Emmanuel began on January 1, 1919, when the Pentecostal Holiness Church opened a school at an old mineral-springs resort in Franklin Springs. The property came with two hotels, a skating rink and summer cottages. The school survived a Depression-era shutdown and put up a classroom building made from salvaged World War II barracks. It is now Emmanuel University, a Christian school of about 950 students whose Division II Lions field more than 30 teams.
About this site
Emmanuel University is a college & university in Franklin Springs, Franklin County. It is one of 95 historic sites cataloged in Franklin County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.2821, -83.1478 near Franklin Springs. The nearest cataloged historic site is The Franklin Springs (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Franklin Springs Baptist Cemetery, Franklin Springs City Cemetery, and Center Cemetery.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Emmanuel University different
The school began on an 87-acre mineral-springs health resort, and it held its first classes in the resort's old hotels. eu.edu
The Taylor Building was put together from surplus World War II military buildings that President Thomas Aaron bought in Charleston, S.C., took apart, and hauled to Franklin Springs. eu.edu
The Great Depression closed the school from 1931 to 1933. It came back and grew into a junior college. eu.edu
The name Emmanuel means 'God with us,' and the school's motto is the Latin version, Deus Nobiscum. en.wikipedia.org
Emmanuel's athletic center, opened in 2012, covers 76,000 square feet and includes a pool and a bowling alley. en.wikipedia.org
The Lions field more than 30 teams, including less common sports such as archery, bass fishing, rifle, triathlon, acrobatics and tumbling, and men's volleyball. goeulions.com
In 1918 leaders of the Pentecostal Holiness Church bought an 87-acre health resort built around the mineral springs of Franklin Springs, in northeast Georgia. On January 1, 1919, the Rev. George Floyd Taylor opened the Franklin Springs Institute there. It started as a secondary school that also taught a few college-level courses, and its classes met in the resort's old hotels and outbuildings.
The Great Depression closed the school from 1931 to 1933. When it reopened, the Rev. Thomas Lee Aaron began a long presidency that turned it from a community school into a junior college. In 1939 it was renamed Emmanuel College, from a Hebrew name meaning 'God with us.' After World War II, Aaron bought surplus military buildings in Charleston, South Carolina, had them taken apart, and rebuilt them in Franklin Springs as the Taylor Building. For years it held the library, the chapel and the dining hall.
Emmanuel was accredited as a junior college in 1963 and as a four-year college by 1981. In 2012 it opened a 76,000-square-foot athletic center, and it moved from the NAIA into NCAA Division II, becoming a full member in 2018. On July 10, 2023, having added graduate programs, it became Emmanuel University. Greg Hearn was inaugurated as its 10th president in November 2024.
Emmanuel offers more than 30 areas of study in 12 academic departments, from associate degrees to graduate programs, all taught from a Christian worldview. Teacher education, Christian ministries, business, and kinesiology and sports management are among the largest areas. There is even a diversified agriculture program. The list below groups the departments. See Emmanuel's degree search for current majors.
Known for
Christian Ministries
Emmanuel was founded in 1919 by the Pentecostal Holiness Church and remains affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Alumni include Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan.
Known for
Education (including Agricultural Education)
Teacher preparation is one of Emmanuel's core programs. Its agricultural education degree draws on the university's diversified agriculture department.
Known for
Kinesiology & Sports Management
Students study alongside a Division II athletic program with more than 30 teams and a 76,000-square-foot athletic center.
Known for
Biology (pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary and pre-professional tracks)
Pre-health tracks prepare students for pharmacy, veterinary and other professional schools.
All degree programs at Emmanuel University (8)
Business
Business administration (associate and bachelor's)
Christian Ministries
Christian ministries and biblical studies
Communication and English
Communication; English
Criminal Justice, History and Psychology
Criminal justice; history; psychology
Diversified Agriculture
Agriculture programs, including agricultural education
Education
Teacher preparation programs, including agricultural education
Kinesiology & Sports Management
Exercise and sport-related degrees
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Mathematics; biology with pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary and pre-professional tracks; allied health (associate)
Vinson Synan — historian of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements and author of 25 books (two-year degree from Emmanuel College) en.wikipedia.org
Tico Brown — professional basketball player who began his college career at Emmanuel in 1975 before starring at Georgia Tech (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Steven Guinchard — French-Taiwanese professional basketball player in Asia (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: Emmanuel Lions
NCAA Division II (full member since 2018) · Conference Carolinas
Acrobatics & tumblingArcheryBaseballBasketballBass fishingBeach volleyballBowlingCheerCross countryFlag football (women)GolfLacrosseRifleSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & fieldTriathlonVolleyballWrestling
Reached the 2014 NAIA Division I men's basketball national championship game as an eighth seed, falling to Vanguard youtube.com
Became a full NCAA Division II member of Conference Carolinas in 2018 en.wikipedia.org
Home venues: Shaw Athletic Center (basketball arena, natatorium, bowling alley and indoor track)
Emmanuel University Spring 2026 Graduation · EmmanuelUniversityGAEmmanuel College - 100 Years of Service · EmmanuelUniversityGASight and sounds from NAIA Championship game · Kansas City StarEmmanuel College NAIA Final Four · ShyOne4JC
In Franklin Springs, a small town in Franklin County in northeast Georgia, about 45 miles northeast of Athens. U.S. 29 runs through the campus.
Is Emmanuel College now Emmanuel University?
Yes. Emmanuel College became Emmanuel University on July 10, 2023, after adding graduate programs.
What church is Emmanuel affiliated with?
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church, whose Georgia leaders founded the school in 1919.
How big is Emmanuel University?
Small. Federal data counts 950 students in Fall 2024, on a campus of about 150 acres.
What division is Emmanuel?
NCAA Division II. The Lions play in Conference Carolinas and field more than 30 teams, including archery, bass fishing and triathlon.
Why is it in Franklin Springs?
Because of the springs. In 1918 the Pentecostal Holiness Church bought a mineral-springs health resort there, hotels and all, and turned it into a school the next year.
Get Georgia Roam — 12,000+ historic sites in your pocket
See this site and every marker, cemetery, courthouse, museum, battlefield and landmark across Georgia on one live map — find what's near you, get directions, and collect sites as you roam.
Georgia