Georgia State University (GSU)

Georgia State University, one of the largest, most innovative multi-campus public research universities, transforms the lives of students, advances the frontiers of knowledge and strengthens the workforce of the future. With campuses in and around me orce of the future. With campuses in and around metro Atlanta, Georgia State readies students for professional pursuits, educates future leaders and prepares citizens for lifelong learning. Enrolling one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation, Georgia State prioritizes student success ensuring that students from all backgrounds graduate at high rates. The university provides outstanding experiential educational opportunities and exceptional support for students seeking degrees from the associate to the doctoral level. One of the nation’s fastest-growing research institutions, Georgia State’s scholarship and research focus on solving complex issues ranging from the most fundamental questions of the universe to the most challenging issues of our day, while our creative activities expand and enrich the world. Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.[15] Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the second largest institution of higher education by enrollment based in Georgia with a student enrollment of around 50,000, including approximately 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the main campus downtown.[16][17] Georgia State is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".[18] The university is the most comprehensive public institution in Georgia, offering more than 250-degree programs in over 100 fields of study spread across 10 academic colleges and schools.[19] Georgia State has two libraries: University Library, which is split between Library North and Library South on the main campus and also divided among the Perimeter College campuses, and Law Library, which is located on the main campus. Together, both libraries contain over 13 million holdings and serve as federal document depositories.[3][20][21] Georgia State has a $2.5 billion economic impact in Georgia.[22] Georgia State University's intercollegiate athletics teams, the Georgia State Panthers, compete in NCAA Division I's Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is a founding member of the Sun Belt Conference. Initially intended as a night school, Georgia State University was established in 1913 as the Georgia School of Technology's Evening School of Commerce.[23] A reorganization of the University System of Georgia in the 1930s led to the school becoming the Atlanta Extension Center of the University System of Georgia and allowed night students to earn degrees from several colleges in the University System.[24] During this time, the school was divided into two divisions: Georgia Evening College and Atlanta Junior College.[25] In September 1947, the school became affiliated with the University of Georgia and was named the Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia.[26] For its first four decades, the school was treated as an offsite department of its parent institution, Georgia Tech, until 1947, and UGA after 1947. Accordingly, its chief executive was called a director.[27] However, in 1955, the Board of Regents made it an autonomous four-year college under the name Georgia State College of Business Administration.[28] Walter Sparks, who had served as director since 1927, became the newly autonomous institution's first president. In 1961, other programs at the school had grown large enough that the name was shortened to Georgia State College.[27] It became Georgia State University in 1969.[29] In 1995, the Georgia Board of Regents accorded Georgia State "research university" status, joining the University of Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Augusta University.[30][31] View of (from L-R) the Sports Arena and Library South on Decatur Street The first African-American student became enrolled at Georgia State in 1962, a year after the integration of the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.[32][33] Annette Lucille Hall was a Lithonia social studies teacher who enrolled in the course of the Institute on Americanism and Communism, a course required for all Georgia social studies teachers.[34] The Peachtree Road Race was founded in 1970 by Georgia State cross-country coach and dean of men Tim Singleton, heading it in its first six years before turning it over to the Atlanta Track Club. ...view more