Augusta State University

Augusta State University
Established	January 27, 1785 (1785-01-27)
Type	Public
Endowment	US$45,478,931
President	William A. Bloodworth
Academic staff	200
Admin. staff	300
Students	6,919
Undergraduates	5,628
Postgraduates	960
Location	Augusta, Georgia, United States 33.476843°N 82.023025°W / 33.476843; -82.023025
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and White
Athletics	NCAA Division II
Mascot	Jaguars
Affiliations	Peach Belt Conference
Website	www.aug.edu

Allgood Hall

Augusta State University is a public university located in Augusta, Georgia, United States and is the oldest such institution in the state of Georgia (while the University of Georgia is the oldest state chartered university in Georgia and the United States). On January 10, 2012, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the merger of the school by Fall, 2013, with Georgia Health Sciences University. Details have not yet been fully announced, but it is not anticipated that the school's current campus will close.

History

Augusta State University was founded as the Academy of Richmond County in 1783. It opened in 1785 and offered collegiate-level classes from its earliest days, and its classes were overseen by the state legislature. Graduates were accepted into colleges as sophomores or juniors. Operation of the academy was overseen by a board of trustees until 1909, when control was passed to the Augusta Board of Education. The college-level classes continued to be overseen by a committee of the state legislature. As enrollment increased, land for a new building was purchased. In 1925, prior to completion of the new building, the Junior College of Augusta was established. In 1957, the junior college separated from the academy and moved to its present location on Walton Way.

In 1958, the college became a part of the University System of Georgia and its name was formally changed to Augusta College. Augusta College remained a two-year college until 1963, when it attained four-year status. A second campus was added on Wrightsboro Road, which now houses athletics, kinesiology & health science, a golf house, and 18-hole golf course.

In 1996, Augusta College was renamed Augusta State University. The current president of the university is William A. Bloodworth, Jr. since 1993.

Academics

ASU is organized into three colleges: Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts and Sciences, James M. Hull College of Business, and College of Education. Students can earn associate, bachelor, master, and specialist degrees in over 50 programs of study as well as a paralegal certificate and a cooperative doctorate. There is an Honors Program as well as a Cooperative Education program in which students alternate between classroom enrollment and real-life work experience in their field of study. Students also have opportunities for internships and study abroad programs.

Students from Edgefield and Aiken counties in South Carolina pay the Georgia in-state tuition rate.

The James M. Hull College of Business was featured by The Princeton Review in the 2008 edition of, "Best 290 Business Schools."

In May 2009 the university hosted the 25th annual National Science Olympiad tournament.

Athletics

Augusta State's athletic programs compete at the Division II level in the Peach Belt Conference of the NCAA, except for the men's and women's golf programs, both of which are Division I Independents. The Jaguars' men's golf team won their first national title in 2010, knocking off perennial power Oklahoma State in the championship match at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN. Augusta State defended their title in 2011 at Oklahoma State's home course, Karsten Creek, defeating the top-ranked Cowboys in the national semifinals and then Georgia in the final round of match play to reclaim the championship. The Jaguars became the first men's golf team to win consecutive national titles since Houston in 1984-85.

Augusta State's men's basketball program reached the Division II Elite Eight in Springfield, MA three consecutive years from 2008-2010, advancing as far as the national title game in '08. Through the end of the 2010-11 season, Augusta State had been nationally-ranked for 65 consecutive weeks, the fifth-longest streak in the history of Division II basketball.

Other athletic programs at Augusta State include women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis and volleyball.

Campus

Benet House

Payne Hall (former Augusta Arsenal building)

Library

Reese Library, the information center of Augusta State University, provides a wide variety of services for students. Thousands of journals, newspaper articles and books are available in electronic full-text through GALILEO, an initiative of the University System of Georgia. In support of student learning and research there is a collection of more than 503,000 print and online books, plus an extensive collection of government publications, special collections and archives of materials relating to Augusta State and the greater Augusta area, over 500 print periodicals and more than 30,000 online journal titles.

There are quiet study areas for individuals and groups, casual seating areas and study rooms, a family room for students with children, wireless connectivity to the Internet, photocopiers, microfilm copiers, laptops available to borrow, and more than 50 public computers providing access to online databases and full-text information.

GIL, the library’s computerized catalog, gives access to information about library materials and other university system libraries. GALILEO, a statewide computer system, provides a wealth of additional information resources including more than 200 journal and newspaper databases, some with full text. These and other electronic information resources are available in the library, on the campus computer network, and, in most cases from off-campus computers with a password. Contact the Reese Library Reference department (706-737-1748) for current availability and access information.

Materials from other libraries may be obtained through inter library loan via the University System of Georgia Universal Catalog’s GIL Express for books and via ILLIAD for books and journal articles, with the option of having journal articles delivered directly to campus email accounts.

Instructional sessions for classes and individuals are scheduled each semester (706-737-1748).

The building is named for Dr. and Mrs. John T. Reese, parents of alumna Katherine Reese Pamplin. The three-story 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m²) library has a seating capacity of just over 500. The library is open 85.5 hours a week when classes are in session. Hours are abbreviated during breaks in the academic schedule. For assistance, professional librarians are available in the library whenever the library is open, or call 706-737-1748.

Other buildings

The early 21st century has seen substantial development of the campus, with about $100 million dollars worth of new construction. Some of the new buildings include the Science Building (completed in 1997), Allgood Hall (2002), University Hall (2004), the Jaguar Student Activities Center (commonly known as "The JSAC"; 2006), and the D. Douglas Bernard, Jr. Amphitheatre (2008). Other existing structures on campus are Washington Hall, which houses the art department and gallery as well as bookstore and some business offices, the fine arts building, the Maxwell Theatre, and Galloway Hall, which houses Military Science and Continuing Education. Historic Arsenal Buildings (Rains, Benet, Payne, and Fanning) house administrative offices. Bellevue Hall houses the Dean of Students and academic affair. Boykin Wright Hall houses Counseling and the Career Center. ASU also has the Maxwell Alumni Houses, and a Guardhouse History Museum. The Christenberry Fieldhouse houses athletics and Kinesiology and Health Science.

Arsenal Oak

The Arsenal Oak in 2004

'The Arsenal Oak was a White oak tree located at the center of the campus. The oak tree, which was estimated to be over 250 years old, formed the basis of the university's logo. It bore the name, Arsenal Oak, because the university's campus was once the Augusta Arsenal. It is said that the poet Stephen Vincent Benét (the author of "John Brown's Body" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" sat beneath the branches of the Arsenal Oak as a boy as he wrote his poetry. His father Colonel J. Walker Benét was stationed at the arsenal. Despite a decade long effort to save the Arsenal Oak from wood borers and hypoxylon canker, the diseased tree was removed in July 2004.

Notable alumni

Name	Class year	Notability	References
Doug Barnard, Jr.		American Democratic politician
Oliver Wilson		Professional Golfer
Garret Siler	2009	Professional basketball player
Joelle Carter		Actress
Vaughn Taylor		Professional Golfer

See also

• Stephen Vincent Benet House
• Summerville (Augusta, Georgia)

External links

• Augusta State University — official website
• Augusta State University at universities.com
• ASU athletics
• ASU Reese Library