Fort Valley State University

Fort Valley State University (FVSU; formerly Fort Valley State College) is a public land-grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia and a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Fort Valley State University

Former name	Fort Valley State College (1939–1996)
Motto	Be Bold. Be Amazing. Be Prepared.
Type	Public land-grant historically black university
Established	1939; 86 years ago (1939)
Parent institution	University System of Georgia
Academic affiliation	Space-grant
Endowment	$6.6 million [1]
President	Paul Jones
Administrative staff	400
Students	2,182 (fall 2021)[2]
Location	Fort Valley, Georgia , U.S. 32°32′3.9″N 83°53′45.8″W
Campus	1,365 acres (5.52 km2)
Colors	Royal blue and old gold
Nickname	Wildcats
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – SIAC
Website	fvsu.edu

Fort Valley State University is the state's 1890 land-grant university and enrolls over 2,500 students. Approximately 90% of the student body is of African-American descent. The university is located in the town of Fort Valley in Peach County. Its 1,365-acre (5.52 km²) main campus is Georgia's largest public university in area.

History

Fort Valley State University, was founded as Fort Valley State College in 1939.^[3] It began with the 1939 consolidation of the Fort Valley High and Industrial School (founded in 1890, chartered in 1896),^[4] and the State Teachers and Agricultural College of Forsyth (founded in 1902).^[5] Both schools had been founded privately, and were affiliated with the American Missionary Association; they were transferred to state control and operation, to form Fort Valley State College.

In 1947, the state Board of Regents adopted a resolution moving the "land grant" designation from Georgia State College (later Savannah State University) to Fort Valley State College.^[5] In response to the Regents' resolution, in 1949 the Georgia General Assembly officially designated the Fort Valley State College as the Land-Grant College for Negroes in Georgia. During this time, public education was segregated due to Jim Crow laws.

The school became Fort Valley State University, a state and land-grant university, in June 1996.^{[citation needed]}

Presidents

The president of Fort Valley State University is the chief executive officer of the university. Paul Jones has held the position since 2015.^[6] The complete list of presidents includes:

Presidents of Fort Valley State University

Name	Years	Notes
Horace Mann Bond	1939–1945	[7]
Cornelius V. Troup	1945–1966	[8]
Waldo W. E. Blanchet	1966–1973	[9][10]
Cleveland W. Pettigrew	1973–1982	[11]
Luther Burse	1983–1989	[12][13]
Oscar L. Prater	1991–2001	[14]
Kofi Lomotey	2001–2005	[15][16]
Larry Eugene Rivers	2006–2013	[17]
Ivelaw Griffith	2013–2014	[18]
Paul Jones	2015–present	[6][19]

Academics

Fort Valley State University offers bachelor's degrees in more than 50 majors, as well as master's degrees in several fields of study.^{[citation needed]} FVSU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate, baccalaureate, master's and specialist degrees.^{[citation needed]}

The university also offers the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) which provides an opportunity for qualified students to receive a STEM degree from FVSU and an engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, Pennsylvania State University, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, or University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.^[20]

The university's honors program is a selective undergraduate program designed to cater to high-achieving students.^[21]

Outreach services include Fort Valley State's Cooperative Extension Service Program, where extension service specialists operate in 42 Georgia counties, and the Pettigrew Conference Center, which hosts more than 500 courses and events for 51,000 patrons each year. In an effort to accommodate graduate and non-traditional students, external degree program courses are also being offered at off-campus sites in Macon, Cochran, Warner Robins and Dublin. The university offers online courses via WebCT, which allows students to pursue a number of majors and programs from home.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences, the oldest and the largest college at FVSU, houses 12 academic units and offers nearly 80 percent of the courses taught at FVSU. The college services the University System of Georgia's Academic Core and provides 20 undergraduate major fields of study. The Department of Business Administration and Economics is the largest academic department in the College of Arts and Sciences, and is an accredited member of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

College of Education

The College of Education is an educator preparation program offering degrees in Middle Grades Education, undergraduate and graduate; Agriculture Education, undergraduate and post-baccalaureate; Early Childhood / Special Education undergraduate; School Counseling; Early Childhood / Special Education graduate; Health and Physical Education; Family and Consumer Sciences Education; and an MAT degree in the secondary teaching areas.

College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology

The College of Agriculture, Home Economics & Allied Programs is ranked 25th nationally in the production of African American agriculturists and the university's leader in placing first-time applicants into medical, dental, veterinary and pharmacy schools and colleges since 2001. The college has laboratories in the state, and scientists are securing grant funds and conducting cutting-edge research.^[22]

Campus

Huntington Hall

Patton Hall

Pettigrew Center

Pettigrew Farm and Community Life Center is a conference, convention, and fine arts facility.^[23] It was named after the forth university president, Cleveland W. Pettigrew.^[23]

Anderson House

Anderson House was the residence of Francis W. Gano, one of the university's founders.^[23] It is the oldest facility on campus.^[23] The exhibits and displays in the house come from the Biggs Collection of period furnishings, silver, glassware, china, quilts, linens and civil war memorabilia.

Student life

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023^[24]

Race and ethnicity	Total
Black	92%
Two or more races	3%
Hispanic	2%
White	2%
Economic diversity
Low-income[a]	73%
Affluent[b]	27%

Student activities at Fort Valley State University include NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics, The Blue Machine Marching Band, concert choir, Baptist Student Union Choir, forensics (intercollegiate speech and debate), and cheerleading.^{[citation needed]} Overall, there are more than 70 clubs, social, and Greek organizations on campus.^{[citation needed]}

Student media

FVSU has a radio station (WFVS-FM 96.9) and a television station (FVSU TV), as well as a college newspaper, The Peachite.^[25]

Athletics

Main article: Fort Valley State Wildcats

Athletic opportunities include intramural sports and intercollegiate men's basketball, cross country, football, tennis, and track and field, and volleyball and women's basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, volleyball, and track and field. The school currently competes as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.^{[citation needed]}

Alumni

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Eddie Anderson	1986	Former NFL safety for the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders	[26]
John W. Blassingame	1960	Professor and Chair of African Studies at Yale University for 29 years	[27]
Catherine Hardy Lavender	1952	Olympic sprinter, won a gold medal in 1952 in the 4 × 100 metres relay
Nick Harper	2001	Former NFL cornerback for the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts	[28]
Robert J. Jones	1973	Chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign	[29]
Marquette King	2012	Former NFL punter for the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos
Greg Lloyd	1987	Former NFL Pro Bowl player for the Pittsburgh Steelers	[30]
Ricardo Lockette		Former NFL wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers
Tyrone Poole	1995	First round pick by Carolina Panthers; earned two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots as starter on the 2003 and 2004 teams
Trey Wolfe	2014	Former NFL cornerback; NCAA career leader interceptions per game (2013)
Charles Robinson Jr.	1970	President and CEO of Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta; first African American to become certified by the American College of Healthcare Administrators	[31]
Calvin Smyre	1970	Elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 as its youngest member at age 26; current Executive Vice President of the $34 billion financial corporation Synovus Foundation
Derrick Wimbush		Former NFL player
Rayfield Wright	1967	NFL Hall of Fame inductee	[32]
Peppi Zellner		Former NFL player

Notes

1. The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
2. The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.