91Âț»­app’s theatre program will bring an alumna-directed production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage to the stage at the Performing Arts Center in Statesboro April 9-11.

In her first directorial role at the University, Teresa-Michelle Jackson (’04) will serve as the guest artist director for the production, which explores themes of class, race and labor.

Jackson studied under Georgia Southern Assistant Professor Emeritus of Theatre Mical Whitaker, who she credits with broadening her view of theatre and inspiring her to pursue directing. She grew to love productions that are rooted in emotion. 

“I’m a creative storyteller who likes to tell really hard stories,” Jackson said. “Black Theater will always have a special place in my heart, but it doesn’t have to be Black Theater. It’s more about sharing a perspective of a lived experience.”

Jackson hopes that through the telling of this story, the audience will walk away with a better understanding of the importance of differing points of view. 

“We are definitely in a place in our world where this play is hitting on a lot of hot topics we’re experiencing today,” said Jackson. “And it’s not to be political, but it’s to really think, what are people’s points of view to get them to land where they are?” 

Jackson brings professional experience in theater and television to share with students working on the production. Working with students and giving back to a community that gave so much to her has been “like a dream,” Jackson said.

“As much as I hope I’m pouring into the students, it’s really pouring into me,” said Jackson.

After graduating from Georgia Southern, Jackson went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design, where she now serves as a communication coach. Previously, she was a theatre professor and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Savannah State University for 16 years. She has worked in the film and television industry with companies such as Warner Brothers and Showtime. 

“Sweat” will begin at 7:30 p.m. each day during its run. To purchase tickets for “Sweat,” visit Georgia Southern’s Performing Arts Center box office, order them online at PAC Box Office, or call 912-478-7999. 

Four 91Âț»­app faculty from the College of Arts and Humanities will come together to highlight Savannah native and renowned author Flannery O’Connor during the next installment of the Moveable Feast Lecture Series at 6 p.m. April 13 at St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.

The free event will feature professors Benjamin Drevlow, Tony Morris, Christina Olson and Laura Valeri leading a discussion on how O’Connor’s unique Georgia roots inspired her work and how her writing continues to inspire today’s writers.

“I’m drawn to O’Connor again and again because of who she was: an unrepentant iconoclast in a time and place where such rebellion wasn’t typical,” said Olson, professor of creative writing. “She is always on the short list of authors I recommend to Georgia Southern students. Aspiring authors need to be aware of the rich literary history that they themselves work right in the middle of.”

A core element of the Moveable Feast series is creating an immersive experience by hosting lectures in places that directly connect with the subject. O’Connor grew up on Charlton Street near St. Vincent’s Academy where she was a student for several years. Professor of writing Valeri said hosting the discussion inside the very walls where a young O’Connor learned to write is a unique treat.

“It’s a rare privilege to be able to discuss such an influential literary genius in her own stomping grounds,” said Valeri. “We get to soak up Savannah’s loveliness in the beautiful St. Vincent’s gardens, and right as spring blooms.”

Surrounded by the beauty of Savannah’s parklike squares and the architecture of the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, senior English lecturer Drevlow said attendees will appreciate how the city’s distinctive culture produced O’Connor’s signature style of Southern literature. He noted that O’Connor’s status as somewhat of an outsider, and being a devout Catholic in a largely Protestant region, gave her a unique lens to view Southern society, something he personally connected with.

“I have a unique outsider’s perspective on all this with my Midwestern roots — growing up on a farm in rural northern Wisconsin and with my family’s roots in Minnesota; ‘Minnesota nice’ being very comparable to ‘Southern hospitality,’” said Drevlow. “When I got down here and saw all the things I’d read about going to school in Minnesota and Wisconsin, it almost became bingo for me. I might be from the cold, cold North, but in so many ways, rural is rural, and religion is religion.”

Attendees can begin the evening at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home Museum, which will open at 5 p.m. for self-guided tours. Moveable Feast organizer Bill Dawers noted it is a fitting prelude to the lecture, given the strong connection between the author’s home and the Georgia Southern Armstrong Campus. 

“The work to establish her home as a museum was led by Armstrong State faculty,” noted Dawers. “Professor Bob Strozier brought the idea to Armstrong President Bob Burnett, and they teamed with Professor Hugh Brown to set up a foundation to preserve the home. Since then, many faculty have served on the board because it’s an important piece of Savannah’s history.”

Georgia Southern junior Ariana Taylor-Williams will spend her summer in New York City after earning a Schomburg-Mellon fellowship. This prestigious opportunity will allow her to advance her undergraduate research on the Harlem Renaissance by giving her access to unique documents in the New York Public Library’s extensive archives.

“Being able to do research with primary sources is a big deal,” said Taylor-Williams. “This will be the highest level of research I have gotten to do and I’m really excited for the opportunity. It’s exactly what I need to be able to advance my thesis.”

The Schomburg-Mellon fellowship is given to 10 rising college seniors annually.

Taylor-Williams is an Honors College student double-majoring in history and English while working as an archivist in the Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections. She is the head delegate of the University’s Model United Nations team and the vice president of Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society. Her research into the effects of Cumberland Island’s commercial development on the Gullah Geechee community earned her the history department’s Richard S. Beene Scholarship. Now she is preparing her Honors thesis: “Harlem’s Federal Writers: Transnationalists, Humanitarians, and Public Historians,” which examines how the work of African American authors in the 1930s contributed to the preservation of American history. 

Associate Professor of History Julie de Chantal, Ph.D., noted that Taylor-Williams took her work beyond expectations when teaming up with graduate students to produce an exhibit on American Independence.

“She operates at a level I have never seen before and she is tenacious like no other,” said de Chantal. “She has a profound ability to read text and subtext, so she finds patterns nobody else sees.”

Taylor-Williams believes her success in so many fields comes from the supportive environment created by Georgia Southern faculty.

“Attending Georgia Southern is one of the best decisions I have made,” said Taylor-Williams. “I feel very lucky to have gotten these opportunities because not many students, especially in my field of archives, get to do this as an undergraduate student. All of the different extracurricular activities I have been able to hold leadership positions in, that’s not something you see at a lot of other universities.”

De Chantal notes that a common theme in Taylor-Williams’s studies is using her own success to help others grow.

“Not only does she excel in her own work, she helps others to accomplish their goals too,” said de Chantal. “With the Model U.N., she’s not only using the feedback that the faculty give her on her submissions, she shares the lessons that she learns with high school students whom she mentors. She does not just take knowledge in, she gives it back.”

As Taylor-Williams prepares for a busy summer filled with rare books and handwritten notes, she already has her sights set on her next educational challenge. 

“I plan to get my master’s in history and library science because I really want to pursue a career as an archivist,” said Taylor-Williams. “Once I started working in Special Collections at the library, I realized it combines both history and English, so that became my goal. I want to do hands-on work that will help preserve historical documents for future generations to make their own discoveries.”

The 91Âț»­app College of Arts and Humanities will host the next installment of the Moveable Feast lecture series with an in-depth discussion of the evolution of combat training from the tumultuous Middle Ages to the modern-day military.

Professor of Spanish Grant Gearhart, Ph.D., will present “Steel and Sweat: Knights, Soldiers and the Making of the Tactical Athlete” Feb. 19, at 6 p.m., at Service Brewing in Savannah.

Gearhart, who is also the coordinator of experiential learning for the Department of World Languages and Cultures, says the presentation is all about connecting modern military training with the physical contests of centuries past.

“I wanted to bring back interest in research on the Middle Ages, considering there is a declining interest in the topic within academia,” Gearhart explained. “To connect the past with present in a way that’s digestible for all audiences is something that I feel passionate about bringing to the public.” 

His research focuses on the evolution of fighting styles and explores how these styles reflect the ethics and values of the cultures in which they were developed.

“Today’s soldiers are more than just military personnel, they are athletes,” said Gearhart. “Being a former college athlete sparked my interest in doing this research on the connections between athletics and warriors. I want to show how our modern ideas of soldiers as tactical athletes have historical grounding in the Middle Ages.”

The Moveable Feast series is an immersive learning experience that brings lectures into spaces relevant to their topics. The event is free and open to the public.

Two faculty members from 91Âț»­app’s College of Arts and Humanities will be featured presenting authors during the 2026 Savannah Book Festival on Free Festival Saturday, Feb. 7.

Kendra R. Parker, Ph.D., from the Department of English, will present her book, “Understanding Octavia E. Butler,” at 11:40 a.m. Parker’s work offers insight into the life and literary legacy of Octavia E. Butler, exploring the cultural and imaginative power of one of science fiction’s most influential voices. 

Later that afternoon, Bennett Parten, Ph.D., from the Department of History, will present his book, “Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman’s March and the Story of America’s Largest Emancipation,” at 2:20 p.m. Parten offers a different perspective of Sherman’s March to the Sea by delving into the often overlooked story of thousands of enslaved people who experienced the march as a journey into freedom.

Parker and Parten are among more than 40 nationally recognized authors who will present their works during the Free Festival Saturday. All presentations, which are followed by Q&A sessions and book signings, are hosted at venues throughout historic downtown Savannah and are free and open to the public. 

The Savannah Book Festival is one of the Southeast’s premier literary events, drawing thousands of attendees each year.

“If I can run 100 miles, I can finish this degree,” said Katie Logsdon, a recent graduate of 91Âț»­app, avid ultramarathon runner, local business owner, and, proudly, a mother of four children.

In December 2025, Logsdon earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Georgia Southern at 47 years old – a finish line she reached nearly 30 years after she began. Like many students, after graduating high school, she began taking college courses at what was then Armstrong State College and had completed all of the prerequisite courses required for her degree. With one final left to go in the semester, she looked forward to completing her program in the near future.

“The final was supposed to be in early December 2002, but it got pushed back. I took it days before my water broke, and I was in labor for 18 hours,” stated Logsdon.

After her daughter was born, she made the difficult decision not to return to school. At the time, she felt that motherhood seemed more important than finishing her degree. When her youngest was born, Logsdon discovered that her daughter had multiple exceptionalities that required ongoing medical care.

“After the birth of my first child, I wasn’t sure I wanted to finish my nursing degree,” she said.

Motherhood was fulfilling, but the desire to finish college stayed with her – shadowed by insecurity about whether she was capable of doing it. For years, doubt outweighed ambition.

But the obstacles Logsdon faced throughout her life were a reminder of her incredible ability to overcome and persevere.

“I was meeting my daughter, who is also a student at Georgia Southern, across the street from the Armstrong Campus one day, and chose to walk into the Admissions Office and see if any of the credits I earned years ago might transfer.”

That single decision would lead to a new, exciting chapter for Logsdon.

Following a conversation with Georgia Southern admissions and financial aid officers, she was told that with two children also attending college, she could receive substantial financial aid to return to school. Additionally, many of those credits she had earned nearly 30 years ago could transfer toward a degree.

“Between my former pre-requisites for the nursing program and taking care of my youngest daughter, I had an interest in the medical field, but felt nursing school wasn’t exactly the right path for me at the moment. Owning my own business and being a single mom, I needed a flexible program that could be done online that capitalized on my lived experiences,” she said. 

With guidance from Georgia Southern’s admissions counselors, she was able to find a degree program that could build on her completed courses, while also complementing her experience as a business owner. 

“That’s when I found out about a bachelor’s degree in an interdisciplinary studies program where I could choose a concentration of human development and family science, health promotion and business.”

Logsdon’s determination goes beyond academics. As a dedicated ultramarathon runner and active member of Savannah’s Rough Runners, supporting others who use running as therapy comes naturally. She aims to set a precedent for her family and anyone facing similar challenges.

“I think of myself as an example, not just for my children, but the people around me,” Logsdon explained. “If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.”

And, in December 2025, she reached the finish line of a goal she set nearly three decades ago. 

Crossing the stage, Logsdon proudly carried the ashes of her father and stepfather while her mother and four children watched her receive the degree she fought so hard to earn. An emotional moment for all, she was thankful her family always had her back and could be with her in person and spirit during the ceremony.

Above all else, Logsdon wants people struggling with the idea to go back to school to know, “If it scares you, that means you’re meant to try it.”

For Laura Santiago, 91Âț»­app’s 2025 Fall Commencement, marks the completion of a journey she began 30 years ago. The 49-year-old married mother of two began her college education straight out of high school but early motherhood changed her course and prompted her to put her studies on hold.

“I love school, but I didn’t want to take away from my kids,” Santiago said. “Once I had them, I didn’t want to miss their after-school activities. I just didn’t want to take time away from them. I felt like I had my chance.”

Santiago was born in Puerto Rico, the middle of six children. Her family moved to New York when she was 4 years old and returned to Puerto Rico when she was 12. Her parents never finished high school, but she did – and now, by earning a bachelor’s degree in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in Spanish, Santiago is rewriting her family’s story.

“I’m the only one in my mother’s household to graduate from high school and earn a college degree,” she said.” At this age, I feel it would have been easier to do it when I was younger, but my family is really proud of me.”

Santiago never let go of her academic goals and she returned to school once her own daughter entered college.

“As soon as my daughter graduated high school and went to college, I thought, ‘yes, I’m going to college too,’” she recalled. She earned an associate degree then paused again. After several more years passed, she realized, “The years are going to continue passing me by whether I do it or not. I might as well finish so I can be in the position that I want to be.”

In the summer of 2023, she enrolled at Georgia Southern as a first-generation, fully online student in the College of Arts and Humanities.

“I’ve grown so much, while I’ve been here,” she said. “I feel empowered. I’m more confident in my knowledge and abilities. The professors are so knowledgeable and passionate about their subject areas, and they were so supportive. I’m going to remember them. I’m going to take them with me.”

Santiago, who lives in Woodstock, Georgia, works full-timefull time as a middle school instructional support paraprofessional. Her goal is to become a Spanish/ESOL teacher.

“Working with special needs kids is the most rewarding thing,” said the future alumna. “Seeing a child who believes — along with their parents — that they’re limited or incapable, then watching them accomplish milestones they never thought possible is incredibly rewarding.”

While attending Georgia Southern, Santiago excelled in her studies despite her full-time job and full course load. She earned her place on the President’s List and received an “A” in all but one course. It required discipline, sacrificing time with family and friends, careful scheduling and the ability to solve problems independently as an online student. She also credits her supportive husband who took on laundry, cooking and other household responsibilities.

Closing in on the finishing line, Santiago expressed how her college experience expanded her sense of what she can achieve.

“It’s helped me realize that I can do more than I think that I’m capable of,” she said. “I can still learn — there’s so much that I don’t know. When you’re not going to college, you live in a little bubble and just what’s around you. A world languages and cultures major opens your eyes to what’s happening around the world. I appreciate learning about other cultures. It’s been very enriching to understand and see things from different perspectives.”

Now, her decades-old journey will culminate with a well-deserved walk across the commencement stage at Georgia Southern.

“I already have my cap and gown,” Santiago said. “I was debating it, but my family said, ‘You’ve worked so hard — you deserve to go and walk.’ So, I said, ‘okay, let’s do it.’”

91Âț»­app Spanish professor Miguel GarcĂ­a, Ph.D., was among many instructors teaching courses during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. As coronavirus entered the U.S. in 2020, classes shifted from fully virtual in the spring semester to hybrid models by the fall, prompting many faculty members to develop innovative learning solutions along the way.

Published in April 2025, “Voces, poemas e historias,” is a collection of poems written by beginner and elementary-level Spanish students that showcases the powerful ability of Georgia Southern’s students, faculty and staff to innovate, create and collaborate across campus. 

Composition had always been a significant component of students’ graded assignments in GarcĂ­a’s courses. To contrast the strict, isolating protocols of the pandemic, he wanted to offer his students a chance “to walk into a puddle and splash around with words,” exploring their creative abilities and challenging them to use their newfound Spanish language skills. 

During the fall 2020 semester, GarcĂ­a presented his students with the choice to write a poem for the composition element for their coursework; he found his students expressing not only their creativity, but also their experiences, emotions and journeys through life. 

Contributing poet and dual Spanish and political science major Inga Withers said, “Using words wisely is a form of art; as they say, the pen is mightier than the sword.” 

Withers, who has faced life-altering personal challenges in the past several years, stressed the importance of allowing creative freedom within the curriculum. 

“The writing process helped me to work through some pretty complex emotions, and doing so in my second language facilitated me being extremely careful with my words,” said Withers. “Creativity in the classroom is essential. It is the way we internalize learning.” 

The world didn’t end when the coronavirus began, and although “the new normal” at the time completely altered the social landscape, pandemic students still had to face difficult and complex personal hardships while also dealing with the added stress of social isolation and the threat of illness. Poetry, GarcĂ­a thought, could be a means of exploring new facets of self through carefully chosen words. It was a way of communicating complex emotions with one another that social isolation had hindered within the last year of living through a global pandemic. 

Another contributing student poet and English major, Kat Williams, also welcomed the option of a poetry assignment, using the challenge as a means of combining her unique interests and knowledge base. 

“When professor GarcĂ­a let us know that if we wanted to write a poem for our final instead of a paper, I jumped at the opportunity,” she said. 

To Williams, the project blended personal interests and world culture. 

“With ‘El anhelo de Hades y PersĂ©fone,’ I wanted to pay homage to everlasting culture and how, after a while, it all mixes,” explained Williams. “Overall, the poem represents a love of natural opposites.”  

Although many students were thrilled with the opportunity to submit poetry, the idea of publishing the poems came to GarcĂ­a a few years after he began implementing the assignment. However, GarcĂ­a felt that he lacked the literary background needed to successfully complete the book and called upon Georgia Southern professor Teresa Buzo Salas, senior lecturer of Spanish, to assist in writing the introductory portion of the publication to give “Voces” greater depth. 

Spanish professor Michael McGrath, Ph.D., and eight of his students, as well as graduate student Madi Stefan, also played a significant role in the production of “Voces” by translating into Spanish each contributing poet’s short biography, allowing readers to have a chance to get to know the people behind the poetry.

For the design elements of “Voces,” GarcĂ­a tapped associate professor Hans Mortensen’s students from the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art. In collaboration with Mortensen’s graphic design students, a web copy of the book was successfully designed and published in April 2025.

Among those design students, Gracyn Murguia had the opportunity to work on the publication’s formatting and editing. “I personally find collaboration especially important when building digital projects,” said Murguia. “By working together, we were able to create a much more functional and visually appealing product than if we were working alone. We were also able to bounce ideas off each other and learn more about the other’s expertise.” 

With additional support from Associate Dean of Libraries for Research & Assessment Katia Karadjova-Kozhuharova, Ph.D., and Digital Scholarship Librarian Jeff Mortimore, Georgia Southern’s Henderson Library, the students’ contributions can also be accessed through the for years to come. 

“This project is a testament to the creativity, collaboration and dedication of our students and colleagues,” GarcĂ­a said. “I am deeply grateful to everyone who made “Voces” possible.” 

The 91Âț»­app Museum’s commitment to education about Georgia’s Coastal Plain region and its communities helped it earn renewed accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) for another 10 years. The Museum first received the accreditation in 1997.

AAM accreditation is awarded based on several criteria including how a museum identifies and serves its community, the diversity of its programming, and its commitment to placing education at the center of public service. The accreditation committee noted the Georgia Southern Museum not only meets, but exceeds requirements in several key areas. Community partnerships like received high praise from the evaluators, something that does not surprise Museum leadership.

“Our connections with partners across the region mean a lot,” said Museum Director Brent Tharp, Ph.D. “Everyone from the Kiwanis Club to Bulloch County Schools to faculty and staff across the University who are not Museum staff, they are all a critical part of our operations.”

The depth of education offered at various locations also caught the eye of the evaluators. They noted that the Museum on Main, housed at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, provided rich local history in a way that appealed to visitors. They also cited how the Gretsch Collection exhibited at the Plant Riverside District in Savannah takes engagement beyond the usual museum audience.

Museum leaders credit much of the success of their programs to the student staff. Students do everything from leading tour groups through exhibits to running the gift shop. Assistant Director Lashanda Hicks-Griffin credits the enthusiasm from the students for creating an environment where learning feels like an adventure.

“The only way that we can accomplish so much of what we’re doing is because we have a strong student support system,” said Hicks-Griffin. “They make it fulfilling and fun to come to work every day.”

The Museum staff takes pride in their dedication to building diverse exhibits through interdisciplinary work. Curator of Paleontology and Associate Professor Kathlyn Smith, Ph.D., is so accustomed to the involvement of Georgia Southern’s faculty that she cannot imagine operating without it.

“The evaluation team said it was unusual that I spent a lot of time doing outreach,” said Smith. “They said some institutions struggle to get their faculty to join outreach efforts, but I love taking our collection to places like comic conventions and sharing it with people who might not expect to find it there.”

Presenting a wide spectrum of topics to a broad audience is a core part of the museum’s mission. Thousands of visitors, from University students to school groups to tourists, pass through the Museum each year. Curator of Education Marjean Cone takes an individual approach to connecting all of them with the discoveries they make inside the exhibits.

“I feel like I’ve done my job at the end of the day if somebody from any background can come in here, be inspired by something we present and want to keep learning more when they go back outside to their daily life.”

The Museum features permanent exhibits that chronicle the history of Georgia’s Coastal Plain region. It also hosts rotating exhibits on diverse topics in science, history and culture. General admission is $4 per person. Admission is free for Museum members as well as Georgia Southern students, alumni, faculty, staff, members and children under 3 years old.

The College of Arts and Humanities at 91Âț»­app will host the next event in its “Moveable Feast” lecture series, featuring a discussion on an iconic American instrument. Gretsch Collection Curator Matthew Hill, Ph.D., will present “Strum and Twang: The Improbable Yet Inevitable Rise of the Electric Guitar Since 1750” Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at Plant Riverside District in Savannah.

“Many people think they know the history of the instrument, but they don’t,” said Hill. “There are lots of myths and legends that are just not true, but the real story is even weirder.”

Hill’s presentation will take attendees on a journey from bizarre instruments powered by static electricity that predate the Revolutionary War to the wild days of the rock ’n’ roll revolution. Participants will also experiencehear special instruments that Hill has built to replicate the strange sounds of the past and new ones he has created.

“These instruments have been evolving for centuries,” explained Hill. “The electric guitar is not just part of music, it’s part of popular culture. People constantly bring it with them into whatever the new modern era is. These days you can go online and learn so many ways to modify them and make something new.”

The Moveable Feast series is an immersive learning experience by bringing lectures into spaces relevant to their topics. Hill’s presentation will take place among the many guitars displayed as part of “That Great Gretsch Sound!” collection in the District Live lobby within Savannah’s Plant Riverside District. The collection is maintained by the Georgia Southern Museum.

The event is free and open to the public.