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NEWS BRIEFS

GEORGIA SOUTHERN
ACHIEVES RECORD ENROLLMENT
POST-CONSOLIDATION

Georgia Southern University set several enrollment records according to the University System of Georgia. The University’s official Fall 2024 total enrollment was 27,506, a 5.4% increase over Fall 2023, and the highest enrollment the University has recorded post-consolidation.

“This record enrollment highlights the strength of our academic programs and the commitment of our faculty and staff to Georgia Southern’s mission of preparing career-ready graduates to meet the talent and workforce needs of a growing region,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. Records set include:

  • 46.5% increase in the total number of dual-enrollment students
  • 3.6% increase in graduate student enrollment
  • 12.6% increase in Honors College enrollment
  • 28.1% increase in out-of-state student enrollment
  • 9.6% increase in international student enrollment

“This post-consolidation record enrollment reflects our commitment to expanding access to a Georgia Southern education and underscores the unwavering support we provide our students to help them persist, retain and graduate,” said Executive Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Student Success Alejandra C. Sosa Pieroni, Ed.D.

A group of Georgia Southern students on the field at Paulson Stadium with Freedom, the University's bad eagle mascot.

PROFESSOR NAMED TO
GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL OF
ECONOMIC ADVISERS

Michael Toma, Ph.D., the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics in the Parker College of Business, has received a new honor. He has been appointed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s Council of Economic Advisers. This council is made up mainly of economists within the University System of Georgia, along with the chief economist from Georgia Power. The group meets annually.

“It’s nice to be invited to join this council, informing the executive and legislative branches of government about economic conditions in the state of Georgia,” said Toma. “I know the southeastern part of the state, so it’s nice to be recognized and be invited to speak about this region to a state-level audience.”

Toma is an expert in macroeconomics and regional economics, with a strong reputation in Savannah and the surrounding region. Since 2000, he has published The Economic Monitor, a quarterly report housed within Georgia Southern’s Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research. The publication provides an economic analysis of the Savannah Metropolitan area, including Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties, and is a resource for business owners across the Coastal Empire. Toma has been with Georgia Southern since 1997, when he joined the Armstrong Campus in Savannah.

Michael Toma, Ph.D., was appointed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s Council of Economic Advisers.

NEW BACHELOR’S IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES DEBUTS THIS FALL

Biomedical sciences student looking through a microscope.

There’s a new option for Georgia Southern University students. Fall 2025, the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) will offer a new bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences. COSM Dean Michael T. Huggins, Ph.D., shared his enthusiasm for how the program is designed. “An exciting aspect of the new program is how it has been tailored to prepare students for a wide breadth of jobs in the biomedical sciences while providing flexibility in their career paths,” he said. “Students take courses that will satisfy requirements necessary to advance immediately from the bachelor’s

degree to programs in medical, dental, physician assistant, pharmacy or veterinary schools.” The curriculum includes courses on human anatomy and physiology to genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, nutrition and kinesiology. The degree will enable students to find jobs in education, research, sales or hospital and institutional work. The program is also designed to provide a streamlined curriculum to support students interested in pursuing medical school at the new Medical College of Georgia on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah.