History of the College
Since its founding in 1906, Georgia Southern's history has been dynamic, sometimes turbulent, as the institution has advanced from a post-secondary agricultural school to comprehensive university status. As the institution has grown and changed, so too has the College of Health and Human Sciences.
The first schools were established at Georgia Southern College in 1968. These schools were identified as the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education (the Division of Health and Physical Education resided here), and the School of Graduate Studies. These units were joined by the School of Business in 1971 and the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, later renamed the School of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Nursing in 1980.
In 1987, restructuring within various units of the University brought the Department of Home Economics, later named Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Center for Rural Health and Research into the School. These additions created the need for a name more reflective of the affiliated departments, thus the title School of Health and Professional Studies was chosen.
In 1990-91, the Board of Regents promoted Georgia Southern College to university status, and Dr. Henry Eisenhart was named Chair of Recreation and Leisure Services. Two years later all "school" designations were changed to "college" and under new dean Dr. Fred Whitt (1992), the School of Health and Professional Studies officially became the College of Health and Professional Studies (CHPS). The departments comprising the College included the Departments of Nursing, Sport Science and Physical Education, Health Science Education, Recreation and Leisure Services, and Family and Consumer Sciences. The Center for Rural Health and Research also was housed within the College.
By Fall 1994, the College of Health and Professional Studies employed 66 full-time faculty, 45 percent of whom held the terminal degree. The Unit offered 18 programs of study to 1,653 undergraduate and graduate majors. During 1994, the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education was renamed the Department of Kinesiology. A new degree, the B.S. in Kinesiology, received Regents approval as did a new Major in Athletic Training. The College also inaugurated The Commentary, a newsletter for alumni, faculty and staff.
In January 1996, the Departments of Kinesiology, Health Science Education, Recreation and Leisure Services, and the Center for Rural Health and Research moved into renovated facilities in the Hollis Building. Restructuring and redirection during the 1996-97 academic year precipitated a merger of departments and programs and the College moved from five departments to four: Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Kinesiology, Nursing, and Recreation and Sport Management. The College also added an academic advising center, the Student Services Center, and opened the new Hollis Computer Laboratory. In April 1997, the Magnolia Coastlands Area Health Education Center (MCAHEC), joined with the College, and moved its administrative office within the Center for Rural Health and Research, forming a partnership to increase the distribution of health professionals in rural and underserved areas of the state.
Fall of 1998 ushered in the semester system for all institutions in the University System of Georgia. The College used this opportunity to revamp all curricula using nationally recognized programs as models for change. Also that year, the Department of Nursing was awarded School status and the decision was made to transfer programs and classes in anatomy and physiology from the College of Science and Technology to the College of Health and Professional Studies. Two long term goals were realized with the addition of two new graduate programs, the Master of Public Health (MPH), and the Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA). This period also saw completion of a million dollar renovation to the Sports Medicine/Athletic Training Laboratory in the Hanner Complex and Board of Regents' approval for a new 17,000 square foot Nursing and Chemistry Building.
On July 1, 1999, Dr. Bruce Grube took the helm as the eleventh president of Georgia Southern University. Dr. Grube brought renewed attention to strategic planning and a focus on six themes: Academic Distinction, Student-Centered University, Technological Advancement, Transcultural Opportunities, Private and Public Partnerships, and Physical Environment. Within these goals, the University developed a revised mission statement with a vision to become a nationally ranked top tier comprehensive university by the year 2010.
CHPS embraced these themes, and initiatives began to support programs moving to a higher level of excellence. In 1999-2000, Dr. Jean Bartels joined the School of Nursing as the new Chair and Dr. Karl Peace, a Georgia Southern Alumnus of the Year and well-known biostatistician and philanthropist, joined the College of Health and Professional Studies. Dr. Peace was named the prestigious Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC) Distinguished Scientist (the only scholar named who was not a physician), and with this recognition, the College was awarded a $750,000 grant from the GCC. Because of his efforts, the College developed a Center of Biostatistics with funding obtained through a partnership with the Georgia Cancer Coalition and the Georgia Research Alliance. The partnership with the Georgia Research Alliance was a first for the University and an important milestone in the history of Georgia Southern University. Dr. Peace's generosity and commitment to excellence also resulted in receiving the first endowed chair for the College. . . the Karl E. Peace Professor of Biostatistics. Other examples of strategic initiatives resulted in travel abroad by students and faculty for advanced study in China, England and Ghana; major technological upgrades in computer facilities within CHPS; and the Nursing program's Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching. Additional examples of our College's investment in the communities we serve and their investment in us include partnerships with East Georgia Regional Medical Center, Magnolia Coastlands Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department and School System, and Memorial Health University Medical Center.
Growth in student majors increased across all units. The number of student majors increased from 1,239 in 1992, to 1,653 in Fall 1994, rose to 2,352 in Fall 2002, and exceeded 2,500 in Fall 2005. This growth within CHPS was unprecedented, as the number of student majors doubled at a time when University enrollment remained unchanged. In addition to major curriculum improvements associated with semester conversion, the College added two additional graduate degrees, six graduate emphases, and three new undergraduate degrees. The number and percent of terminal degree faculty increased from 45 percent in 1993 to 85 percent in 2004, and has continued to rise each year. The College remained committed to minority recruitment, and Black Issues in Higher Education recognized the College as a top performer in the number of African American students graduating in the Health Sciences.
During 2001-2002, strategic planning across the University, results from program review, and new initiatives and opportunities that evolved across the region resulted in the appointment of a faculty committee to examine the organizational structure of the College. This process resulted in the recommendation of an organizational change for the College which was approved by the Board of Regents in October 2002, and implemented in January 2003. This new structure consisted of three units organized under a revised college title, the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS): the School of Nursing, the Department of Public Health (formerly Health and Kinesiology with Nutrition), and the Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Family & Consumer Sciences (a merger of Family and Consumer Sciences with Sport Management and Recreation). This revised structure developed through a process of shared governance and resulted in a broad consensus on the future of the College. The reorganization allowed the College to fashion its strategic plan in harmony with the future-oriented thinking that brought about the proposed structure.
During the three year period of 2001-2004, growth in quality and quantity of programs continued across the College. A new grant supported the expansion of programs within the Family Life Center. The Little Infant and Toddler Eagle Program (LITE), was implemented to serve Georgia Southern students by providing a child development program and lab for infants and toddlers. The FNP Graduate Program in Nursing was ranked in the top 11 nationally by US News and World Report; grants and contracts across the College surpassed an all time high of $1.7 million dollars per year; four CHHS faculty won University Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Service; Recreation, Sport Management, Interior Design, and Nutrition and Dietetics programs received national re-accreditation; and the new Nursing and Chemistry Building was completed. In addition, Dr. Virginia Richards was selected as the Associate Dean for Student Services. A major milestone in the history of the College and the University occurred in the early part of 2004. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Jiann-Ping Hsu School of Public Health within the College of Health and Human Sciences, the first school of public health in the University System of Georgia. This was made possible by a generous and substantial endowment from Dr. Peace in honor of his wife, Dr. Jiann-Ping Hsu. This endowment represented the largest gift in the history of the institution by a living donor.
In 2005, the School of Nursing received Board of Regents and SACS approval for a fully online RN-BSN program, the Community Nursing Center opened in the School of Nursing Building. Dr. Diana Cone joined the CHHS administrative team as Associate Dean. Two faculty received the University Award for Excellence in Service making a total of 15 award recipients from our college, and Dr. Karl E. Peace was named the First Recipient of the President's Medal at Georgia Southern University.
During 2006, a final reorganization within the College occurred to facilitate the development of the new School of Public Health to an accredited College of Public Health. Therefore, the development of the JP Hsu College of Public Health was approved effective January 2006; and Dr. Charles Hardy (former Chair of Health and Kinesiology) was named the founding dean of the College. As a result of the new College of Public Health, five faculty from Health and Kinesiology were moved to the new College with the target of becoming fully accredited by 2011.
While the final adjustment to the organizational structure was made primarily for accommodating Public Health, it also allowed the College of Health and Human Sciences to remain focused on the original mission -- to enhance the quality of health and quality of life for individuals, communities and families. All Departments and all but five faculty stayed within the College. The new structure under the College of Health and Human Sciences included the School of Nursing, the Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Family & Consumer Sciences, and the Department of Health and Kinesiology. Health and Kinesiology was under the leadership of new Chair, Dr. Barry Joyner. The College had an exceptional recruiting year, as 18 new PhD faculty were hired to begin with CHHS in Fall 2006.
The 2006-2009 academic years brought renewed energy and focus throughout the university and college. Georgia Southern was reclassified as a Carnegie Doctoral-Research University, a reflection of the growth in quality and programs across the university. New doctoral programs in Nursing (DNP), Psychology (Psy D) and in Public Health (DrPH) were approved for Georgia Southern by the Board of Regents. University enrollment reached an all time high of over 17,000 students, and the average SAT for entering freshmen at Georgia Southern exceeded 1100, above the national average. The College of Health and Human Sciences embraced this enhanced mission and elevation for Georgia Southern. In addition to the Doctorate of Nursing Practice, the college developed new graduate programs in Exercise Sciences, the online Coaching Education, and the Sports Nutrition programs. A state-of-the-art Human Cadaver and Anatomy/Physiology Lab was completed. The Family Life Center and the LITE Program merged to form the new Child Development Center with expanded hours and weeks of operation. The College=s new web page was developed, and received several regional and national awards. Retention of students and graduation rates were among the highest on campus, and CHHS student enrollment exceed 2,600 majors with over 120 faculty and staff. Over 95% of tenure track faculty in CHHS hold the terminal degree in the field. Faculty in CHHS remained committed to expanding the learning environment for our students outside the classroom, and providing unique partnerships and community service through such projects as the Southern Conference on Children, Sport Management Conference, The Culinary Institute, and the Rural Nursing Outreach Program. A new collaborative and cross disciplinary initiative, the Bulloch County CHILD was formed. This was a partnership among the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia Southern, the Southeast Health District, and the Bulloch County Health Department to use the faculty resources across the College to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and physical inactivity in Bulloch County.
January 2010 brought changes to the University and the College of Health & Human Sciences. Dr. Brooks Keel assumed the Presidency of Georgia Southern University, succeeding Dr. Bruce Grube. Dr. Fred Whitt, dean of the College of Health & Human Sciences for 18 years, left Georgia Southern to assume a deanship at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Dr. Jean Bartels, chair of the School of Nursing, assumed the role of Dean of the College of Health & Human Sciences. These changes mark the forward progress of Georgia Southern University and the College of Health & Human Sciences towards new destinations as a doctoral research university. With an anticipated growth in undergraduate students to 20,000, a continued emphasis on expanding graduate education, and an enhanced focus on scholarships, the University is poised for success. Responding to this vision, the College of Health and Human Sciences remains committed to building programs of distinction that enhance the quality of life for individuals, families and communities through a Hands on and in touch spirit.