Augusta State University
Encyclopedia
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University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is the oldest institution in the state of Georgia (while the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
is the oldest state chartered university in Georgia and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
).
History
Augusta State University was founded as the Academy of Richmond County in 1783. It opened in 1785 and offered collegiate-level classes from its earliest days, and its classes were overseen by the state legislature. Graduates were accepted into colleges as sophomores or juniors. Operation of the academy was overseen by a board of trustees until 1909, when control was passed to the Augusta Board of Education. The college-level classes continued to be overseen by a committee of the state legislature. As enrollmentEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
increased, land for a new building was purchased. In 1925, prior to completion of the new building, the Junior College of Augusta was established. In 1957, the junior college separated from the academy and moved to its present location on Walton Way.
In 1958, the college became a part of the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 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 general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...
and its name was formally changed to Augusta College. Augusta College remained a two-year college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
until 1963, when it attained four-year status. A second campus was added on Wrightsboro Road, which now houses athletics, kinesiology & health science, a golf house, and 18-hole golf course.
In 1996, Augusta College was renamed Augusta State University. The current president of the university is William A. Bloodworth, Jr. since 1993.
Academics
ASU is organized into three colleges: Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts and Sciences, James M. Hull College of Business, and College of Education. Students can earn associate, bachelor, master, and specialist degrees in over 50 programs of study as well as a paralegal certificate and a cooperative doctorate. There is an Honors Program as well as a Cooperative Education program in which students alternate between classroom enrollment and real-life work experience in their field of study. Students also have opportunities for internships and study abroad programs.Students from Edgefield and Aiken counties in South Carolina pay the Georgia in-state tuition rate.
The James M. Hull College of Business was featured by The Princeton Review in the 2008 edition of, "Best 290 Business Schools."
In May 2009 the university hosted the 25th annual National Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
tournament.
Athletics
Augusta State's athletic programs compete at the Division II level in the Peach Belt ConferencePeach Belt Conference
The Peach Belt Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division II. The PBC was formed in 1990 with seven charter universities as the Peach Belt Athletic Conference, and took its current name in 2000.-Current members:The league currently has 13 full...
of the NCAA, except for the men's and women's golf programs, both of which are Division I Independents. The Jaguars' men's golf team won their first national title in 2010, knocking off perennial power Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
in the championship match at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN. Augusta State defended their title in 2011 at Oklahoma State's home course, Karsten Creek
Karsten Creek
Karsten Creek Golf Club is located west on Highway 51, just outside of Stillwater, Oklahoma. It replaced Lakeside Golf Course as the home course of the Oklahoma State University Men's and Women's golf teams 1994...
, defeating the top-ranked Cowboys in the national semifinals and then Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
in the final round of match play to reclaim the championship. The Jaguars became the first men's golf team to win consecutive national titles since Houston
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
in 1984-85.
Augusta State's men's basketball program reached the Division II Elite Eight in Springfield, MA three consecutive years from 2008-2010, advancing as far as the national title game in '08. As of March 8, 2011, Augusta State's men's basketball program has been nationally-ranked for 65 consecutive weeks, the longest current streak in the nation and fifth-longest in the history of Division II basketball.
Other athletic programs at Augusta State include women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis and volleyball.
Campus
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Library
Reese Library, the information center of Augusta State University, provides a wide variety of services for students. Thousands of journals, newspaper articles and books are available in electronic full-text through GALILEO, an initiative of the University System of Georgia. In support of student learning and research there is a collection of more than 503,000 print and online books, plus an extensive collection of government publications, special collections and archives of materials relating to Augusta State and the greater Augusta area, over 500 print periodicals and more than 30,000 online journal titles.There are quiet study areas for individuals and groups, casual seating areas and study rooms, a family room for students with children, wireless connectivity to the Internet, photocopiers, microfilm copiers, laptops available to borrow, and more than 50 public computers providing access to online databases and full-text information.
GIL, the library’s computerized catalog, gives access to information about library materials and other university system libraries. GALILEO, a statewide computer system, provides a wealth of additional information resources including more than 200 journal and newspaper databases, some with full text. These and other electronic information resources are available in the library, on the campus computer network, and, in most cases from off-campus computers with a password. Contact the Reese Library Reference department (706-737-1748) for current availability and access information.
Materials from other libraries may be obtained through inter library loan via the University System of Georgia Universal Catalog’s GIL Express for books and via ILLIAD for books and journal articles, with the option of having journal articles delivered directly to campus email accounts.
Instructional sessions for classes and individuals are scheduled each semester (706-737-1748).
The building is named for Dr. and Mrs. John T. Reese, parents of alumna Katherine Reese Pamplin. The three-story 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) library has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of just over 500. The library is open 85.5 hours a week when classes are in session. Hours are abbreviated during breaks in the academic schedule. For assistance, professional librarians are available in the library whenever the library is open, or call 706-737-1748.
Other buildings
The early 21st century has seen substantial development of the campus, with about $100 million dollars worth of new construction. Some of the new buildings include the Science Building (completed in 1997), Allgood Hall (2002), University Hall (2004), the Jaguar Student Activities Center (commonly known as "The JSAC"; 2006), and the D. Douglas Bernard, Jr. Amphitheatre (2008). Other existing structures on campus are Washington Hall, which houses the art department and gallery as well as bookstore and some business offices, the fine arts building, the Maxwell Theatre, and Galloway Hall, which houses Military Science and Continuing Education. Historic Arsenal Buildings (Rains, Benet, Payne, and Fanning) house administrative offices. Bellevue Hall houses the Dean of Students and academic affair. Boykin Wright Hall houses Counseling and the Career Center. ASU also has the Maxwell Alumni Houses, and a Guardhouse History Museum. The Christenberry FieldhouseChristenberry Fieldhouse
The George A. Christenberry Fieldhouse is a 2,621 seat facility on the campus of Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. A part of their Athletics and Recreation Complex, it is home to the Augusta State Jaguars men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team...
houses athletics and Kinesiology and Health Science.
Arsenal Oak
'The Arsenal Oak was a White oakWhite oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
tree located at the center of the campus. The oak tree, which was estimated to be over 250 years old, formed the basis of the university's logo. It bore the name, Arsenal Oak, because the university's campus was once the Augusta Arsenal
Augusta Arsenal
Augusta Arsenal was a 19th century fortification in Augusta, Georgia. It was initially built on the Georgia bank of Savannah River in 1819 but moved for health concerns to Summerville, Georgia in 1828. It remained in operation until 1955, at which point it was converted to house the junior college...
. It is said that the poet Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Benét is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By...
(the author of "John Brown's Body
John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" is an American marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the 19th century...
" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. This retelling of the classic German Faust tale is based on the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker", written by Washington Irving...
" sat beneath the branches of the Arsenal Oak as a boy as he wrote his poetry. His father Colonel J. Walker Benét was stationed at the arsenal. Despite a decade long effort to save the Arsenal Oak from wood borers and hypoxylon canker, the diseased tree was removed in July 2004.
Notable alumni
See also
- Stephen Vincent Benet HouseStephen Vincent Benet HouseStephen Vincent Benét House , also known as President's Home, Augusta College, Commandant's House; Augusta Arsenal, is a house in Augusta, Georgia...
- Summerville (Augusta, Georgia)