Whether you are a new employee of Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) or a long time employee, this handbook is meant to bring together, in a brief readable form, the many rules and benefits that pertain to your appointment, conditions of work, advancement and eventual retirement. We hope you will find it useful.
 
Interpretation and enforcement of policies in this handbook shall be made by the Vice President for Business and Finance or the Director of Human Resources of Southern Polytechnic State University. These policies are subject to change from time to time. Every effort will be made to keep employees informed when changes occur.

The Human Resources Office of Southern Polytechnic State University (located in Building V, Norton Residence Hall) is here to serve the best interests of the employees and the institution. The Human Resources Director and staff are responsible for implementing recruitment, position classification, wage and salary administration, orientation and training programs, employee records, group health and life insurance, and other such functions as required to provide Human Resources for the institution.

If you have any other questions regarding the Policies and Procedures in this handbook, please direct them to your supervisor or the Human Resources Director at (678) 915-7331.
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The Technical Institute
     Southern Technical Institute
          Southern College of Technology

• Founded in 1948 as a two-year division of Georgia Institute of Technology, our school was established at the request of Georgia business and industry. It first opened its doors as The Technical Institute in rented military barracks in Chamblee, Ga.
• Our first director, L. V. Johnson, began operations with 116 students, all but 10 of whom were World War II Veterans, and a staff of 12 members.
• In 1949, a name change and a status change became important to the institution and it students. Now called the Southern Technical Institute, the institution was recognized as a college-level school by the U. S. Department of Education.
• Less than a decade later, the growing college moved its present campus to Marietta, GA. In 1961, Hoyt McClure was named acting director and led the move of the college to eight new buildings on 120 acres of land. This was the base of today’s campus of 232 acres and 35 buildings.
• In 1970, we became a four-year college and one of the first colleges in the nation to offer the bachelor of engineering technology degree.
• In 1979, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to make “Southern Tech” an independent senior college in the University System of Georgia, severing organizational ties with its former parent institution, Georgia Tech. In the summer of 1980, we officially became the 14th senior college and the 33rd independent unit of the University System.
• The college’s first president, Dr. Stephen R. Chesier of Purdue University, was named in 1980 and served with distinction until his retirement as president in June 1997. He took the college through the transition of becoming Southern College of Technology in 1987. In the last year of Dr. Chesier’s presidency, “Southern Tech” became a university and underwent another name, becoming Southern Polytechnic State University in the summer of 1996.
• Dr. Daniel S. Papp, of Georgia Institute of Technology, was SPSU’s interim president from July of 1997 through July of 1998.
• In August of 1998, the university welcomed Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher as our second president.

Our mission at Southern Polytechnic State University is to provide the residents of Georgia with university-level education in technology, engineering technology, arts and sciences, architecture, management, and related fields.

We produce academically and technically proficient graduates for the economic development of the state, region, and nation, and we seek international opportunities to participate in the teaching and transfer of technology.

To achieve our mission, we offer a flexible schedule of day and evening classes for programs at the associate, baccalaureate, and master’s levels to the highly motivated students we seek to recruit and retain. We offer both degree and non-degree programs, provide opportunities for cooperative education, and engage in collaborative efforts with other institutions. We enroll a significant number of working professionals as part-time students, as well as a large number of traditional college-age students. We welcome academically prepared transfer students from community/junior colleges, technical institutes, senior colleges and universities who are seeking a high quality technical education.

All of our programs include a strong general education course of study that integrates science, technology, and liberal arts. Our growing graduate programs introduce students to research that is industrially, technically, or applications focused.

The faculty strives for excellence in teaching and service, providing a laboratory-centered and/or professionally oriented education that fosters problem solving, ethical awareness, and a desire for lifelong learning.

At Southern Polytechnic State University, we encourage continual improvement throughout the campus and assume statewide leadership in the study and teaching of the process of continual improvement. We offer opportunities for professional development, and we work to achieve an international outlook.

We serve our community through partnerships with industry, professional organizations, government and schools, and through continuing education and public service programs. We promote activities which increase public awareness of science, technology, and related fields.
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It continues to be the policy of Southern Polytechnic State University to  implement affirmatively equal opportunity to all employees, students, veterans and applicants for employment or admissions without regard to race, creed, color, sex, national origin, age or handicap. Affirmative action shall be taken to ensure fulfillment of this policy including, but not limited to, the following personnel actions:

Recruiting, enrollment and educational practice
Hiring, placement, upgrading, transfer or promotion
Treatment during employment
Recruitment, advertising or solicitation for employment
Rates of pay or other forms of compensation
Selection for training
Layoff or termination
Fringe benefits

In conformance with the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the applicable regulations of Sections 503 and 504 and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Southern Polytechnic State University does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment or against any student or applicant for admission because of a physical or mental handicap in regard to any position for which the employee or student is qualified. For all employees, applicants for employment, and students with physical and mental limitations, Southern Polytechnic State University will provide reasonable accommodation.

Southern Polytechnic State University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. The Affirmative Action Officer is responsible for ensuring the fulfillment of the above policy. The Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Officer is located in Bldg. D, Rm. 165.
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The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. Employees may self-identify any qualified disability as defined under ADA for which assistance is needed in carrying out their assigned duties.

Individuals with disabilities are defined under ADA as persons who either have or are regarded as having a record of a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Southern Polytechnic State University will make every effort possible to accommodate any employee needing assistance within the definitions of the law.
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