James MagazineJames_July-August_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 17
in real-world markets. A new Master of Science degree in
Artificial Intelligence Strategy launches in Fall 2026.
GCSU remains one the region’s top employers with
1,195 total employees, which helped generate a university-high $333 million in total economic impact in 2024.
Georgia College students also make an economic
impact through community service, with nearly 100 percent of all GCSU students finding the time to volunteer
every year with Baldwin County nonprofits. In fact, in
the past 25 years, GCSU students have contributed more
than over 1 million hours of service to the local community, generating $26 million in impact in the process.
Let’s discuss GCSU’s athletic programs. What are
major accomplishments achieved by these programs?
second after a remarkable season. They will return several players for the coming season.
Near the end of spring semester 2026, the Board
of Regents approved the addition of GCSU’s 13th and
14th collegiate sports with the addition of women’s
and men’s outdoor track and field, which will begin in
spring 2027. This will serve as a strong complement to
our already strong cross-country programs.
In June, a graduating GCSU cross-country student-athlete, Emily Wright of Evans, was named the
Peach Belt Conference’s inaugural “Total Student Athlete” in recognition of her extraordinary academic, leadership, and overall campus engagement experiences.
She truly exemplifies the well-rounded student athlete
that GCSU is proud to put on the court, field or track—
and launch onto successful pathways after graduation.
But our students’ involvement in athletics doesn’t
end with our DII teams. GCSU has wildly popular intramural sports, with nearly one-half of GCSU students
participating in more than 90 intramural leagues on
campus. The GCSU men’s intramural flag-football team
just won its third national championship in four years.
It speaks to our students’ commitment to mental and
physical health to see so many of them being active in
intramural programs that range from men’s and women’s flag football to basketball, tennis and even chess
Everyone knows this is one of my favorite statistics!
Georgia College & State University has scored No. 1
in the nation for Academic Success Rate (the NCAA’s
measurement of graduation rates) among all NCAA DII
public universities in the whole United States for FIVE
consecutive years. Our student-athletes must meet the
same admissions criteria as every other GCSU student— that’s not the case at most universities— so our
student-athletes are smart, they set big goals for their
lives, and we keep them on track to graduate on time
so they can pursue those goals. In fact, four student-athletes were named valedictorians of the 2026 graduating
class, having earned perfect 4.0 GPAs throughout their
tenure here. Considering all the changes in college athletics, I believe Division II sports remains the best overall collegiate experience out there for a student-athlete
who wants to compete and still get a great education.
GCSU’s baseball team won the Peach Belt conference championship in 2024 and moved on to the NCAA
D-II Super Regional tournament, which is the equivalent of the Sweet 16 round for Division II athletics. They
finished the year ranked in the nation’s top 25 teams.
In the coming year, the GCSU baseball stadium will be
undergoing a $5 million renovation to enhance the fan
experience. Earlier this year, GCSU’s women’s basketball team became the conference Cinderella and fought
their way to the conference championship, finishing
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