Bainbridge State College was a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Bainbridge, Georgia Bainbridge is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Decatur County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 14,468, up from 12,697 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the ...

. It was part of the

University System of Georgia The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gener ...

which merged it into

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) is a public college in Tifton, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers bachelor's degree, baccalaureate and associate degrees. The college is named after Abraham Baldwin, a ...

in 2017. The college's campus was located on of land just inside the Bainbridge city limits on U.S. Highway 84 East. A separate campus in

Blakely, Georgia Blakely is a city in and the county seat of Early County, Georgia, United States. As of 2020, its population was 5,371. It is located approximately halfway between Columbus, Georgia, Columbus and Tallahassee, Florida on U.S. Route 27 in Georgia, ...

was Bainbridge College Early County (which was built in 1999 as Albany Technical College. The Early County Satellite Center was bought by Bainbridge College in 2006). There was also a campus in

Donalsonville, Georgia Donalsonville is a city in and the county seat of Seminole County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,833 in 2020. History Donalsonville was originally part of Decatur County. It is named after John Ernest Donalson (1846–1920), a ...

that opened in 2016. Students commuted from the nearby towns of Attapulgus, Blakely, Brinson,

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Camilla,

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

, Colquitt, Donalsonville, Iron City, Pelham, Thomasville, and Whigham. With the inclusion of Gadsden County to the college's service area, students from neighboring

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

communities also attended as in-state students.

History

The college was established in 1970 with support of local citizens, including former Georgia governor

Marvin Griffin Samuel Marvin Griffin, Sr. (September 4, 1907 – June 13, 1982) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. A lifelong Democrat, Griffin was a native of Bainbridge, Georgia and publisher of the ''Bainbridge Post-Searchlig ...

, and its doors opened in 1973, during the governorship of

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. Dr. Edward Mobley was the first president. He served from the beginning of the college until 1999, when Dr. Clifford Brock took over, for a tenure that saw enrollment grow by 256 percent. Minority enrollment grew from 24 percent to more than 50 percent as students flocked to the formerly tiny school. Dr. Thomas Wilkerson became president in 2005. The 1973 charter faculty consisted of Dr. Robert DuBay, Dean; Dr. R. Everett Langford, Chemistry and Geology; and Dr. Ray Chambers, History. On February 13, 2013, the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia officially announced that Bainbridge College had been converted into a 4-year state college, and its name was officially changed to Bainbridge State College. In 2017, the college ceased to exist as a separate entity. The consolidation of Bainbridge State College with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) became official December 2017 upon the approval of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. As of July 1, 2018, ABAC offered academic programs in Bainbridge.

Southern Regional Technical College Southern Regional Technical College is a public community college with its main campus in Thomasville, Georgia. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia and provides education services for a seven-county service area in southwest Ge ...

(SRTC) assumed responsibility for the technical programs available in Bainbridge.

References

External links

Entry for Bainbridge College on the New Georgia Encyclopedia webpage

Official website (archived)
{{Authority control Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges established in 1970 Education in Early County, Georgia Schools in Decatur County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Early County, Georgia 1970 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 2018 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Defunct public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) University System of Georgia Bainbridge, Georgia