Consolidation of Georgia Southern and East Georgia State College

By: JB Ricks

Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, stated this Tuesday that he will recommend a consolidation of Georgia Southern University and East Georgia State College to the Board of Regents. The board will discuss the recommendation at its next meeting on April 15-16.

If Perdue’s recommendation is approved, EGSC will keep its name but become part of Georgia Southern. On Tuesday, students from East Georgia and Georgia Southern were informed of this announcement via email. 

“Today, as we remain focused on those core priorities of attainment, affordability and efficiency we also understand the importance of making sure East Georgia State College’s legacy of creating knowledge and prosperity continues within the Swainsboro community and beyond,” said Perdue. 

Perdue stated this decision was made in an effort to save money and reinvest it into the campuses. The decision could also improve retention, graduation rates and overall student experience. USG has been consolidating campuses since 2011 to help control administration costs while keeping high standards of teaching.

If approved, Georgia Southern would have over 29,000 students enrolled, making it the fifth-largest public university in Georgia. Southern currently has over 27,000 students while East Georgia has around 3,000. 

The consolidation would also need approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. If passed, there would be 25 schools within the University System of Georgia. 

“Honestly, it makes me feel a little uneasy. My main concern is how it’s going to change our tuition. East Georgia is known for having the lowest tuition in the state,” said Hannah Powell, a second-year fine arts student at EGSC.

Powell is concerned that students from East Georgia may be relocated from their main campus in Swainsboro to Georgia Southern's campus in Statesboro. She questions how the move will affect lower-income students.

USG and the two schools plan to hold a listening session at EGSC’s Swainsboro campus on April 16. They will hold more meetings in the coming months to get feedback on how to use the consolidation to best serve the area and the state. If approved, representatives from both schools would work together on the consolidation. 

Georgia Southern was previously involved with the consolidation of Armstrong State University in 2017. The merger took a full year to implement.