Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

in Americus, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers bachelor's degree programs along with selected master's and specialist degree programs.

History

Georgia Southwestern State University, originally the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School, was founded in 1906. In 1926, the Georgia General Assembly granted the school a charter that authorized it to become a two-year college and to change its name to the Third District Agricultural and Normal College. The new charter also allowed the school to offer teacher training courses. The State Department of Education granted teacher certification to all students who completed the teacher training program. The college joined the University System of Georgia (USG) in 1932 along with other state-supported institutions of higher learning in Georgia due to a legislative enactment. The newly formed USG was also placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents. Now a member of the USG, the college changed its name to Georgia Southwestern College'' and continued to offer its two-year curriculum. The Board of Regents approved Georgia Southwestern College to transition to a four-year institution in 1964. The first bachelor's degrees were conferred in June 1968. The name of the institution was changed to Georgia Southwestern State University in July 1996. Since becoming a four-year institution, Georgia Southwestern has developed several master's programs over the years. A Master of Education degree was approved by the Board of Regents in 1973 followed by a Specialist in Education in 1982. The Master of Science in Administration was made part of the curriculum in 1983. The Master of Science in Computer Science was added in the Spring of 1986, and the Master of Business Administration was added to the curriculum in 2003. Most recently, the Master of Arts in English was added in the fall of 2011, and the Master Science in Nursing (online) was added in the fall of 2012. A historic portion of the campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as the "Third District A & M School–Georgia Southwestern College Historic District".

Academics

Georgia Southwestern's academic degrees are offered through four colleges, which include the following:

The College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences at GSW offers undergraduate degrees and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

degree. It has the only undergraduate art program in the Georgia State University System with a concentration in glass blowing.

College of Business and Computing

The College of Business and Computing offers the

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanc ...

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degrees, and the

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

. The college is accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, also known as AACSB International, is an American professional organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to ...

College of Education

The College of Education is accredited by the

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 1954 and was recognized as an accreditor by ...

(NCATE). All initial teacher preparation programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). The school offers bachelor's, master's and specialist degrees.

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through three tracks: * Generic * RN to BSN * Accelerated BSN * Master of Science in Nursing - online There is a Georgia Southwestern Association of Nursing Students and a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, Mu Pi.

Dual and cooperative programs

Georgia Southwestern and the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

offer a dual-degree program in engineering leading to a bachelor's degree in science or mathematics from Georgia Southwestern and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech. The university also offers cooperative programs with South Georgia Technical College and several two-year institutions within the university system, culminating in a baccalaureate degree from Georgia Southwestern.

Athletics

The Georgia Southwestern State (GSW) athletic teams are called the Hurricanes. The university is a member of the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) since the 2006–07 academic year. The Hurricanes previously competed in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC; formerly known as Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) until after the 2003–04 school year) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...

(NAIA) from 1999–2000 to 2005–06. GSW competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball and tennis. Club sports include eSports. Football was played at the university between 1983 and 1989. The men's tennis program was discontinued in 2019, while men's cross country was added.

Campus and student life

Housing

GSW has four sets of dorm complexes, most of which bear tree-related monikers. All freshmen are housed in Southwestern Oaks 1 and 2. The Oaks facilities offer both shared and private bedroom suites and semi-private bathrooms. Freshmen are allowed to park cars on campus in the parking lot located next to Oaks 1 and 2. Southwestern Oaks is also home to GSW's First Year Experience Program, which includes programming to assist in the transition from high school to college such as tutoring and opportunities to become involved in campus life. Southwestern Pines offers apartment-style housing for upperclassmen. Southwestern Magnolia offers private bedroom suites for upperclassman students. Previously a women's dormitory, Beth King Duncan Hall now serves as a co-educational, overflow residence hall, named in honor of Beth King Duncan, a former GSW professor of 20 years.

Facilities

Library

Georgia Southwestern is home to the James Earl Carter Library, named in honor of the father of former President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

. In addition to the library's own collection, books and other materials may be borrowed from other University System of Georgia libraries through

interlibrary loan Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...

. The James Earl Carter Library also has a cooperative lending agreement with the local Lake Blackshear Regional Library and the South Georgia Technical College Library. Other services and materials available to students through the library are audio-visual materials, microfiche documents and current newspapers through the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and select government documents. The Library also has computer workstations and a computer lab.

Student Success Center/Storm Dome

The Student Success Center (SSC) houses several recreational facilities for the campus. The GSW Fitness Center is located on the first floor of the Student Success Center. The Fitness Center has a full weight room and various other machines including treadmills and stationary bikes. The center also has several flat-screen televisions to watch while working out. In addition to the fitness center, the SSC is the location of several racquetball courts, the intramural basketball court, a rock-climbing wall, and a Chick-fil-A/Boar's Head restaurant.

Marshall Student Center

The Marshall Student Center is the location of the university cafeteria; Higher Grounds Café, a small coffee shop; Provisions on Demand (P.O.D.), a convenience store; the university bookstore and the campus post office.

Student organizations

GSW has many major-related clubs and organizations including the American Institute of Professional Geologists Student Chapter, the GSW Association of Nursing Students (GSWANS), Chemistry Club, History Club, Geology Club, Psychology/Sociology Club, Exercise Science and Wellness Club, and more. Campus ministries include the Presbyterian Student Center, the Wesley Foundation, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), and the non-denominational Christian Student Center (CSC). Athletic clubs and organizations include the Outdoor Club as well as an active Campus Recreation and Intramural Sports program featuring intramural flag football and basketball. Honor societies include the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for first-year students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher,

Epsilon Delta Lambda Epsilon (, ; uppercase , lowercase or #Glyph variants, lunate ; el, έψιλον) is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a mid front unrounded vowel or . In the system of Greek numerals it also has the value ...

for online students, the National Honor Society for Leadership and Success ( Sigma Alpha Pi) and Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society. GSW has several organizations in media and arts including the Sou’Wester, the student newspaper; Hurricane Watch, GSW's student-produced video organization; and Sirocco, GSW's magazine for the arts. Georgia Southwestern has the following sororities and fraternities: Interfraternity Council * Chi Phi *

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 co ...

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more tha ...

Panhellenic Council * Kappa Delta * Zeta Tau Alpha National Panhellenic Council *

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen st ...

sorority * Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity *

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved in ...

fraternity * Delta Sigma Theta sorority *

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty ad ...

fraternity *

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875– ...

sorority *

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 achi ...

sorority

Centers and institutes

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is the Board Chair of the Rosalynn Carter Institute (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University. The RCI was established in 1987 and works to address issues related to caregiving in America. The Institute focuses its work on both family and professional caregivers for individuals living with chronic illness and disabilities, limitations related to aging, and other health concerns. The work of the institute is extensive both locally (in Americus), throughout Georgia, and the United States. For example, the Institute provides scholarships and fellowships to students throughout Georgia, offers a certificate program in caregiving at the university, conducts needs assessments and research on caregivers, provides training and education for caregivers through its own curriculum, operates a Caregiver Resource Center for residents of southwest Georgia, offers a number of national caregiver awards including the Rosalynn Carter Caregiver Award, and partners with Johnson & Johnson to support innovative community caregiving programs throughout the United States. Operation Family Caregiver (OFC) - an RCI program launched in 2012 - is an evidence-based one-on-one support program that builds strong military families and teaches problem-solving to families living with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and/or a physical disability. OFC will pilot a new volunteer program in December 2015 thanks to funding from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and a new partnership with Blue Star Families, the largest chapter-based, volunteer, military family engagement organization in the nation.

Accreditation

Georgia Southwestern State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and specialist degrees.

Notable alumni

Jaha Dukureh Jaha Dukureh (born 1989 or 1990) is a Gambian women's right activist and anti-female genital mutilation campaigner. Dukureh was subjected to female genital mutilation in The Gambia when she was a little more than a week old. She is the founder an ...

(2013), women's rights activist * Major General Thomas M. Carden, Jr, The Adjutant General of Georgia *

, former

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Rosalynn Smith Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...

(1946), wife of Jimmy Carter and former

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

* Griffin B. Bell (1936), former U.S. Attorney General under President Jimmy Carter * The Honorable

Robert H. Jordan Robert Henry Jordan (February 6, 1916 – October 23, 1992) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state), Supreme Court of Georgia from 1972 to 1980, and chief justice from 1980 to 1982. Early life, education, and career Born in Talb ...

(1936), former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court *

Lucas Knecht Lucas Paul Knecht (born 30 March 1993) is a football player who holds the record as the youngest ever player in a men's international match. He made his debut for the Northern Mariana Islands national team aged 14 years and 2 days. Early life Kn ...

, youngest ever international soccer player for the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...

Mary Elizabeth Lado Mary Elizabeth Lado (born September 16, 1978) is a figure competitor from the United States. Mary quickly moved up the amateur ranks in 2003 and soon became a professional figure competitor in 2004 by winning NPC National Figure Championships. T ...

, professional figure competitor * Vincent Norrman, Swedish professional golfer * Gloria Carter Spann, sister of former United States President Jimmy Carter *

Etchu Tabe Etchu Tabe (born July 12, 1986) is a Cameroonian-born American soccer player who plays as a defender or striker for Ekenäs IF. At 14, Tabe attended Baldwin High School after moving to Georgia, U.S., from Buea, Cameroon, where his father wa ...

, American soccer player

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1906 Public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Sumter County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Sumter County, Georgia 1906 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)