An elite group of 43 students, nominated by faculty in their respective academic disciplines, presented at Valdosta State University's 2017 Graduate Student Research and Scholarship Symposium.

April Ward of Richmond Hill presented "A Comparison of Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Professionals' Performance on the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults" under the guidance of Dr. Ruth Renee Hannibal, a faculty member from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Stacy Benbrooks of Richmond Hill presented "Mental Health and Gun Control: A Four State Policy Comparative Approach to Gun Accessibility" under the guidance of Dr. Phillip Dybicz, a faculty member from the Department of Social Work.

These students were nominated by faculty in their various disciplines and represent the Department of Social Work; Department of Middle, Secondary, Reading, and Deaf Education; Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy; Department of Library and Information Studies; Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education; Department of Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology; Department of Early Childhood and Special Education; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; Department of Adult and Career Education; Department of Political Science; Department of Modern and Classical Languages; Department of English; Department of Biology; and Department of Music.

"The students feel it is quite an honor to be recognized for innovative research at the graduate level," Teresa C. Williams, associate to the dean of VSU's Graduate School, said.

"I am amazed at the caliber of research conducted by our graduate students," she continued. "The students are incredibly busy with classes, jobs, families, life issues, and yet they carve out time to propose a project, research, and then finalize their findings in poster format for our event – and our incredible faculty encourage this research, which may lead to publication or further scholarship. For many of our students, this experience is a springboard toward a terminal degree or a job promotion. The Graduate School is proud to promote and celebrate research and scholarship at VSU."

VSU is committed to providing a quality graduate learning environment, enabling advanced studies guided by graduate faculty with a passion for teaching, research, and service. Research is a key component in a large number of the more than 50 face-to-face and online graduate programs offered at the university.