Fort Valley State University

Perhaps the only thing better than hosting your own cross country invitational is dominating it! That’s precisely what happened to the Wildcats in the Fort Valley State University (FSU) Cross Country Invitational. The dual meet was held on the FVSU campus earlier today, September 16, 2009 and the other participating schools included Paine and Miles Colleges. The Wildcat performance was outstanding.

By ChaNae Bradley, public information specialist

Agricultural Communications Department

In the summer of 2007, the National Science Foundation awarded Fort Valley State University a $2.5 million Interdisciplinary Experience for Undergraduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) grant. The purpose of this funding is to strengthen the STEM programs at historically black colleges and universities.

Our nation’s teachers can inspire a new generation of future leaders. Their impact on our society was recognized and lauded by Fort Valley State University’s College of Education at an orientation event recently. More than 151 education majors attended the session held Tuesday, Sept. 15 in the C.W. Pettigrew Center.

“It was a rousing and motivational meeting which gave an overview of all of our programs,” said College of Education Associate Dean Dr. Jean Wacaster. “Our faculty is hoping for the success of every single student.”

September 16, 2009—For the first time, Fort Valley State University’s Cooperative Extension Program offered a homebuyer education class in Marion County. The two-day class recently held at the Josh Gibson Youth Center in Buena Vista attracted 21 residents, including Buena Vista Mayor Ralph Brown Jr.

Keishon Thomas, FVSU’s housing specialist, taught the class with the assistance of Brenda Trammell, FVSU’s Marion County extension agent. Tamika McGhee-Smith, a U.S. Department of Agriculture area specialist, also presented information about USDA Rural Development Programs.

Sept. 16, 2009 - For Fort Valley State University’s Lady Wildcats volleyball team, the search for that elusive first win of the season continues. The team’s 3-0 loss on Sept. 16 to the West Georgia Wolves was the fifth for the Lady Wildcats. And while the Lady Wildcats displayed that trademark FVSU value of never giving up, the Wildcats remain winless for the season and have yet to capture a game within a match.

The loss drops the Lady Wildcats’ record to 0-5. The Wolves increased their season mark to 7-8.

September 15, 2009—After a sluggish 0-4 start, the Fort Valley State University Lady Wildcat volleyball team will try for its first win of the season when they begin a two-game home stand tonight. The Lady Wildcats will host the University of West Georgia Wolves in FVSU’s Health and Physical Education Complex at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. Tonight’s match up will be the second meeting between the teams this year. The Wolves won the first match 3-0, with game scores of 25-13, 25-9, and 25-16. The Wolves are 6-8 overall.

September 15, 2009—Lynching, a brutal form of mob violence, left its indelible mark on the American psyche. In the early 20th century, lynching left spouses widowed, children orphaned, and families devastated in the Deep South. But why did fewer incidences take place in North Carolina, when they were rising throughout the south? Historian Dr. Vann Newkirk, author of “Lynching in North Carolina,” will discuss the issue when the John W. Davison Lecture Series kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in the C. W. Pettigrew Center Auditorium.

No one was under any illusions about the challenge confronting the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) in Saturday’s football match up with the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University. After all, despite suffering a loss the weekend before, Tuskegee was still ranked 14th in the nation in NCAA Division II Football and were the winners of the last three consecutive SIAC Football Championships. With that in mind, the Wildcats were well aware that anything less than a perfect game would make it difficult to break their 5-game consecutive losing streak to Tuskegee.

September 11, 2009—Over the long Labor Day weekend, five Fort Valley State University students participated in the 43rd annual Georgia Federation of Saddle Clubs statewide show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds Reaves Arena in Perry. This four-day equine event, which began Sept.4, is attended by horse riders who compete in various performance and timed events such as barrel racing, where they must quickly direct a horse around barrels spread across the arena.

Auditions for the Joseph Adkins Players’ production “God Bless the Child That’s Got Her Own” are scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 in Founders Hall, room 122. Male and female student actors needed.

For more information, please contact:
Maisha S. Akbar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Speech Communication
Advisor - Joseph Adkins Players
Department of Fine Arts, Humanities and Mass Communications
akbarm@fvsu.edu

September 10, 2009—Fort Valley State University’s Department of Veterinary Science was awarded a grant recently in the amount of $312,500 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The purpose of the grant is to provide federal financial assistance to support animal disease identification, sample collection and public awareness as it relates to animal health and diseases. The money will be used to purchase microscopes and other clinical and diagnostic equipment.

September 10, 2009—Side by side with new Wildcats on Fort Valley State University’s campus this fall are 137 fresh faces who call Gordon College home. Friday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., both institutions will celebrate these students and the institutional partnership with food, fun and games.

The GC@FVSU program allows students who otherwise could have not attended FVSU to earn their core credit hours on the Fort Valley campus.

In their quest to give Donald Pittman his first win his first win as head coach, the second time proved to be the charm for Fort Valley State University’s Wildcats. Saturday’s 36-13 win over the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College was the first win of the 2009 season for Pittman and the FVSU Wildcats. At Atlanta’s B.T. Harvey Stadium, the Wildcats fought off a feisty challenge from the Maroon Tigers. The game’s outcome was determined in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats secured the win by posting 21 unanswered points.

On a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon, August 29, Fort Valley State University students and fans crowded into Fort Valley’s downtown plaza to watch a parade, celebrating the opening of the brand-new Wildcat Stadium.

During the 1960s, Gwendolyn Williams and Tommy McMullins strolled Fort Valley State College’s small campus as lovebirds. They married after graduation and now reside in Altadena, Calif., but memories of FVSU still linger.