CLASS Alumnus Named One of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People

May 6, 2016

Georgia Southern alumnus Lee Berger, Ph.D., (‘89) was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People by TIME magazine.

Berger graduated from Georgia Southern’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences with a bachelor of arts in anthropology and holds a Ph.D. in palaeo-anthropology from the University of Witwatersand in South Africa. He is currently a professor at the University of Witwatersand.

Berger has made several discoveries in the field of anthropology during his career and unveiled his latest discovery of a new human species, Homo naledi, in the fall.

The find of nearly 100 remains in a cave that was used for disposal dating back as far back as 2.8 million years ago was featured in the October issue of National Geographic.

TIME magazine noted that, “One way scientists know they’ve had an impact is if they’ve gotten their peers talking. A better way is getting them arguing. By that measure and others, Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, has had a huge year.”

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the largest of the eight colleges that make up Georgia Southern University, and it plays a central role in every student’s core of knowledge. CLASS, also described as the University’s College of the Creative Mind, prepares students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, their nations and the world. CLASS offers more than 20 undergraduate degrees and several interdisciplinary minors from its 11 departments and five academic centers. CLASS offers eight master’s degrees, two graduate certificates and one doctoral degree.  For more information, visit class.georgiasouthern.edu.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125 degree programs serving approximately 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. GeorgiaSouthern.edu.