Honors College > About the Honors College

About the Honors College

Welcome to the Honors College at Georgia Southern University! We are an inclusive community of scholars that fosters intellectual and professional development through undergraduate research and creative scholarship, experiential learning, global engagement, and personalized mentorship.

Honors College Staff

Dr. Steven Engel, Dean

Office: 1027 Eidson House, Statesboro and 101 Solms Hall, Armstrong

Email: sengel@georgiasouthern.edu

Dr. Steven Engel is a Professor of Political Science and has been at Georgia Southern since 1999. In 2005, he took the lead role as Director for the University Honors Program and became Dean when the program became the Honors College. He is on the editorial board of the journal, Honors in Practice, has authored several articles and book chapters on honors education and covering topics in political science, and in 2018 was named a Fellow of the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Dr. Francis Desiderio, Associate Dean

Office: 1003 Eidson House, Statesboro and 101 Solms Hall, Armstrong

Email: francisdesiderio@georgiasouthern.edu

Dr. Francis Desiderio has been at Georgia Southern since 2009. He earned his Ph.D. from the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University where his research interests were in American studies and urban studies. He has an M.A. from the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University, and his undergraduate degree is in English from the University of Detroit. He works with every aspect of the College with particular attention to honors curriculum, experiential learning, service-learning, and nationally competitive scholarships.

Erin Martin, Assistant Dean

Office: 1007 Eidson House, Statesboro and 101 Solms Hall, Armstrong

Email: emartin@georgiasouthern.edu

Erin Martin serves as the Assistant Dean and has been with the Honors College since Fall 2012. She earned her M.Ed. in Professional Counseling from The University of Georgia in 2009 and her B.A. in Psychology from The University of Tennessee in 2007. Erin manages and supervises the student support activities of the Honors College to ensure that quality approaches are taken to promote student success, recruitment, and retention.

Sami Strickland, Honors Advisor

Office: 101 Solms Hall, Armstrong, and 1009 Eidson House, Statesboro

Email: sstrickland@georgiasouthern.edu

Sami Strickland joined the Honors College in 2021 to serve as the Honors Advisor for students on both the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses. Sami earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Georgia Southern University in the Spring of 2021. In 2018, she completed her B.A. in English from Georgia College & State University and graduated from the Honors Program. As a supplemental advisor, Sami assists students in completing the requirements to graduate from the Honors College and advises the Honors College Student Organizations on the Statesboro and Armstrong Campuses.

Sue Guadagno, Executive Assistant

Office: 1020 Eidson House, Statesboro

Email: sueguadagno@georgiasouthern.edu

Sue Guadagno joined the Honors College as the Senior Administrative Assistant in January 2016. She has been with Georgia Southern since December of 2006, starting as an accounting assistant in the Bursar’s Office where she worked for six years before joining the Department of Foreign Language as the administrative secretary for three years. She is a big sports fan and enjoys watching football, basketball, and softball games.