Dr. Rosemary DePaolo,
President
| GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University |
|
Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, President |
"Being designated Georgia's first public Liberal Arts University is a great honor that all of us at Georgia College & State University take very seriously. We are dedicated to serving the best and brightest students by giving them the high quality liberal arts education usually found at private colleges at vastly higher costs. At GCSU, you will know your teachers and they will know you; you will acquire the ability to think critically, communicate easily and well, and develop the flexibility of mind needed for you to thrive in the 21st century." |
| GCSU VISION STATEMENT |
| PRINCIPLES |
While GCSU faculty are committed to community service and are creatively engaged in their fields of specialization, they focus their attention primarily on maintaining excellence in instruction and guiding students. 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.
| EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS |
Be prepared to learn and to be intellectually challenged
Strive for excellence in their studies and seek to achieve high academic expectations in all of their courses
Acquire an inquisitive 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
Be meaningfully engaged in and involved in the campus community
Take full advantage of opportunities to develop and implement career plans
| PHILOSOPHY OF A PUBLIC LIBERAL ARTS UNIVERSITY |
Public liberal arts colleges and universities differ from other colleges and universities in the public sector in size, scope, and emphasis on student centered education. They do not attempt to be all things to all people, but rather focus their efforts on providing a liberal education. They offer the intimacy and intellectual atmosphere of private liberal arts colleges but do not abandon the public mandate to meet the economic workforce needs of the state. Public liberal arts universities are moderate size (less than 5,000 full-time equivalent students) and focus on exemplary undergraduate teaching and student learning.
Undergraduate programs are diverse, but the majority of degrees are awarded in the fields of arts and sciences. When professional undergraduate programs are offered, they include a heavy liberal arts foundation. The limited number of graduate programs offered at the Master's level are similarly built upon a strong liberal arts undergraduate preparation and are tied to the market economy of the state.
The Distinguishing Characteristics of a Public Liberal Arts University
Emphasis on providing the quality, values, and virtues of a private liberal arts colleges at a lower and more reasonable cost
A highly selected undergraduate student body with a selected number of graduate programs
A strong emphasis on transformative, active learning experiences in and out of the classroom
A focus on student outcomes, with particular attention to the development of
A commitment to creating an intimate learning environment characterized by high quality student/faculty interactions through
A rich culture of traditions and rituals that link students with the university beyond graduation
A commitment to meeting the needs of the state by producing graduates who can take their place within the workplace as leaders and thinkers
| The Georgia College & State University History |
Milledgeville is less than a dozen miles from the geographic center of Georgia and is the county seat of Baldwin County. It is approximately 100 miles from Augusta, Albany, Atlanta, and Columbus, and 30 miles from Macon. The town, which is the antebellum capital of Georgia, has a population of twenty thousand and is a center of history and culture. Located on the fall line in a setting of rolling hills and recreational lakes, Milledgeville's natural beauty is among its most appealing assets.
Georgia College & State University was chartered in 1889 as Georgia Normal and Industrial College. Its emphasis at that 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. With this change the college introduced more cultural enrichment courses, and the liberal arts degree was offered.
In 1922, the institution's name was changed to Georgia State College for Women. In 1932, the state of Georgia created the University System of Georgia to include all state-supported institutions. Since that time the University has operated as a unit of this University System under one chancellor and a Board of Regents.
A graduate program was initiated in the summer of 1958, and the first Master of Education Degree was conferred in 1959. With an emphasis on broader academic and professional programs, the name was changed to Woman's College of Georgia in 1961. Integration was achieved without incident in 1964, although the number of black students remained low until after the university became coeducational in 1967.
With the admission of men, the college expanded the curriculum, provided residence halls for men, and changed the name to Georgia College at Milledgeville, which was later shortened to Georgia College. In 1996, the Board of Regents changed the name to Georgia College & State University. It also changed the mission, to serve the entire state of Georgia as the public liberal arts university.
As a coeducational school, the emphasis on teacher education was expanded to include a greater emphasis on business courses, increased graduate education, additional programs in the arts and sciences, and a nursing program. Commuter center programs were also added to the college schedule. The first courses in the Master of Business Administration degree program were offered in 1969. Continuation of quality and growth, both on the residential campus and at the commuter campuses and centers, makes Georgia College & State University an outstanding senior college for men and women in the central Georgia area. The residential campus consists of forty-three acres in the center of Milledgeville. Twenty-three acres provide the site for the major education facilities; 20 acres, two blocks away, are used primarily for student housing and the new Centennial Center. Many of the 30 buildings are red brick with Corinthian columns and limestone trim. The athletic complex, known as West Campus, is on a 546-acre site just outside the city. A few miles east of campus is another extension, known as East Campus, which consists of a lake lot and Lake Laurel. Lake Laurel is a teaching, conference, and recreation center with its own six-acre lake, picnic areas, nature trails, and rustic lodge.
With the approval of the Board of Regents, Georgia College & State University provides degree programs in specific majors through the Macon campus and Warner Robins. The Robins Commuter Center and the Logistics Education Center serve a major military facility. More information may be obtained from the Georgia College & State University Office of Admissions Office by calling 1-800-342-0471 or through the website: .
Former presidents of the college are Dr. J. Harris Chappell, Dr. Marvin M. Parks, Dr. J.L. Beeson, Dr. Guy H. Wells, Dr. Henry King Stanford, Dr. Robert E. Lee, Dr. J. Whitney Bunting, Dr. Edwin G. Speir. Dr. Rosemary DePaolo, the current president, assumed the presidency on August 1, 1997.
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