Founded in 1889: Now a Living History Lesson
1889Due to the lobbying efforts of Julia Flisch, a journalist in Augusta, support had been building to establish a publicly funded college for women that would prepare them for the demands of the new industrial age. In 1889, the Georgia Normal & Industrial College was chartered as a two-year college emphasizing teacher training and business skills.
1891
Classes began in the newly constructed Main building (lost to fire in 1924) and the students lived in the Old Governors Mansion. The main campus was primarily located on "Penitentiary Square," the site of the former Georgia State Penitentiary (1818-1879). In all the campus totaled 22 acres.
1906
J. Harris Chappell, the first president stepped down due to illness, and the dynamic Marvin M. Parks assumed the reins of governance.
1917
Due to President Park's persistent advocacy, the college received authority to grant four-year degrees and established its clear independence from the University of Georgia.
1922
Georgia Normal & Industrial College changes to Georgia State College for
Women. As a teacher's college, courses include psychology, home economics, English, math, art, science, recreation and music
1934
The first student government association is formed at the college. Compulsory uniforms are abolished soon afterwards.
1935
In order to boost student morale, Dean of Women Ethel Adams initiated a spirited theatrical competition between freshmen and sophomores that became known as "Golden Slipper;" until the 1970s, one of the college's most popular traditions.
1938
Student numbers peaked at 1,500.
1942
Mary Flannery O'Connor, as fellow students called her, enters as a freshman and graduates three years later. She became one of the most noted Southern writers. Her works are housed in the Special Collections area of the GCSU Library and Information Technology Center.
1943
GSCW was selected as one of four colleges for the training of Navy WAVES. For the next two years, 15,000 women received training on the GSCW campus in storekeeping and clerical duties for the U.S. Navy.
1949
Enrollment sinks to 848 and then to a low of 585 in 1953. The majority of post-War women tended to prefer coeducational colleges.
1957
The college begins its first graduate program, a Master of Education degree.
1961
Georgia State College for Women was officially renamed The Woman's College of Georgia.
1964
Funds were appropriated for the first adequate renovation of the Governor's Mansion. The work was completed in 1967.
1964
Celestine Hill, the first African-American student entered the Woman's College.
1967
The Woman's College of Georgia became coeducational and receives the new name Georgia College at Milledgeville. In the fall, 185 men join the campus of 1,216 women.
1971
Georgia College at Milledgeville is shortened to Georgia College.
1975
Total enrollment grows to 3,770.
1981
The college begins a five-year plan to become a multi-campus university which included a commitment to the "computer era."
1987
An educational exchange is established with the People's Republic of China. This begins, in part, a revival of international interaction through study abroad and exchange programs.
1989
The college's centennial events is marked with the opening of the Centennial Center, which serves the campus as a wellness center and gym.
1996
The Georgia Board of Regents officially charges the institution with its new mission as "Georgia's public liberal arts university" and bestowed the sixth name--"Georgia College & State University."
2004
Major dormitory construction is completed as five new buildings opened near the main campus to serve more than 1,100 students. In addition, West Campus, the area where the athletic fields are located, becomes home to Bobcat Village, an apartment complex for upperclassmen and women.
2004
With help from the Georgia General Assembly and the Woodruff Foundation, a painstaking restoration of the Old Governor's Mansion was completed as a historic house museum, interpreted in the years 1851-1853.
2005
The newly expanded and renovated Library & Instructional Technology Building is dedicated.
2005
Renovation of the former First Methodist Church as the new Student Activities Center was completed; the centerpiece is the Magnolia Room, an elegant center for events and gatherings.
2008
Today, Georgia College serves more than 6,500 students in four schools with a faculty that exceeds 300.
Presidents
1889-1905 – J. Harris Chappell
1905-1926 – Marvin McTyeire Parks
1926-1934 – J. Luther Beeson
1934-1953 – Guy Herbert Wells
1953-1956 – Henry King Stanford
1956-1967 – Robert E. Lee
1967-1981 – J. Whitney Bunting
1981-1997– Edwin G. Speir, Jr.
1997- 2004 – Rosemary DePaolo
January 1, 2004-Present - Dorothy Leland

