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VSU Facilities
More than 60 air-conditioned buildings house the varied activities of Valdosta State University. Main Campus buildings are of Spanish Mission architecture, while those on North Campus are a red brick modified form of Georgian architecture.
Main Campus
As the University grows, it must increase its building space, making room for increases in the number of students, faculty members, and staff, as well as for classrooms, laboratories, and office space for academic programs. Therefore, certain programs are located in recently acquired buildings adjacent or very near the campus, but the following list shows the traditional principal buildings:
West Hall, long known as the symbol of Valdosta State University, has undergone renovation and expansion. It now houses the administrative offices of the President , the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Chief Planning Officer. The Departments of English, Political Science, Modern and Classical Languages. In addition, this building houses the Master’s of Public Administration Program, the Foreign Language/International Culture Center, the language laboratory, an electronic classroom, and the Campus Writing Center.
The Hugh C. Bailey Science Center, completed in 2001 and named in 2005 in honor of former President Bailey, who served the university with distinction for 23 years, provides offices, classrooms, and laboratories for the Department of Biology and the Department of Chemistry as well as offices for the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Nevins Hall houses the offices of the Vice President for Student affairs; offices, classrooms, and laboratories of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences; the African American Studies Program; and computer facilities. Dedicated in 1966, this building is named in honor of the late Dr. Beatrice I. Nevins, head of the biology department for many years.
Odum Library contains the general and research library collections of the University. The building was dedicated in 1972 and named in 1990 for the late Gertrude Gilmer Odum, Professor Emerita of English. In 2004 a new addition opened, doubling the size of the library and adding an Internet Café, an auditorium, additional computer labs, classrooms, and a new archives section. The library is designed to facilitate research and study with open stacks and continuously available assistance from reference librarians. The collection contains over 467,560 bound volumes and over a million volumes in microforms, as well as current issues of 2,815 magazines, journals, and newspapers. In addition to printed materials, the library has extensive collections of audio-visual, graphic, and machine-readable materials. The Odum Library is a Selective Depository of U.S. Government documents and maintains the Archives of Contemporary South Georgia History and a Southern History Collection. The Media Center in the Odum Library maintains and services a wide variety of audio-visual equipment. The Information Technology Helpdesk is also located in the Odum Library, on the second floor.
Pine Hall, located southwest of Odum Library, provides offices for the Division of Social Work and the Office of Public Safety.
Powell Hall, named for Richard H. Powell, the first president of the institution, houses the offices of Career Services, Co-op Education, Testing, Housing, the Counseling Center, and Alcohol and Other Drug Education.
Ashley Hall is occupied by the Department of History and the Department of Philosophy, other faculty offices, and the Division of Information Technology.
The Admissions Office is located across the street from Nevins Hall in the former Panhellenic House, renovated in 1997. Behind the Admissions Office is the Honors House, a former residence that provides space for the Honors Program.
The Center for International Programs is located at 204 Georgia Avenue.
The Women’s Studies Center is in Carswell Hall, 1526 North Oak Street.
The Regional Center for Continuing Education, located at 901 North Patterson Street, houses the Office of Public Services, which includes Continuing Education, Distance Education, the Off-Campus Credit Program, and the Evening Program. The Office of the Graduate School and the Office of Grants and Contracts are also located in the Center.
The Psychology Classroom Building is adjacent to the Regional Center for Continuing Education.
University Union, dedicated in 1966 and expanded in 1976, contains the Loop Pizza Grill, radio station WVVS, and mail services and is built around a swimming pool used for recreation and physical education. The offices of the University Union Board, Student Government Association and other student organizations, and the yearbook and newspaper editorial offices are located in the University Union.
University Center, completed in 1995, contains the commodious University Center and its study rooms, computer lab, and dining area in the north section. The central section has offices for the Vice President for Business and Finance, Registrar, Human Resources, Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs, University Business Services, University Financial Services, art and dance studios, and faculty offices. The south section houses the South Georgia Consortium; Internal Auditors; Office of Academic Student Instructional Support; and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice.
S. Walter Martin Hall, acquired in 1985, is located on Patterson Street across from University Center. This modern facility houses the College of Nursing.
The Special Education and Communication Disorders Building, located on the corner of Brookwood Drive and Patterson Street, houses the academic department of the name and also the Speech and Hearing Clinic.
The University Bookstore is between S. Walter Martin Hall and the Special Education and Communication Disorders Building.
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Multicultural Affairs is located in a house opposite University Union, adjacent to S. Walter Martin Hall.
The Bursary, on the corner of Anne and Patterson Streets, houses the Bursar, university cashiers, offices for short-term loans, collection officer, and contract officer. Students make their fee payments in this building.
The Education Center, dedicated in 1973, houses several departments of the College of Education and provides the most modern facilities for training teachers, school administrators, and other specialists in education.
The Physical Education Complex was completed in the Spring of 1982. This modern facility, one of the finest in the South, seats 5,500 people for basketball and 6,000 for graduations and concerts. The building of 100,000 square feet contains the offices of the Physical Education faculty and all Athletic offices except football. Classrooms, a Health Fitness Center, athletic training room, varsity and physical education dressing rooms for men and women, and a Human Performance Laboratory are also included.
The Student Recreation Center was opened in 2002. It contains an indoor swimming pool, basketball and racquetball courts, a weight-lifting area, a climbing wall, and other recreational facilities for student use.
The Fine Arts Building, opened in 1969, houses the College of the Arts, which is composed of art, music, and communication arts. In addition to classrooms, laboratories, offices, and many specialized areas, the building contains a fine concert pipe organ, another gift to the institution by the late Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Whitehead of Valdosta. In appreciation of this generosity, the auditorium is named in memory of his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. W. Q. Whitehead of Emanuel County, Georgia. Sawyer Theater is named after Louise Sawyer, former head of the Communication Arts Department.
University residence halls include Converse Hall, named in honor of W. L. Converse (The original Converse Hall burned in 1978, and its replacement was completed in 1981); Reade Hall, remodeled in 1987 and named in honor of Frank R. Reade, third president of the University; Anne Powe Hopper Hall, named in honor of the University’s first dean of women; Brown Hall, named in honor of Joseph M. Brown, governor of Georgia when the University opened its doors in 1913; Lowndes Hall, named in appreciation of the county in which the University is located and in honor of William Jones Lowndes, southern educator and statesman; Georgia Hall, named for the State and for the avenue on which the building is located; John W. Langdale Hall, named for one of south Georgia’s pioneer developers and leading citizens; Patterson Hall, named for the street on which the building is located.; and Centennial Hall, opened in 2005 on Sustella Avenue.
The Parking and Transportation Office and the University Foundation are in individual houses on Georgia Avenue.
The Palms Dining Center seats 1,000 diners. Featuring cafeteria-style serving, the facility is under direct supervision of a trained dietitian, and all employees are required to have periodic physical examinations.
The Old College Gymnasium has undergone extensive renovation. The first floor contains all the offices of the football staff, varsity football locker rooms, a weight room, and a training room. The second floor contains the dance studio and auxiliary gymnasium.
North Campus
Barrow Hall on the North Campus, named for David C. Barrow, Chancellor of the University System when South Georgia Normal College opened in 1913, was remodeled in 1971 to house the Division of Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC).
The other two buildings on the North Campus are Pound Hall, named for Dr. Jere M. Pound, the second president of the University, and Thaxton Hall, named for Dr. J. Ralph Thaxton, VSU’s fourth president. Pound Hall, completely renovated in 1991-1992, and Thaxton Hall, remodeled in 1982, provide facilities for the College of Business Administration.
Billy Grant Field, and various recreational fields are also found on the North Campus. The University’s bus service connects the two campuses.