[2] VSU also offers classes at Moody Air Force Base north of Valdosta in Lowndes County.

The city of Valdosta raised $50,000, and Col. West gave the property that is now the main part of campus to the state for use by the new institution.

His travels in the American southwest led him to choose the Spanish Mission style of architecture for the institution's buildings.

The early students were required to wear a school uniform and paid $10 per year for tuition and $12 per month for food and board.

Soon after Thaxton began his service, the Board of Regents, acting on the advice of a committee which had examined the whole University System of Georgia, declared that in 1950 GSWC was to become co-educational—Valdosta State College (VSC).

The student body grew, the School of Nursing was established, and many programs expanded, including those in graduate education.

From 1978 to 1993, numerous programs were added and existing courses upgraded, resulting in the early 1980s in an endeavor to make VSC a university.

Throughout the 1980s the college established off-campus sites and course offerings and began receiving state and federal grant funds to develop curriculum and programs.

[3] In January 2002, Ronald M. Zaccari assumed the post and during his time in office VSU updated its infrastructure to accommodate student population growth, including the construction of four new dormitories and two parking decks.

[8] In August 2015, interim president Cecil P. Staton citing a 17% decline in enrollment since its peak in 2011, announced that over thirty faculty and staff members would not have their contracts renewed at the end of the year.

[10] The city of Valdosta is located in South Georgia, just off of Interstate 75, approximately 20 miles (32 km) from the Florida state line.

Valdosta is about a two-hour or less drive from Tallahassee, Macon, and Jacksonville, three hours from Orlando, Tampa, and Atlanta.

[12][13] A study by Valdosta State University's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) shows that in the 2010–2011 school year VSU directly and indirectly generated 5,055 jobs and created an annual labor income impact of $208.7 million for the Valdosta Metropolitan Area.

The main campus houses much of the academic and administrative departments and is recognized for its Spanish Mission architecture theme of every building.

In total, 85 buildings located across 168 acres (68 ha) make up the Valdosta State University campus.

The campuses and principal satellite buildings are connected by the university bus service, operating regularly throughout each class day.

The nearly 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) library houses approximately 453,757 bound volumes, and nearly 3,000 current periodicals and newspapers and a microform collection of over a million units.

Located in the northwest area of the Main Campus, more than 1,100 camellias of many varieties form a winding 3,000-foot-long (910 m) trail through the towering pines.

[26] The Valdosta State campus features six metal sculptures as part of an expanding outdoor art collection.

"Cormorant" by Harry McDaniel of North Carolina was the first sculpture installed during the summer of 2011 outside of the Fine Arts Building on the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street.

"Black Bird," located between Odum Library and the Student Union, was created and donated by the university's seventh president, Ronald M. Zaccari.

[27] Most recently "Guardian" by Tallahassee artist Mark Dickson was installed in July 2012 between Odum Library and the Fine Arts Building.

The Student Recreation Center provides students with facilities such as an indoor pool, track, racquetball, volleyball and basketball courts, weight rooms, a cardio area, rock climbing wall, and more.Valdosta State University offers seven traditional residence halls and two apartment-style buildings located throughout the campus.

[39] The Spectator is the independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University, published every Thursday morning during each Fall and Spring Semester.

The Valdosta State Blazers compete in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf and cross-country.

[40] Valdosta State University football teams won the Division II National Championship four times (2004, 2007, 2012, 2018) and also played in the title game in 2002.

[42] The Lady Blazers softball team won its first national championship in 2012 after falling in their first title match appearance in 2010.

[43] In May 2007, T. Hayden Barnes, a student at Valdosta State University, was "administratively withdrawn" for criticizing the construction of two new parking garages on campus in a manner that University President Ronald Zaccari, over the objection of other administrators, deemed to be indicative of Barnes posing a clear and present danger to the VSU campus.

In June 2014, George had sent a similar open letter to Governor Nathan Deal and all of the state legislatures through his university email account.

[50] Hall's initial letter to McKinney complained that George was trying "to use racial politics to affect the upcoming election" with his campaign against Georgia's funding Confederate related matters, and makes no mention of personal attacks.