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University of West Georgia
Seal of University of West Georgia
Motto:	Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment
Established:	19061
Type:	Public
Endowment:	$15,177,1782
President:	Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna
Vice-president:	Dr. Thomas J. Hynes Dr. Melanie McClellan Jim Sutherland
Provost:	Dr. Thomas J. Hynes
Dean-Students:	Dr. Melanie McClellan
Students:	11,2523
Undergraduates:	9,2303
Postgraduates:	2,0223
Location:	Carrollton, Georgia, USA 33°34′18″N 85°06′53″W / 33.57167, -85.11472
Campus:	Rural 644 acres (2.61 km2)
Former names:	Fourth District A&M School, West Georgia College, State University of West Georgia
Colors:	Red and Blue
Nickname:	Wolves
Athletics:	NCAA Division II
Affiliations:	Gulf South Conference
Website:	http://www.westga.edu

The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive, residential State University located in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 50 miles (80 km) west of Atlanta, Georgia. It has an enrollment of about 11,252 students as of Fall 2008.⁴ With a student/faculty ratio of 18 to 1, the university's motto is "Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment." The University is built on a 645 acre (2 km²) Carrollton, Georgia campus. The University received a land gift of 246 acres (1.00 km²) from the city of Carrollton, Georgia [1]. Off-campus classes are available in Dalton, Newnan[2], Georgia Highlands College in Rome, and at several other community locations throughout the state.

In recent years, the university has been named by the Princeton Review as one of the Best Southeastern Colleges and one of America's Best Value Colleges. Its 115 programs of study include 59 at the bachelor's level, 41 at the master's and specialist's, three at the doctoral level and 12 at the post-master’s certificate level. Online courses are available for both undergraduate and graduate students seeking flexibility in time and location.^{citation needed}

UWG is home to the state's only Honors College. The university's Advanced Academy of Georgia is one of only about 12 U.S. programs that allow gifted high-school-age students to earn concurrent high school and college credit while living on campus in a full-time residential program.

Contents 1 History 2 Academics 3 Psychology Program 4 Student life 5 Athletic Achievements 6 Future Football Stadium 7 Notable Alumni/Faculty 8 External links 9 References 10 Notes

History

The University of West Georgia was originally founded as the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School in Carrollton, Georgia in 1906 in response to a call for "more realistic educational programs for rural youth" ages 13-21.

As times changed, so did the educational priorities of Georgia and the nation. By 1933, seven of the A&M schools abandoned their missions, and a decision was made to abolish the remaining A&M schools. The Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School was chosen later that year to become West Georgia College, a two-year institution of higher learning.

The evolution continued when West Georgia became a four-year institution in 1957. At that time, 589 students were enrolled. By 1971, enrollment had increased to over 6,000 students. Just seven years after West Georgia received university status, fall enrollment topped 10,000.

To accommodate university growth, a multi-million dollar building program has increased the value of the university's physical facilities to nearly $154 million. Beginning with three small buildings, the university has grown to include nearly 80 structures for learning, living and recreation on its 640-acre (2.6 km²) wooded campus.

Academics

The University offers 115 programs of study through the College of Arts and Sciences, the Richards College of Business, the College of Education, the School of Nursing, the Honors College, and the Graduate School. Approximately 59 programs are available at the bachelor's level, 41 at the master's and specialist levels, and three at the doctoral level. The University operates an honors program through its Honors College. In addition, the university is one of few in the United States to hold a residential, early entrance to college opportunity for high school juniors and seniors, the Advanced Academy of Georgia. Advanced Academy students take college courses and reside on campus under the supervision of a professional residential staff. In so doing, when Academy students graduate from high school, they have completed two years of university work. Some of them graduate from high school almost as college seniors, and two Academy students have graduated from their high schools in June, and the University in December. Students in the Academy and Honors College have achieved national acclaim at the National Collegiate Honors Council, and other student research competitions, and have secured admission into such institutions as Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Oxford. A hallmark of the University of West Georgia is that its senior faculty, many with national credentials and honors, department chairs, deans, vice presidents, and the president of the university teach undergraduate courses. In fact, the VPAA, Dr. Tim Hynes, has taught an undergraduate course each of his 12 years at UWG, and the president, Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, who is in his 14th year as President, puts his professor title before that of his administrative title, has taught an undergraduate course every year, has been elected Honors Professor of the Year by the students, and has been the faculty mentor for student research teams which have gone on to win national recognition and awards for their research work. On May 7th, 2004, the University issued its first doctoral degree [3]. On May 10, 2006, the University awarded its 50,000th degree.

Psychology Program

The University is unique in that it is one of only two public universities in the United States offering a psychology program with a humanistic and transpersonal focus. In 1967 Mike Arons, a student of Abraham Maslow, Paul Ricoeur, and Jim Klee, became chair of the West Georgia psychology department. Jim Thomas, then on the psychology faculty at West Georgia, and others had asked Abraham Maslow to recommend someone to them to initiate a humanistic emphasis there, and Arons was Maslow's recommendation. West Georgia's psychology department still stands as a unique center of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, based in existential and phenomenological philosophy. Under the leadership of Dr.Donadrian L. Rice[4] who has served as department chair since 1993, the psychology department was recently (June, 2006) approved to offer a doctoral level degree in psychology. The doctoral program is in Individual,Organizational,and Community Transformation: A program in Consciousness and Society.

Student life

Students have access to more than 95 student organizations covering academics, cultural/international, departmental/educational, professional and honor groups, politics, religion, service, recreation and sports, social fraternities and sororities, and debate. The athletics program fields men's intercollegiate teams in football, baseball, basketball, and cross country, and women's teams in basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, and volleyball. All intercollegiate sports are affiliated with Division II of the NCAA. In 2006, amid the NCAA Indian Mascots scandal, the UWG changed its athletic nickname to the "Wolves." [5]

UWG's marching band is known as "The Sound that Lights the South" [6] and consists of over 140 members. Led by Dr. Douglas Overmier since 2003, it is known for its high energy and athleticism. Each performance finishes with the band dancing to the final number. This group is the only performing ensemble from North America invited to Antigua to celebrate the 25th annual Independence Day ceremony.

The 644-acre (2.61 km²) pedestrian campus also includes a Library with 561,900 volumes, a Gym, computer labs, tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, a nature trail, a quarter-mile (400 m) running track, and basketball courts.

The university also operates a noncommercial radio station (WUWG-FM) at 90.7 MHz FM. It has been on the air since 1973 (originally as WWGC-FM), serving all of Carrollton and Carroll County as well as the student body of the university. The station is a listener-supported affiliate of Public Radio International, with diverse programming from a wide variety of genres.

Athletic Achievements

UWG competes on the NCAA Division II level and is a member of the Gulf South Conference

• West Georgia football holds one National Championship for NCAA Division III in 1982.
• Men's basketball team holds one National Championship for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1974.
• Co-ed Cheerleading holds six consecutive titles 2002-2007 in NCAA Division II under coach Sherry Cooney. The squad won their 7th consecutive title in 2008.
• All-female Cheerleading squad has earned four NCAA Division II National Championships in 2004,2006, 2007, 2008
• Women's basketball team won the AIAW Small College National Championship in 1974.

Future Football Stadium

Funding is underway to build an Alumni Stadium and Athletic Complex on campus. The area of proposed development is about 246 acres (1.00 km²) granted to the university from the city of Carrollton in 2003. The athletic complex will include a 9,000 seat football stadium as well as a 750 seat soccer stadium, varsity softball field, a multi-field softball complex, football and soccer practice fields and other fields for intramural sports. The project began in 2004 and will require $10 million. The funds will be raised from private donations and through a student fee approved by the Student Government Association. As of July 2006, the project had already collected $3 million [7]. Leading the effort as chairman of the Stadium Development Committee is David Parkman. In Early August 2007, the University announced that it has completed a deal with the city of Carrollton for the transfer of 246 acres (1.00 km²) to the University, part of which will be used for the new Stadium and Athletic Complex. The current plan is to break ground on the Stadium in spring of 2008 and begin playing football in the Stadium in Fall of 2009 [8].

Notable Alumni/Faculty

• Newt Gingrich (History teacher ('70-'78), U.S. Speaker of the House (1995-1999))
• Stanley Brewer (Houston Rockets, 1981 Draft Pick)
• Barry Evans (San Diego Padres pitcher ('78-'81), New York Yankees ('82))
• Brandon Jamison (Carolina Panthers LB (2007-present), Atlanta Falcons LB (2006))
• Col. Julian Dale Alford, USMC - Three time Bronze Star recipient commanded 3/6 Infantry Battalion in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Keith Beukelaer (Former American Idol Contestant)
• Sam Crenshaw (Sports anchor, WXIA Atlanta)

External links

• University of West Georgia
• UWG Wolves
• WUWG Radio Station
• The Advanced Academy of Georgia
• The West Georgian - student newspaper

References

• http://www.usg.edu/inst/uwg/
• http://media.www.thewestgeorgian.com/media/storage/paper523/news/2008/01/23/News/Another.Semester.Another.Record.Enrollment.At.Uwg-3163775.shtml
• http://www.isep.org/us/ga/
• http://www.westga.edu/~ucm/news/newmascot.html
• http://www.westga.edu/~stadium/index.html

Notes

v • d • e University System of Georgia Research Universities University of Georgia • Georgia State University • Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) • Medical College of Georgia Regional Universities Georgia Southern University • Valdosta State University State Universities Albany State University • Armstrong Atlantic State University • Augusta State University • Clayton State University • Columbus State University • Fort Valley State University • Georgia College & State University • Georgia Southwestern State University • Kennesaw State University • North Georgia College & State University • Savannah State University • Southern Polytechnic State University (Southern Poly) • University of West Georgia State Colleges Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College • College of Coastal Georgia • Dalton State College • Gainesville State College • Georgia Gwinnett College • Gordon College • Macon State College • Middle Georgia College Two-year Colleges Atlanta Metropolitan College • Bainbridge College • Darton College • East Georgia College • Georgia Highlands College • Georgia Perimeter College • South Georgia College • Waycross College Independent research unit Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Governing body Georgia Board of Regents

v • d • e Gulf South Conference Western Division: Arkansas Monticello • Arkansas Tech • Christian Brothers • Delta State • Harding • Henderson State • Ouachita Baptist • Southern Arkansas Eastern Division: Alabama Huntsville • Montevallo • North Alabama • Valdosta State • West Alabama • West Florida • West Georgia

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