Savannah State University News

  Savannah State University (SSU) has named honor graduate Sarita B. Smith the recipient of the President’s Second Mile Award. Anderson received the honor during the 202nd Commencement Ceremony held on May 5.   Presented during each commencement ceremony to a deserving senior in recognition of stellar and meritorious achievement, the President’s Second Mile Award is the highest honor awarded to a student and is based upon character, values, leadership, and service to the university and the larger community. Smith is a student that her professors describe as someone who “displays tremendous academic skill, but also posses the virtues of justice and compassion.”  During her time at SSU, her deep passion for serving others, along with her exceptional leadership skills, compelled Ms. Smith to invest countless hours of her time volunteering around campus in the offices of Diversity and Inclusion, and Department of Housing and Student Life. Her on campus supervisors are q...

  On Friday, May 5, the 202nd commencement ceremony of Savannah State University (SSU) took place at T. A. Wright Stadium at 9 a.m. and was also live-streamed. You can watch the video here , to see over 350 students receive master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees. Georgia State Senator, Sonya M. Halpern provided the commencement address, and presented the President Kimberly Ballard Washington, and Harold N. Washington , President of the Savannah State University National Alumni Association ( SSUNAA ), with a $10,000 check for the university. Mr. Washington, Senator Halpern, and President Ballard Washington are pictured above. Senator Halpern was elected in 2020 and is currently serving in her second term in the Georgia State Senate. Representing neighborhoods across the five cities of Atlanta, including the City of South Fulton, College Park, East Point, and Union City, District 39 is one of the most socio-economically diverse districts in the state of Georgia and the count...

  Telfair Museums’ Friends of African American Arts exhibit will be on display through May 30. Savannah State University’s Visual and Performing Arts program is showcasing a new group exhibition by Telfair Museums’ Friends of African American Arts (FAAA) with Guest Curator and local Savannah artist, Betsy Cain. As part of the Savannah Black Heritage Festival, the exhibition will run Thursday, Feb. 23 through Monday, May 30 in the Kennedy Fine Arts Gallery, located in the Kennedy Fine Arts Building, 3219 College St. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. “We are delighted to host the many talented FAAA artists to exhibit on campus once again,” said Professor Nicholas Silberg, department chair of Fine Arts, Humanities and Wellness. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our students and the community to be able to view the art and interact with the artists.” Telfair Museums’ Friends of African American Arts was formed in 2007 with a mandate to raise public aw...

  Savannah State University’s Visual and Performing Arts program in collaboration with the 34th Annual Savannah Black Heritage Festival presents: “The Best Of,” featuring a series of paintings reflecting culture, family, conceptual ideas and portraits by Margie Marie and Napoleon Wilkerson. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Access Gallery located in the university’s Social Sciences building, 3219 College Street. “This collection of works gives local audiences a unique opportunity to view the evolution of two fine local artists who convey strength, beauty, love and hope in their visual expressions,” said Professor Nicholas Silberg, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, Humanities and Wellness. Margie Marie is a Visual and Performing Arts alumna and Savannah painter best known for her mural size paintings in acrylics that tell a story. Napoleon Wilkerson explores family and culture as his subject matter through watercolors and acrylics. Marie an...

From left: Harry Chaney, General Manager of Chatham Parkway Toyota, Alma Pittman, Co-owner of Pittman Enterprises, Savannah State University President Kimberly Ballard-Washington, Dr. Shalonda Mullgrav, Interim Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs, and Darryl Piner, Chief Financial Officer of Pittman Enterprises. Savannah State University is the recipient of a $20,000 donation from Pittman Enterprises, the parent company of Chatham Parkway Motors. A check presentation ceremony was recently held to celebrate the gift, which President Kimberly Ballard-Washington proudly accepted on behalf of the university.  "We are so grateful to receive this gift from Pittman Enterprises," said President Ballard-Washington. Having organizations recognize the good that is going on with our students and the opportunity that exists to help them further themselves is a wonderful thing, and we are very appreciative for the dedication they have to higher education."  ...

Join event organizers on Felix Alexis Circle to kick off Black History Month with the annual National Freedom Day observance on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Noon. Savannah State University will celebrate the annual National Freedom Day at Noon on Wednesday, February 1 with a special wreath-laying ceremony at the Maj. Richard R. Wright, Sr. Bust on Felix Alexis Circle by Maxwell Saunders, the great-great-great grandson of Maj. Wright, SSU’s first president. Themed “How to be Free in 2023: A Vision for the Future Rooted in Our Past,” the ceremony will include student leaders from SSU’s NAACP, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, and Honors Program reading the 13th ,14th, and 15th Amendments. The event is open to the public and there is no admission to attend. The observance also includes a roundtable discussion led by Dr. Christina Davis, associate professor of Africana Studies and Dr. Carolyn V. Jordan, director of SSU’s Honors Program, at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom, with students from Cl...

The Savannah Black Heritage Festival kicks off Feb. 1 with the theme, "The Festival Lives So Our Legacy Thrives." The 34th annual Savannah Black Heritage Festival (SBHF) will take place February 1 - 28 in-person with the central theme, “The Festival Lives So Our Legacy Thrives.” Committed to emphasizing the importance of celebrating Black culture, the festival will bring cultural education and exposure to the performing and visual arts, as well as, historical gems and entertainment for all demographics and interests throughout the celebration. “This is a special year for our festival after a three-year virtual hiatus, and since we are honoring Westley W. Law's 100th Birthday (01/01/1923),” said Festival Director Teresa-Michelle Jackson. “The first Savannah Black Heritage Festival was held on August 20, 1988, and originated under the guidance and leadership of the late W.W. Law and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, with moral support and ...