |
| Type: | Public |
| President: | Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher |
| Students: | 4,400 |
| Location: | Marietta, Georgia, United States |
| Campus: | Suburban |
| Former names: | Southern Technical Institute, Southern College of Technology |
| Colors: | White and Green |
| Nickname: | "Spoosoo", Southern Tech, Southern Poly, SPSU |
| Mascot: | Hornet |
| Website: | http://www.spsu.edu |
Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU or Southern Tech) is "Georgia's Technology University", located just northwest of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, USA. It is a part of the University System of Georgia.
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[edit] Establishment
Founded in 1948 as a two-year division of the Georgia Institute of Technology, SPSU was established at the request of Georgia's business and industry. It first opened its doors as the Technical Institute in Chamblee, Georgia, with 116 students, all but 10 being World War II veterans, and a staff of 12.
In 1949, SPSU became the Southern Technical Institute and was recognized as a college-level school by the U.S. Department of Education. Less than a decade later (around 1958), the college migrated to its present campus in Marietta, Georgia.
In 1961, Hoyt McClure was named acting director and led the movement to build eight new buildings on 120 acres of land. Since then SPSU has continued to expand -- the campus now encompasses more than 230 acres and contains 35 buildings.
SPSU became accredited as a four-year college in 1970, and was one of the first colleges in the nation to offer the bachelor of Engineering Technology degree. SPSU also earned independence in the University System, separating ties with Georgia Tech. In the summer of 1980, SPSU officially became the 14th senior college and the 33rd independent unit of the University System of Georgia.
The college's first president, Dr. Stephen R. Cheshier of Purdue University, was named in 1980 and served with distinction until his retirement as president in June 1997. He saw SPSU through two name changes -- Southern College of Technology in 1987 and Southern Polytechnic State University in the summer of 1996, when the school also became a university.
[edit] List of Presidents
| Name | Term of Office | Notes | |
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| Lisa A. Rossbacher | August 1998-Present | Served as Interim Vice Chancellor of the University System of Georgia in 2007 | |
| Daniel S. Papp | July 1997-August 1998 | Served as Interim President. Current president of Kennesaw State University | |
| Dr. Stephen R. Cheshier | Summer 1980-July 1997 | First President of SPSU | |
| Previous Presidents were from the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) |
[edit] Students
[edit] Student Government
Student organizations such as fraternities, clubs, and the general student body are governed by the Student Government Association of Southern Polytechnic State University. SGA is composed of elected and appointed undergraduate and graduate students. The SGA is designed closely to the U.S. government, where the President has veto power, the Vice President chairs the legislative body, and the Chief Judge has judgment authority over questions of constitutionality. The SGA is composed of three main branches: Executive (President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Chief Judge, and four committee chairs), Legislative (Ten Councilmen including the four committee chairs, chaired by the VP and recorded by the Secretary/Treasurer), and Judicial (Chief Judge and six Associate Judges). The current officers for the 2007-2008 school year are Kevin Moss (president), with Eddie Macham (Vice President), Anjli Patel (Secretary/Treasurer), and Donna Washington (Chief Judge).
[edit] Student Media
[edit] WGHR
A noncommercial college radio station, operating since 1969, later serving much of Cobb County in the northwest metro Atlanta area on FM and now via webcast. The station is student- and listener-supported, with diverse and eclectic programming from a wide variety of genres.
[edit] The STING
An acronym meaning Southern Technical Institute News Gazette. The student newspaper has been publishing since the school was founded. This media's slogan, in satire form, is "Read By Tens Of People In One Country All Over The World."
[edit] Clubs/Organizations
[edit] Robotics
For more than a decade, an SPSU student team has competed in the International Aerial Robotics Competition sponsored by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Over the years the SPSU teams have won various awards for their fully autonomous aerial robots. Also, the Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Technology department sponsors a student-run Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) team that competes in an annual AUVSI underwater vehicle competition in San Diego, California.
[edit] Fraternities
SPSU has seven (8) different fraternities and one (1) women's fraternity. SPSU fraternities are extremely active on campus on a daily basis.
[edit] Sororities
SPSU, plagued by industry-related low female populations, has only two (2) sororities. But female enrollment is growing steadily, and the SPSU Panhellenic association, composed of the sororities' members, has contributed greatly to campus life.
[edit] Social/Misc Clubs
SPSU supports many student-run social organizations along the genres of international cultures, faith, athletics, special interests, etc.
[edit] Professional Organizations
SPSU students are members of over ten (10) industry and degree related professional organizations, further facilitating their knowledge and skills for when they join the workforce after graduation.
[edit] SPSU Wiki
In August 2005, SPSU launched its own wiki on a trial basis with the approval of current university president Dr. Lisa Rossbacher. The SPSU Wiki contains relevant information about the school, an event schedule, and information about the varying policies and procedures at SPSU, edited by the students and staff of SPSU. [See External Links]
[edit] External links
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