History of Middle Georgia College
Middle Georgia College was established on October 20, 1884, as the College of the New Ebenezer Association. The association was composed largely of Baptist churches in Pulaski, Dodge, Laurens, and Telfair counties. Instruction began on January 10, 1887, with approximately 100 students, most of whom were from the Middle Georgia area.
During the early period, the institution was divided into preparatory and collegiate departments. The catalog of 1887 says its curriculum’s purpose was "to prepare pupils for business or for the Junior Class in Universities. This includes Latin, Greek, Mathematics, Natural Science and several modern languages, with English studies and Music."
On August 21, 1917, an agricultural and mechanical school for the Twelfth Congressional District was established on the same campus. This school was chartered as one of the branches of the Georgia State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, a department of the University of Georgia.
The Middle Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical Junior College was established in 1919. This, too, was a branch of the University of Georgia. The name was changed to Middle Georgia College, and its operation was placed under a board of nine trustees in 1929.
Middle Georgia College was placed under the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on August 27, 1931. The Dublin Center was located in Dublin in 1984. In 2007, the Georgia Aviation Technical College in Eastman was merged with Middle Georgia College. In 2006, the Board of Regents authorized Middle Georgia to begin offering select baccalaureate degrees.
By 2012, Middle Georgia offered 6 four-year degrees and more than 40 majors and transfer programs. The school operated the Georgia Academy of Aviation, Mathematics, Engineering and Science, a residential joint enrollment program to allow students to earn a high school diploma and associate degrees simultaneously. It sponsored intercollegiate athletic teams in six sports. Middle Georgia College’s fall 2012 enrollment was 3,104 students.