VSU Chemistry program earns high honor

Valdosta State University's Chemistry program was recently approved by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the largest scientific society in the world.

VSU chemistry students who have fulfilled the Society's minimum requirements are eligible for ACS membership after graduation, and may now receive an ACS certified degree when they graduate-a distinction some employers require.

Approval follows a thorough investigation of the undergraduate curriculum content, the faculty and the facilities in the Chemistry Department, according to Dr. Jesse Spencer, Chemistry Department head. It included an on-site investigation by a visiting associate of the Committee on Professional Training as a follow-up to a self-study conducted by the department over a two-year period. The committee required the department to operate under the standards for a year before the visiting associate's arrival, Spencer said.

"By approving our program, professional chemists are recognizing VSU's quality curriculum and faculty," Spencer said. "The facilities under construction also played an important role in the approval."

VSU is currently constructing a 135,000 square-foot Biology/Chemistry Building on main campus.