Gordon College (Barnesville, Georgia)

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A two-year residential college that traces its roots to pre-Civil War times, Gordon College is located in the quiet middle Georgia town of Barnesville (population aprox. 5,200), halfway between Atlanta and Macon.

It was in 1832 that Josiah Holmes built a frame school house in the center of Barnesville to teach the classics to the local children. In 1852, the General Assembly incorporated the school as the Barnesville Male and Female High School.

In 1872, the school became the Gordon Institute, named in honor of General John B. Gordon, who served Georgia as a three-term United States Senator and a two-term Georgia Governor. The Military Department was established in 1890. For the next 100 years, Gordon distinguished itself as a premiere military institution.

In 1933, Gordon High School and Junior College moved to its present location. Gordon flourished on its new campus until the late 1960's. During this same period, Governor Carl Sanders' Commission to Improve Education established the need for a junior college in the area. Through the efforts of many community leaders, Gordon Junior College entered the University System of Georgia on July 1, 1972.


Cadets outside Lambdin HallThere were 571 students enrolled in the Fall of 1972, as the College moved into the realm of public higher education. Over the next quarter century the size and character of the College have changed tremendously. In immediate response to the needs of the community, the College began a nursing program in 1973, which has since graduated over 900 students. The campus has been completely transformed with the addition of six major new buildings and the total renovation of several others. The Gordon College Foundation endowment now exceeds $5,000,000.

Today, while Gordon provides modern facilities, including state-of-the-art computer labs and internet connections in all dorm rooms.

The College offers 70 associate of arts, associate of science, associate of science in nursing and associate of applied science degrees. A cooperative bachelor of science in nursing is offered with the Medical College of Georgia.

Gordon College enrolls aprox. 3,400 students, about 600 of whom live in residence halls. Extracurricular activities include music and theatre productions, student art shows, movies, dances, clubs and intramural sports. Gordon competes in men's intercollegiate baseball, women's fast-pitch softball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's tennis.