A Season of Eagle Pride and Celebration

October 19, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe how quickly the semester is moving along! This is always an exciting time at Georgia Southern, with so many events and activities bringing our university community together. Despite the threat of bad weather during Family Weekend, we had a wonderful turnout of families for the tailgate and football game. While the Eagles came up just short in a heartbreaking game against James Madison University, it was still a great weekend spent celebrating our students and their families. Fortunately, the Eagles bounced back in a big way on Thursday night, securing an exciting road victory over Old Dominion University and giving Eagle Nation plenty to celebrate.

We also have some exciting news! With our official Fall 2026 enrollment census now submitted, Georgia Southern has achieved record enrollment of 33,462 students, a 5.9% increase over last year. We also welcomed our largest freshman class in University history, with 6,761 students. These numbers are certainly something to be proud of, but what makes them even more meaningful is knowing the people behind them. Each of you plays an important role in making Georgia Southern a place where students want to learn, grow and succeed. Thank you for everything you do to make that possible!

There’s also plenty of Eagle spirit to look forward to in the coming weeks! We kicked things off with a wonderful Spirit Week at our East Georgia Campus, and next up is Armstrong Campus Spirit Week, October 19–23. One event I especially hope you’ll join us for is the 30th anniversary of Celebrate Together on Thursday, October 22, at the Residential Plaza at the Student Union. This annual block party is a great opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to come together and honor the history and traditions that make our Armstrong Campus so special.

Then, November 2–7, we’ll turn our attention to Statesboro for Homecoming Week. There will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate throughout the week, leading up to our Homecoming football game against Marshall University. I encourage you to visit the Homecoming webpage for the full schedule of events and make plans to participate. No matter which campus you call home, I hope you’ll take some time to enjoy these celebrations, connect with one another and show your Eagle pride!

November 2–6 is also Ethics Awareness Week, a time to reflect on our shared values and commitment to doing what is right. It’s a great reminder of the importance of making ethical decisions in our daily work and being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. I encourage you to watch for daily emails and take part in the trivia questions and other activities throughout the week. You can learn more by visiting the Ethics Awareness Week webpage.

Soaring Beyond, Because of You!

I’m excited to share another major milestone for Georgia Southern! At its October meeting, the Board of Regents gave full approval for us to establish a Doctor of Optometry degree program, with plans to welcome our first students in Fall 2029. This is a tremendous step forward for Georgia Southern and for the state of Georgia, as it allows us to establish the state’s first college of optometry and help meet a long-standing need for optometric education and eye care.

With this approval, we can now begin putting the pieces in place to make this vision a reality. Our next steps include recruiting an inaugural dean, followed by an associate dean, assistant dean, clinical and research directors, 25 specialized faculty members and 12 support staff. There is still much work ahead, but this is an exciting opportunity to expand the ways Georgia Southern serves our students, our communities and our state.

As I look at all that is happening across our campuses, I am reminded of what makes Georgia Southern such a special place. From welcoming new students and families to celebrating campus traditions and reaching new milestones, none of it happens without you. Thank you for the pride you take in your work, the care you show our students, and the many ways you make a difference every day. I am grateful to be part of this Eagle community and look forward to all we will accomplish together.

Sincerely,

Kyle