Planning and attending student events on a college campus may sound like it’s all fun and games. But new data from 91Âţ»­app shows there are real benefits for the students and for the university when students engage in on-campus activities.

A recent analysis by Georgia Southern’s Institutional Research office of first-year students who attended at least one event during the 2021-22 school year showed that students who attended at least one event returned this year at a rate of 79.4%. That figure is more than seven percentage points higher than the University’s overall freshman retention rate of 72%. 

“National data has consistently shown that the more engaged a student is with the university, the greater their chance of succeeding in college. It’s very satisfying to now have data to show the value of student programming and events at Georgia Southern,” said Shay Little, Ph.D., the University’s vice president for student affairs.

Student affairs has been collecting student participation data since the university launched “the Eagle Experience” in fall 2020. The following year, the program, a collaborative cross-university effort to ensure new students’ successful transition to the Georgia Southern college experience, won a 2021-22 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Excellence Bronze Award.

Now, data show that students are re-engaging after two COVID-influenced years that impacted many of  Georgia Southern’s operations and activities.

Total attendees measured at Georgia Southern events on all three campuses rose from 55,124 in fall of 2021 to 79,408 in fall of 2022. That’s a 44% increase in students who checked in during at least one of more than 1,000 events.

Fall 2022, the numbers show:

• 1,162 total events
• 79,408 total attendees
• 370 Armstrong Campus events that attracted 13,116 attendees
• 662 Statesboro Campus Tagged Events that attracted 62,335 attendees
• 82 different departments or registered student organizations hosted events

“It’s clear that we are reaching our Eagle Experience goals of engaging and retaining our students,” Little said. “We intend to foster a transformative student experience where students have fun, find a place to belong, and have opportunities to learn while enhancing their academic experience.  These results are very encouraging.”

91Âţ»­app’s Southern Leaders Program was recently selected as a gold level Excellence Award recipient from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). The team will be further judged for the designations of grand gold, grand silver and grand bronze. “From its initial concept to its current state, the Southern Leaders Program is so much more than your typical collegiate leadership program,” said Director of the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement Jodi Kennedy. “Southern Leaders has a very intentional organizational structure that allows students to take on leadership roles and guide their peers through a deliberative leadership curriculum.” The Southern Leaders Program has contributed to enhance student success at Georgia Southern. Results from a participant survey issued in spring 2018 reported that 76 percent of Southern Leaders believed the program contributed to their decision to continue enrollment at 91Âţ»­app. “Southern Leaders is an integral piece of the student life at 91Âţ»­app and offers our students an opportunity to participate in a co-curricular leadership program that advances their career and personal development,” said Georj Lewis, Vice President for Student Affairs. NASPA recognizes the contributions of members who are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services and effective administration. Excellence Award candidates are judged based on criteria including their impact on student learning and success, relevance to institutional mission and success in addressing student needs. 91Âţ»­app, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.

The 91Âţ»­app Counseling Center was awarded Clinical Program of the Year for its Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology program at the Georgia College Counseling Association 26th Annual Conference in St. Simons Island from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. In addition, Counseling Center Executive Director, Jodi K. Caldwell, Ph.D., was awarded College Counseling Director of the Year. The Doctoral Internship program is 2,000 hour, American Psychological Association accredited training program with a mission of offering high quality training in the practice of health service psychology. Known for its flexibility and unique tailoring to the training goals of interns, the program focuses on application of clinical theory and research and requires interns to learn to and abide by ethical, legal, and professional standards of the field. The counseling center combines didactic and experiential learning via a practitioner-apprenticeship training model/method and is currently a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. Oversight of the internship program is facilitated by Assistant Director/Training Director Katie Bigalke Jones, Ph.D. Caldwell received her doctorate degree in counseling psychology in 2000 from Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, TX, where she also completed her pre-doctoral internship. She joined the counseling center staff in 2000 as a staff psychologist. She has since served as the Assistant Director for Training and the Interim Clinical Services Director. Caldwell has been the director of the center since January 2012. Caldwell is also chair of the university’s Sexual Assault Response Team, serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Teal House: Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center and represents Georgia Southern on the Ogeechee Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team and Eastern Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team. On a national level, Caldwell is currently serving her second elected term to the Directorate Board of the Commission for Counseling and Psychological Services of the American College Personnel Association and is a certified Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Responder. Caldwell was the recipient of a 2005 Award of Merit for Excellence in Service to the 91Âţ»­app Community, the 2006 Commitment to Advocacy Award for dedication to the issue of Sexual Assault Education, the 2010 40 Under 40 award from the Statesboro Herald for professional achievement and the 2014 Outstanding Contributions to Counseling Center Work award from Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. The counseling center is an International Association of Counseling Services accredited center that offers individual, relationship, and group counseling, in addition to drop-in workshops. 91Âţ»­app, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit.