Georgia Southwestern State University (College & University)
Americus · Sumter County
Georgia's campuses and the stories they hold.
The Story
Georgia Southwestern is the small state university in Americus where the Carters' public lives began. Jimmy Carter took engineering classes here in 1941. Rosalynn Smith was a class officer here in the 1940s, and the caregiving institute she founded later opened on this campus. GSW started in 1906 as a district farm school. Today it is a Division II university with a National Register historic core and Georgia's only public-university glassblowing program.
About this site
Georgia Southwestern State University is a college & university in Americus, Sumter County. It is one of 91 historic sites cataloged in Sumter County on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 32.0553, -84.2173 near Americus. The nearest cataloged historic site is Georgia Southwestern State University (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include James Earl Carter Gallery, Rees Park, and Federal Headquarters.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Georgia Southwestern State University different
Jimmy Carter took engineering courses at Georgia Southwestern College in 1941 before transferring to Georgia Tech and then the Naval Academy. en.wikipedia.org
Rosalynn Carter began her public life here in the 1940s as a class vice president, campus marshal and founding member of the Young Democrats Club. She founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving on the campus in 1987. gsw.edu
When Academic Hall burned in 1915, ammunition stored in its cadet armory exploded. Witnesses told the local paper it sounded like an infantry charge. gsw.edu
GSW is the only public university in Georgia with a glassblowing program. gsw.edu
The campus's historic core was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It includes eight buildings from 1912 to 1956, among them the 1918 Wheatley Administration Building. en.wikipedia.org
The university library is named for James Earl Carter Sr., Jimmy Carter's father. en.wikipedia.org
Blue and gold go back to the early 1900s, when the teams were simply called "The Blue and Gold." They have been the Hurricanes since 1948, and GSW played college football from 1983 to 1989. gsw.edu
In 1906 Georgia created an agricultural and mechanical school for each congressional district, and Sumter County won the Third District's with an offer of 300 acres beside the railroad plus cash. The Third District A&M School opened in Americus, and by 1907 it had four major buildings. Its first class graduated in 1910. In 1915 fire destroyed Academic Hall, and witnesses said the ammunition stored in its cadet armory went off like an infantry charge. The replacement, completed in 1918 and named for architect and trustee Charles Wheatley, is still the university's signature building.
The school began college-level teacher training in 1926 as the Third District Agricultural and Normal College. It joined the new University System of Georgia in 1932 as Georgia Southwestern College, a two-year school. In 1941 Jimmy Carter from nearby Plains studied engineering here before transferring to Georgia Tech and the Naval Academy. A few years later Rosalynn Smith was a class vice president and campus marshal. The college became four-year in 1964, awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1968 and started graduate study in 1973.
Rosalynn Carter founded her caregiving institute on the campus in 1987. The school became Georgia Southwestern State University in 1996, and its historic core was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The Hurricanes, named in 1948, have played NCAA Division II sports in the Peach Belt Conference since 2006. Kerry J. Palmer, formerly provost of Troy University, became president in August 2026.
GSW's programs are grouped into four colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Computing, Education, and Nursing and Health Sciences. Many are offered online. Nursing, education, business and computer science are the largest areas. The lists below show representative programs, so use GSW's program finder for everything, including graduate certificates and endorsements.
Known for
Art, with a glass concentration
Georgia's only public-university glassblowing program. Alumnus Arthur Wilson competed on season 4 of Netflix's 'Blown Away.'
Known for
Nursing (BSN, RN-BSN, MSN)
Taught in the Rosalynn Carter Health and Human Sciences Complex. It has several routes to a bachelor's, plus family nurse practitioner, nurse educator, informatics and leadership tracks at the master's level.
Known for
Computer Science (B.S. and M.S.)
GSW has offered a computer science master's since 1986, and it is available online.
Known for
Business (BBA and MBA)
The College of Business and Computing is AACSB-accredited and offers majors such as accounting, management, marketing, human resources and financial technology.
Known for
Education (B.S., M.Ed., Ed.S.)
Prepares teachers in elementary, middle grades, secondary and special education, with endorsements in autism and ESOL.
Known for
Engineering dual degree
Students can pair a GSW science or math degree with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech.
All degree programs at Georgia Southwestern State University (4)
College of Arts and Sciences
Departments of Biology; Chemistry, Geology and Physics; English and Modern Languages; History and Political Science; Mathematics; Music, Communication and Emerging Media; Psychology and Sociology; and Visual Arts (including glass)
College of Business and Computing
Majors include Accounting, Management, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship, Financial Technology, Project Management, Computer Science, Information Technology and Digital Media Technology, plus the MBA and M.S. in Computer Science
College of Education
Elementary, Middle Grades, Secondary, Special Education and Health & Physical Education, plus the M.Ed., the Ed.S. and autism and ESOL endorsements
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Nursing (traditional, second-degree, LPN-BSN and RN-BSN routes; MSN), Exercise Science, and Long-Term Care Management
Jimmy Carter — 39th U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (attended in 1941–42) en.wikipedia.org
Rosalynn Carter — First Lady (1977–1981) and mental-health and caregiving advocate (graduated from Georgia Southwestern College, 1946) en.wikipedia.org
Griffin Bell — U.S. Attorney General (1977–1979) and federal appeals judge (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Jaha Dukureh — Gambian anti-FGM activist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and TIME 100 honoree (business administration degree, 2013) en.wikipedia.org
Quentin Fulks — principal deputy campaign manager of Joe Biden's and then Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaigns (B.A. political science, 2012) en.wikipedia.org
Jack Carter — Jimmy Carter's eldest son and 2006 U.S. Senate nominee in Nevada (attended) en.wikipedia.org
Athletics: Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes
NCAA Division II · Peach Belt Conference (since 2006–07)
'Never did I dream they would bear my name' | Namesake buildings honor Rosalynn Carter's history at · 11AliveFormer President Jimmy Carter's legacy left at Georgia Southwestern State University · WALB News 10Presidential descendants gather at GSW as university becomes academic home of First Ladies Day Co... · WALB News 10Jimmy Carter donates Nobel Peace Prize funds to GSW's Rosalynn Carter Institute · Georgia SouthwesternFritz Driesbach @ Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, GA - March 2011 · lofidesigns
Georgia Southwestern State University: questions & answers
Did Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter go to Georgia Southwestern?
Yes. Jimmy Carter studied engineering there in 1941–42 before Georgia Tech and the Naval Academy. Rosalynn Smith attended in the 1940s, when it was Georgia Southwestern College, and served as a class officer and campus marshal.
What is Georgia Southwestern known for?
Its ties to the Carters, nursing and teacher education, AACSB-accredited business and computing programs, and the only glassblowing program at a Georgia public university.
How big is GSW?
About 3,700 students in Fall 2024 (3,024 undergraduates and 676 graduate students), according to the U.S. Department of Education.
What division is Georgia Southwestern?
NCAA Division II. The Hurricanes have played in the Peach Belt Conference since 2006–07.
Who is the president of GSW?
Dr. Kerry J. Palmer, formerly provost at Troy University, became GSW's president on August 1, 2026.
Can you visit the GSW campus?
Yes. Admissions offers campus visits and Preview Days. The historic core around the domed Wheatley Administration Building is easy to see on foot, and Plains and the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park are a short drive west.
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