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Senate Resolution 340
By: Senators Burns of the 23rd, Harbin of the 16th, Payne of the 54th, Harrell of the 40th,
Hickman of the 4th and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending Georgia State University; and for other purposes.
1
WHEREAS, Georgia State University, founded in 1913, is a premier urban research2
university focused on research, service, and advanced educational opportunities for more3
than 52,000 students; and4
WHEREAS, Georgia State University is an enterprising public research university in5
downtown Atlanta with satellite campuses in DeKalb, Fulton, and Newton counties; and6
WHEREAS, Georgia State University has been ranked the nation's number one public7
university for excellence in undergraduate teaching by U.S. News and World Report for five8
consecutive years; and9
WHEREAS, Georgia State University, a national leader in graduating students from widely10
diverse backgrounds, has been named among the top five "Most Innovative" universities in11
the country by U.S. News and World Report for a decade and counting; and12
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WHEREAS, Georgia State University is recognized as a national leader in helping students
13
reach their academic goals and, since 2003, has raised its six-year graduation rate by 7414
percent; and15
WHEREAS, Georgia State University has received an $80 million gift from the Robert W.16
Woodruff Foundation, the largest gift in university history, to embark on an ambitious17
campus transformation to integrate its downtown footprint and create vibrant,18
people-centered spaces for students and the city; and19
WHEREAS, Georgia State University continues its important role of producing new20
knowledge that transforms lives and communities thanks to a research portfolio that has21
invested more than $1.2 billion in research expenditures over the past six years; and22
WHEREAS, Georgia State University has broken ground on a new, nine-story, $100 million23
Research Tower on its Atlanta Campus that will expand its capacity for discovery and24
learning; and25
WHEREAS, Georgia State University's National Institute for Student Success (NISS)26
received a $2 million grant from the Ascendium Education Group that will enable the27
institute to provide its services to six Georgia colleges and universities, helping them identify28
and resolve institutional barriers to college completion; and29
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Education (DOE) has awarded the National30
Institute for Student Success (NISS) its first-ever Trailblazer Award, recognizing its success31
in increasing graduation rates through data-driven, evidence-based interventions and its32
impact on the field of student success nationally; and33
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WHEREAS, more than 200 Georgia State University student-athletes achieved Sun Belt
34
Conference academic honors for the 2023-24 academic year, including 130 student-athletes35
who earned a place on the Commissioner's List with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher;36
and37
WHEREAS, Georgia State University's student-athletes collectively finished the year with38
a 3.39 grade point average, higher than the overall Sun Belt GPA; and39
WHEREAS, Georgia State University continues its important role in addressing critical40
quality-of-life issues through a highly active research community dedicated to uncovering41
new knowledge in cancer, heart disease, mental health, public health, and more, earning42
nearly $186 million in research funding in Fiscal Year 2024; and43
WHEREAS, Georgia State University has a $3.2 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta44
each year; and45
WHEREAS, Georgia State University has adopted a ten-year strategic plan focused on four46
initiatives: Student Success 2.0; Identity, Placemaking and Belonging; Innovating Research,47
Scholarship and Creative Activity; and Beyond College to Career; and48
WHEREAS, nearly two dozen initiatives have been launched under the BluePrint to 203349
strategic plan and are being implemented under each pillar.50
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body51
recognize and commend Georgia State University for its all-around success in 2024 and the52
pride and prestige it brought to the students, staff, and alumni of Georgia State University.53
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
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to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Georgia State55
University.56
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