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Historical Sketches

University System of Georgia Institutions

Institution	Founding Year, Name Changes, and Substantive Changes
Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia School of Technology, established by act of the General Assembly, 1885; Opened in Atlanta, 1888; Name changed to Georgia Institute of Technology, 1948.
Georgia State University	Founded as Georgia Tech Evening School of Commerce, 1913; Became the Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia, 1947; Georgia State College of Business Administration, 1955; Georgia State College, 1961; Georgia State University, 1969.
Medical College of Georgia	Chartered by state in 1828 as Medical Academy of Georgia; 1829, Medical Institute of Georgia; Affiliated with University of Georgia and renamed Medical Department of the University, 1873; Became independent institution in 1950, Medical College of Georgia.
University of Georgia	Legislature granted land, 1784; Adopted charter, 1785, making Georgia the first state to charter a state-supported university; Established as University of Georgia in 1801.
Georgia Southern University	Established by legislature, 1906; Opened as First District A&M, 1908; Georgia Normal School, 1924 (two-year college); South Georgia Teachers College (four-year); Georgia Teachers College, 1939; Georgia Southern College, 1959; Georgia Southern University, 1990.
Valdosta State University	Established by legislature, 1906; Opened as South Georgia State Normal College, 1913 (two-year); Georgia State Woman's College at Valdosta, 1922 (four-year); Valdosta State College, 1950; Valdosta State University, 1993.
Albany State University	Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute (private), 1903; Georgia Normal and Agricultural College (two-year), 1917; Albany State College (four-year), 1943; Albany State University, 1996.
Armstrong Atlantic State Univ.	Armstrong College, 1935; Armstrong State College, when four-year degrees were offered, 1967; Graduate degrees offered, 1973; Armstrong Atlantic State University, 1996.
Augusta State University	Academy of Richmond, 1783; Junior College of Augusta, 1925, first public junior college in Georgia; Augusta College, 1958; Augusta State University, 1996.
Clayton College & State Univ.	Established by legislature, 1965; Opened as Clayton Junior College, 1969; Clayton State College, 1986; Clayton College & State University, 1996.
Columbus State University	Established by legislature and opened as two-year Columbus College, 1958; Four-year, 1965; First four-year class graduated 1970; Columbus State University, 1996.
Fort Valley State University	Designated as Georgia's 1890 Land Grant institution; Fort Valley High and Industrial School (private) established 1895; Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School (private two-year), 1932; Fort Valley State College (public four-year) 1939; Designated as Fort Valley State University, 1996.
Georgia College & State Univ.	Georgia Normal and Industrial College, 1889; Georgia State College for Women, 1922; Women's College of Georgia, 1961; Georgia College (coeducational), 1967; Georgia College & State University, 1996.
Ga. Southwestern State Univ.	Third District A&M School, 1906; Third District Agricultural and Normal College (2-year), 1926; Georgia Southwestern College, 1932; Four-year in 1964; Senior college, 1967; Georgia Southwestern State University, 1996.
Kennesaw State University	Kennesaw Junior College, 1963; Kennesaw State College, 1976; Kennesaw State University, 1996.
North Ga. College & State Univ.	North Georgia Agricultural College, 1873; North Georgia College, 1929; North Georgia College & State University, 1996.
Savannah State University	Established by the Georgia Legislature as a result of the Second Morrill Land Grant Act which established Black land grant colleges in the south, 1890; Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youths, 1891, located in Athens for several months; Georgia State College, 1932; Savannah State College, 1950; Savannah State University, 1996.
Southern Polytechnic State Univ.	The Institute (unit of Georgia Tech), 1948; Southern Technical Institute, 1970; Moved from Chamblee to present location in Marietta, 1961; Southern College of Technology, 1986; Southern Polytechnic State University, 1996.
State University of West Georgia	Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School, 1906; West Georgia College (two-year), 1933; Four-year, 1957; State University of West Georgia, 1996.
Dalton State College	Chartered in 1963; first classes taught, 1967; First accredited, 1969; Limited baccalaureate programs and name changed to Dalton State College, 1998.
Macon State College	Established in 1965; Opened as Macon Junior College, 1968; Macon College, 1987; Limited baccalaureate programs and name changed to Macon State College, 1997.
Abraham Baldwin Agric. College	Second District A & M School, 1908; South Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical College, 1924; Georgia State College for Men, 1932; Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, 1933.
Atlanta Metropolitan College	Established in 1965; Opened as Atlanta Junior College, 1974; Atlanta Metropolitan College, 1988.
Bainbridge College	Established in 1970; Opened as Bainbridge Junior College, 1973; Bainbridge College, 1987.
Coastal Ga. Community College	Established in 1961; Opened as Brunswick College, 1964; Coastal Georgia Community College, 1996.
Darton College	Established in 1963; Opened as Albany Junior College, 1966; Darton College, 1987.
East Georgia College	Authorized 1970; Opened as Emmanuel County Junior College, 1973; East Georgia College, 1987.
Floyd College	Authorized in 1968; Opened as Floyd Junior College, 1970; Floyd College, 1987.
Gainesville College	Authorized in 1964; Opened as Gainesville Junior College, 1966; Gainesville College, 1987.
Georgia Perimeter College	DeKalb College (under local Board of Education), 1964; DeKalb Community College, 1972; Joined USG, 1986; DeKalb College, 1986; Georgia Perimeter College, 1997.
Gordon College	Founded as private seminary, 1852; Gordon Military College, 1872; Joined University System in 1972 as Gordon Junior College; Gordon College, 1986.
Middle Georgia College	Authorized as denominational institution, 1884; Twelfth District A&M School, 1917; Middle Georgia A&M Junior College, 1927; Middle Georgia College, 1929; Became part of USG, 1931.
South Georgia College	Eleventh District A&M School, 1906; South Georgia Junior State College, 1927; South Georgia State College, 1929; South Georgia College, 1932.
Waycross College	Authorized in 1970; Opened as Waycross Junior College, 1976; Waycross College, 1987.

Sources: Historical Highlights, 1981 (Henry Neal); institutional catalogs, Board of Regents Minutes.

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