The 2015-2016 school year was full of major changes for Georgia State and the Panthers. From campus expansions to security upgrades, the university has become one of the biggest and best universities in the nation.
GSU-GPC Consolidation
The growth of our Panther Family.
In January 2016, Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College merged to form the largest academic institution in the state of Georgia. Prior to the consolidation, Georgia State was the second-largest institution in the University System of Georgia and comprised of 35,000 students. The addition of Perimeter students means the university now services more than 52,000 students – that’s a whole lotta panthers – and makes Georgia State one of the top 5 largest universities in the nation. Even with the university’s growth, tuition rates and Perimeter’s small class sizes remained the same.
Security Reform
Making the university safer for all.
Major security changes were made all over Georgia State’s Atlanta campus after a string of criminal activity during the Fall 2015 semester. In Spring 2016, President Mark Becker announced that he would vigorously address security issues by doubling the number of police officers on each shift patrolling campus, have uniformed officers at each entrance checking Panther ID’s and installing additional security cameras at the university library.
Turner Field
A new home for our Panther Athletics.
Turner Field, also known as The Ted and former home of the Atlanta Braves, will soon host Georgia State’s football team. Georgia State and a local real estate firm won the bid for Turner Field in December 2015 and plan to convert the ballpark into a new football stadium. Along with the new stadium, there are plans for an overall larger athletics complex featuring multiple Panther teams, student housing and retail space, with estimated cost for the renovation totaling $300 million. Building an athletics complex closer to campus will make going to games more accessible to on-campus students, so be sure to cheer your Panthers to victory!
We are the real GSU
Get it right, GSU stands for Georgia State University.
The “Who is the real GSU?” debate came to an end during the Spring 2016 semester with Georgia State officially claiming the title once and for all. Of course, Panther students, faculty and fans knew that we were the real GSU all along, but Georgia Southern athletics finally chose to relinquish its affiliation with the acronym because they were tired of media outlets getting the two teams mixed up. Instead, the Georgia State rival will now be known as GS. Sorry Georgia Southern, but we had the title first anyway.
