Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GC) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
liberal arts university
A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...
in
Milledgeville, Georgia. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gene ...
and the
Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) is a consortium of 30 public colleges and universities in 27 states and one Canadian province. Established in 1987, COPLAC advances the aims of its member institutions and drives awareness of the ...
. Georgia College was designated Georgia's "Public Liberal Arts University" in 1996 by the
Georgia Board of Regents The Georgia Board of Regents oversees the University System of Georgia as part of the state government of Georgia in the United States. The University System of Georgia is composed of all state public institutions of higher education in the state. ...
.
Students pursue majors and graduate degree programs throughout the university's four colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology, John H. Lounsbury College of Education, and College of Health Sciences.
Georgia College Athletics' 11 teams compete in the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
Peach Belt Conference
The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The 11 member institutions are located in the South Atlantic states of South Carolina ...
.
History
Georgia College was chartered in 1889 as Georgia Normal and Industrial College. Its emphasis at the time was largely vocational, and its major task was to prepare young women for teaching or industrial careers. In 1917, in keeping with economic and cultural changes in the state, Georgia Normal and Industrial College was authorized to grant 4-year degrees, the first of which was awarded in 1921. In 1922, the institution's name was changed to Georgia State College for Women. The university has been a unit of the
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gene ...
since the system's founding in 1932.
Mary "Flannery" O'Connor entered as a freshman in 1942. Active in student publications, she graduated three years later and became one of the South's most noted writers. Also during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Georgia State College for Women served as one of four colleges that trained
WAVES
Waves most often refers to:
*Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass.
*Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water.
Waves may also refer to:
Music
*Waves (band) ...
for the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
. After the war, enrollment declined as women preferred co-educational colleges. The name was changed to Woman's College of Georgia in 1961, and, when the institution became coeducational in 1967, it became Georgia College at Milledgeville. The name was shortened to Georgia College in 1971. In August 1996, the
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...
approved a change of name to Georgia College & State University, and a new mission as Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University.
Campus
![Terrell Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Terrell_Hall.jpg)
The central campus comprises about in the center of Milledgeville, near the grounds of the former state capitol. The campus contains buildings of red brick and white Corinthian columns, representative of those constructed during the pre-Civil War
Antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum ...
period, when Milledgeville was the capital of Georgia. Bell Hall and Russell Auditorium are credited to architect
J. Reginald MacEachron. Atkinson Hall (1896) is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Other historic buildings on the campus include Sanford Hall (1938), Russell Auditorium (1926), Ina Dillard Russell Art Museum (the original section of the library) (1932), Chappell Hall (1963) (on the site of an earlier Chappell Hall built in 1907), Parks Hall (1911), Terrell Hall (1908), Maxwell Student Union (1972), Beeson Hall (1937), Porter Hall (1939), Lanier Hall (1926), Ennis Hall (1920), and Herty Hall (1954 and expanded in 1972).
Most of the university's residence halls are located a block from central campus along with the sports complex, called the Centennial Center. The Old Governor's Mansion is also within walking distance of the residence halls and front campus. West Campus, a extension from the central campus, contains The Village student apartments and athletic fields. In addition, GC operates a large recreational area on Lake Laurel (approximately 5 minutes from the central campus) which is used by students in the university's Environmental Science and Outdoor Education programs.
The university library houses the manuscript collection of author
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries.
She was a Southern literature, Southe ...
, an alumna of the university, and of U.S. Senator
Paul Coverdell
Paul Douglas Coverdell (January 20, 1939 – July 18, 2000) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia, elected for the first time in 1992 and re-elected in 1998, and director of the Peace Corps from 1989 until ...
, whose career included serving as director of the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
when the
Berlin Wall fell.
Athletics
Known as the Georgia College Bobcats, the college is currently a member of NCAA Division II and the
Peach Belt Conference
The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The 11 member institutions are located in the South Atlantic states of South Carolina ...
. Georgia College sponsors varsity teams in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cheerleading, men's and women's cross country, golf, dance team, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, men's and women's esports and collegiate bass fishing.
Student life
Student housing
Georgia College provides housing on campus for students. Students have the option to reside either in a suite-style residence hall on Central Campus or in an apartment at The Village on West Campus.
Greek life
Georgia College has a Greek system with over 21 sororities and fraternities under various councils.
College Panhellenic Council
*
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women.
Alpha Delta Pi is a memb ...
(ΑΔΠ)
*
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Gamma Delta (), also known as Alpha Gam, is an international women's fraternity and social organization. It was founded on May 30, 1904, by eleven female students at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, making it the youngest member ...
(ΑΓΔ)
*
Alpha Omicron Pi (ΑΟΠ)
*
Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a women's fraternity in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members. It has 150 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's executive office is in Columbus ...
(ΔΓ)
*
Delta Zeta
Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...
(ΔΖ)
*
Kappa Delta
Kappa Delta (, also known as KD or Kaydee) was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia.
Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university, whic ...
(ΚΔ)
*
Phi Mu
Phi Mu () is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States.
The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society on , and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same y ...
(ΦΜ)
*
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha (known as or Zeta) is an international women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its International Office is located in Carmel, Indiana. It ...
(ΖΤΑ)
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent ...
*
Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ)
*
Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ)
*
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...
(ΔΣΘ)
*
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
(ΚΑΨ)
*
Omega Psi Phi (ΩΨΦ)
*
Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ)
*
Sigma Gamma Rho (ΣΓΡ)
*
Zeta Phi Beta
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic ach ...
(ΖΦΒ)
Interfraternity Council
*
Alpha Tau Omega (ΑΤΩ)
*
Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Delta Sig or D Sig, is a fraternity established in 1899 at The City College of New York (CCNY). It was the first fraternity to be founded on the basis of religious and ethnic acceptance. It is also one of th ...
(ΔΣΦ)
*
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. As of December 2015, the Kappa Alph ...
(ΚΑ)
*
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and col ...
(ΚΣ)
*
Pi Kappa Phi
Pi Kappa Phi (), commonly known as Pi Kapp(s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston i ...
(ΠΚΦ)
*
Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ)
*
Theta Chi
Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...
(ΘΧ)
United Greek Council
*
Gamma Sigma Sigma
Gamma Sigma Sigma () is a national service sorority founded on October 12, 1952, at Beekman Tower in New York City. It partners with other organizations such as March of Dimes, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, American Cancer Society, an ...
(ΓΣΣ)
*
Lambda Sigma Upsilon
Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc. () ("L-S-U" or "Upsilons") is an intercollegiate Latino oriented Greek lettered fraternity, founded on April 5, 1979 at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
Lambda Sigma Upsilon has 81 undergraduate ...
(ΛΣΥ)
*
Mu Sigma Upsilon
Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Incorporated () is a multicultural intercollegiate sorority founded on November 21, 1981 at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. It is a non-profit Greek-lettered organization for college-educated women that promotes th ...
(ΜΣΥ)
*
Omega Delta Sigma
Omega Delta Sigma () National Veterans Fraternity, also known as ODS, is a leadership and service based co-ed fraternity.
History
Omega Delta Sigma was founded at the University of Florida in 1999 as a way for veterans to come together, share exp ...
(ΩΔΣ)
*
Sigma Alpha Omega
Sigma Alpha Omega () is an American non-denominational Christian sorority for women, founded at North Carolina State University on January 5, 1998. However, they can trace their roots back to the once co-educational Chi Alpha Omega fraternity fou ...
(ΣΑΩ)
Student Government Association
Georgia College's Student Government Association (SGA) serves the campus community by addressing student concerns, promoting understanding within the college community, and administering all matters which are delegated to the student government by the university president. The responsibility for the governing of the student body is vested in the students themselves. All students are members of the SGA upon their enrollment, and officers and senators are elected on a yearly basis.
Notable alumni
*
Helen Matthews Lewis, sociologist, historian, and activist
*
Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, actress
*
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sherrilyn Woodward (formerly Sherrilyn Kenyon; born December 11, 1965) is a bestselling US writer. Under her former married name, she wrote both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is best known for her Dark Hunter series. Under the pseud ...
, author
*
Susan Dowdell Myrick, journalist, educator, author, and conservationist
*
Tony Nicely, former CEO of
GEICO
*
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries.
She was a Southern literature, Southe ...
, writer and essayist
*
Rachael Kirkconnell
Rachael Kirkconnell (born September 26, 1996) is an American television personality, who is best known as the winner of season 25 of '' The Bachelor''.
Early life and education
Kirkconnell was born and raised in Cumming, Georgia to parents Da ...
, television personality
See also
* ''
Arts & Letters''
The Center for Innovation at Georgia College and State University
References
External links
*
Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia College and State University
1889 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Buildings and structures in Baldwin County, Georgia
Education in Baldwin County, Georgia
Educational institutions established in 1889
Former women's universities and colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)
Public liberal arts colleges in the United States