Georgia Southwestern State University facts for kids
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Former name
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Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School (1906–1926) Third District Agricultural and Normal College (1926–1932) Georgia Southwestern College (1932–1996) |
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| Type | Public university |
| Established | 1906 |
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Parent institution
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University System of Georgia |
| Endowment | $31.2 million (2020) |
| President | Neal Weaver |
| Students | 2,840 (Fall 2021) |
| Location |
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U.S.
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| Campus | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| Colors | Navy blue and gold |
| Nickname | Hurricanes |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference |
| Mascot | "Surge" |
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Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is a public university in Americus, Georgia. It was started in 1906 as the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School. The university is managed by the Georgia Board of Regents as part of the University System of Georgia. The oldest parts of the campus are even listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of GSW
In 1906, the Georgia General Assembly (which is like Georgia's state government) decided to create special schools. They wanted one agricultural and mechanical school in each of the state's eleven areas. The governor, Joseph M. Terrell, signed this bill. The schools would be built in towns that offered the most money to help.
Early Days: Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School (1906–1926)
Sumter County offered the most support for a new school. They gave 300 acres of land, $40,000, and a water supply. This was a lot of help!
From 1907 to 1926, the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School taught students about farm work. Girls had to be at least 13 years old to join, and boys 14. Boys learned about plants, soil, animals, and building. Girls learned about these things too, plus cooking, sewing, and first aid for the home.
Becoming a College: Third District Agricultural and Normal College (1926–1932)
In 1924, the school started offering a one-year program to train teachers. Two years later, the Georgia General Assembly changed the school's name. It became the Third District Agricultural and Normal College. The State Department of Education gave teaching certificates to students who finished this program.
Joining the University System: Georgia Southwestern College (1932–1996)
In 1932, the college joined the University System of Georgia (USG). This system includes many state-supported colleges in Georgia. The USG is overseen by the Board of Regents. Georgia Southwestern College continued to offer its two-year programs.
In 1964, the college was approved to become a four-year school. This meant students could earn bachelor's degrees. The first bachelor's degrees were given out in June 1968. In July 1996, the school's name changed again to Georgia Southwestern State University.
Since then, GSW has added many master's degree programs. These include degrees in Education, Computer Science, Business, English, and Nursing.
Academics at GSW
Georgia Southwestern offers many different study programs. These programs are organized into four main colleges.
The College of Arts and Sciences
This college offers bachelor's degrees and a Master of Arts degree. It has a special art program where students can learn glassblowing. This is the only program like it in the whole University System of Georgia!
College of Business and Computing
Here, students can earn degrees in business and computer science. These include the Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration. The college is approved by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
College of Education
This college trains future teachers. It is approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Students can earn bachelor's, master's, and specialist degrees here.
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
This college offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. You can get this degree through different paths, like the regular program or an online master's program. There are also student groups for nursing.
The buildings for this college are called the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex.
Dual and Cooperative Programs
GSW has special programs with other schools. For example, you can start at GSW and then go to the Georgia Institute of Technology. This lets you earn two bachelor's degrees, one from each school. GSW also works with other two-year colleges.
Athletics: The Hurricanes
The sports teams at Georgia Southwestern State (GSW) are called the Hurricanes. They play in NCAA Division II, which is a level of college sports. They are part of the Peach Belt Conference.
Before 2006, the Hurricanes played in a different league called the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). GSW used to have a football team from 1983 to 1989. In 2019, the men's tennis program stopped, and men's cross country was added.
GSW has ten different sports teams:
- Men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and soccer.
- Women's sports: basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, and tennis.
- There are also club sports like eSports.
Campus Facilities
GSW has four groups of dorms, which are student living areas. Most of them are named after trees.
Student Housing
All first-year students live in Southwestern Oaks 1 and 2. These dorms have shared or private bedrooms and semi-private bathrooms. First-year students can park their cars nearby. Southwestern Oaks is also home to a special program for new students.
Older students can live in Southwestern Pines, which has apartment-style housing. Southwestern Magnolia offers private bedroom suites for upperclassmen.
James Earl Carter Library
The university library is named the James Earl Carter Library. It honors the father of former President Jimmy Carter. Students can borrow books from this library. They can also get books from other libraries in the University System of Georgia. The library also works with local public libraries.
The library offers other things too, like movies, old documents, and current newspapers. It also has computers for students to use.
Student Success Center
The Student Success Center (SSC) has many fun places for students. The GSW Fitness Center is on the first floor. The SSC also has courts for racquetball, a basketball court, and a rock-climbing wall. There's even a Chick-fil-A restaurant inside!
Marshall Student Center
The Marshall Student Center is where students can find the university cafeteria. It also has a coffee shop called Higher Grounds Café. There's a convenience store, the university bookstore, and the campus post office here too.
Student Life and Organizations
GSW has many clubs and groups for students to join.
Clubs and Societies
Many clubs are related to what students are studying. These include the Chemistry Club, History Club, and Nursing Students group. There are also religious groups like the Wesley Foundation. For sports, there's an Outdoor Club and many intramural sports like flag football.
Honor societies are groups for students with good grades. These include Alpha Lambda Delta for first-year students. There are also honor societies for online students and for leadership. Alpha Psi Omega is a theater honor society.
Media and Arts
Students can also join groups that create media and art. The Sou’Wester is the student newspaper. Hurricane Watch is a student-made video group. Sirocco is the university's magazine for the arts.
Fraternities and Sororities
GSW has several fraternities (for men) and sororities (for women). These are social organizations that students can join.
- Interfraternity Council:
- Chi Phi
- Kappa Sigma
- Sigma Chi
- Panhellenic Council:
- Kappa Delta
- Zeta Tau Alpha
- National Panhellenic Council:
- Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority
- Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity
- Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
- Delta Sigma Theta sorority
- Omega Psi Phi fraternity
- Sigma Gamma Rho sorority
- Zeta Phi Beta sorority
Special Institutes
The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is the leader of the Rosalynn Carter Institute (RCI). This institute is located at Georgia Southwestern State University. It was started in 1987. The RCI helps people who take care of others. This includes family members and professionals who care for people with illnesses, disabilities, or who are getting older.
One program at RCI is Operation Family Caregiver (OFC). This program helps military families who have gone through difficult experiences or have a family member with a physical disability.
Accreditation
Georgia Southwestern State University is approved by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This means the university meets high standards for its associate, bachelor's, master's, and specialist degrees.
Notable Alumni
Many interesting people have gone to Georgia Southwestern State University!
- Jaha Dukureh (2013), a women's rights activist.
- Major General Thomas M. Carden, Jr., a top military leader in Georgia.
- Jimmy Carter, who became a former president of the United States.
- Rosalynn Smith Carter (1946), the wife of Jimmy Carter and a former First Lady of the United States.
- Griffin B. Bell (1936), who was a U.S. Attorney General.
- Quentin Fulks (2012), a campaign manager.
- The Honorable Robert H. Jordan (1936), a former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
- Lucas Knecht, the youngest international soccer player for the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Mary Elizabeth Lado, a professional figure competitor.
- Vincent Norrman, a professional golfer from Sweden.
- Gloria Carter Spann, the sister of former President Jimmy Carter.
- Etchu Tabe, an American soccer player.
