The 秋葵视频 Museum’s commitment to education about Georgia’s Coastal Plain region and its communities helped it earn renewed accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) for another 10 years. The Museum first received the accreditation in 1997.

AAM accreditation is awarded based on several criteria including how a museum identifies and serves its community, the diversity of its programming, and its commitment to placing education at the center of public service. The accreditation committee noted the Georgia Southern Museum not only meets, but exceeds requirements in several key areas. Community partnerships like received high praise from the evaluators, something that does not surprise Museum leadership.

鈥淥ur connections with partners across the region mean a lot,鈥� said Museum Director Brent Tharp, Ph.D. 鈥淓veryone from the Kiwanis Club to Bulloch County Schools to faculty and staff across the University who are not Museum staff, they are all a critical part of our operations.鈥�

The depth of education offered at various locations also caught the eye of the evaluators. They noted that the Museum on Main, housed at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, provided rich local history in a way that appealed to visitors. They also cited how the Gretsch Collection exhibited at the Plant Riverside District in Savannah takes engagement beyond the usual museum audience.

Museum leaders credit much of the success of their programs to the student staff. Students do everything from leading tour groups through exhibits to running the gift shop. Assistant Director Lashanda Hicks-Griffin credits the enthusiasm from the students for creating an environment where learning feels like an adventure.

鈥淭he only way that we can accomplish so much of what we’re doing is because we have a strong student support system,鈥� said Hicks-Griffin. 鈥淭hey make it fulfilling and fun to come to work every day.鈥�

The Museum staff takes pride in their dedication to building diverse exhibits through interdisciplinary work. Curator of Paleontology and Associate Professor Kathlyn Smith, Ph.D., is so accustomed to the involvement of Georgia Southern鈥檚 faculty that she cannot imagine operating without it.

鈥淭he evaluation team said it was unusual that I spent a lot of time doing outreach,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淭hey said some institutions struggle to get their faculty to join outreach efforts, but I love taking our collection to places like comic conventions and sharing it with people who might not expect to find it there.鈥�

Presenting a wide spectrum of topics to a broad audience is a core part of the museum鈥檚 mission. Thousands of visitors, from University students to school groups to tourists, pass through the Museum each year. Curator of Education Marjean Cone takes an individual approach to connecting all of them with the discoveries they make inside the exhibits.

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e done my job at the end of the day if somebody from any background can come in here, be inspired by something we present and want to keep learning more when they go back outside to their daily life.鈥�

The Museum features permanent exhibits that chronicle the history of Georgia鈥檚 Coastal Plain region. It also hosts rotating exhibits on diverse topics in science, history and culture. General admission is $4 per person. Admission is free for Museum members as well as Georgia Southern students, alumni, faculty, staff, members and children under 3 years old.

After nearly three years and following extensive architectural renovations, the Georgia Southern Museum, one of the longest-standing educational centers on the University鈥檚 Statesboro Campus, reopens to visitors on Oct. 10. 

鈥淚t has been a long project, but well worth the journey,鈥� said Georgia Southern Museum Director Brent Tharp, Ph.D. 鈥淭he upgraded facility and newly designed galleries represent a new era for the museum. Visitors will still find old friends, like the mosasaur, but exhibited in new more exciting ways, and will make new discoveries with never before exhibited artifacts in expanded permanent exhibits preserving the area鈥檚 culture. We are really excited to be back open to the public.鈥�

The Georgia Southern Museum serves as the premier institution interpreting the natural and cultural history of Georgia鈥檚 coastal plain. The museum displays permanent exhibits and changing exhibits curated by the University鈥檚 faculty and students, and provides a place where researchers can explore its collections and students of all ages can learn. 

As part of its reopening celebration, the Museum will recognize Earth Sciences Week with events featuring social media videos and interactive displays by Georgia Southern students, faculty and alumni. Highlighted events for Earth Sciences Week include: 

Earthcache Day and reopening of Museum
Oct. 10, 2-5 p.m.

The Museum will open to visitors at 2 p.m. and the Museum will kick off a weeklong geocache scavenger hunt on the Statesboro Campus.

Minerals Day
Oct. 11, virtual

Follow the Museum on social media for a video about the economic minerals of Georgia featuring professor Kelly Vance, Ph.D., of the Geology and Geography Department.

Earth Observation Day 
Oct. 12, virtual

Follow the Museum on social media to hear from Georgia Southern senior, Reilly Corkran, who will discuss how geographers use remote sensing in a video that will appear on our social media feeds.

National Fossil Day 
Oct. 13, virtual

Curator of Paleontology Kathlyn Smith, Ph.D., will discuss the brain of the extinct whale, Georgiacetus, and how it compares to living whales on an exclusive video on social media

Rotunda: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Explore fossils with paleontologists Smith and Stephanie Lukowski, Museum curator of education, at the Russell Union Rotunda. 

Museum: Noon to 1 p.m.
Georgia Southern student, Lauren Vieth, will teach visitors what is and isn鈥檛 a dinosaur

Geoscience for Everyone Day 
Oct. 14, virtual

Learn about the geoscientists here at Georgia Southern and what they do via a video on the Museum鈥檚 social media channels

Museum, 9-11:10 a.m., 3:30-5 p.m.
Student Autumn Arnold will host a rock and mineral identification table 

Geologic Map Day
Oct. 15, virtual

Nick Radko, senior lecturer in the Geology and Geography Department, will explain how geologic maps work and what they can tell us, highlighting the geologic map of Georgia. 

Museum, Noon to 2 p.m.
Student Josey Kearns will teach visitors about what is and isn鈥檛 a dinosaur

International Archaeology Day
Oct. 16

The museum is closed on Saturdays but look for a video featuring alumna Rhianna Bennett (鈥�18), Georgia Southern alumna (2018), speaking about her work as an archaeologist and how archaeology relates to museums.

Outside of Earth Sciences Week events, visitors to the museum can explore redesigned permanent exhibitions in two new galleries 鈥� the Delma and Beverly Presley Gallery and the Jack and Addie D. Averitt Gallery 鈥� which showcase items from the museum鈥檚 permanent collection such as the impressive mosasaur fossil skeleton display and extensive cultural history collections. Highlights of the museum鈥檚 permanent collection include a rare, pre-Civil War cotton gin, artifacts of the Gullah Geechee, and other significant collections documenting the interaction of the unique environment and cultures of south Georgia.  

The 鈥淯ncharted Worlds: The Natural History of Georgia鈥檚 Coastal Plain鈥� exhibit explores dramatic changes to Georgia鈥檚 landscape, the arrival of humans, and the coastal plain we know today. A complementary exhibit, 鈥淐harted Worlds: The Cultural History of Georgia鈥檚 Coastal Plain,鈥� features important stories of the interactions between cultures and the environment that created the distinct traditions and heritage of Georgia鈥檚 coastal plain. 

The changing exhibits gallery allows the museum to display compelling artifacts and histories. 鈥淪aints and Sinners: Salvation and Damnation in Latin American Folk Art,鈥� the museum鈥檚 first bilingual exhibit, will remain on display through the start of next year. Curated by Michael Van Wagenen, Ph.D., associate professor of history, the exhibit showcases more than 100 extraordinary pieces of art covering 1,000 years of history. Georgia Southern students helped create an experience that examines how Europeans, Americans, Africans and their common descendants wrestled with the existential questions of life, death and the hereafter in a uniquely Latin American way.

鈥淭he museum strives to ensure that our students and the faculty they work with are more than just visitors,鈥� said Tharp. 鈥淭ogether with the museum, they develop exhibits and programs as curators, designers and educators, and the community benefits from these unique learning experiences.鈥�

Located on the Statesboro Campus鈥� Sweetheart Circle in the Rosenwald Building, the Georgia Southern Museum will be open weekly Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. It is closed Monday, Saturday and on University holidays. 

Admission to the museum is $4 per person; however, for a limited time the museum also will accept donations for admission. Children 3 years of age and younger, museum members, and Georgia Southern students receive free admission.

For more information, visit . 

Are you a Vietnam Veteran with a story to tell? Georgia Southern Public History student Breana James is leading a project in conjunction with the Georgia Southern Museum to showcase Vietnam War-era artifacts and the oral histories of those who served in the Vietnam War in an exhibit at the Bulloch County Annex. Museum curators will be at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau on Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. to meet with the public and collect items for an exhibit focused on the Vietnam War that will be a part of the permanent exhibit on the military heritage of Bulloch County. James said the open house-style event is open to anyone in the community interested in sharing artifacts, documents, photos or stories that will help tell the story of Bulloch County and the Vietnam War. University faculty and Museum curators will be on hand to help identify items as well. Museum Director Brent Tharp, Ph.D., said it is an important time to take action in collecting research for the Vietnam War era. 鈥淎 lot of focus lately has been on our disappearing World War II generation. While we recognize the importance of this generation, we are working to help our students and other folks in our community understand more about the experiences of those involved in the Vietnam War to preserve these stories for the generations to come,鈥� Tharp said. James added there are several 45th and 55th anniversaries of battles in the Vietnam War coming up, adding to the importance of collecting items. 鈥淎s grim and sad as it is, and as wars get further in the past, that means our veterans are getting older and it鈥檚 important to be able to collect these stories before the opportunity passes,鈥� she said. The exhibit is expected to be complete in spring 2019. For more information, email James at bs05686@georgiasouthern.edu. 秋葵视频, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research 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. Visit.  

秋葵视频鈥檚 Department of History and the Georgia Southern Museum seek to learn more about the impact of World War I on the state of Georgia and are asking for anyone with artifacts from that era to bring them on Jan. 16, from 2 to 5 p.m., to the Georgia Southern Museum. Georgia Southern’s faculty and Museum curators ask that Georgians bring any artifacts, documents, photos or stories to share as they seek to learn more about the experiences of Georgia’s soldiers, the importance of training camps and war industries in the state, and the experiences of those on the homefront. They will be on hand to provide more information on the items. The 鈥檚 current exhibit, “The Great War that Changed the World: 1914-18,” centers around the First World War and the Museum plans to further explore the war with a future exhibit in 2017, “The Great War that Changed Georgia: 1917-18,” focusing on how the war impacted the state of Georgia. The Museum is located at 2142 Southern Drive in the Rosenwald Building on the campus of 秋葵视频. For questions or more information, contact Brent Tharp, Ph.D., at 912-478-5444. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the largest of the eight colleges that make up 秋葵视频, and it plays a central role in every student鈥檚 core of knowledge. CLASS, also described as the University鈥檚 College of the Creative Mind, prepares students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, their nations and the world. CLASS offers more than 20 undergraduate degrees and several interdisciplinary minors from its 11 departments and five academic centers. CLASS offers eight master鈥檚 degrees, two graduate certificates and one doctoral degree. 聽For more information, visit .听 秋葵视频, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125 degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit