Hello from Milledgeville!

It's been a busy start to the fall term here at GCSU with a record freshman class of over 1,800. This is the largest freshman class in the history of Georgia College & State University, and we also had the largest number to transfer to GCSU. The diversity of the student body also improved significantly, and we maintained high academic standards with this extremely qualified class.

The College of Health Sciences (COHS) is doing well in handling the influx of new and excited students. In the School of Nursing, a BSN to DNP program is being discussed and program outcomes aligned. The process to gain accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Helath (CEPH) for our BS in Public Health degree in the School of Health & Human Performance has also started its first step. In addition, a new Coaching and Athletic Performance concentration for the MS in Health & Human Performance rolled out this fall.

This summer a new Introduction to Health Professions course was implemented and had an enrollment of 19 students! This course introduces students to a variety of health care and health science professions so they can find out what it takes to get into and complete each one.

Next year only three of the University System of Georgia institutions will require the SAT or ACT to be admitted. GCSU, along with Georgia Tech and UGA, will all require these scores as part of the holistic admissions process. You will note this on some of our branding as we approach the recruiting season for next fall's admission.

Congratulations to Dr. Marcia Henry and Dr. Morgan Fordham, who have completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice. This adds additional doctorly trained professional to our team in nursing. Also, the COHS Leadership Board met on campus September 14th with several attending here in Milledgeville. We continue to work toward fundraising goals for a mobile clinic via the Center for Health and Social Issues and, of course, we are always interested in scholarship dollars for our students.

This fall, 92% of our freshmen qualified for the Hope or Zell Miller Scholarship programs. We also want to continue to offer opportunities for students from rural Georgia and surrounding areas near Milledgeville through recruitment efforts and scholarship opportunities! The Lettie Pate Whitehead Nursing Scholars program is an excellent example of this process in motion. We are investigating ways to improve our Simulation and Translational Research Center as it moves toward national accreditation too.

If you find yourself near Milledgeville, please stop by and say hello and let us know if you are interested in being more involved with the College of Health Sciences!

The School of Health & Human Performance welcomes Karina Jolly! Karina earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science from The University of North Georgia. She is now a Georgia College & State University alumna too after earning a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance. During her time here, she served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach with various teams.

Most recently, she served as a full-time strength and conditioning coach at Lander University with 11 different teams. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Sports Management at Troy University with a focus on intercollegiate athletics and athlete development. Karina was originally born and raised in Russia and came to the United States to pursue her education and play college tennis.

Ms. Karina Jolly was awarded a 2023 NCAA Research grant. She was one of five recipients for the 2023 cycle of the NCAA Graduate Student Research Grant Program. Awards for these one-time grants are set at a maximum of $7,500. See the NCAA Press release below highlighting Ms. Jolly and the other grant recipients.

Oswalt SB, Butler S, Sundstrom B, Hughes CML, Petonic Robbins C. Condoms on Campus: Understanding College Students' Embarrassment, Self-Efficacy, and Beliefs about Distribution Programs. Sex Transm Dis. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001856. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37643396.

Public Health Program Coordinator, Dr. Ernie Kaninjing, recently had a book chapter published in which he was a contributing author. The book is titled Black Health in the South, and his chapter (14) is on Prostate Cancer.

Recent public health graduate, Elizabeth Czarick reflects on her internship with the Gwinnett County Office of Emergency Management. See the link to the full Front Page story below.

Temperatures have been brutal this summer in Central Georgia, but our Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) students and the program’s wonderful preceptors have been working hard on the sidelines to monitor heat illness and keep the safety of athletes a top priority.

• Congratulations to Dr. Morgan Fordham who successfully presented her DNP project at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. The title of her project was: Use of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Mobile Application to Decrease Nurses' Stress: A Pilot Study.
  
• Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Goldsberry on being elected as the treasurer of the Georgia Association of Deans and Directors.
• Congratulations to Dr. Deborah MacMillan on her appointment to the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) Board of Commissioners (BOC). The BOC is the governing body for ACME and is responsible for formulating and administering policies and procedures, developing accreditation criteria and establishing the strategic direction for the agency.

The title of my poster presentation that I presented was "Examining the relationships of compassion satisfaction and job satisfaction in primary care nurse practitioners using telehealth-based compassionate care". This poster is part of my PhD in Nursing Dissertation Proposal at Augusta University. The conference was the American Association of Colleges of Nurses National Graduate Nursing Student Academy Conference in Washington D.C. on August 17, 2023. I am the GNSA liaison for Augusta University College of Nursing. This conference was well attended by approximately 100 graduate students from PhD, DNP, and MSN programs from all over the US. The 2023 GNSA conference is tailored to meet the professional development needs of nursing students in master’s and doctoral programs (MSN, DNP, and PhD).

Our fourth semester BSN students, and three of our Simulation Certificate Program students took a trip to the FEMA Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, AL. While there, they received training that enabled them to respond to events involving chemical, biological, and or radiological hazards.

Visit the CDP website to learn more.

In August, we welcomed our newest Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) cohort to campus for Immersion!

While on campus, the students were able to meet their professors, classmates, and learn about the resources available to ensure them success in the program

Please visit the DNP program page to join or learn more!

The Georgia College Association of Nursing Students (GCANS) is a student-led organization offered to any pre-nursing or nursing students. It is an excellent opportunity to build connections, gain a support system, and hear advice and motivation from speakers with nursing-related careers.

GCANS strives to aid the community by volunteering and assisting in donation drives. This past month, GCANS kicked off the first meeting of the semester and participated in the Block Party with a table full of nursing-related stickers, candy, and a raffle. Meetings are hosted once a month, and all event dates and information are posted on the Instagram @gcsu_gcans. Contact the President of GCANS at eliza.berry@bobcats.gcsu.edu.

Check out the fourth issue of the SON student newsletter, "The Scrub".

Schuyler White, a 2020 graduate from our exercise science program. Schuyler is completing her final course work for physical therapy at the University of St. Augustine, and will be moving on to the Centre for Neuro Skills in California. We wish the future Dr. White all the best!

Undergraduate students in exercise science and athletic training graduate students were recently able to learn about professionalism and networking from Emeka Akoh, the Head Strength & Conditioning coach with the New Orleans Pelicans G League. Emeka is a 2015 graduate of the Human Performance Master’s program. We are so very appreciative of our alum returning to share their time with our students.

Emily Watson, a 2021 public health graduate, recently accepted a Centers for Disease (CDC) Fellowship as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow. She will be on the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus team doing data analysis/management and outreach for the National Inventory for Poliovirus Containment Survey, along with other responsibilities.