Savannah State University News

Kimberly Ballard-Washington, J.D., President of Savannah State University (right) and Valarie Trimarchi, president of South University Savannah Campus, sign the agreement acknowledging the 3+3 Program between the universities. Photo Credit: Jason Miccolo Johnson Savannah State University (SSU) and South University have partnered to introduce the “3+3 Program,” offering SSU students an expedited pathway to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from South University School of Pharmacy (SUSOP). A signing ceremony between Kimberly Ballard-Washington, president of Savannah State University, and Dr. Valarie Trimarchi, president of South University Savannah Campus, will be held to commemorate the partnership at SSU on Monday, Nov. 1 at 10:30 a.m. in the Science and Technology Center, second floor foyer. The program allows students to earn a dual degree that when completed will result in a Bachelor of Science degree from SSU and a PharmD degree from SUSOP. “In what would normally be a biology ...

Dr. Jermaine Whirl, President of Augusta Technical College (left), and Kimberly Ballard-Washington, J.D., President of Savannah State University (right), sign the new Institutional Articulation Agreement, allowing Augusta Technical College students to finish their electronics engineering technology degree at Savannah State University. Savannah State University (SSU) has entered into an Institutional Articulation Agreement with Augusta Technical College. An articulation agreement signing ceremony will be held at Savannah State University on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 9 a.m. in the Science and Technology Center, second-floor foyer. “There is a big demand for graduates of electronics engineering technology programs. Partnering with Augusta Technical College creates a steady pipeline of students who have the requisite talent and skills to be successful in SSU’s electronic engineering program, which aids in the ultimate goal of preparing a skilled and educated workforce,” Kimberly Ballard-W...

  Photo Credit: Jason Miccolo Johnson ESPN’s HBCU Band Rankings Lists Powerhouse of the South in Top 10 Anyone who has seen Savannah State University’s Powerhouse of the South marching band perform during halftime football games knows the band is one of the best in the nation. Now it has the rankings to prove it. In the ESPN vertical’s most recent HBCU Band Rankings, “The Undefeated,” Savannah State’s band makes an appearance in its Division II Top10 at No. 10 – its first such ranking this season. “It is an honor to be recognized by my colleagues in this way,” Gabriel Arnold, Ph.D., assistant professor of music and director of university bands , said. “I am very lucky to be working with a great group of young musicians who share a commitment to striving for excellence and a true passion for musicianship and audience engagement. Stay tuned — this is only the beginning of what’s to come from the Powerhouse of the South!” Bands are ranked based on scores in five categories: Auxiliary...

  Images of breast cancer in virtual reality depict lobular carcinoma in situ which will be explored during the 45-minute virtual reality sessions.    In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Savannah State University’s Visual Immersive Tangible Applications Learning (VITAL) Research Lab is hosting “Breast Cancer in Virtual Reality” Thursday, Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. The event will be held at 3219 College Street in Hubert Building D, third floor, Room 444, and is free and open to the public. In addition, St. Joseph’s/Candler Mobile Mammography Unit will be on campus in the Payne Hall parking area during this time to offer 3D mammograms to women ages 45 and older. Those interested in scheduling a mammogram should call St. Joseph’s/Candler Mobile Mammography at 912-819-6140 to inquire about eligibility and request an appointment. “ According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women ,...

Make plans to attend "Murder Among Friends" on Oct. 21 - 23, presented by SSU's theatre group, Players by the Sea.   Savannah State University’s official theatre group, Players by the Sea, will present “Murder Among Friends” by Bob Barry beginning at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 – 23. The play will take place on the main stage of the John F. Kennedy Auditorium, located at 3219 College St. inside the Kennedy Fine Arts building. Ticket prices are $10 for the general public and $5 for Savannah State University (SSU) students, faculty, and staff. An artist talk will follow the performance on opening night. “Take an aging, exceedingly vain actor; his very rich wife; a double-dealing, double loving agent; plunk them down in an elegant New York duplex and add dialogue crackling with wit and laughs, and what do you have? The basic elements for an evening of pure, sophisticated entertainment!” said Darryl H. Thompson-Norton, director of the play and associate professor of Theatre and Speech....

  Junior Jatavion Williams was recently featured in the Savannah Morning News for his unusual path from student manager to student athlete on the Tigers football team. For most of his young life, 20-year-old  Jatavion Williams has known what he wants to do, then figured out how to do it. When Williams was a child and asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he always gave the same answer: a doctor. Only recently did Williams narrow his focus to orthopedic surgeon after working summers in his native Macon with his granddad. Leon Simmons is a handyman, and together they've done backbreaking work painting houses, putting down tile and other flooring, rebuilding walls, and more. "I'll hear him talk about how his joints are bothering him," said Williams, a junior biology major at Savannah State University. "He was saying he does what he does because he loves it, but at the same time, I know his age is catching up with him. That made me think, I want...

  Pictured from left: Elizabeth Aprea, Master of Social Work (MSW) intern; Scott McCandless, Publix Store Manager; Jacqueline Awe, Savannah State University Director of Student Development and Coordinator of the S.T.A.R. program; Keith Williams, Publix District Manager; Tarsena Owens, MSW intern; and Jesse Stiller, MSW intern. Responsible for pantry maintenance, volunteer coordination, outreach activities, and resource development, social work interns are assigned to the STAR program for one year. Savannah State University’s Students That Are Rising (S.T.A.R.) program recently received a $10,000 donation from Publix to support the S.T.A.R Pantry. The donation will provide more fresh fruits and vegetables for students experiencing food insecurities, in addition to making nutritious foods such as eggs, milk, cheese, ground provisions, fish and meats available to supplement the dry goods in the pantry. “The S.T.A.R. program would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Publix char...