South Georgia State College

Last updated

South Georgia State College
Front Gate, South Georgia College.jpg
Type Public college
Established1906 (1906)
Parent institution
University System of Georgia
President Ingrid Thompson-Sellers
Students2,346
Location, ,
United States

31°29′45″N82°51′19″W / 31.49583°N 82.85528°W / 31.49583; -82.85528
CampusSuburban, 190 acres (77 ha)
Colors Navy and gray   
Nickname Hawks
Website www.sgsc.edu
South Georgia State College Logo.png

South Georgia State College is a public college in Douglas and Waycross, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia.

Contents

History

Eleventh District A & M School

On August 18, 1906, [1] the Georgia General Assembly enacted the Perry Act approving the construction of a secondary-level school in each of Georgia's congressional districts. At the time, few rural residents of Georgia received more than an eighth-grade education. [2] [3] The Eleventh District A & M School was one of the eleven (later twelve) educational centers created to cater to the predominantly agricultural-based economy in Georgia. [1]

Douglas, the seat of government for Coffee County, [4] was selected as one of the original eleven towns for the location of an A & M school. Its residents collected $55,000 in cash and 30 acres (12 hectares) of land, then valued at $50 per acre (.4 hectares), to be donated towards the construction of the school. [5] Unlike other towns in the Eleventh District, Douglas added free water and electricity for ten years to its bid as an extra incentive. [6] Douglas was a fast-growing town with a population that grew from only 617 in 1900 to 1,600 people in 1907. [7] Construction started the same year [8] and the agriculture school began offering classes in 1908. [7] Charles Wesley Davis, a Tennessee-native, was hired as the first principal with the mandate to develop a comprehensive high school curriculum beyond vocational studies. [9] [10]

South Georgia College

The school became Georgia's first state-supported two-year college in 1927. In 1932 South Georgia State College emerged as one of the original 26 institutions of the University System of Georgia. Joseph Meriwether Thrash (1885-1947) joined the faculty in 1907, and later served as the fifth principal of the A & M School. He became the college's first president in 1927.

The other original school, Waycross College, was established by the University System of Georgia as a two-year college in the Ware County-Waycross area by the Board of Regents in December 1970. A site for the College was approved by the Board in February 1973 and the name Waycross Junior College was approved by the Board of Regents in January 1975. The institution opened for classes in September 1976. In June 1987, the name was officially changed to Waycross College. Dr. James Dye was its first president, serving in that capacity until 1996.

In January 2012, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the merger of South Georgia College with Waycross College. [11] [12] The new institution was established in January 2013 as South Georgia State College. [13]

Campus

Eleventh District A & M School-South Georgia College Historic District
Peterson Hall, South Georgia College.jpg
Peterson Hall
USA Georgia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location100 West College Park Drive, Douglas, Georgia
Area190 acres (77 ha)
Built1906
ArchitectBleckley, Haralson; Abreu & Robeson
Architectural styleInternational Style, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No. 10000274 [14]
Added to NRHPMay 21, 2010

The Eleventh District A & M School-South Georgia College Historic District was named a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. [14] Some of the contributing buildings and structures are the 1907 semi-circular drive with the surrounding buildings: Peterson Hall, Davis Hall, and Powell Hall that were designed by Haralson Bleckley, the Atlanta architect who also designed Georgia's other A & M Schools. Other buildings include the IT-Nursing Building, Stubbs Hall, Tanner Hall, and Alumni House. [15]

Library

William S. Smith Library William Smith Library, South Georgia State College, Douglas, Georgia.jpg
William S. Smith Library

Holdings in the South Georgia State College William S. Smith Library exceed 100,000 items, including reference books, bound periodicals, government documents, pamphlets, maps and videotapes. The library subscribes to 327 journals and ten newspapers. Back issues are available in a variety of formats: CD-ROM, paper, microfiche and microfilm. GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online, a statewide initiative) links SGSC's library with others in Georgia to offer more than 100 generalized and specialized research databases. The reference area also offers CD-ROM based indexes to general periodicals and newspapers. Computer workstations offer access to the Internet through the campus network. Word-processing software is also available.

Organization and administration

South Georgia State College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and associate degrees.[ citation needed ] South Georgia State College is also certified under the National League for Nursing and the Georgia Board of Nursing.[ citation needed ]

Academic profile

About half of all faculty members have Ph.D. degrees or equivalent.[ citation needed ] There are no graduate assistants teaching classes at South Georgia State College. Students at SGSC go on to four-year institutions as SGSC is a two-year and four-year residential campus.

Student facilities

Wellness Center Complex

SGSC's Wellness Center at night Wellness Center, South Georgia College (night view).jpg
SGSC's Wellness Center at night

The Wellness Center Complex features racquetball courts, a free-weight area, an aquatic center, exercise rooms, aerobics, and a gymnasium containing a basketball/volleyball court. The aquatic center features an indoor swimming pool, locker rooms, outdoor patio, and classroom space.

Housing

Back entrance of Tiger Village I Tiger Village, South Georgia College (rear entrance).jpg
Back entrance of Tiger Village I

Tiger Village I

In 2007, the college completed construction of Tiger Village, a 250-bed residence hall featuring two-room and four-room suites. It is currently unused for housing.

Tiger Village II

In 2010, the co-ed Tiger Village II opened, a 300-bed residence hall that features two-bedroom apartments.

Shannon Hall

One of the two older dorm facilities on campus is used to house overflow from Tiger Village I and II.

Floyd Hall

One of the two older dorm facilities on campus is used to house overflow from Tiger Village I and II. It is currently unoccupied.

Financial Aid

South Georgia State College's Financial Aid Office awards over $3 million in assistance every year. Seven out of 10 SGSC students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans or through the federal work-study program. South Georgia State College offers several dozen merit-based scholarships through the South Georgia College Foundation and the James M. Dye Foundation. Many scholarships are merit-based, but others are granted depending on a student's financial situation.

Athletics

South Georgia State College currently sponsors 9 NJCAA Division I teams: baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's swimming, men's basketball, and women's soccer. South Georgia State College is a member of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Junior College Athletic Association.

SGSC charges a fee to each student that enrolls at the school (called the "Athletic Fee"). The fee is charged every semester along with other academic fees. The athletic fee allows students to use their Student Identification Card for access to all athletic events.

SGSC students may also participate in intramural sports: flag football, basketball, softball, Ultimate Frisbee, and much more. Other activities include tennis, weightlifting, golf, table tennis, billiards, and volleyball.

Main buildings

National Register of Historic Places

These building and some others are listed as contributing buildings to the Eleventh District A & M School-South Georgia College Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other buildings

Waycross campus photos

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waycross, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, USA

Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 13,942 in the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia State University</span> Public university in Atlanta, Georgia, US

Georgia State University is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of higher education by enrollment based in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation with a student enrollment of around 50,000, including approximately 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the main campus downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Memphis</span> Public university in Memphis, Tennessee, US

The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia College & State University</span> Public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S.

Georgia College & State University is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgia and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Georgia College was designated Georgia's "Public Liberal Arts University" in 1996 by the Georgia Board of Regents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusta State University</span> Public university in Augusta, Georgia, US

Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Hays State University</span> Public university in Hays, Kansas, US

Fort Hays State University (FHSU) is a public university in Hays, Kansas. It is the largest university in western Kansas, and the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with a total enrollment of approximately 15,100 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Georgia State College</span>

East Georgia State College (EGSC) is a public college in Swainsboro, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. As an access institution, the college serves a predominantly rural area of 24 counties in Georgia's coastal plain from its three campus locations.

Georgia Southern University–Armstrong Campus, formerly Armstrong State University, is one of three campuses of Georgia Southern University, a public university in the U.S. state of Georgia. Occupying a 268-acre (1.08 km2) area on the residential southside of Savannah, Georgia, the school became one of three campuses of Georgia Southern University in 2018. The university's flagship campus is in Statesboro, 50 miles (80 km) west of Savannah. The Armstrong campus is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) from downtown Savannah and 25 miles (40 km) from Tybee Island. Armstrong offers undergraduate and graduate degrees; it has a total student enrollment of approximately 5,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedict College</span> Historically black, liberal arts college located in Columbia, South Carolina

Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Gwinnett College</span> Public college in Lawrenceville, Georgia, US

Georgia Gwinnett College is a public college in Lawrenceville, Georgia. It is a member of the University System of Georgia. Georgia Gwinnett College opened on August 18, 2006. It has grown from its original 118 students in 2006 to approximately 12,000 students in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Southwestern State University</span> Public university in Americus, Georgia, U.S.

Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is a state public university in Americus, Georgia. Founded as the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1906, the university was established and is administrated by the Georgia Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The historic core of the campus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany State University</span> Public university in Albany, Georgia, U.S.

Albany State University is a public historically black university in Albany, Georgia. In 2017, Darton State College and Albany State University consolidated to become one university under the University System of Georgia (USG). Albany State University has two campuses in Albany and a satellite campus in Cordele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waycross College</span>

Waycross College was a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia. The College's philosophy was to provide opportunities for those who need special preparation for regular college-level courses while giving well-prepared students immediate access to transfer courses that can be applied toward advanced study appropriate to their academic goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of Coastal Georgia</span> Public college in Brunswick, Georgia, US

The College of Coastal Georgia is a public college in Brunswick, Georgia. It was established in 1961 and opened in 1964, making it one of Georgia's newest state colleges. The college transitioned from a community college into a four-year college and conferred its first baccalaureate degrees on May 7, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah State University</span> Historically black university in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah State University is a public historically black university in Savannah, Georgia. It is the oldest historically black public university in the state. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennesaw State University</span> Public university in Cobb County, Georgia

Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined 581 acres (235 ha) of land. The school was founded in 1963 by the Georgia Board of Regents using local bonds and a federal space-grant during a time of major Georgia economic expansion after World War II. KSU also holds classes at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Dalton State College, and in Paulding County (Dallas). The total enrollment exceeds 45,000 students making KSU the third-largest university by enrollment in Georgia.

This is an incomplete list of historic properties and districts at United States colleges and universities that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This includes National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) and other National Register of Historic Places listings. It includes listings at current and former educational institutions.

Valdosta State University was established in 1906 in Valdosta, Georgia. South Georgia State Normal College began as a two-year teaching college in 1913 and was an all-female school until 1950 when the name was changed to Valdosta State College. VSC experienced rapid growth in the 1960s and 70s in student population and in construction on campus. In 1993 Valdosta State achieved university status and became the second regional university in the state of Georgia. Since its founding VSU has grown into a co-educational regional university with over 12,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Georgia State University</span> Public university in Macon, Georgia, US

Middle Georgia State University is a public university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers programs to students on five campuses in Middle Georgia and online. Middle Georgia State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleventh District A & M School–South Georgia College Historic District</span> Historic district in Georgia, United States

The Eleventh District A & M School–South Georgia College Historic District is a part of South Georgia State College in Douglas, Georgia. Ten of its buildings are listed as contributing properties in a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 Lott, E. Elizabeth (1981). "South Georgia College: Seventy Five Years of Progress". Occasional Papers from South Georgia (4: Papers Presented Upon the Occasion of the Seventy–Fifth Anniversary of South Georgia College): 2.
  2. Ward, Warren P. (1930). Ward's History of Coffee County. Southern Historical Press (published 2018). pp. 288–89. ISBN   9780893089764.
  3. Bowen, Jim (2008). Bobby Bowden: Memories of a Legend and His Boys from South Georgia College. Cold Tree Press. p. 9. ISBN   9781583852828.
  4. Messick, Denise (March 2010). "Eleventh District A & M School–South Georgia College Historic District" (PDF). Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources. p. 16. Retrieved May 13, 2019 via National Park Service.
  5. Lane, C. H.; Crosby, D. J. (1916). "The District Agricultural Schools of Georgia" (PDF). Bulletin No. 44. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education. p. 18. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  6. Messick 2010 , p. 18
  7. 1 2 Lott 1981 , p. 3
  8. Trowell, C. T (1995). Douglas Before Memory 1855–1905: A Study of Everyday Life in a South Georgia Town. Douglas, Georgia. pp. 90–91. OCLC   38600694.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. Messick 2010 , pp. 6, 18–19
  10. Lott 1981 , p. 4
  11. "Regents Approve Campus Consolidation Plan". University System of Georgia. January 10, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  12. Jones, Walter (August 7, 2012). "Merged Waycross and South Georgia colleges to be called South Georgia State College". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  13. Griffiths, Leann Elizabeth (2014). Douglas. Arcadia Publishing. p. 61. ISBN   9781467111034.
  14. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  15. Preston, Jr., Robert (June 18, 2010). "Eleventh District A & M School/South Georgia College Listed in National Register of Historic Places". Press release. South Georgia College. Retrieved August 17, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. "Proud of Them: Ebanks recognized for sports accomplishments". caymancompass.com (Archived).