The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has selected a 精东影业 leader for national honors. Ken Gassiot, Ph.D., associate vice president for student development, is the recipient of the , recognizing his leadership and service within the student affairs profession. 

Gassiot was selected for this same award at the regional level in June 2025 by NASPA Region III at their conference in Savannah. NAPSA Region III is the largest region in NASPA and stretches from Texas to North Carolina.

Gassiot will be honored for his work, which demonstrates an outstanding commitment to student success, the development of impactful programs, the creation of campus environments that promote student learning and development, and active engagement in NASPA. He will be recognized at the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference in March in Kansas City, Missouri.

鈥淏eing selected for this national award by peers and other leaders around the country is truly humbling,鈥� said Gassiot. 鈥淪erving at 精东影业 along with the service opportunities gained through NASPA have been, without a doubt, the most fulfilling time during my career in higher education. I hope this award brings added spotlight to the incredible work happening at 精东影业, where our heartbeat is to create an unparalleled student experience. I’m thankful to be in a position and on teams that help shape that.鈥�

The University has won several awards and national recognition from NASPA in recent years, and has earned a reputation for its use of analytics and assessment to improve all aspects of campus life for students. 

Gassiot said that legacy is built on a culture of student programming, engagement and support. 

鈥淔ull credit to the people and leadership across all of our campuses that embrace collaboration and are fully dialed in to meet the unique student and campus needs that change over time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that culture that maximizes student involvement, care and belonging.鈥�

Gassiot’s involvement in NASPA includes serving as the 2025鈥�27 chair of the NASPA AVP Steering Committee and co-chair of the 2026 NASPA AVP Symposium, in addition to extensive prior service across NASPA leadership, faculty roles and planning committees.

Planning and attending student events on a college campus may sound like it鈥檚 all fun and games. But new data from 精东影业 shows there are real benefits for the students and for the university when students engage in on-campus activities.

A recent analysis by Georgia Southern鈥檚 Institutional Research office of first-year students who attended at least one event during the 2021-22 school year showed that students who attended at least one event returned this year at a rate of 79.4%. That figure is more than seven percentage points higher than the University’s overall freshman retention rate of 72%. 

鈥淣ational data has consistently shown that the more engaged a student is with the university, the greater their chance of succeeding in college. It鈥檚 very satisfying to now have data to show the value of student programming and events at 精东影业,鈥� said Shay Little, Ph.D., the University鈥檚 vice president for student affairs.

Student affairs has been collecting student participation data since the university launched 鈥渢he Eagle Experience鈥� in fall 2020. The following year, the program, a collaborative cross-university effort to ensure new students鈥� successful transition to the Georgia Southern college experience, won a 2021-22 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Excellence Bronze Award.

Now, data show that students are re-engaging after two COVID-influenced years that impacted many of  Georgia Southern鈥檚 operations and activities.

Total attendees measured at 精东影业 events on all three campuses rose from 55,124 in fall of 2021 to 79,408 in fall of 2022. That鈥檚 a 44% increase in students who checked in during at least one of more than 1,000 events.

Fall 2022, the numbers show:

• 1,162 total events
• 79,408 total attendees
• 370 Armstrong Campus events that attracted 13,116 attendees
• 662 Statesboro Campus Tagged Events that attracted 62,335 attendees
• 82 different departments or registered student organizations hosted events

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that we are reaching our Eagle Experience goals of engaging and retaining our students,鈥� Little said. 鈥淲e intend to foster a transformative student experience where students have fun, find a place to belong, and have opportunities to learn while enhancing their academic experience.  These results are very encouraging.鈥�

精东影业鈥檚 Southern Leaders Program was recently selected as a gold level Excellence Award recipient from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). The team will be further judged for the designations of grand gold, grand silver and grand bronze. 鈥淔rom its initial concept to its current state, the Southern Leaders Program is so much more than your typical collegiate leadership program,鈥� said Director of the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement Jodi Kennedy. 鈥淪outhern Leaders has a very intentional organizational structure that allows students to take on leadership roles and guide their peers through a deliberative leadership curriculum.鈥� The Southern Leaders Program has contributed to enhance student success at 精东影业. Results from a participant survey issued in spring 2018 reported that 76 percent of Southern Leaders believed the program contributed to their decision to continue enrollment at 精东影业. 鈥淪outhern Leaders is an integral piece of the student life at 精东影业 and offers our students an opportunity to participate in a co-curricular leadership program that advances their career and personal development,鈥� said Georj Lewis, Vice President for Student Affairs. NASPA recognizes the contributions of members who are transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services and effective administration. Excellence Award candidates are judged based on criteria including their impact on student learning and success, relevance to institutional mission and success in addressing student needs. 精东影业, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. 精东影业 GeorgiaSouthern.edu.

The 精东影业 Counseling Center was awarded Clinical Program of the Year for its Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology program at the Georgia College Counseling Association 26th Annual Conference in St. Simons Island from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. In addition, Counseling Center Executive Director, Jodi K. Caldwell, Ph.D., was awarded College Counseling Director of the Year. The Doctoral Internship program is 2,000 hour, American Psychological Association accredited training program with a mission of offering high quality training in the practice of health service psychology. Known for its flexibility and unique tailoring to the training goals of interns, the program focuses on application of clinical theory and research and requires interns to learn to and abide by ethical, legal, and professional standards of the field. The counseling center combines didactic and experiential learning via a practitioner-apprenticeship training model/method and is currently a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. Oversight of the internship program is facilitated by Assistant Director/Training Director Katie Bigalke Jones, Ph.D. Caldwell received her doctorate degree in counseling psychology in 2000 from Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, TX, where she also completed her pre-doctoral internship. She joined the counseling center staff in 2000 as a staff psychologist. She has since served as the Assistant Director for Training and the Interim Clinical Services Director. Caldwell has been the director of the center since January 2012. Caldwell is also chair of the university鈥檚 Sexual Assault Response Team, serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Teal House: Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center and represents Georgia Southern on the Ogeechee Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team and Eastern Judicial Sexual Assault Response Team. On a national level, Caldwell is currently serving her second elected term to the Directorate Board of the Commission for Counseling and Psychological Services of the American College Personnel Association and is a certified Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Responder. Caldwell was the recipient of a 2005 Award of Merit for Excellence in Service to the 精东影业 Community, the 2006 Commitment to Advocacy Award for dedication to the issue of Sexual Assault Education, the 2010 40 Under 40 award from the Statesboro Herald for professional achievement and the 2014 Outstanding Contributions to Counseling Center Work award from Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. The counseling center is an International Association of Counseling Services accredited center that offers individual, relationship, and group counseling, in addition to drop-in workshops. 精东影业, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. 精东影业.