Recent Coverage About Changes at GSU

"Too Many Students, Not Enough Faculty?" George-Anne Daily, 2/4/10

From the article: "GSU has experienced rising enrollment numbers over the past 10 years. Since 2000, enrollment has increased by nearly 5,000 students. The fall semester of 2009 saw a large increase in the student to faculty ratio. The number of faculty decreased by nearly 70 between fall 2008 and fall 2009. The University experienced a big jump in enrollment during this period, however. There were 19,086 students enrolled in fall 2009, an increase of over 1,300 students from the previous fall semester.

The student to faculty ratio increased from 19 to one in fall 2007 to 21 to one in fall 2008.

Michael Moore, Moderator of the Faculty Senate and a professor at Georgia Southern, said that increases in class sizes make it difficult to maintain teaching ability. Moore said he has seen an increase of about five to seven more students in each of his classes than in past semesters.

“It is hard to expect the same teaching results with increased class sizes,” said Moore.

Moore also said that due to rising enrollment many classes have had to add more sections, creating a need for more faculty members to cover them. Due to the budget cuts, however, many departments are experiencing a shortage of faculty needed to teach these courses, he added."