“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.”
-Benjamin E. Mays
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Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Ph.D. Ninth President, Fort Valley State University The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted unanimously on June 21, 2013 in naming Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith as the ninth president of Fort Valley State University. President Griffith took office on July 22. A political scientist, Dr. Griffith served earlier as professor of political science and provost and senior vice president at York College of The City University of New York. His notable achievements there include growing the full-time faculty by 30 percent over four years, reorganizing the academic division into three Schools, and enhancing the research and scholarly climate by creating a Provost Lecture Series and a companion Distinguished Scholars Lecture Series, recognizing and rewarding research and scholarship, and establishing an Undergraduate Student Research Program. Before becoming York’s provost in 2007, Dr. Griffith was professor of political science and budget dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University (FIU), dean of the Honors College at FIU, and provost at Radford University in Virginia. President Griffith holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences, with distinction in political science, from the University of Guyana, a Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Long Island University, New York, and both a Master of Philosophy and a doctorate in political science from The City University of New York Graduate School. He also graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s program in educational leadership. Deeply committed to the intellectual enterprise, Griffith is a specialist on Caribbean security, drugs, and crime. He has published seven books and more than 50 articles in various scholarly journals. The research for the highly-acclaimed Drugs and Security in the Caribbean: Sovereignty Under Siege, published by Penn State Press, was funded by the MacArthur Foundation. His eighth book, Challenged Sovereignty, will be published by the University of Illinois Press. President Griffith also serves on the editorial board of the journal Defense and Security Studies Review. President Griffith has been a consultant to Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, USAID, and other agencies, and he has testified before the United States Congress on Caribbean security issues. A past president of the Caribbean Studies Association, he has been a Visiting Scholar at the William Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, D.C., the Royal Military College of Canada, and the George Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany. Recently, he was one of 45 experts from across the Americas invited by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States to review the hemisphere’s narcotics policies and practices and propose anti-narcotics scenarios through 2025. Also passionate about service, President Griffith served on the National Steering Committee of AASCU’s Red Balloon Project and briefly as convener of its Provosts of Color Caucus. As well, he served on the vestry (Board of Directors) of his church, St. George’s Episcopal Church in Hempstead, Long Island, and as chair of their Ambassador Program and Education Committee. A member of the 100 Black Men of Long Island at the time he left New York, he also was a trustee of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning in Queens, N.Y. President Griffith looks forward to deep engagement with the Fort Valley, Warner Robins, Macon, Atlanta and other Georgia communities. He and his wife Francille, a registered nurse, have two adult children.
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About Fort Valley State University Fort Valley State University remains Georgia’s only 1890 land-grant institution, and one of the state’s three public historically black colleges and universities. Located in Fort Valley, Ga., the campus was originally chartered in 1895 as Fort Valley High and Industrial School. FVHIS merged with State Teachers and Agricultural College of Forsyth in 1939 to become Fort Valley State College. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents later granted FVSC a university status in June 1996.
Special academic offerings include two new, rigorous programs: Honors Program and Undergraduate Research Program, which provide a challenging environment for high-achieving Wildcats. FVSU’s dual-enrollment program, the University Today Scholars’ Program, helps high school students earn college credit while working toward their diploma. The campus’ dual-degree Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) prepares minorities and women for challenging energy-related disciplines.
Fort Valley State University’s distinguished academic programs in the Colleges of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology; Arts and Sciences; Education; and Graduate Studies and Extended Education have produced well-rounded scholars for nearly 120 years.
In athletics, the university is a leading contender in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II in both men’s and women’s athletic programs. Wildcats football, basketball, tennis, track, volleyball and softball are among the 11 sports offered. Soccer is coming soon.
“We ar e what we r epeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle
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Former Presidents Horace Mann Bond
1939-1945
Cornelius Vanderbelt Troup Waldo William Emerson 1945-1966 Blanchet 1966-1973
Cleveland W. Pettigrew Class of 1943 1973-1982
Walter W. Sullivan Acting President 1983
Luther Burse 1983-1988
Melvin E. Walker Acting President 1988-1990
Oscar L. Prater 1990-2001
Kofi Lomotey 2001-2005
William Harris Interim President 2005-2006
Larry E. Rivers Class of 1973 2006-2013
Kimberly Ballard-Washington Interim President 2013
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Academic Attire The academic costume derives from practices originating in the Middle Ages. When European universities were formed in the 12th and 13th centuries, the first scholars, mainly clerics, adopted costumes similar to those of their monastic orders. Cold halls and drafty buildings made caps and floor-length gowns with attached hoods a necessity for warmth. Probably because of the religious customs of that period, academic costumes remained largely drab. After the administration of the universities was removed from the control of the Church, some features of the academic costumes took on brighter hues. Drawings and restored prints from this era reveal a strong similarity between the academic costumes worn in the early European universities and the regalia worn today. In light of the strong English heritage in the United States, the academic costume has been in use in the United States since colonial times. To establish a standard of uniformity with regard to the practice of dress in the academy, an intercollegiate commission was formed. This commission prepared the code, which has been adopted by all universities, for the wearing of caps, gowns, and hoods. Originally round, the shape of the cap is now the more familiar mortarboard square. Its design resembles the scholar’s book. Legend has it that the privilege of wearing a cap was the initial right of a person who had been enslaved under the Roman Empire. The flowing gown has become symbolic of the democracy of scholarship for it covers any dress which might indicate work or social strata. The hood not only indicates the type of degree, but is lined with the official colors of the university. BACHELOR’S MASTER’S DOCTORATE
BACHELOR’S MASTER’S DOCTORATE
THE GOWN Black, full cut with long pointed sleeves Black, long or short sleeves with an arc-shaped panel for each sleeve Black, with velvet panels on the front of the gown and three velvet bars on each sleeve. Color of the velvet may be black or distinctive of the field of study THE HOOD Three feet in length with a two-inch wide velvet Three and one-half feet in length with a three-inch wide velvet Four feet in length with a five-inch wide velvet and panel at the sides
The lining of all hoods, which is folded out, bears the official colors of the institution from which the degree was received. The color of the velvet indicates the field in which the doctoral degree was granted. THE CAP AND TASSEL Candidates for graduate degrees at Fort Valley State University wear the black mortarboard with a gold tassel, and candidates for undergraduate degrees wear the black mortarboard with a black tassel.
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Presidential Mace Like the academic costume, the mace dates to medieval times. Knights used the mace, a heavy club topped with a spiked metal knob, as an effective instrument against the strongest armor in battle. Most likely this use of the mace influenced university officials to adopt it as a symbol of vested authority. Usually about two feet in length, the ceremonial mace survives today as a symbol of authority in most institutions. Notable instances of its use are found in the sessions of the British House of Commons, where the mace is placed on the treasury table, and in sessions of the United States House of Representatives, where the mace is placed to the right of the Speaker of the House. The mace has also been adopted as an emblem by many colleges and universities in the United States. It is used in formal academic ceremonies and activities. The Presidential Mace of Fort Valley State University is 26 inches long. Its shaft is made of rosewood. The head and tail of the mace are sterling silver. At the very top is an inset consisting of the engraved university seal, which is gold plated and sterling silver. On the sides of the head are four scenes in low relief, illustrating the academic emphases of the university: Education, Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, and Business. The mace was designed by a nationally known gold and silversmith, professor Kurt J. Matzdorf of New Paltz, New York. The inauguration of President Luther Burse in 1984 marked the first ceremonial use of the mace at Fort Valley State University.
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INAuGurATION PArADE Parade Procession begins at the Anderson House Museum and Welcome Center Blue Machine Marching Band Drumline • FVSU Athletes • FVSU ROTC Cadets Parade Procession arrives at the Health and Physical Education Complex
Delegation Procession
Prelude “Trumpet Voluntary” • Henry Purcell, Composer Performed by William Franklin Gross, Assistant Professor of Music, and the FVSU Brass Ensemble OrDEr Of PrOCESSION Learned and Civic Societies Marshal Berlethia Pitts, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Colleges and universities Marshal Anna Holloway, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Extended Education Student Marshal Rena Ingram, Vice President of the Student Government Association faculty, Staff and Alumni Marshal Kananur Chandras, Professor of the FVSU Department of Behavioral Sciences university Emeriti and retiree Marshal Ira Hicks, FVSU Professor Emeritus Grand Marshal of the university Isaac Crumbly, Associate Vice President of Career and Collaborative Programs and Founder of the Cooperative Development Energy Program PLATfOrM PArTy representatives of fort Valley State university Students Rashad Robertson, President of the Student Government Association Marlon Gilbert and Lauren Mitchell, Mr. and Miss Fort Valley State University, 2013-14 Courtney Lester, Mr. FVSU Freshman and Charter Member of the FVSU Honors Program representatives of university faculty, Staff and Alumni Komanduri Murty, President of the Faculty Senate Terrence Wolfork, President of the Staff Council Lawrence Marable, President of the FVSU National Alumni Association, Inc. Josephine Davis, Professor for the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Chizu Hirata, Professional Counselor for Valley Behavioral Health Services representatives of Colleges and universities Cheryl Davenport Dozier, President of Savannah State University, Georgia Marcia Keizs, President of York College, New York 8
PLATfOrM PArTy (continued)
representatives of Learned and Civic Societies Johnny Taylor, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Thomas Morrill, Chairman of the Peach County Chamber of Commerce William Thomas, President of the Guyana Association of Georgia and President of the Council of Presidents of Caribbean Associations in Georgia Joanne Nwasike, Member of the FVSU Global Initiatives Council and Head of Thematic Programs, Governance and Institutional Development Division Commonwealth Secretariat, United Kingdom Ivor Mitchell, Founding Chair of the FVSU Global Initiatives Council federal, State and Local Government Sanford Bishop, Jr., Congressman for the Second Congressional District Calvin Smyre, Representative for the Georgia House, District 132 and Chair, FVSU Foundation, Inc. Patty James-Bentley, Representative for the Georgia House, District 139 Barbara Williams, Mayor of Fort Valley, Georgia Cedric George, Commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia The President’s Cabinet Govind Kannan, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Melody Carter, Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the FVSU Foundation, Inc. Lynn McCraney, Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management Lynn Hobbs, Vice President of Business and Finance Charles Jones, Chief Legal Officer and Director of Government Relations Denise Eady, Special Assistant to the President for Compliance and Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives university System Board of regents Henry “Hank” Huckaby, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia Philip Wilheit, Sr., Chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Larry Walker, Regent of the University System of Georgia university President Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Ninth President of Fort Valley State University INAuGurAL PArADE POSTING Of THE COLOrS FVSU ROTC Cadets
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
-Maya Angelou 9
The Inauguration of Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, Ph.D. DreamING aND DoING: a VISIoN oF exceLLeNce eNGaGemeNt APrIL 11, 2014 • 10 - 11:30 a.m. • HEALTH AND PHySICAL EDuCATION COMPLEx Presiding Melody Carter Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the FVSU Foundation, Inc. DECLArATION Of CErEMONy OPENING THE INVESTITurE Of THE NINTH PrESIDENT Of fOrT VALLEy STATE uNIVErSITy ANTHEMS “The Star Spangled Banner” “Lift Every Voice and Sing” INVOCATION Kristie Kenney, Director of the FVSU Foundation, Inc. rECOGNITION Of THE fIrST fAMILy AND SPECIAL GuESTS First Lady Francille Griffith, Ivelaw Lamar Griffith and Shakina Aisha Griffith GrEETINGS TO THE PrESIDENT federal, State and Local Government Sanford Bishop, Jr., Congressman of the Second Congressional District Calvin Smyre, Representative for the Georgia House, District 132 and Chair, FVSU Foundation, Inc. Patty James-Bentley, Representative of the Georgia House, District 139 Barbara Williams, Mayor of Fort Valley, Georgia Cedric George, Commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia Learned and Civic Societies Johnny Taylor, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Thomas Morrill, Chairman of the Peach County Chamber of Commerce William Thomas, President of the Guyana Association of Georgia and President of the Council of Presidents of Caribbean Associations in Georgia Joanne Nwasike, Member of the FVSU Global Initiatives Council and Head of Thematic Programs, Governance and Institutional Development Division Commonwealth Secretariat, United Kingdom Musical Performance “Take Me to the King” • Kiara Beaver, FVSU student, accompanied by the FVSU Blue Note Singers Board of regents Philip Wilheit, Sr., Chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Larry Walker, Regent of the University System of Georgia 10
university and College Presidents Cheryl Davenport Dozier, President of Savannah State University, Georgia Marcia Keizs, President of York College, New York fort Valley State university Community Lawrence Marable, President of the FVSU National Alumni Association, Inc. Rashad Robertson, President of the Student Government Association Komanduri Murty, President of the Faculty Senate Terrence Wolfork, President of the Staff Council INAuGurAL POEM “Daring to Dream in the Valley” By Daisy Cocco De Filippis, President of Naugatuck Valley Community College, Connecticut Read by Courtney Lester, Mr. FVSU Freshman and Charter Member of the FVSU Honors Program MuSICAL SELECTION “Dream the Dream” • Rendition by FVSU Blue Note Singers PrESENTATION Of THE PrESIDENT Philip Wilheit, Sr., Chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Larry Walker, Regent of the University System of Georgia Ivor Mitchell, Founding Chair of the FVSU Global Initiatives Council Josephine Davis, Professor of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Chizu Hirata, Professional Counselor of the Valley Behavioral Health Services Lauren Mitchell, Miss Fort Valley State University, 2013-14 Marlon Gilbert, Mr. Fort Valley State University, 2013-14 INVESTITurE Of THE PrESIDENT Henry “Hank” Huckaby, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia INAuGurAL ADDrESS Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith fOrT VALLEy STATE uNIVErSITy ALMA MATEr BENEDICTION Kenneth Hutnick, Deacon for Saint Juliana Catholic Church, Fort Valley, Georgia rETIrING Of THE COLOrS FVSU ROTC Cadets rECESSIONAL “Trumpet Tune” • Jeremiah Clarke, Composer Performed by William Franklin Gross and the FVSU Brass Ensemble POSTLuDE “Aida: The Grand March” • Giuseppe Verdi Composer Performed by William Franklin Gross
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Members of the Board of Regents The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia was created in 1931 as a part of a reorganization of Georgia’s state government. With this act, public higher education in Georgia was unified for the first time under a single governing and management authority. The governor appoints members of the Board to a seven year term and regents may be reappointed to subsequent terms by a sitting governor. Regents donate their time and expertise to serve the state through their governance of the University System of Georgia – the position is a voluntary one without financial remuneration. Today the Board of Regents is composed of 19 members, five of whom are appointed from the state-at-large, and one from each of the state’s 14 congressional districts. The Board elects a chancellor who serves as its chief executive officer and the chief administrative officer of the University System. The Board oversees the 31 colleges and universities that comprise the University System of Georgia and has oversight of the Georgia Archives and the Georgia Public Library System. C. Dean Alford, P. E. Lori Durden Larry R. Ellis Rutledge A. “Rusty” Griffin, Jr. C. Thomas Hopkins, Jr. James M. Hull Donald M. Leebern, Jr. William “Dink” H. NeSmith, Jr. Doreen Stiles Poitevint Neil L. Pruitt, Jr., Vice Chair E. Scott Smith Kessel Stelling, Jr. Benjamin “Ben” J. Tarbutton, III Richard L. Tucker Thomas Rogers Wade Larry Walker Don L. Waters Philip A. Wilheit, Sr., Chair
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Schedule of Events SuNDAy, APrIL 6 Ecumenical Service 9 -11 a.m. • Founders Hall Auditorium Gospel Concert 5 - 7 p.m. • C. W. Pettigrew Center MONDAy, APrIL 7 Day of reading and reflection • All Day Activities in Various Locations Week of the young Child • reading with the first family 9:30 a.m. • Hubbard Education Building Inaugural reading and reception with the Honors Program 6 - 8 p.m. • Student Amenities Building TuESDAy, APrIL 8 Cultural Celebration of Excellence Engagement, featuring Babacar M’Bow 5 - 7 p.m. • Founders Hall (Week-long Art Exhibition in Huntington Hall Gallery) WEDNESDAy, APrIL 9 Inaugural “Dreaming and Doing” Lunch Gathering and Spirit Day 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. • Lottie M. Lyons Student Center THurSDAy, APrIL 10 Inaugural Day of Community Service 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. • City-wide Initiative Community forum: “Engaging Students in the 21st Century to Meet Global Demands” 5 - 7 p.m. • Peach County High School 900 Campus Drive, Fort Valley, GA 31030 frIDAy, APrIL 11 Investiture Ceremony 10 a.m. • Health and Physical Education Complex (Processional Begins at 9 a.m.) Post-Investiture reception Student Amenities Building Campus Tours 1 - 2 p.m. and 2 - 3 p.m. • Begins and Ends at the HPE Complex Inaugural Gala 7 - 9 p.m. • Health and Physical Education Complex SATurDAy, APrIL 12 Soccer Exhibition Noon • FVSU Wildcat Stadium
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Anthems and Alma Mater THE STAr-SPANGLED BANNEr O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? O thus be it ever when free man shall stand Between their loved home and the war’s desolation; Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto, “In God is our trust;” And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. -Francis Scott Key, 1775 THE ALMA MATEr Fort Valley State! Fort Valley State! Our lives to thee we dedicate. Our souls we blend to sing thy name; Eternal praise we do proclaim.
LIfT EVEry VOICE AND SING Lift every voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, Facing the rising sun of our new day begun Let us march on till victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet, Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by Thy might, Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee; Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land. -Lyrics by James Weldon Johnson Music by John R. Johnson
Faithful and true, Fort Valley State, We at thy call, forever wait; We lift our hearts to thankfulness, For loyalty and thoroughness. -William H. Pipes We love to hear thy sweet name called; Thou art the dearest school of all. Our hearts to thee will e’er belong, Thou art so steadfast, brave and strong; We love thee so, Fort Valley State, Our loyalty we dedicate; Thy name forever we proclaim; Fort Valley State, We love thy name. -Odessa Hardison McNair, 1954
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Inauguration Planning Committee CHAIr Melody Carter, External Affairs SuB-COMMITTEES Ecumenical Service and Gospel Concert Donavon Coley, Strategic Initiatives Day of reading and reflection Lisa Wilson, Sponsored Programs Vivian Fluellen, Family and Consumer Sciences Meigan Fields, Honors Program Celebration of Excellence Engagement and Art Exhibit LaTalia Minnex, External Affairs Lunch Gathering and Spirit Day Denise Eady, Strategic Initiatives Day of Service and Community forum Campus Life: Wallace Keese, Annette Burgess and Brian Byrd Rashad Robertson, Student Government Association Meigan Fields, Honors Program Inaugural Parade Dwayne Crew, Facilities and Planning Investiture and Luncheon Melody Carter, External Affairs Denise Eady, Strategic Initiatives Inaugural Gala Charles Jones, Government Affairs Robert Stephens, Development Bobby Dickey, Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass Communications Soccer Exhibition Joshua Murfree, Jr., Intercollegiate Athletics Hospitality Clara Braswell, Career and Alumni Services Danyell Barnes, Title III Medallion Bobby Dickey, Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass Communications Printed Collaterals (Invitations, Programs, Banners and flyers) Won Eason, Sponsored Programs Bobby Dickey, Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass Communications Marketing and Communications: Pamela Berry-Johnson and Shonda Lewis
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Multimedia Engagement (Website, Interviews, Social Media and Video Production) Steve Register, Information Technology Shirley Ellis, Mass Communications Marketing and Communications: Pamela Berry-Johnson, Christina Milton, Christine Caesar, Brittany Francis and Shonda Lewis
Additional Committee Members Ashley Ballard, Distance Education Enrollment Services Edward Boston, Pettigrew Center W. Gene Bryant, Campus Police and Safety Brian Byrd, Campus Life Joel Davis, Jr., Military Science Aadrian Dawsey, Auxiliary and Support Services Leonard Giles, Fine Arts William Franklin Gross, Fine Arts Lynn Hobbs, Business and Finance Alecia Johnson, President’s Office Joyce Johnson, Sponsored Programs
Kristie Kenney, FVSU Foundation, Inc. Felecia King, External Affairs Jazmin Leahy Ricks, Campus Life Lynn McCraney, Student Success and Enrollment Management Kenneth Morgan, Campus Police and Safety Doris Nyaga, Sponsored Programs Art Rolack, Sodexo Katina Wheeler, Military Science LuWanna Williams, Intercollegiate Athletics Ann Janice Vogan, Military Science
Special Thanks Dean Blain, Central Georgia Soccer Association Jo Ann Denning, Peach County School District Thomas Dortch, Jr., FVSU Alumnus and CEO, TWD, Inc. Gary Miller, Information Technology Frank Mahitab, Wilmette Jackson and Randy Duncan, Hunt Memorial Library Donald Moore, Health and Physical Education Complex Roslyn Smith, Office of the President Harold Young Productions: Harold Young, President, and Artis Johnston, Senior Vice President Neil. O. Wray, Former Honorable Trade Representative of Guyana in Atlanta Marketing and Communications’ Interns and Volunteers: Paris Allen, Brittany Francis, Tenisha Howell, Haley Hudson, Karen Nooks and Samuel Tassew FVSU Department of Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass Communications FVSU Division of Business and Finance: Campus Police and Safety and Plant Operations FVSU Division of Student Success and Enrollment Management: Campus Life FVSU Foundation, Inc. FVSU National Alumni Association, Inc. Sodexo A very sincere “thank you” to all program participants and members of the fort Valley State university family.
1005 State University Drive Fort Valley, Georgia 31030-4313 (478) 825-6319 • www.fvsu.edu/inauguration A State and Land-Grant Institution • University System of Georgia Fort Valley State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Fort Valley State University. Fort Valley State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or marital or veteran status.