Fort Valley State is Georgia's 1890 land-grant university and one of the few colleges founded largely by formerly enslaved men. Students raised many of its first brick buildings with their own hands, and its 1916 Ham and Egg Show grew into a nationally known farm week and folk festival. Today it runs research farms and extension programs across dozens of Georgia counties. With 1,365 acres, its campus is the largest of any public university in the state.
About this site
Fort Valley State University is a college & university in Fort Valley, Peach County. It is one of 36 historic sites cataloged in Peach County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 32.5340, -83.8948 near Fort Valley. The nearest cataloged historic site is Jean Leroy Bywaters Building (historic place), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Collis Potter Huntington Hall, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and Confederate Dead.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Fort Valley State University different
Its founders were 15 Black men, at least half of them formerly enslaved, and three white men. The university counts itself among the few American colleges founded by former slaves. fvsu.edu
Students built many of the original buildings themselves, including Founders, Carnegie, Peabody, Patton and Ohio halls. fvsu.edu
O. S. O'Neal's Ham and Egg Show, begun in 1916 to encourage better farming, grew into a national farm week and folk and blues festival covered by Life, Reader's Digest and CBS radio. fvsu.edu
The Library of Congress holds recordings and documents from the Fort Valley music festivals of 1938–1943. en.wikipedia.org
Its 1,365-acre main campus is the largest by area of any public university in Georgia. en.wikipedia.org
Anderson House, the former home of founder Francis W. Gano, is the oldest building on campus. It displays the Biggs Collection of period furniture, quilts and Civil War-era memorabilia. en.wikipedia.org
Early graduate A. T. Walden (Class of 1902) became an Atlanta civil rights lawyer and, in 1964, Georgia's first Black judge since Reconstruction. fvsu.edu
On November 6, 1895, fifteen Black men, at least half of them formerly enslaved, and three white men petitioned the Houston County court to create a school for "mental and manual education." The Fort Valley High and Industrial School was incorporated in January 1896, with founder John Wesley Davison as its first principal. Students built many of its early buildings themselves, and much of the money came from poor Black families in the area. Under Henry A. Hunt, who led the school from 1904, it followed the Hampton and Tuskegee model and built its Georgian Revival core in the 1920s. In 1916 Otis S. O'Neal started the Ham and Egg Show to encourage local farmers, and it grew into a national farm week and folk and blues festival.
In 1939 the school merged with the State Teachers and Agricultural College of Forsyth to form Fort Valley State College, a public college with Horace Mann Bond as its first president. The Board of Regents moved Georgia's land-grant designation for Black students here in 1947, and the legislature confirmed it in 1949. That made Fort Valley the state's 1890 land-grant institution, responsible for agricultural research and extension.
The college became Fort Valley State University in 1996. Today it offers bachelor's and master's degrees across three colleges. Its Cooperative Extension agents work in dozens of Georgia counties, and a dual-degree program sends STEM students on to engineering schools such as Georgia Tech. Paul Jones has been president since December 2015, and in 2026 the University System began searching for his successor.
Tied for #29 among Historically Black Colleges and Universities — U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges, 2027source
Majors & programs
FVSU offers more than 50 bachelor's majors and a set of master's programs through three colleges. Agriculture and the sciences are central to its land-grant mission, alongside business, education and the liberal arts. The list below shows each college with some of its representative programs. The official program finder has the full list.
Known for
Agriculture and animal science
As Georgia's 1890 land-grant university, FVSU runs agricultural research farms and a Cooperative Extension program across dozens of Georgia counties. It also offers a master's in animal science.
Known for
Agricultural Engineering Technology
A hands-on land-grant program linked to the university's research station and farm.
Known for
Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (dual degree)
STEM students can earn an FVSU degree and an engineering degree from partners such as Georgia Tech and Penn State.
Known for
Biology and Chemistry
The College of Agriculture and the sciences have a long record of sending graduates to medical, dental, veterinary and pharmacy schools.
All degree programs at Fort Valley State University (3)
College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology
Majors include agricultural economics, agricultural education, agriculture engineering technology, animal science, plant science and family and consumer sciences, plus an M.S. in animal science
College of Arts and Sciences
Majors include accounting, business administration, biology, chemistry, computer science, criminal justice, mass communications, mathematics and psychology, plus an M.S. in biotechnology
College of Education and Professional Studies
Majors include early childhood and special education, middle grades education and health and physical education, plus graduate counseling programs
Rayfield Wright — Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle and Pro Football Hall of Famer (inducted 2006) who came to Fort Valley to play basketball (1967) en.wikipedia.org
Catherine Hardy Lavender — sprinter who won Olympic gold in the 4×100-meter relay at the 1952 Helsinki Games en.wikipedia.org
Robert J. Jones — crop physiologist, chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and since 2025 president of the University of Washington (B.S. in agronomy) en.wikipedia.org
Calvin Smyre — longest-serving member of the Georgia General Assembly, first elected in 1974 (B.S. in business administration) en.wikipedia.org
Greg Lloyd — five-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers and SIAC Player of the Year at Fort Valley en.wikipedia.org
Tyrone Poole — the school's first NFL first-round pick (1995) and a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots en.wikipedia.org
John W. Blassingame — historian of slavery who chaired African American studies at Yale (1960 graduate) en.wikipedia.org
A. T. Walden — Atlanta civil rights lawyer, appointed in 1964 as Georgia's first Black judge since Reconstruction (Class of 1902) en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: Fort Valley State Wildcats
NCAA Division II · Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
Fort Valley State University's new high-tech facility to empower Georgia farmers | Here's how · 13WMAZFrom 1895 to today: The story of Fort Valley State University's founding · 13WMAZ"We accept this honor for all HBCUs in Georgia" | Fort Valley State's Choir wins Stellar Award · 13WMAZFort Valley State University Celebrates 130 years of education and community impact · 13WMAZThe Fort Valley State Blue Machine Marching Band - Fountain City Classic Halftime Show 2025 · FVSU Blue Machine Marching Band
Yes. Fort Valley State is a public historically Black university in the University System of Georgia, and it is the state's 1890 land-grant institution.
What is Fort Valley State known for?
Agriculture and land-grant research, with research farms and extension programs across Georgia. It is also known for its student-built historic campus, the Blue Machine Marching Band and football alumni like Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright.
How big is Fort Valley State University?
It had 2,897 students in Fall 2024 (2,699 undergraduates), according to the U.S. Department of Education. The 1,365-acre campus is the largest of any public university in Georgia.
What division is Fort Valley State?
The Wildcats compete in NCAA Division II in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), which they joined in 1941.
What does 1890 land-grant mean?
The second Morrill Act of 1890 funded land-grant colleges for Black students in segregated states. Georgia gave that designation to Fort Valley in 1947–49. The university still carries out agricultural teaching, research and extension.
Where is Fort Valley State University?
In Fort Valley, Peach County, about 30 miles southwest of Macon. The main address is 1005 State University Drive.
Is Fort Valley State ranked?
U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Colleges ranks Fort Valley State tied for #29 among historically Black colleges and universities.
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