Abbreviated History of Abac

ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF ABAC

The Second District Agricultural and Mechanical School opened in 1908as an area high school for 27 students in Tifton, Georgia. In 1924 the South Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical College was organized, and the physical property of the high school was adapted for college use. Change occurred again in 1929 when the institution’s name was changed to the Georgia State College for Men (GSCM). Both South Georgia A&M andGSCM offered bachelor’s degrees.

The University System of Georgia (USG) was formed in 1933, and the College joined the USG with a new name and a new mission. GSCM became Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), named for Abraham Baldwin, one of two Georgia signers of the Constitution.ABAC offered onlyassociate degree programs including agriculture, forestry, and home economics.

The USG granted ABACState College statusin 2006, allowing the College to expand its offerings to include bachelor’s degrees in selected fields. ABAC began offering junior and senior level classes in 2008. During the 2017 fall semester, ABACenrolled 3,392 students from 155 of Georgia’s 159 counties, 18 states, and 24 countrieswho pursued bachelor’s degrees in Agribusiness, Agriculture,Agricultural Communication, Agricultural Education, Biology, Business and Economic Development,Environmental Horticulture, History and Government, Natural Resource Management, Nursing, Rural Community Development, Rural Studies, and Writing and Communication. ABAC also continued to offer selectedassociate degree programs.Nearly 1,400 students live on campus in ABAC Place and ABAC Lakeside. ABAC had an estimated $369,874,664economic impact on South Georgia in fiscal year 2016.

On January 1, 2018, all students at Bainbridge State College became ABAC students after a consolidation process was approved by the USG Board of Regents. In addition to the main campus in Tifton, ABAC now has instructional sites in Bainbridge, Donalsonville, Blakely, and Moultrie.

ABAC’s six intercollegiate sports include men’s baseball, golf, and tennis, and women’s soccer, tennis, and softball. ABAC teams have won five national championships, three in women’s softball and two in men’s tennis. ABAC also has its own nine-hole golf course, the Forest Lakes Golf Club.The Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village became a part of the ABAC campus in 2010. The site opened as the Georgia Agrirama in 1976.

The ABAC music program enjoys an international reputation since the Jazz Band has toured Europe on three different occasions. Other performing groups include the Concert Band, Jazz Choir, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers. The student newspaper, The Stallion, and the literary magazine, Pegasus, enjoy a rich history of literary excellence. Students also involve themselves in the Baldwin Players Theatre Troupe and the on-campus radio station, WPLH.

ABAC alumni include George T. Smith, the only man to be elected to all three branches of Georgia state government. Smith served as Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and as a Georgia Supreme Court Justice.Other alumni include Georgia Governor George Busbee; Cathy Cox, the first female Secretary of State in Georgia history; and professional golfer Boo Weekley.

2-14-18