Introduction
On behalf of the Georgia College (GC), the Office of Human Resources is pleased to welcome you to our University. You are a very important member of our university community. At Georgia College, we believe that the accomplishment of our mission as Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University depends on you, our valued employee! We know that you will make a significant contribution to the success of Georgia College!
This policy manual will enable you to have a more thorough understanding of the benefit of employment with Georgia College. This guide to University policies and practices is intended solely to provide guidance and is not an employment contract nor does it create any type of contractual obligations. Neither you nor the University is bound to continue the employment relationship if either, at any time, chooses to end it.
The University reserves the right to change, revise, or eliminate any of the policies, benefits, and practices described herein. In case of any divergence from or conflict with the Bylaws or Policies of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the official Bylaws and Policies of the Board of Regents shall prevail. An institutional or Board of Regents policy or procedure shall override any departmental policy or procedure which conflicts with those outlined in this policy manual. Also some of the policies and provisions contained herein may not be applicable to faculty members. Provisions applying solely to the faculty are described in the Academic Affairs section of this manual and the Faculty Handbook.
While this policy manual provides much detail, no policy manual can provide for all circumstances. Accordingly, the Office of Human Resources welcomes your ideas and suggestions on how the information in this policy manual might be changed for the better. Likewise, the Office of Human Resources will answer any questions you may have regarding the University's policies, procedures, and practices.
Your Employer
Georgia College (GC) is an important part of an educational organization that includes thirty institutions of higher education throughout the state, all supported by you and your fellow taxpayers. Responsibility for direction of these educational institutions is given to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, created by an Act of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. The Board of Regents appoints the President of GC. The President, in turn, approves the appointment and reappointment of faculty and other employees, the salary of each, promotions and removals.
Related link:
Board of Regents Web Site
History of The University
Georgia College was founded in 1889 as Georgia Normal & Industrial College (GN&IC) with a mission to provide an education to women in Georgia in areas such as dressmaking, cooking, stenography, typewriting, bookkeeping, and industrial drawing. In 1917, the college offered degree programs and granted four-year degrees in 1922. Along with these changes, the college changed its name for the first time to Georgia State College for Women (GSCW). In 1932, the college became part of the University System of Georgia.
In an effort to increase enrollment, the college began its first graduate program in 1959 when the Master of Education degree was offered to students. To reflect the administration's belief that the college should remain an all-women's school, the name was changed in 1967 to The Woman's College of Georgia. However, in 1967, the University System Chancellor announced that the college would begin admitting male students, and the name was changed again to Georgia College at Milledgeville.
With the admission of men to the school, the college quickly expanded to serve the entire Middle Georgia region. In order to meet the needs of its students, the college opened satellite campuses in Warner Robins, Macon, and Dublin. The college also began offering more masters degrees in the fields of business administration, history, management, public administration, home economics, social administration, psychology, and biology. In 1971 the college's name was shortened to Georgia College.
In 1996 the Board of Regents offered Georgia College the statewide mission of becoming a liberal arts University, providing a high standard of education for Georgia College students. With this new mission came the name: Georgia College & State University.
Currently, Georgia College offers more than 46 baccalaureate, 14 pre-professional programs and 38 graduate degree programs and awards more than 1,100 degrees annually, of which 300 are graduate.
This information, and much more, is available in the University Archives.
Vision
As the state's designated public liberal arts University, Georgia College is committed to combining the educational experiences typical of esteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education. GC is a residential learning community that emphasizes undergraduate education and offers selected graduate programs. The faculty is dedicated to challenging students and fostering excellence in the classroom and beyond. GC seeks to endow its graduates with a passion for achievement, a lifelong curiosity, and exuberance for learning.
Principles
Georgia College aims to produce graduates who are well prepared for careers or advanced study and who are instilled with exceptional qualities of mind and character. These include an inquisitive, analytical mind; respect for human diversity and individuality; a sense of civic and global responsibility; sound ethical principles; effective writing, speaking, and quantitative skills; and a healthy lifestyle.
While GC faculty are committed to community service and are creatively engaged in their fields of specialization, they focus their attention primarily on maintaining excellence in instruction and guiding students. Students are endowed with both information and values through small classes, interdisciplinary studies, close association with the faculty and staff in and beyond the classroom, lively involvement in cultural life, and service to the community. In turn, GC seeks to provide communities and employers with graduates who exhibit professionalism, responsibility, service, leadership, and integrity.
Core Mission Statement For State Universities
In addition to the University's Vision Statement and Principles, the University's mission embraces the following principles from the Board of Regents' Core Mission Statement for State Universities:
The core characteristics include:
- a commitment to a teaching/learning environment, both inside and outside the classroom, that sustains instructional excellence, serves a diverse and college prepared student body, promotes high levels of student achievement, offers academic assistance, and provides learning support programs for a limited student cohort;
- a high quality general education program supporting a variety of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and professional academic programming at the baccalaureate level, with selected master's and educational specialist degrees;
- a commitment to public service, continuing education, technical assistance, and economic development activities that address the needs, improve the quality of life, and raise the educational level within the university's scope of influence;
- a commitment to scholarly and creative work to enhance instructional effectiveness and to encourage faculty scholarly pursuits, and a commitment to applied research in selected areas of institutional strength and area need.