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East Georgia State College

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East Georgia State College
Former names
Emanuel County Junior College (1973-1988)
East Georgia College (1988-2012)
TypePublic
Established1973
PresidentRobert G. Boehmer
Students3,435 (Fall 2011) [1]
Location
Swainsboro
,
Georgia
,
United States
CampusRural, 249.62 acres (1.01 km2)
ColorsGreen and Gold   
NicknameBobcats
AffiliationsUniversity System of Georgia
Websitewww.ega.edu

East Georgia State College is a four-year state college of the University System of Georgia. Located in the rural city of Swainsboro, the college serves Emanuel, Bulloch, Richmond and surrounding counties throughout east-central and southeast Georgia.

History

In the 1960s, community leaders in Swainsboro and Emanuel County urged the state legislature to establish a community college in the area. In 1969, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia underwent a study to determine the need for additional community colleges in the state. A year later, the Swainsboro-Emanuel County area was approved as a prospective site with the stipulation that the county provide land and funding to build the initial physical plant.

In September 1971, citizens of Emanuel County approved a $2.1 million bond issue and provided 207 acres (0.84 km2) of land within the city limits of Swainsboro for a new college. 190 acres (0.77 km2) of the site was donated by the wife of then-U.S. Senator David Gambrell, Mrs. Luck Flanders Gambrell. In December of the same year, the Board of Regents granted final approval for Emanuel County Junior College. Then-Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives and Emanuel County native George L. Smith II was instrumental in the college's establishment. In June 1972, temporary offices were set up in downtown Swainsboro and the college's faculty was hired while construction of the college campus began in December of the same year.

The college hosted its charter class of 167 students in the fall quarter of 1973 at a temporary site, as the campus would not be ready for another year. The college changed its name to East Georgia College in 1988 when the University System mandated that the term "Junior" be removed from the names of its two-year institutions[2] and to give the college its regional identity. In the Board of Regents' June 2011 meeting, East Georgia College was granted approval to move to four-year status, allowing the college to offer limited bachelor's degree programs. With the change in its mission, the college was officially renamed East Georgia State College.[3][4] The college admitted its first students into the Bachelor's program in Biology in fall 2012.[5]

Campus

The Luck Flanders Gambrell Center.
Physical Education Center.

The college campus opened in 1974 with six buildings and has been expanded significantly since the turn of the 21st century. Opened in 2001, the Luck Flanders Gambrell Center houses the college library, main auditorium, classrooms, and executive offices. In 2012, the college library was substantially renovated to accommodate the college's transition from two-year status to four-year status. In 2003, the Physical Education building was augmented with a new indoor gymnasium, fitness center, an art studio, and additional classrooms. The Jean A. Morgan Student Activities Center was expanded and renovated in 2007, adding student meeting space and larger administrative offices. The campus also has newly acquired 10 acres for future development, built an Academic Center for Excellence, and provided a disc golf course, 10k cross country course, Ezra Pond and Pa's Pond.

The college opened a new southern entrance road, Madison Dixon Drive, named for one of the community leaders who pushed for the college's creation,[6] at the intersection of Lambs Bridge Road and Meadowlake Parkway in early 2008, and the Sudie A. Fulford Community Learning Center was built near the new entrance in spring 2010. Named for a well known grade school teacher in the Swainsboro community, the center features an educational resource center for area K-12 students and teachers, meeting space for small conferences and the college's continuing education programs, and a great room with a domed ceiling which can be used as a planetarium.[7]

In November 2009, the EGSC Foundation voted unanimously to appropriate 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land near the northern part of campus to construct the college's first on-campus residence hall.[8] Bobcat Villas opened at the start of the 2011 fall semester[9] and was expanded in the fall of 2016. The college's on-campus housing capacity is 412 students.[10]

Athletics

In fall 2005, the student body selected a mascot, the bobcat, to represent the college in club sports and non-athletic functions. In fall 2008, students in a college-wide referendum approved a $75 increase in student fees to support a formal intercollegiate athletics program, with the Board of Regents approving the athletics fee in their April 2009 meeting.

The college is a member of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (Region XVII of the National Junior College Athletic Association) and played an abbreviated schedule in all sports in the 2009-10 academic year with full varsity-level play starting the following year.[11] The college's current sport offerings include men’s and women’s basketball, women's softball, and men's baseball. In summer 2010, the college constructed an athletics complex behind the gymnasium, adding a baseball field, softball field, new tennis courts, and related support facilities.

In only its fourth season of competition, the men's basketball team clinched the college's first ever GCAA Championship and earned a bid into the 2013 NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.[12]

Vision Series

The EGSC Vision Series is a privately funded initiative which brings programs of cultural and intellectual enrichment to East Georgia State College and the Swainsboro-Emanuel County area. Noteworthy speakers who have visited East Georgia State College include President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, poet Maya Angelou, former Atlanta mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, broadcast journalist Cokie Roberts, author and television commentator Bruce Feiler, and former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court Leah Ward Sears. Vision Series lectures and concerts hosted at the college are free and open to the public.[13]

The Vision Series also sponsors field trips to historical sites and locations of cultural interest, such as the Fox Theatre and the Georgia Aquarium. While students typically receive seating priority, the excursions are open to the public whenever space is available.

External Campuses

East Georgia State College operates two satellite centers in Statesboro and Augusta as collaborations with Georgia Southern University and Augusta University, respectively. The purpose of EGSC Statesboro and EGSC Augusta is to serve students living within the local area as well as those who do not meet the freshmen admission requirements of the hosting universities; those who are not eligible to attend EGSC may be referred to either Ogeechee Technical College or Augusta Technical College when appropriate. Students enlisted at either satellite center pay EGSC's tuition and fees, which include the host institution's student services fees, allowing students to access to most of the auxiliary services provided to Georgia Southern and Augusta University students. After completing a minimum of 30 credit hours of college level coursework as well as attaining a minimum GPA of 2.0, students can choose to transfer to their hosting institution or another university level institution or remain at East Georgia State College to satisfy requirements for the Associate of Arts degree.[14][15]

Statesboro

EGSC Statesboro was established in 1997. From its inception until July 2011, EGSC Statesboro used leased office space to house its administrative functions and Georgia Southern classroom space for academic functions. In March 2010, the college broke ground on a new satellite campus, near the main campus of Ogeechee Technical College.[16] The new academic center opened just before the start of the 2011 fall semester and houses classroom space, a student computer lab, and a commons area in addition to its administrative functions; however, many classes and auxiliary services are still hosted on the Georgia Southern campus. A shuttle service between the satellite campus and Paulson Stadium is provided to allow students to access both campuses.

Augusta

EGSC Augusta was established in 2013. ESGC Augusta is located on Augusta University's Summerville campus, with Payne Hall housing administrative functions while classes are held in Galloway Hall. Students residing in Aiken County and Edgefield County, South Carolina are eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver.[17]

Locations

The main campus is on 249.62 acres (1.0102 km2) of land in the city limits of Swainsboro, with the main entrance at the intersection of Lambs Bridge Road and Meadowlake Parkway, adjacent to the Pathway Technology Industrial Park. East Georgia State College's official street address is listed as 131 College Circle.

The Statesboro campus is located at 10449 U.S. Highway 301 South, outside of the city limits of Statesboro and approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the campus of Georgia Southern University.

Augusta University's Summerville campus is located at 2500 Walton Way in the city limits of Augusta.

The city of Swainsboro is 15 miles (24 km) north of Exit 90 (U.S. Highway 1) on Interstate 16, almost halfway between Macon and Savannah. By automobile, Swainsboro is approximately a 45-minute drive from Statesboro, an hour-and-a-half drive from either Macon, Savannah, or Augusta, and three hours from Atlanta.

Notable alumni

  • Lee Berger, National Geographic Explorer and paleoanthropologist

References

  1. ^ "Semester Enrollment Report" (PDF). Office of Research and Policy Analysis. University System of Georgia. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  2. ^ New Georgia Encyclopedia: East Georgia College
  3. ^ "Regents Approve 'State College' Status for Two More USG Institutions". Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Regents approve 'State College' status for EGC". Forest Blade. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Bachelor of Science in Biology brochure" (PDF). East Georgia State College. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  6. ^ USG Board of Regents Meeting Agenda April 15, 2008--"Naming of Madison Dixon Drive"
  7. ^ Forest Blade: Groundbreaking held at EGC for Community Learning Center
  8. ^ Forest Blade: EGC to get on-campus housing
  9. ^ Forest Blade: Banner day at EGC
  10. ^ "On-Campus Housing - EGSC Student Affairs". Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  11. ^ Forest Blade: Intercollegiate athletics come to EGC
  12. ^ "East Georgia State wins the 2013 GCAA Men's Basketball Championship". Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  13. ^ City of Swainsboro: Arts, Music and Culture
  14. ^ EGSC at Statesboro
  15. ^ "East Georgia State College expands through partnership with GRU". Georgia Regents University. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  16. ^ Forest Blade: EGC breaks ground in Statesboro
  17. ^ "EGSC Augusta". East Georgia State College. Retrieved 3 June 2013.

32°35′43″N 82°18′30″W / 32.59528°N 82.30833°W / 32.59528; -82.30833

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