Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University (
FVSU) is a
historically black college and university (HBCU) located in
Fort Valley, Georgia. It's also a unit of the
University System of Georgia. Fort Valley is approximately 200 miles south (320 km) of
Atlanta, 25 miles (40 km) south of
Macon, 18 miles (29 km) west of
Warner Robins, and 15 miles (24 km) north of
Perry.
As the only
1890 land-grant university in Georgia, Fort Valley State University is a comprehensive institution that provides an education to nearly 3,000 students. The student body is currently approximately 94% of African-American descent. The average age of undergraduates is 24, the average age of graduates is 33. Roughly one-third of the students live on-campus and 85 percent of the studnt body are full-time students.
The University is located in the town of Fort Valley in
Peach County, the original site of the nation's
peach industry. Its 1,365-acre (55.2
km²) campus is the second-largest (in area) public university in the state.
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Wildcats |
The university offers
bachelor's degrees in more than 50 majors—education, business administration and agriculture are particularly popular—as well as
master's degrees in education and counseling. 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. Fort Valley State University also offers teacher education degree programs which are accredited by the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the only agency that is recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education for accrediting programs in this field.
Other University degree programs which are accredited by discipline associations are:
* The
Veterinary Technology Program, accredited by the
American Veterinary Medical Association(AVMA).
* The
Family and Consumer Sciences Program, accredited by the American Association ofFamily and Consumer Sciences.
* The
Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), accredited by the Commission onAccreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American DieteticsAssociation.
*
The Child Development programs, accredited by the National Academy of EarlyChildhood Development]]Programs of the National Association for the Educationof Young Children (NAEYC).
*
Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management accredited by the Council onRehabilitation Education (CORE).
Fort Valley State University's
Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) is the
only one of its kind in the nation, preparing students for energy-industry careers in science and geology. The
African World Studies Institute is another attraction for students and faculty from around the world.
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.
A growing list of
online courses, offered via
WebCT are being offered allowing students to pursue a number of majors, including the English Department's,
Technical and Professional Writing Degree Program, in the comfort of their own home.
Fort Valley State University (formerly
Fort Valley State College) began as a result of the
1939 consolidation of the
Fort Valley High and Industrial School, chartered in
1895, and the
State Teachers and Agricultural College of Forsyth, founded in
1902. The school became Fort Valley State University in June
1996.
Important Dates:
- 1895 - The Fort Valley High and Industrial School was chartered in 1895.
- 1902 - Mr. John W. Davison, who led the chartering of the Fort Valley High andIndustrial School, was elected its first principal .
- 1904 - Mr. Henry Alexander Hunt became the school's second principal.
- 1919 - The institution became affiliated with the American Church Institute of theProtestant Episcopal Church.
- 1925 - The Carnegie Foundation provided funds for the erection of the Carnegie Library
- 1939 - Negotiations begun by Mr. Hunt to transfer the school to state control and operationwere consummated; the work formerly carried on at the State Teachers andAgricultural College were consolidated with the work at Fort Valley to form theFort Valley State College.
- 1939 - Dr. Horace Mann Bond was elected first President of Fort Valley State College(FVSC).
- 1945 - Dr. Cornelius V. Troup was appointed as the second President .
- 1947 - The Board of Regents adopted a resolution moving the Land-Grant designationfrom Savannah State College and designating the Fort Valley State College as the1890 Land-Grant College for Negroes in Georgia.
- 1949 - The Georgia General Assembly, in response to the Regents' resolution, officiallydesignated The Fort Valley State College as the Land-Grant College forNegroes in Georgia.
- 1952 - Miss Catherine Hardy, won a gold medal as a member of the winning 400-meterwomen's relay team at the Olympic Games at Helsinki, Finland.
- 1957 - The College received full membership in the Southern Association of Collegesand Schools, and was among the first of the HBCUs to be admitted.
- 1966 - Dr. W. W. E. Blanchet was appointed as the third President .
- 1971- The College became accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation ofTeacher Education (NCATE).
- 1972 - FVSC's first regionally televised football game appeared on ABC Television(FVSC vs Fisk University at Wildcat Stadium).
- 1979 - The College became accredited by the American Association of VeterinaryMedicine.
- 1983 - Dr. Luther Burse was appointed fifth President on October 1.
- 1990 - Dr. Oscar L. Prater was appointed as the sixth President on August 9.1991 - 2000
- 1996 - Fort Valley State College was designated by the University System of Georgia asFort Valley State University, a State and Land-Grant University on June 12.
- 2001 - Dr. Kofi Lomotey was appointed as the seventh President, October 15.
- 2005 - Rayfield Wright elected to the NFL Hall of Fame.
- 2006 - Dr. Larry Rivers was appointed as the eigth president of FVSU.
Students have several opportunities for
extracurricular involvement at the university, including the
marching band,
concert choir,
Baptist Student Union Choir,
forensics (intercollegiate speech and debate), and
cheerleading. There are more than 70 clubs,
sororities,
fraternities and social organizations on campus. Athletic opportunities include intramural sports and intercollegiate men's and women's track and basketball teams. The championship football team, a member of the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), has produced many notable professional sports figures (including recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee,
Rayfield Wright) and
Olympic champions. The women's basketball team and women's softball team have been NCAA Division II top twenty powers the last few years.
The school colors are royal blue and gold and the students, faculty and staff proudly call themselves the "Wildcats".
FVSU also has a
college radio station,
WFVS-LP 104.3
FM and a local cable-access televsion station as well as a college newspaper called,
The Peachite.
*
FVSU's official website*
Online version of current FVSU undergrad catalog PDF format*
Online version of current FVSU graduate catalog PDF format
