Study at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia

The college is named after Abraham Baldwin, a Georgia signer of the United States Constitution and the first president of The University of Georgia. The first students attended the institution in 1908 when it was an area high school called the Second District A&M School. The name was changed to the South Georgia A&M College in 1925 when it became a four-year college.

In 1929, the college changed its name again to the Georgia State College for Men, a four-year school which even featured a football team. The Rams' most famous victory was over the University of Miami.

The University System of Georgia was formed in 1933, and the college assumed two-year status and its present title. Today ABAC has 55 different programs of study including nursing, criminal justice, education, and many more.

Nursing is the largest single major at Abraham Baldwin with over 800 students taking classes for their associate degree. Once they pass their certification examination, they can reach Registered Nurse (R.N.) status. The Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources is the largest division on campus with such diverse programs as Golf Club Management, Wildlife, and Forestry. Because of its wide range of programs, the college attracts students from 153 Georgia counties, 11 other states, and 10 countries.

Over 1,300 students live on campus in either the ABAC Place apartments, where every student has a private bedroom or the brand new ABAC Lakeside suites, which are designed for freshmen. All units at ABAC Place are completely furnished with a full kitchen and living area. ABAC Place residents also make use of the 10,000 square foot John Hunt Town Center which offers a game room, exercise room, computer study area, big screen television, convenience store, and meeting room. ABAC Lakeside is divided between double and single occupancy suites. Freshmen enjoy lakefront living on the north shore of beautiful Lake Baldwin.

ABAC offers a wide variety of intercollegiate sports programs including men's and women's basketball, men's tennis, women's fast-pitch softball, baseball, men's golf, women's soccer and rodeo. ABAC has won three national championships in women's softball and two national titles in men's tennis.

Other extracurricular interests for the students include a very popular music program which includes a concert band, jazz band, concert choir, and jazz choir. The Jazz Band completed a European tour in recent years. The college has its own theatre troupe called the Baldwin Players. Other students write for the award-winning student newspaper, "The Stallion," or the literary magazine, "Pegasus." ABAC also has its own student radio station, "WPLH," and a television studio.

With its new state college status, ABAC now offers Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Diversified Agriculture and Turfgrass and Golf Course Management to complement its already vast array of associate degree programs.

Students at the college choose from 40 transfer programs, which transfer without loss of credit to other units of the University System of Georgia, or the 15 majors in the career technological program, which are designed to be completed after two years of study. Persons who want to upgrade their skills or acquire expertise in a particular area of study can enroll in 11 one-year certificate programs.

In 1987, ABAC expanded its scope to include classes in Moultrie, Ga., at a location in the center of downtown now called "ABAC on the Square." The Moultrie campus has proven to be very popular with over 400 students now attending classes there. These students select from a variety of core curriculum classes.

To meet the needs of its students, ABAC has joined with five other members of the University System to offer undergraduate and graduate degree classes leading to other bachelor's and master's degrees without students ever leaving Tifton. Students take freshman and sophomore level classes from Abraham Baldwin and then junior and senior level classes from the other colleges and universities including Macon State College, Valdosta State University, Georgia Southwestern State University, Albany State University, and the University of Georgia.

ABAC's 421-acre campus includes the 12-acre Lake Baldwin and the 200-acre J.G. Woodroof Farm. Woodroof was ABAC's first president in 1933. The ABAC Foundation owns the 91-acre Forest Lakes Golf Club, which proves a perfect teaching laboratory for students in programs ranging from Agricultural Equipment Technology to Sports Turf Management.

Prominent ABAC alumni include George T. Smith, the only Georgian to serve in all three branches of state government. He was a former Lieutenant Governor, Supreme Court Justice, and Speaker of the House. Former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox is also an ABAC alumna. Former President Jimmy Carter from nearby Plains enrolled in several short courses offered by the continuing education program at ABAC during his days as a peanut farmer.

Address:

State College

 Website: www.abac.edu