Armstrong Atlantic State University

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Armstrong Atlantic State University, abbreviated AASU, is a state university located in Savannah, Georgia. It is a unit of the University System of Georgia and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. AASU currently enrolls over 6,700 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Forty-three percent of the students are from the Savannah-Chatham County area. Others come from throughout Georgia, the nation, and 74 countries. In the 2004-2005 academic year, the university awarded a total of 999 degrees; of that, 699 were Baccalaureate and 239 were master's degrees. The university is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

AASU's main 268 acre campus is located on Abercorn Street, right across from the Savannah Mall. In addition to the main campus, AASU operates the Brunswick Center (along with Georgia Southern University and the Coastal Georgia Community College) and the Liberty Center, located in Liberty County.

Contents

1 History
2 Sports
3 Academic programs
4 Student activities and facilities
5 Economic Impact
6 Highlights
7 External links

History

The university was founded in 1935 as Armstrong Junior College, and was originally housed in a historic Armstrong house adjacent to Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah. The Armstrong house was originally donated to the city by the family of George F. Armstrong. The college eventually grew to encompass 6 buildings in the Forsyth and Monterey Square areas of Savannah. In 1959, as Armstrong College of Savannah, it became a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia. The Board of Regents conferred four-year status on Armstrong State College in 1964. Two years later, in 1966, the college moved to its present 268-acre site, a gift from the Mills B. Lane Foundation and Donald Livingston.

It was designated a university by the Georgia Board of Regents in 1996 and its name was changed to Armstrong Atlantic State University. Additional buildings joined the six original structures as Armstrong added professional and graduate programs and quadrupled in size. Fifty-five percent of the student population comes from outside the Savannah-Chatham County area including Georgia, the nation, and more than 60 countries.

Sports

Armstrong Atlantic State University's athletics program (the Pirates) competes at the NCAA Division II level and the school is a charter member of the Peach Belt Conference. Men's athletic teams include basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf. Women's teams include basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and soccer. Of note, the women's tennis team has been quite successful, earning NCAA National Championships in 1995, 1996 and 2005.

Academic programs

Today the university offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs in a number of areas. Below is a partial and non-exhaustive listing of some of these programs:

Associate Degree Programs

Baccalaureate Degree Programs

Graduate Degree Programs:

Adult Education
Communicative Disorders
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
Health & Physical Education
History
Math
Music
Early Childhood Education
Health Services Administration
History
Liberal and Professional Studies
Middle Grades Education
Nursing
Physical Therapy
Public Health

Student activities and facilities

The university offers a variety of extracurricular activities. AASU runs a student newspaper, has more than 60 student clubs, several Greek organizations, and academic honor societies. Other activities students have access to are student dramatic, choral, and instrumental groups, and the Faculty Lecture Series. AASU hosts nationally-known speakers, contemporary concerts, art exhibits, and performances by classical and modern artists.

University facilities include multimedia classrooms, five computer labs, writing and math tutorial labs, an advisement center, an honors suite, three theaters, and an art gallery. The campus also offers lighted tennis courts, two indoor basketball courts, an indoor heated swimming pool, an indoor running track, a fitness center/weight room, and a baseball diamond.

Economic Impact

AASU has an economic impact on Savannah's metropolitan statistical area of more than $162 million. The AASU Center for Regional Analysis works closely with the business community to assess economic issues in the region. The center has been cited as one of the few in the country forecasting local economic conditions.

Highlights

The College of Health Professions is the largest and most comprehensive health professions education center of its kind in Georgia.
The AASU Women's Tennis Team finished first in the 2005 Division II National Championships.
Ninety percent of law enforcement and corrections officers in southeast Georgia attended AASU.
Beginning in June 2006, AASU will offer the Medical College of Georgia's Doctor of Physical Therapy.
The College of Education's Educational Technology Training Center was one of 13 Georgia programs to receive the Best Professional Development Program of the Year Award from the Georgia Staff Development Council.
The National Science Foundation awarded a $224,098 grant to the School of Computing for the project, "Supporting Talented and Needy Students in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Mathematics."
Seven AASU faculty members published books during the 2004-05 academic year.
AASU professors chair four University System of Georgia academic committees.
Pass rates on national board exams were 100% in dental hygiene, medical technology, physical therapy, radiography, and radiation therapy.
Eighty percent of local nurses and non-physician medical staff attended AASU.
The Board of Regents approved two new undergraduate degrees: Law and Society and a B.A. in Chemistry.

External links

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