School Year Launches with New Mascot, New Name, Record Enrollment

Just a year away from its primary campus relocating from East Point in greater Atlanta to a new, larger campus in West Point near the Georgia-Alabama state line, Point University welcomed a record-breaking number of students this fall semester with a long list of significant “firsts.”

New Name
For the first time, some 1,200 students from around the world began the semester under the new name Point University (became official July 1). 

New Satellite Location
A new satellite location for Access, Point University’s accelerated learning program for busy adults seeking a degree, will launch in October in West Point to augment the existing Access programs in Peachtree City and East Point.

New Major
A new major—Middle Grades Education—was added, increasing the total number of degree offerings to 13.

New Sports
Two new sports teams—football and cross country—launched in August, with a third, softball, to kick off in spring 2012. Additional sports are slated to be announced for the 2012-13 school year.

New Mascot
This week, the student body learned of yet another “first” when a new sports mascot was unveiled at its weekly chapel gathering. Several student-athletes debuted the Skyhawk as the new rallying symbol of Point University.  

“In this season of new beginnings for Point University and with the soon-coming transition to a higher level of athletic competition in NAIA, it’s only fitting that the mascot be recreated to reflect the new character of the school,” said Point University President Dean Collins.

Coach Porter said, “the name and visual representation of the Skyhawk is strong, intense, respected and bold—it captures the attitude and significance of sports at Point University where our students seek to be points of influence for Christ on the field, in the classroom, and in the world.” Kevin Porter, a former NFL player for the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, four-year-starting cornerback at Auburn, and two-time all-SEC player joined Point University as its first football coach and new athletic director this spring.

The mascot choice provides a subtle nod to the school's first, unofficial mascot from the late 1940s: Sky Pilots, a slang term/nickname for military chaplains in World War II. Skyhawk is also the name of a type of old fighter jet, which evoked thoughts of fierceness and intensity among the coaches and student-athletes who selected the mascot.

“I, and most other students at Point University, want to be a point of influence for Christ in our world—whether it’s through the way we play sports, do our schoolwork or ultimately function in our careers,” said senior basketball player Tory Wooley, who helped select the new mascot. “I’m excited about the Skyhawk and the heightened level of competition and excellence at Point. I hope our football team can develop into the national champs our baseball team was in 2010.” Point University’s baseball team celebrated an NCCAA Division II national championship in 2010.

New Direction, Record Enrollment
Point University credits its record fall enrollment to the announcement of its larger main campus in West Point (opening in Fall 2012), the expansion of its athletic programs, a new adult learning satellite location, an increased number of degreed majors, and its effectiveness in equipping students to be points of influence in their chosen career.

“This new growth and direction for Point University reflects our ongoing mission to equip students who are passionate about being points of influence in business, the arts, education, science, athletics and the non-profit world,” said President Dean Collins '79.