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Georgia Southwestern President Michelle Johnston, Ph.D., has been named president of the University of Montevallo (UM) in Alabama.
Johnston accepted the position after it was officially approved and announced by UM’s Board of Trustees on Friday, May 22. Her final day at GSW will be June 30.
Johnston shared the announcement with the GSW campus community and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters who have helped shape the University’s continued success during her two-year tenure.
“Serving as president of Georgia Southwestern has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life,” said Johnston. “I am deeply thankful for the incredible faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members who have made these past two years so meaningful. Together, we have celebrated remarkable growth and positioned GSW for an even brighter future. While this decision was not easy, I will forever cherish my time at GSW and the relationships built here.”
Read more about Johnston's tenure at GSW.
Madeline Taylor was recently named GSW's 2026 Outstanding Scholar, the University’s highest academic honor. Taylor is an accounting major from Tazewell, Ga. and recently graduated summa cum laude. She was recognized by Chancellor Sonny Perdue during Academic Recognition Day at the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) in Atlanta.
The USG Outstanding Scholar Award recognizes one student from each of the 25 public colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia who exemplifies academic excellence, leadership and service.
“The Academic Scholar Awards began 39 years ago to celebrate outstanding scholars,” said GSW President Michelle Johnston, Ph.D. “Out of more than 290,000 undergraduate students in the USG, only 25 students are selected for this prestigious award. We are incredibly proud of Maddie and all she has accomplished during her time at Georgia Southwestern.”
“Being named GSW’s Outstanding Scholar is truly humbling,” said Taylor. “Since I started at GSW, I promised myself that I would work hard and make the most of my experience here. This award shows that the time spent studying and maintaining campus involvement was all worth it.”
Learn more about this recognition.
GSW's Division of Business and Finance has once again been recognized for its outstanding financial stewardship, receiving the Certificate of Excellence in Accounting and Reporting from the University System of Georgia (USG) at the FY26 Year-End Workshop. This marks the third consecutive year GSW has received this prestigious honor, having earned the award each year since its inception.
Georgia Southwestern was one of only eight institutions across the entire University System to receive the award, placing GSW among the top-performing schools in the state for financial accuracy, accountability and timeliness.
“This recognition reflects the strong commitment to excellence and professionalism demonstrated by our business and finance team,” said Jeff Hall, vice president for GSW’s Division of Business and Finance. “We are committed to upholding accurate, transparent financial reporting and meeting the expectations of our stakeholders with integrity. I’m extremely proud of our team’s hard work, dedication and attention to detail.”
Learn more about the Certificate of Excellence in Accounting and Reporting.
The Peach Belt Conference announced that Georgia Southwestern State University has claimed the inaugural 2025-26 Campus Spirit and Engagement Award at the league's annual awards dinner in Hilton Head on May 26.
The Peach Belt Conference and the Vice Chancellors/ Vice Presidents of student affairs introduced this award in an effort to encourage both athletic departments and divisions of student affairs at each member institution to increase attendance and enhance the in-game/ game day experience. The criteria for this award focuses on student attendance, total attendance, the collaboration of each department, gender equity and the impact the event has on attendance and engagement.
Georgia Southwestern hosts many events throughout the year that are a result of collaboration between Student Affairs and Athletics. The atmosphere at GSW sporting events is among the very best in the Peach Belt Conference. Two of the events are highlighted below. GSW applies similar strategies across both men's and women's athletics, ensuring equitable investment in attendance growth and student experience across all programs. Programs such as Under the Lights and GSW Homecoming alternate years between men's and women's competitions.
Learn more about the Campus Spirit and Engagement Award.
GSW held its annual Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 30 in the Storm Dome.
GSW President Michelle Johnston, Ph.D., addressed the room at the start of the ceremony. “Every person here has contributed to the growth and development of Georgia Southwestern, and your dedication is deeply appreciated,” she said. “The awards and honors that will be presented today highlight the exceptional talents and contributions of individuals who go above and beyond in their roles."
See the full list of faculty and staff award winners.
The No. 6-ranked Georgia Southwestern State University men's golf team saw its season come to an end on May 21 in the NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship quarterfinals, falling 4-1 to No. 2-ranked Lee University in medal match play at Boulder Creek Golf Club.
The Hurricanes reached medal match play for the third time in the past six seasons after posting a fifth-place finish in stroke play earlier this week. Georgia Southwestern closed the championship at 17-under par through 54 holes, highlighted by a final-round 13-under 275 that was two strokes shy of the best 18-hole score in program history.
The Hurricanes' season comes to a close after another deep postseason run, marking the third time in the past six seasons Georgia Southwestern has advanced to medal match play and finished among the final eight teams standing at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Read more about the golf team's postseason run.
Thanks to generous donations to the GSW Foundation from Charles Eames and Perry Brothers Oil Co., all currently enrolled GSW students are eligible to win a $100 Gas N' Go gift card each month. The May winners were (top row) Deniya Smith, Keneyanna Mosley, Samantha Duke, (bottom row) Abigail Clower and Kristian Joseph.
Students can enter the drawing through the link in sent to their Radar emails each month. Winners will be contacted via email by a representative from the GSW Foundation.
The Department of Athletics presented $43,000 in cash prizes on Friday evening at the 7th Annual Hail Storm event held for the first time at the Griffin Bell Golf & Conference Center.
As part of the GSW Athletics fundraiser, supporters purchased golf balls that were dropped from a lift, thanks to Americus Fire and Emergency Services, towards a target on the ground. Helicopter use for the ball drop this year was prohibited because of travel safety concerns due to the weather. A total of 10 prizes of varying amounts were awarded based on ball location. Closest to the target took home the first prize of $25,000, second closest received $10,000 and the balls coming in third through ninth won $1,000 each. The final prize of $1,000 was given for the ball farthest away.
The grand prize winner was Todd Hatcher.
Explore the full list of Hail Storm winners.
GSW SAAC honored for growth in Make-A-Wish fundraising effortsGSW's commitment to giving back took center stage on May 26 as the Hurricanes earned the LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Most Improved Award at the annual Peach Belt Conference awards dinner.
The award recognizes the school that showed the greatest increase in fundraising efforts for Make-A-Wish during the 2025-26 academic year. Georgia Southwestern boosted its giving by more than 97 percent from the previous year through a series of creative campus and community events organized by the GSW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Throughout the year, GSW student-athletes led multiple fundraising initiatives, including tennis ball tosses during baseball and softball games, a dunk tank featuring student-athletes, coaches and staff members, a Mario Kart gaming tournament and several raffles designed to engage the campus community while supporting the Make-A-Wish mission.
Learn more about the LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Most Improved Award.
GSW students Jessica Gibbs of Perry, Savannah Harrod of Leslie and Hayley McCoy of Americus received $1,000 gas cards through the GSW Foundation’s competitive essay contest held earlier this spring. The program is made possible by Charles Eames, a philanthropist from Waycross, and Perry Brothers Oil Company in Americus.
As travel costs continue to rise, the financial strain of commuting has become a significant challenge for many GSW students. The gas card program is designed to help ease this burden, allowing students to remain focused on their academic goals while balancing work, family and other responsibilities.
Read more about the gas card winners.
GSW held its Academic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 23 in Jackson Hall.
“This ceremony gives us the opportunity to put the spotlight on our students and celebrate their accomplishments,” said GSW President Michelle Johnston, Ph.D. “And as we honor our students, we are recognizing the hand-in-hand work of our faculty and staff, and your families, friends and support networks.”
Explore the full list of academic award winners.
Nurinda Aguilar wins chemistry awardChemistry major Demijanae Nurinda Aguilar recently won an Outstanding Undergraduate Chemistry Student award from Optima Chemical and the Southwest Georgia American Chemical Society local section.
She earned this honor for her research project with Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jeanne Bolliger, Ph.D., during which she synthesized several new compounds with antibiotic properties.
The awards ceremony was hosted by the Southwest Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society (SOWEGA) on May 2 at the Douglas Golf and Country Club in Douglas, Ga.
GSW baseball was well represented in the 2026 Peach Belt Conference postseason awards, highlighted by Evan Koehler earning Pitcher of the Year and Johnny Nutt being named Freshman of the Year.
In total, the Hurricanes placed six players on the All-PBC teams, with Evan Wainman, Koehler, and Cooper Sain earning First Team All-Conference honors, while Devon Murphy, Nutt, and Kelsen Johnson were named to the Second Team.
Koehler's selection as Pitcher of the Year marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons that Georgia Southwestern has claimed the award, continuing the program's dominance on the mound. Nutt's recognition as Freshman of the Year is a first in program history, signaling the emergence of another frontline arm for the Hurricanes.
Learn more about the PBC baseball awards.
Corlouer becomes first Hurricane named to GCAA All-Freshman TeamMen's golfer Sacha Corlouer recently earned selection to the Golf Coaches Association of America 2026 NCAA Division II All-Freshman Team, becoming the first Hurricane in program history to receive the honor.
The GCAA announced the honor as part of the organization's release for the 2026 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award presented by StrackaLine. Corlouer was one of five freshmen nationally selected to the All-Freshman Team.
A native of Noumea, France, who joined the Hurricanes for the spring season, Corlouer quickly became one of the top newcomers in NCAA Division II golf. He finished the year ranked No. 22 nationally and helped lead GSW to a Peach Belt Conference championship and an appearance at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship.
Learn more about Corlouer's recognition.
At this year's Department of Computing capstone presentations, BirdDex earned first place and GBAV (Graph-Based Attack Path Visualizer) took second place. Across all teams, students tackled a wide range of real-world problems, from AI-powered applications and intelligent ticketing systems to mobile tracking tools, data visualization platforms and secure system design. The level of technical depth, creativity and execution on display reflects the strength of our programs and the work students are putting in.
Strong week on the mound earns Raper PBC Pitcher of the WeekSenior right-hander Jackson Raper was named Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week following a pair of outstanding performances that helped lead the Hurricanes to two of their four victories for the week of April 27.
Raper's selection as Pitcher of the Week highlights his exceptional week on the mound against Albany State University and Columbus State University, as well as his key role in the Hurricanes' continued success.
Learn more about Raper's recognition.
Wu presents at USG Teaching and Learning ConferenceProfessor of Elementary Education Chuchu Wu, Ph.D., presented "Rethinking Word Problem Instruction: Insights from Action Research on Instructional Strategy and Sense Making" at the 2026 USG Teaching and Learning Conference on April 16.
Her session highlighted findings from an action research study exploring how integrating schema-based instruction with the Singapore Model Method can deepen students' understanding and sense-making of word problems.
Several other GSW faculty members attended the conference, including Judy Orton Grissett, Ph.D.; John LeJeune, Ph.D.; Benjamin Meador, Ph.D.; Allen Brown, Ph.D.; Brian Mallett, D.M.; Annie Laurie Nichols, Ph.D.; and Jonathan Hobbs, D.Sc.
Chair and Professor of History Glenn Robins, Ph.D., presented a paper titled, "MacArthur Redux: Jimmy Carter's Korea Troop Withdrawal Plan and Civil Military Relations," at the Society for Military History annual meeting in Arlington, Virginia. The paper examined Carter's Presidential Directive 12 as a case study in civil-military relations.
Donaldson earns National Coach of the Year finalist recognitionFor the second time in his career, Darcy Donaldson is among the nation's top five coaches in NCAA Division II men's golf.
The Golf Coaches Association of America announced on May 19 that Donaldson has been named a finalist for the 2026 Dave Williams Award presented by Golf Pride Grips, honoring the national coach of the year across collegiate men's golf. Donaldson previously earned the award in 2020 and is now a finalist for the first time since that season.
In his 14th season leading the Hurricanes, Donaldson guided Georgia Southwestern State University to one of the program's strongest campaigns in recent years. The Hurricanes recorded eight top-four finishes and three tournament victories while climbing to No. 6 in the national rankings via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd.
Learn more about the National Coach of the Year recognition.
Trinity Daniels McNear joined the Office of Residence Life as coordinator for residential life and student activities on May 11.
Mallory Lane joined the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as a part-time instructor on May 11.
Ji soo Son joined the College of Business and Computing as a part-time instructor on May 11.
Charles Hiatt joined the Office of Information and Instructional Technology as IT and telecommunications help desk coordinator on May 11.
Leslie Reese joined the College of Education as a part-time instructor on May 11.
Ivey Neal joined the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as a part-time instructor on May 11.
Emely Jimenez joined the Office of Recruitment and Admissions as an admissions counselor on May 18.
Edith Acevedo Cordero joined the Office of Student Accounts as customer service and data entry specialist on May 26.
As of May 1, Bob Slenker is the interim chief information officer in the Office of Information and Instructional Technology. He previously served as technology services director in the same office.
As of May 1, Joshua Gilmon is information security officer in the Office of Information and Instructional Technology. He previously served as IT programmer and analyst in the same office.
As of May 18, Sophia Aparicio-Malacara is data analyst and IT programmer in the Office of Information and Instructional Technology. She previously served as reporting and data management specialist in the Office of Institutional Research.
Fay Koppenaal passed away on May 9. She was a retired English instructor and coordinator of activities in Asian studies.
Find more events on the GSW academic calendar, on myGSW, and on the Events Open to the Community webpage.
