The College of Coastal Georgia (also known as
CCGA) is a public college located in historic downtown
Brunswick, Georgia, United States. The College was established in
1961 and opened in 1964, making it one of Georgia's newest state
colleges. The college is currently transitioning from a two-year
community college into a four-year
comprehensive
institution and conferred its first baccalaureate
degrees on May 7, 2011.[2]
History
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
established the college, originally known as Brunswick College, in
1961 with Brunswick and Glynn County citizens providing a $1
million bond issue for construction of buildings and purchase of
land.[3]
The college opened in 1964 and shortly after changed its name to
Brunswick Junior College in 1965.[4]
The college continued expanding the academic facilities on the
college's 193-acre (0.78 km2) campus through the
late 1960s and 1970s.[3]
In 1972 the college added technical programs in addition to the
traditional junior college programs and offered both associate
programs in higher education and postsecondary technical and adult
programs until 2008.[4]
In 1986 the University System of Georgia Board of Regents
created the Brunswick Center Consortium composed of Brunswick
Junior College, Armstrong Atlantic
State University, and Georgia Southern
University.[4]
As part of the consortium the two university provided the college's
students with opportunities to begin schooling at the community
college and complete education in one of seven bachelor degree
programs and seven graduate degree programs through one of the two
universities. In 1988 the college name reverted to Brunswick
College after the Board of Regents voted to drop "Junior" from the
names of all state two-year colleges.[4]
During the late 1980s and 1990s the college grew into a
comprehensive community college, offering over 39 associate degrees, 21 vocational and
technical certificate programs.[4]
The Board of Regents authorized the creation of the Camden Center
location in Kingsland in response to growing
populations in expanding population of Camden County.[4]
The college transformed the former Kingsland Elementary School into
the extension location and opened the facility in January 1993. The
center offers general education transfer and vocational/technical
programs.[4]
In 1996 Brunswick College changed its name to Coastal Georgia
Community College. In 2004 the Kingsland location moved into the a
new facility in Kingsland and became known as The Camden Center at
The Lakes.[4]
Recent
expansion
In 2008 the college began transitioning from community college
to a four-year college when it announced its 10-year strategic plan
for the college.[1]
The plans include expansion of academic programs and infrastructure
to accommodate an enrollment of more than 10,000.[3]
In addition to academic and physical expansion the expansion plans
include addition student and residence life programs, as well as
expanded athletics.[3]
That same year, the vocational and technical programs were
transferred to Golden Isles
Career Academy in Brunswick, Okefenokee Technical College in
Waycross, and Altamaha Technical College in
Jesup and the college changed its name
to the College of Coastal Georgia.[4]
In 2009 the college began offering its first bachelor's degree
programs in business administration, early childhood and special
education, and middle school education began in fall 2009 and added
a bachelor's degree in nursing in 2010.[3][4]
Shortly after the transition to a four-year college began in 2009
College of Coastal Georgia saw a peak enrollment of over 3,000
students.[3]
The Health and Science Building opened in early 2011 at a cost
of $15.8 million., followed in March 2011, by the announcement that
the House Appropriations Committee of Georgia approved $7.6 million
for a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) classroom and
laboratory building, known as the Correll Teacher Education and
Learning Center.[5]
Opened on January 2013, the new building is connected to the Jones
Science Building and Academic Commons North and the two older
buildings were renovated as part of the project.[5]
CTELC includes space for teacher education classes and is located
in close proximity to the Brunswick High School,
located just off the campus, allowing education majors access to
teaching practicum opportunities and helping to facilitate early
college entrance for high school students.[5]
The building also has multiple high-tech classrooms for other
subjects, and is home to the Office of Service Learning and the
Writing Center.
On May 7, 2011, the college conferred the first ever
baccalaureate degrees.[2]
In July 2011, the college opened the new $12 million student center
that includes: dining areas, the campus bookstore with a cafe, a
theater, as well as study and recreational areas for
students.[1]
The college also opened a 352-bed residential building at the cost
$14 million, as the college's first student housing structure in
August 2011.[1]
The three-story building features suite-style dorms with individual
bedrooms connected to a common living area.[6]
The opening of CTELC marked an end to the explosion of rapid
growth on campus. Currently, the only project in progress is the
building of the Founder's Gate.[7]
However, President Hepburn is working on securing over $2 million
to renovate the Academic Commons South, the main classroom building
and the only one that has not been renovated yet.[8]
The college master plan predicts building another dormitory and a
new parking lot, but when and whether that will happen remains to
be seen.
Campus
The Health and Science Building
CCGA's main campus runs north and south, parallel to Altama
Avenue. It consists of a pedestrian mall and a large outdoor square
in the middle flanked by Mariner Way in the south, College Drive in
the north, and a parking lot on the east side of campus. The Health
and Science Building and the Gould Memorial Library lie on the
south end while the Campus Center and the Academic Commons North on
the north end. The most southern building is the Conference Center
and the most northern is the Coffin Building and one of the two
parking lots. The only buildings on the east side of campus, beyond
the other of the two parking lots, are the Student Activity Center
and the dorm.
Camden
Center
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The Regents authorized a satellite location to serve Camden County residents in 1992
and classes began in the former Kingsland Elementary School in
1993. A new permanent facility, the Camden Center, opened in
2004.
Academics
The College of Coastal Georgia is accredited by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, and has had continuous
accreditation since 1967. The college offers various majors and
areas of study and confers associate degrees and bachelor's degrees from its four
schools:
- School of Arts and Science
- School of Business and Public Affairs
- School of Education and Teacher Preparation
- School of Nursing and Health Sciences
In the fall of 2012, CCGA combined The School of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) and the School of Mathematics
and Natural Science into one School of Arts and Science. Dr. Keith
Belcher, who was dean of the latter School, became the Dean for the
new school. Dr. Hambright, the dean of the former school, went back
to being a full professor of Psychology. The School of Arts of
Science currently offers Bachelor's of Science in Biology,
Mathematics, and Psychology as well as a variety of associate
degrees.
The School of Business and Public Affairs (SBPA) began in 2009
and enrolls approximately 700 students. The school offers degrees
in BBA with a variety of concentrations, and in fall 2012, added
degrees in Criminal Justice and Public Management. The school also
offers a variety of associate degrees in business, computer
science, criminal justice, health informatics, hospitality
management, and community & organizational leadership.[9]
The School of Education and Teacher Preparation offers a Bachelor
of Education in Early Childhood/Special Education, a Bachelor of
Science in Middle Grades Education, and an Associate of Science
degree with a concentration in Teacher Education for Early
Childhood, Middle Grades, and Secondary Education.[10]
The School of Nursing and Health Sciences offers a Baccalaureate
degree in Nursing (Prelicensure BSN and RN to BSN), and Career
Associate of Science degrees in Nursing (RN) and Radiologic
Science.[11]
Athletics
Coastal Georgia (CCGA) teams, nicknamed athletically as the
Mariners, are part of the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily
competing in the Southern States
Athletic Conference (SSAC). Men's sports include basketball,
golf and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, golf,
softball, tennis and volleyball.
Coastal Georgia is currently a provisional member of the
NAIA.[12]
CCGA became a member of the SSAC in the 2012-13 academic year after
becoming a full member of NAIA following the one-year provisional
period.[12]
Until 2011 the college competed in the National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and as a member of
the Georgia Collegiate
Athletic Association.[13]
As part of the college's transformation from a two-year junior
college to a four-year institution, Coastal Georgia applied for
membership in the NAIA after exploring option to join the
National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[14]
The college also began expanding athletics in 2010 with the
additions of men's and women's golf and tennis for the for the
2010-11 academic year, in which both golf programs placed in the
top-10 nationally in the NJCAA championship tournament. The school
added women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's
volleyball, men's and women's soccer and baseball over the next
five years.[14]