Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School (1906–1926) Third District Agricultural and Normal College (1926–1932) Georgia Southwestern College (1932–1996)
In 1906, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution establishing one agricultural and mechanical school in each of the state's eleven congressional districts. Signed by Governor Joseph M. Terrell, the bill left the location of the schools up to the local communities that offered the most financial support. Oversight of the schools came from the Georgia State College of Agriculture and a local board consisting of one member from each county in the school's congressional district. Funding for the schools came from taxes and fees associated with fertilizer and oil inspections.[4]
Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School (1906–1926)
From the 15 counties that made up Georgia's Third Congressional District, Sumter County pledged the most support for a new school: 300 acres of land along the Seaboard Airline Railroad, $40,000, and water supply.[5]
From 1907 to 1926, the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School prepared students for farm work. The minimum age for admission was thirteen years old for girls and fourteen years old for boys. The curriculum for boys included plants, soils, animals, fertilizers, construction, concrete, and other physical skills. The curriculum for girls included many of the same subjects as boys as well as courses on household skills from cooking and sewing to sanitation and first aid.[4]
Third District Agricultural and Normal College (1926–1932)
In 1924, the school's trustees authorized a one-year curriculum for teachers and eliminated one year from the A&M curriculum. Two years later, the Georgia General Assembly converted the school into a teacher's college and changed its name to the Third District Agricultural and Normal College. The State Department of Education granted teacher certification to all students who completed the teacher training program.
Georgia Southwestern College (1932–1996)
The college joined the University System of Georgia (USG) in 1932 along with other state-supported institutions of higher learning in Georgia. The newly formed USG was also placed under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents. Now a member of the USG, Georgia Southwestern College continues to offer its two-year curriculum.
The Board of Regents approved Georgia Southwestern College to transition to a four-year institution in 1964. The first bachelor's degrees were conferred in June 1968. The name of the institution was changed to Georgia Southwestern State University in July 1996.
Since becoming a four-year institution, Georgia Southwestern has developed several master's programs over the years. A Master of Education degree was approved by the Board of Regents in 1973, followed by a Specialist in Education degree in 1982. The Master of Science in Administration was made part of the curriculum in 1983. The Master of Science in Computer Science was added in the Spring of 1986, and the Master of Business Administration was added to the curriculum in 2003. Most recently, the Master of Arts in English was added in the fall of 2011, and the Master Science in Nursing (online) was added in the fall of 2012.[6]
Academics
Georgia Southwestern's academic degrees are offered through four colleges, which include the following:
The College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences at GSW offers undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts degree. It is the only university in the USG with an undergraduate art program that has a concentration in glassblowing.[7]
The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). All initial teacher preparation programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). The school offers bachelors, masters, and specialist degrees.[7]
There is a Georgia Southwestern Association of Nursing Students and a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, Mu Pi.
The two buildings which house the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and related colleges are together known as the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex.[8][9]
Dual and cooperative programs
Georgia Southwestern and the Georgia Institute of Technology offer a dual-degree program in engineering leading to a bachelor's degree in science or mathematics from Georgia Southwestern and a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech. The university also offers cooperative programs with South Georgia Technical College and several two-year institutions within the university system, culminating in a baccalaureate degree from Georgia Southwestern.[7]
Football was played at the university between 1983 and 1989.[11] The men's tennis program was discontinued in 2019, while men's cross country was added.[12] GSW competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, and tennis. Club sports include eSports.
Facilities
GSW has four sets of dorm complexes, most of which bear tree-related monikers.
All freshmen are housed in Southwestern Oaks 1 and 2. The Oaks facilities offer both shared and private bedroom suites and semi-private bathrooms. Freshmen are allowed to park cars on campus in the parking lot located next to Oaks 1 and 2. Southwestern Oaks is also home to GSW's First Year Experience Program.
Southwestern Pines offers apartment-style housing for upperclassmen. Southwestern Magnolia offers private bedroom suites for upperclassman students.
Library
Georgia Southwestern is home to the James Earl Carter Library, named in honor of the father of former President Jimmy Carter. In addition to the library's own collection, books and other materials may be borrowed from other University System of Georgia libraries through interlibrary loan. The James Earl Carter Library also has a cooperative lending agreement with the local Lake Blackshear Regional Library and the South Georgia Technical College Library.
Other services and materials available to students through the library are audio-visual materials, microfiche documents and current newspapers through the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and select government documents. The Library also has computer workstations and a computer lab.
Student Success Center
The Student Success Center (SSC) houses several recreational facilities for the campus. The GSW Fitness Center is located on the first floor of the Student Success Center. In addition to the fitness center, the SSC is the location of several racquetball courts, the intramural basketball court, a rock-climbing wall, and a Chick-fil-A/Boar's Head restaurant.
Marshall Student Center
The Marshall Student Center is the location of the university cafeteria; Higher Grounds Café, a small coffee shop; Provisions on Demand (P.O.D.), a convenience store; the university bookstore; and the campus post office.
Students life
Organizations
GSW has many major-related clubs and organizations including the American Institute of Professional Geologists Student Chapter, the GSW Association of Nursing Students (GSWANS), Chemistry Club, History Club, Geology Club, Psychology/Sociology Club, Exercise Science and Wellness Club, and more. Campus ministries include the Presbyterian Student Center, the Wesley Foundation, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), and the non-denominational Christian Student Center (CSC). Athletic clubs and organizations include the Outdoor Club as well as an active Campus Recreation and Intramural Sports program featuring intramural flag football and basketball.
Honor societies include the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for first-year students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, Epsilon Delta Lambda for online students, the National Honor Society for Leadership and Success (Sigma Alpha Pi) and Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society.
GSW has several organizations in media and arts including the Sou’Wester, the student newspaper; Hurricane Watch,[13] GSW's student-produced video organization; and Sirocco, GSW's magazine for the arts.
Georgia Southwestern has the following sororities and fraternities:
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is the Board Chair of the Rosalynn Carter Institute (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University. The RCI was established in 1987. The Institute focuses its work on both family and professional caregivers for individuals living with chronic illness and disabilities, limitations related to aging, and other health concerns.
Operation Family Caregiver (OFC)—an RCI program launched in 2012—is a one-on-one support program for military families with traumatic experiences and/or a physical disability.[14]
Accreditation
Georgia Southwestern State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and specialist degrees.[15]
^"Sumter is the Winner: Branch Agricultural College of Third Congressional District to be Located here, Sumter Wins in a Close Contest with Pulaski County--Our People Much Elated," Americus Times-Recorder, November 21, 1906.
