Valdosta State University
The mission of Valdosta State University (VSU)—a four-year institution—is to:
- Prepare our students to meet global opportunities and challenges through excellence in teaching and learning.
- Expand the boundaries of current knowledge, and explore the practical applications of that knowledge, through excellence in scholarship and creative endeavors.
- Promote the economic, cultural, and educational progress of our community and of our region, through excellence in service outreach.
VSU seeks to accomplish this mission in a dynamic, student-centered learning environment marked by respect for the diverse abilities, backgrounds, and contributions of all members of the university community.
As a regional university in South Georgia, Valdosta State cooperates with other University System institutions to ensure that the region receives the services it needs. To expand its programmatic outreach, it develops and offers programs by distance learning and at off-campus locations throughout the region. It will continue to exercise a leadership role in meeting the needs of the region, particularly in providing access to professionally oriented doctoral programs, primarily in education, and to applied research.
- The university's comprehensive curriculum serves more than 11,000 undergraduates and graduates from almost every county in Georgia, 45 states, two U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. While VSU's enrollment continues to rise, class sizes remain small with a teacher/student ratio of 1:21.
- VSU's five college—Arts, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Nursing, as well as the Graduate School offer 56 undergraduate degrees, 46 graduate degrees, and doctoral degrees in education and public administration.
- VSU affords opportunities for distance learning at off-campus locations throughout the South Georgia region, including Kings Bay Naval Base on the east coast of Georgia and Moody Air Force Base in Lowndes County.
- VSU had an economic impact of more than $314.8 million during FY 2010.