in the state of Georgia through the university's Parker College of Business. Classes began in the fall of 2010. Enrollment statistics In the fall of 2014 the university enrolled 18,004 students in undergraduate programs and 2,513 students in graduate programs. The student population was 52% female and 48% male. With the consolidation with Armstrong State University, the university's overall student population was 27,459 for the 2017–2018 school year. For incoming freshmen in fall 2018 the average SAT score was 1139, average ACT score was 23, and the average high school GPA was 3.36. Research Facilities and Classification Georgia Southern is involved in energy-related issues in a move toward energy independence and self-sufficiency, with a focus on renewable energy and environmental science research. The State of Georgia established and funded an Endowed Chair of Renewable Energy at Georgia Southern, and biofuel facilities in the state are converting Georgia-grown agricultural products into marketable fuel. The research team is identifying renewable sources of energy in south Georgia and design and evaluate products to capture the energy in a usable form for commercial or residential use in the region. The research team is also assisting regional industries in energy consumption analysis, appropriate strategies for conservation of energy, and preservation of our environments. In addition to creating a regional repository of technology that showcases renewable energy application, these activities will help advance the State of Georgia and the region through the benefits of higher education. Georgia Southern is home to the Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology. In honor of the founder of the institute, the name was changed in 2013 to the James H. Oliver Jr., Institute for Coastal Plain Science. An integral part of this program is the U.S. National Tick Collection, the largest collection of ticks in the world, with more than one million specimens representing most of the world's 850 species. Georgia Southern is classified as a "R2" research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Herty Advanced Material Development Center Georgia Southern University welcomed Georgia Governor Nathan Deal to campus in April 2012 to sign Georgia Senate Bill 396 into law transferring management of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center to the university. The new legislation, which aligned the university and Herty to create the Georgia Southern University Herty Advanced Materials Development Center, is designed to enhance economic and business development in the state of Georgia. The alignment