Welcome
About the University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is the nation's oldest state-chartered university. In 1985 the University attained an important milestone, its 200th birthday. Throughout its Bicentennial Year the University celebrated with special events of all kinds.
In July and August of 1996 the University was the site of three competitions in the Centennial Olympic Games: the finals of football (soccer) in Sanford Stadium, and volleyball matches and rhythmic gymnastics competitions in the Coliseum. More than a half million people enjoyed these Olympic events at the University.
History
One of the significant aspects of the University is its rich history. We hope a brief review of some of the highlights will help you feel at home here and have a greater understanding of the traditions and the pride in the past that students of many generations have shared.
Just after the close of the American Revolution, the Georgia legislature took a step that was to start another revolution-this one in higher education. In 1784, the General Assembly of Georgia set aside 40,000 acres of land to endow "a college or seminary of learning." A year later, on January 27, 1785, The University of Georgia was chartered by the state legislature.
The infant University existed for 16 years on paper only, with Abraham Baldwin as president, but without campus, money, faculty, or students. Finally, in 1801, sufficient funds had been raised for classes to begin. A site was selected for the campus, and the first few students began to trickle into the newly formed frontier town of Athens.
That first year, the faculty consisted only of the new college president, Josiah Meigs. Classes in Latin, Greek, mathematics, debate, and natural history were held in a primitive log structure. A typical curriculum for a junior included courses in astronomy, determination of geographic longitudes and latitudes by the observations of eclipses, natural and experimental philosophy, composition, logic, and history.
At the first commencement in 1804, ten men received the Bachelor of Arts degree. Two years later, Old College, the first permanent campus building, was completed. It and other 19th century landmarks-New College built in 1823, Demosthenian Hall in 1824, part of the existing Holmes/Hunter Academic Building in 1831, and the Chapel in 1832 among them-are still very much in use today in Athens.
The University Today
From its earliest days when aspiring young students came from the settled parts of Georgia to gain an education, to the formation of the University System of Georgia in 1932 with the University of Georgia as its beacon, to ensuring equal academic access to all students, the institution on the hill in Athens today has a campus that in a real sense extends throughout the state of Georgia.
The main campus stretches two miles from its entrance, the famed Georgia Arch, to the most distant of the University's 344 buildings. University farms, forests, and research facilities adjacent to the campus proper extend UGA's boundaries even farther. With cooperative extension offices and other facilities throughout the state, University of Georgia land holdings total more than 42,000 acres.
More than 32,000 students from all over the United States and most nations of the world are enrolled in today's 14 schools and colleges which were founded in this order: Franklin College of Arts and Sciences (1801), College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (1859), School of Law (1859), College of Pharmacy (1903), Warnell School of Forest Resources (1906), College of Education (1908), Graduate School (1910), Terry College of Business (1912), Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication (1915), College of Family and Consumer Sciences (1933), College of Veterinary Medicine (1946), School of Social Work (1964), College of Environment and Design (1969), and School of Public and International Affairs (2001).
Today's University of Georgia is fulfilling in a superior fashion its three missions-teaching, research, and public service. Skilled, dedicated teachers provide stimulating and enriching educational opportunities. Scientists and researchers expand the body of knowledge while seeking and finding answers to problems that beset the people of our world. And a wide ranging public service program delivers knowledge and answers to citizens so that they might enjoy happier and more rewarding lives.
That is the mission of the University of Georgia: building on the past while looking forward to the future.