FORT VALLEY, Ga. — After almost 60 years at Fort Valley State University, Isaac J. Crumbly is a legend on campus and now he even has an auditorium named after him.
The Interim Vice President of Advancement, Karen Wright, said people on campus gave him a fun nickname because of his decades of impact on the wildcat community.
"Lovingly they refer to Dr. Crumbly as the goat. The greatest of all time," Wright said.
Crumbly's name is now the name on the auditorium in the computer technology and mathematics building.
"The fact that my name is over that you know over the entrance, I feel good about that," Crumbly said.
Crumbly saw a need when he came to Fort Valley State University nearly 60 years ago. He started a dual degree program decades ago. Now, the school decided to honor Crumbly and his contributions.
"He has made such an impact at the university whether it is through his giving, through his dedication to the students, to his dedication to the CDEP program," Wright said.
Crumbly started the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program better known as CDEP.
It’s a dual degree stem program that allows students to get an undergraduate degree at FVSU and then continue their education at the graduate level at one of their partnering schools.
Crumbly said his program offers students more options.
"My main goal was to increase opportunities for students outside the regular classroom," Crumbly said.
Crumbly said the CDEP program has produced over 460 hundred graduates. He also said working with other universities has been a win-win situation.
"They hadn’t even ever graduated an African American in geology or geophysics, so this partnership is beneficial to them because it also adds to the diversity," Crumbly said.
Crumbly said he’s grateful for the recognition, but he’s nowhere near being done with his work.
"Today, I walked in and I saw my name and I guess you can say a little smile came across my face, but you know back to work. Today is no different than any other day," Crumbly said.
Wright said Crumbly is so dedicated to his work because he knows it matters.
"He knows what’s he’s doing is making a difference not just at Fort Valley. Making a difference in the community, making a difference in the workforce and making a difference ultimately in the world," Wright said.
Graduates from Crumbly's CDEP program have gone on to work at Georgia Power, Shell, Exxon and many other companies.