South Georgia State College

History

Eleventh District A & M School

On August 18, 1906, 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. 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.

Douglas, the seat of government for Coffee County, 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 of land, then valued at $50 per acre (.4 hectares), to be donated towards the construction of the school. Unlike other towns in the Eleventh District, Douglas added free water and electricity for ten years to its bid as an extra incentive. Douglas was a fast-growing town with a population that grew from only 617 in 1900 to 1,600 people in 1907. Construction started the same year and the agriculture school began offering classes in 1908. 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.

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 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. The new institution was established in January 2013 as South Georgia State College.

Campus

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. 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.

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.

Wellness Center Complex

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.

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. South Georgia State College is also certified under the National League for Nursing and the Georgia Board of Nursing.

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.

Notes

References

References

1. Lott, E. Elizabeth. (1981). "South Georgia College: Seventy Five Years of Progress". Occasional Papers from South Georgia.
2. Ward, Warren P.. (1930). "Ward's History of Coffee County". Southern Historical Press.
3. Bowen, Jim. (2008). "Bobby Bowden: Memories of a Legend and His Boys from South Georgia College". Cold Tree Press.
4. Messick, Denise. (March 2010). "Eleventh District A & M School–South Georgia College Historic District". Historic Preservation Division, [[Georgia Department of Natural Resources]].
5. Lane, C. H.. (1916). "The District Agricultural Schools of Georgia". [[Department of the Interior]], Bureau of Education..
6. {{Harvnb. Messick. 2010
7. {{Harvnb. Lott. 1981
8. Trowell, C. T. (1995). "Douglas Before Memory 1855–1905: A Study of Everyday Life in a South Georgia Town".
9. {{Harvnb. Messick. 2010
10. {{Harvnb. Lott. 1981
11. (January 10, 2012). "Regents Approve Campus Consolidation Plan".
12. Jones, Walter. (August 7, 2012). "Merged Waycross and South Georgia colleges to be called South Georgia State College".
13. Griffiths, Leann Elizabeth. (2014). "Douglas". Arcadia Publishing.
14. "College Scorecard: South Georgia State College". [[United States Department of Education]].
15. {{NRISref
16. Preston, Jr., Robert. (March 2018). "Eleventh District A & M School/South Georgia College Listed in National Register of Historic Places". South Georgia College.