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Augusta State University has its roots in the Academy of
Richmond County, founded in 1783. In 1925, the post-secondary
portion of Richmond Academy was assigned to a new institution,
the Junior College of Augusta, the first junior college in the state
of Georgia.
In 1958, the institution changed its name to Augusta College and became a part of the
University System of Georgia.
Augusta College awarded its first four-year degrees in 1967, and
added graduate degrees in 1973. In 1996, Augusta College
changed its name to Augusta State University. At the present time,
Augusta State University (ASU) offers more than 60 associate, bachelor,
masters, and specialist degree programs.
In 1991, Augusta College (now ASU) and Georgia Southern University
entered into a memorandum of agreement in which Georgia Southern's
Master of Public Administration program being offered in the Augusta
metropolitan area would become a program offered in cooperation with
Augusta College. This action was initiated by Dr. Ralph Walker, Chair of
the Department of Political Science. It was anticipated that this
arrangement, which included a jointly appointed faculty member, would
extend for five years. By 1996, pending approval by the Board of Regents,
the Augusta "satellite" MPA degree program of Georgia Southern would
transfer to and become a new graduate offering of Augusta College.
Dr. Gwen Wood joined the faculty as a joint appointment between Augusta
College and Georgia Southern University. She served as site coordinator
for Georgia Southern's graduate programs at Fort Gordon, Georgia and
taught courses in public administration and political science at Augusta College.
In 1994, Dr. Wood and Dr. Walker guided the process of creating a separate
MPA degree program for Augusta College which would be developed in
accordance with guidelines for accreditation established by the National
Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).
In 1996, the memorandum of
agreement with Georgia Southern expired and a new one was reached
which outlined an amicable separation of the two institutions so that,
by August of that year, the Augusta State MPA program was ready to
accept applications for its fall class in a new program. It also agreed
to assist Georgia Southern students who had already begun their degree
work and who wished to continue their MPA studies in Augusta. The
first class enrolled in Augusta State University MPA classes in September,
1996 and the first six graduates of the program completed their studies
and graduated in June, 1998.
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