Georgia College & State University
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File:GC and SU seal.png | |
Motto | Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University |
---|---|
Type | Public |
Established | 1889 |
Endowment | $33,8 million (End of FY 2014)[1] |
President | Steve Dorman |
Students | 6,889[2] |
Undergraduates | 6,036[2] |
Postgraduates | 853[2] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Milledgeville |
Colors | Blue & Green |
Affiliations | University System of Georgia |
Mascot | Bobcat[3] |
Website | www |
File:Georgia College & State University logo.svg |
Georgia College (Georgia College & State University or GCSU) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia, United States, with approximately 7,000 students. A member of the University System of Georgia, Georgia College was designated Georgia's "Public Liberal Arts University" in 1996 by the Georgia Board of Regents.
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 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 since it was formed in 1932. The name was changed to Women'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.[4] In August 1996, the Board of Regents approved a change of name to Georgia College & State University, and a new mission as Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University. [5]
Campus
The central campus comprises about 43.2 acres (174,000 m²) 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 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. 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).[6]
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 500 acre (2 km²) extension two miles (3 km) from the central campus, contains The Village student apartments and athletic fields. In addition, GC operates a large recreational area on Lake Laurel (approximately 15 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, an alumna of the university, and of U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell, whose career included serving as director of the Peace Corps when the Berlin Wall fell.
Center for Graduate and Professional Learning
GCSU offers advanced degree programs at its Center for Graduate and Professional Learning in the Thomas Jefferson Building in downtown Macon. The MBA, MPA, and MSA in logistics are offered in Warner Robins ('Robins Center'), on the Air Force base located there.
Athletics
Known as the Georgia College Bobcats, the college is currently a member of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. Georgia College currently sponsors varsity teams in baseball, men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, men's and women's cross country, golf, dance team, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and volleyball.
Student life
Student housing
Georgia College provides housing for its 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. The residential halls on Central Campus are Bell, Sanford, Parkhurst, Wells, Napier, Foundation and Adams. Students have the option of dining at The Max (main dining hall) as well as Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Subway, Books & Brew Starbucks Café, The Village Market, The Lunch Box, and the GC Food Cart.
Greek life
Georgia College has a very active Greek system with over 21 sororities and fraternities under various councils.
College Panhellenic Council
- Alpha Delta Pi (ΑΔΠ)
- Alpha Omicron Pi (AOΠ)
- Delta Zeta (ΔΖ)
- Kappa Delta (ΚΔ)
- Phi Mu (ΦΜ)
- Zeta Tau Alpha (ΖΤΑ)
- Delta Gamma (ΔΓ)
- Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ)
- Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ)
- Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ)
- Kappa Alpha Psi (ΚΑΨ)
- Omega Psi Phi (ΩΨΦ)
- Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ)
- Sigma Gamma Rho (ΣΓΡ)
- Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ)
Interfraternity Council
- Alpha Tau Omega (ΑΤΩ)
- Delta Sigma Phi (ΔΣΦ)
- Kappa Alpha Order (ΚΑ)
- Theta Chi (ΘΧ)
- Pi Kappa Phi (ΠΚΦ)
- Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ)
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ)
United Greek Council
- Gamma Sigma Sigma (ΓΣΣ)
- Lambda Sigma Upsilon (ΛΣΥ)
- Mu Sigma Upsilon (ΜΣΥ)
- Omega Delta Sigma (ΩΔΣ)
- Sigma Alpha Omega (ΣΑΩ)
The 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.
Students and rankings
According to SAT results listed on CollegeBoard.com, GC students have the third highest average of all public schools in Georgia. As of 2009, GC has been Georgia's top-ranked public Master's University in U.S. News and World Report for the past four years. Kiplinger.com ranks Georgia College in the top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges. The university boasts a student retention rate of 84%, making it a leader in that category. In 2007, 18 states and 43 nations were represented by its student body. In 2013, U.S. News & World Report ranked GCSU as 30th among regional colleges in the South. The publication also named GCSU as 10th best public school among regional universities. In 2016, Bestcolleges.com ranked GCSU as the 4th in the state of Georgia.[7]
Notable alumni
- Sherrilyn Kenyon – bestselling US writer.
- Flannery O'Connor – American writer and essayist.
- Tony Nicely – CEO of GEICO
See also
References
- ^ a b "IPEDS Data Center". Retrieved 2016-01-20.
- ^ a b c "Semester Enrollment Report" (PDF). Office of Research and Policy Analysis. University System of Georgia. 2015-10-30. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
- ^ http://www.gcsu.edu/athletics/default.html Archived January 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Our heritage and history". 24 August 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "About Georgia College". 15 July 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ Name origins and brief histories of Georgia College buildings Georgia College Buildings
- ^ "The Best Colleges in Georgia for 2016". 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
External links
- Former women's universities and colleges in the United States
- Universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Educational institutions established in 1889
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Georgia College & State University
- Education in Baldwin County, Georgia
- Buildings and structures in Baldwin County, Georgia
- Liberal arts colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 1889 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)