Gordon State College is 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 ...

Barnesville, Georgia Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755, up from 5,972 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Lamar County and is just outside of the Atlanta metropol ...

, United States. A member 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 ...

(USG), Gordon State's spring 2023 enrollment was 2,846 students. Gordon College became a four-year state college in 2007 with the addition of a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and in 2012 its name changed to Gordon State College.

History

19th century

Gordon State College was founded in 1852 as the Male and Female Seminary, a private school for

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

of boys and girls. Though church-sponsored, it was not a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in the usual sense. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, boys were organized into a corps of cadets. Girls continued to attend but were never included in military programs. In 1872, the school was renamed Gordon Institute to honor Georgia native, governor and former

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

general John B. Gordon, and its scope was extended to the elementary grades. In 1890, J.C. Woodward, who later founded Georgia Military Academy, was hired to start a military program.

20th century

In 1907, the name changed to Gordon College. In 1916 the U.S. Department of War named Gordon College a junior military unit. In 1928, Gordon added the first two years of college to its program. In 1933 the state offered the former Georgia Industrial College campus to Gordon College. The high school and junior college departments moved to the new campus, while the elementary school moved into the former high school building. Gordon College was known as Gordon Military College from the mid-1930s until 1972. In the 1950s, ownership of the school passed to the city of Barnesville, which consolidated its government-funded public schools for

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

in grades 8–12, while continuing to bus Black students to racially segregated Lamar County schools. City girls were enrolled as regular students. City boys were permitted to opt out of military participation, but almost all were organized into a corps of cadets under military discipline.

Military cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime o ...

s from other places were permitted to enroll by paying

tuition Tuition may refer to: *Formal education, education within a structured institutional framework *Tutoring, private academic help *Tuition payments Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth ...

; attracted by low tuition rates, many cadets came from

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. From May 1963 to April 1964, retired major general Derrill M. Daniel served as president. Gordon State experienced financial problems in the 1960s, and in 1970 the trustees approached the state about making the college part of the university system. The secondary school was separated and the cadet corps disbanded, and on July 2, 1972, Gordon Military College officially became part of the USG as Gordon Junior College, an associate-level

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

. In 1986, "junior" was dropped from the school's name.

21st century

In 2006, the school was designated a four-year state college to offer baccalaureate programs within the USG's state college sector. On August 8, 2012, the Board of Regents approved the change of the name of Gordon College to Gordon State College.

Academics

Gordon State College offers

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Associate of Arts An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

, and

Associate of Science Associate may refer to: Academics * Associate degree, a two-year educational degree in the United States, and some areas of Canada * Associate professor, an academic rank at a college or university * Technical associate or Senmonshi, a Japa ...

degrees as well as a Nexus degree in film production.

Athletics

Gordon State College competes in Region XVII of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

at the NJCAA Division I level as a member of the

Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association The Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (also known as GCAA) is a college athletic conference and member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in the NJCAA Region 17. Members of the GCAA include technical and community co ...

(GCAA). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, and club football while women's sports include soccer, softball, and volleyball; the college also fields a co-ed golf team. There are also a variety of intramural sports. Before the 1980s, the athletic teams at Gordon State were the Bulldogs. Through the mid-1980s, Gordon State's teams were known as the Generals, a nod to General Gordon. The teams are now called the Highlanders.

Notable alumni

* Rufus C. Harris,

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

president *

William D. Pawley William Douglas Pawley (September 7, 1896 — January 7, 1977) was a U.S. ambassador and noted businessman who was associated with the Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group (AVG) during World War II. Early life William Douglas Pawley was born i ...

, United States ambassador to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and Brazil; businessman *

Richard B. Russell Jr. Richard Brevard Russell Jr. (November 2, 1897 – January 21, 1971) was an American politician. A Southern Democrat, he served as the 66th List of Governors of Georgia, Governor of Georgia from 1931 to 1933 before serving in the United States ...

, governor of Georgia *

Clyde W. Simpson Clyde W. Simpson (October 13, 1920 – November 14, 1999) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives. Life and career Simpson was born in Jacksonville, Florida on 13 October 1920. He ...

, Member of the Florida House of Representatives

References

External links

Official website

Gordon State College
in the

New Georgia Encyclopedia The ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' (NGE) is a web-based encyclopedia containing over 2,000 articles about the state of Georgia. It is a program of Georgia Humanities (GH), in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon State College (Georgia) Universities and colleges established in 1852 Education in Lamar County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Lamar County, Georgia Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools NJCAA schools 1852 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)