Information about Georgia College & State University

Georgia College & State University
Georgia College and State University logo © Georgia College & State University
Motto	Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University
Established	1889
Type	Public
President	Dorothy Leland
Staff	407
Students	6,041
Undergraduates	5,141
Postgraduates	900
Location	Milledgeville, Georgia, United States
Campus	Small town
Colors	Navy Blue and Hunter Green
Mascot	Bobcats[1]
Website	www.gcsu.edu

Georgia College & State University (GCSU) is a public university in Milledgeville, Georgia with approximately 6,000 students. It was designated as Georgia's "Public Liberal Arts University" in 1996 by the Board of Regents, and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

The university places emphasis on providing the quality, values, and virtues of a private liberal arts colleges at a lower and more reasonable cost. Its "private university" approach includes a student to faculty ratio that averages only 17 to 1.

History

GCSU was originally founded in 1889 and was initially known as Georgia Normal & Industrial College as a sister institution to the Georgia School of Technology [2]. The school eventually became Georgia State College for Women and then Georgia College when it became co-educational in 1967. It added State University to its name in 1996 as part of the mission change given to it by the Board of Regents. While the full name of Georgia College & State University is used on first written reference, Georgia College is acceptable on second reference, and this "shorthand" version is widely used by faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

The Campus

The central campus comprises 43 acres (174,000 m²) in the center of Milledgeville, near the grounds of what used to be the former state capital. The campus enhances the town's beauty with its architectural blending of majestic 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.

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[3] is also within walking distance of the residence halls and front campus. West Campus, a 500 acre (2 km²) extension two miles from the central campus, contains The Village, and athletic fields. In addition, GCSU 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.

GCSU also offers advanced degree programs at its Center for Graduate and Professional Learning[4] at the Thomas Jefferson Building at 433 Cherry Street in downtown Macon. Some classes are also offered in Warner Robins ('Robins Center'), primarily in support of the Air Force base located there. A new MBA program is also under way to serve the region surrounding Sandersville, Georgia.

Academic Mission

As the state's designated public liberal arts university, Georgia College & State University is committed to combining the educational experiences typical of esteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education. GCSU is a residential learning community that emphasizes undergraduate education and select graduate programs.

The faculty are dedicated to challenging students and fostering excellence in the classroom and beyond. GCSU seeks to endow its graduates with a passion for achievement, a lifelong curiosity, and exuberance for learning.

As part of this mission, GCSU places a strong emphasis on active and transformative learning which includes experiences both in and out of the classroom. Academic programs are focused on student development and outcomes, including:

• Strong communication skills, both oral and written;
• Development of critical and analytical thinking skills;
• Broad understanding of global issues;
• Appreciation for and understanding of diversity;
• Ability to integrate information across many disciplines
• Application of learning and knowledge
• Creation of a foundation that allows for moral and ethical decisions
• Civic responsibility

Georgia College & State University seeks to produce graduates that are well prepared for careers or advanced study and who are instilled with exceptional qualities of mind and character. These include an inquisitive, analytical mind; respect for human diversity and individuality; a sense of civic and global responsibility; sound ethical principles; effective writing, speaking, and quantitative skills; and a healthy lifestyle.

GCSU faculty primarily focus their attention on maintaining excellence in instruction and guiding students, are committed to community service, and are creatively engaged in their fields of specialization. Students are endowed with both information and values through small classes, interdisciplinary studies, close association with the faculty and staff in and beyond the classroom, lively involvement in cultural life, and service to the community. In turn, GCSU seeks to provide communities and employers with graduates who exhibit professionalism, responsibility, service, leadership, and integrity.

Mission Support

Over $150 million has been invested in the Milledgeville campus over the past few years, including new state-of-the-art classrooms, enhanced academic facilities, and the addition of a new Library and Instructional Technology Center which can accommodate over 1,000 students [5]. The university has also invested heavily in technology and was recognized by Intel as one of "the 50 most wired campuses in the country."

In 2006, the university partnered with the Georgia College & State University Foundation to open its new multi-million dollar graduate center in Macon.

With its shift from being a commuter school to a residential university, there was also a complete renovation of student housing, including the construction of a new student apartment complex called The Village.

Students & Rankings

According to SAT results listed on CollegeBoard.com, GCSU students have the third highest average of all public schools in Georgia after Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, and are the highest achievers of schools in the Peach Belt Conference. GCSU and UNC Pembroke are the only public institutions in the conference listed in Princeton Review's Guide to the Best Southeastern Colleges. As of 2007, GCSU has been Georgia's top ranked public Master's University in U.S. News and World Report for the past two years. The university boasts a student retention rate of 84%, making it a leader in that category. In 2007, 18 states and 25 nations were represented by its student body.

Other Notable Facts

The university also houses the archives of author Flannery O'Connor[6], an alumnae of the university, and of U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell, whose career included director of the Peace Corps when the Berlin Wall fell.

The GCSU mini factbook is available here [7] as a PDF file.

Notable Alumni

• Flannery O'Connor, southern author.
• Michael D. Garrett http://www.georgiapower.com/about/ceo.asp, president and CEO of Georgia Power http://www.georgiapower.com/, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, and one of the nation's leading generators of electricity.
• Tony Nicely, Chairman, President and CEO, GEICO Insurance http://www.geico.com/.
• Kim Martin http://www.we.tv/info/kim_m_blog, General Manager, Women's Entertainment Television Network (WE tv) http://www.we.tv/.
• Alex Gregory, President and CEO, YKK Corporation of Americahttp://www.ykkamerica.com/
• Andy Offutt Irwin, nationally prominent storyteller and recording artist.
• Julius Joseph, professional British basketball player currently playing in the British Basketball League

References

• [https://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/campustour/undergraduate/2595/Georgia_College_and_State_University/Georgia_College_and_State_University1.html Enrollment and faculty statistics from the US Dept. of Education]

External links

• Georgia College & State University Website
• Georgia College News & Events Page
• GCSUMacon Center for Graduate and Professional Education

Content provided by Georgia College & State University Office of University Communications

•  • [ e] Peach Belt Conference
Armstrong Atlantic State University • Augusta State University • Clayton State University • Columbus State University • Francis Marion University • Georgia College & State University • Lander University • North Georgia College & State University • University of North Carolina at Pembroke • University of South Carolina Aiken

•  • [ e] University System of Georgia
Research Universities	Georgia Tech • Georgia State • Medical College of Georgia • University of Georgia
Regional Universities	Georgia Southern • Valdosta State
State Universities	Albany • Armstrong Atlantic • Augusta • Clayton • Columbus • Ft. Valley • GCSU • Georgia Southwestern • Kennesaw State • North Georgia • Savannah • Southern Polytechnic • West Georgia
State Colleges	Dalton • Gainesville • Gwinnett • Macon • Middle Georgia
Agricultural Colleges	Abraham Baldwin
Two-year Colleges	Atlanta Metro • Bainbridge • Coastal Georgia • Darton • East Georgia • Georgia Highlands • Georgia Perimeter • Gordon • South Georgia • Waycross
Independent research unit	Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Centers	Gwinnett University Center
Governing body	Georgia Board of Regents

•  • [ e] Educational Institutions in Macon, Georgia

Colleges and Universities Central Georgia Technical College • Georgia College & State University • Macon State College • Mercer University • Wesleyan College High schools Central High School • First Presbyterian Day School • Gilead Christian Academy • Hutchings High School • Mount de Sales Academy • Northeast Magnet High School • Rutland High School • Southwest Magnet High School • Stratford Academy • Tattnall Square Academy • Westside High School • Windsor Academy

•  • [ e] Women's colleges that became coeducational

Became coeducational Adelphi University • Albertus Magnus College • Andrew College • Beaver College • Bennington College • Carlow University • Cazenovia College • Chestnut Hill College • Chowan College • Columbia College • Connecticut College • Drexel University College of Medicine • Elmira College • Emmanuel College • Florida State University •Georgia College & State University • Goucher College • Greensboro College • Hood College • Hunter College • Immaculata University • James Madison University • Keuka College •LaGrange College • Lake Erie College • Lasell College • Lesley College • Longwood University • Mississippi University for Women• Marymount Manhattan College • Moravian College • Notre Dame College •Ohio Dominican University • Queens University of Charlotte • Radford University • Randolph College • Regis College • Rivier College • Sarah Lawrence College • Seton Hill University • Shorter College • Skidmore College • Silver Lake College • Texas Woman's University • Tift College • Trocaire College • University of Mary Washington • University of North Carolina at Greensboro • Vassar College • Viterbo University • Washington College of Law • Wells College • Wheaton College Coordinate colleges Douglass (merged with Rutgers University) • Evelyn College for Women (with Princeton University; closed) • H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College (merged with Tulane University) • Margaret Morrison Carnegie College (merged with Carnegie Mellon University) • Pembroke (merged with Brown University) • Radcliffe College (merged with Harvard University)