STATESBORO, Ga - When a student-athlete commits to Georgia Southern University, they are committing to represent the University across the nation while on the athletic field. Most importantly, Georgia Southern is committing to provide the student-athlete with the opportunity to earn a college education.
But education is not free. Fortunately, the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation and much of Eagle Nation have made the commitment to provide the funds necessary for student-athletes to attend Georgia Southern University.
During the football game against ULM on Saturday, September 17, 2016, the packed house at Allen E. Paulson Stadium cheered on as Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation Chairman Trey Sheppard presented to University President Dr. Jaimie Hebert and Athletic Director Tom Kleinlein, scholarship funds to the tune of $900,000 in order to help cover the cost of education for nearly 400 student-athletes.
Scholarship funds are primarily raised through the Eagle Fund, the Foundation's annual fund. The Eagle Fund helps Athletics' offset the $4,660,301 they must pay the University in student-athlete scholarships, which covers tuition and other fees associated with college expenses.
With the help of Eagle Nation, and recent initiatives such as 110% and Refer-an-Eagle, last year the Eagle Fund grew over 25% from the previous fiscal year. And with the lowest giving level of just $120, the Eagle Fund is designed to accommodate opportunities for all of Eagle Nation.
Georgia Southern's student-athletes don't take their educational opportunity for granted. Collectively, the Eagles earned a 3.01 GPA for the 2015-2016 academic year, marking the first time in Georgia Southern athletic history that the student-athletes have reached this achievement. Men's golf was named a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Academic Team, 10 individuals from the men's and women's tennis teams were named All-Academic Teams & Scholar Athletes from Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), and Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) named Ariana Macioce an All-American Scholar - just to name a few.
Learn how to support student-athletes by calling 1 (800) GSU-WINS or visiting GSEagles.com/Foundation.
The Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation's (GSUAF) primary goal is to provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to compete for a championship ring and earn a college education while developing them as future leaders in their respective communities.
The Athletic Foundation currently supports nearly 400 student-athletes who play in one of the 17 Division I varsity programs. Contributions to the Foundation make it possible for Georgia Southern student-athletes to achieve their goals in competition, in the classroom and in life.
