West Georgia University
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Former names
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Fourth District A&M School, West Georgia College, State University of West Georgia |
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| Motto | Go West |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1906 |
| Endowment | $20,494,835 |
| President | Kyle Marrero |
| Students | 12,002 |
| Undergraduates | 10,039 |
| Postgraduates | 1,963 |
| Location |
Carrollton, Georgia, U.S. 33°34′18″N 85°06′53″W / 33.57167°N 85.11472°W |
| Campus | Rural 644 acres (2.61 km2) |
| Colors | Red and Blue |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II – Gulf South |
| Nickname | Wolves |
| Mascot | Wolfie |
| Affiliations | University System of Georgia |
| Website | www |
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The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles (80 km) west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres (2 km²) including a recent addition of 246 acres (1 km²) from the city of Carrollton in 2003. Off-campus classes are available in Dalton, Newnan, Georgia Highlands College in Rome, and at several other community locations throughout the state. It has an enrollment of approximately 11,700 students. For the past ten years, the University has been repeatedly named as one of the Best Southeastern Colleges by The Princeton Review.
The decision to create the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School occurred in 1906 in response to a call for "more realistic educational program for rural youth" aged 13 to 21. The Bonner plantation was chosen as the location for the school.
The school's first principal was John H. Melson who served from 1908 to 1920. John Melson and his wife Penelope worked intimately along beside the students who attended the school and further enhanced the institution. In addition, Penelope Melson was the one responsible for creating the library at the college. In January 1908, she conducted a "book shower" which provided the school with a little over 300 manuscripts.
In 1920 Irvine S. Ingram became Melson's successor and the second principal of the A&M school. He married fellow faculty member Martha Munro in 1921 and they had one daughter, Anne, in 1924. Ingram was instrumental in developing the concept of "extension" education and adult-education offerings along with a summer school program for local teachers to develop their skills.
In 1933 the school's name (Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School) was changed to West Georgia College and it became a two-year institution. When this occurred, Ingram became the college's first president. He served until 1960 and was succeeded by William H. Row. Shortly after, Row died from a heart attack and Ingram filled in as president for six months in 1961 until James E. Boyd was appointed to the position. While president, Ingram saw West Georgia became a four-year institution in 1957. He can also be credited with obtaining a substantial grant of $250,000 from the Rosenwald Foundation used to expand the college's facilities and programs, including the Sanford building, originally used as a library and creating the College in the Country program, initially an adult or continuing education program that eventually involved student teachers from the college, and foreign exchange programs that brought national recognition to the college.
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