08 LC 95
0373
House
Resolution 1279
By:
Representatives Scott of the
153rd,
Roberts of the
154th,
and Houston of the
170th
A
RESOLUTION
Celebrating
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's 100th anniversary; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) was instituted when the Georgia
General Assembly enacted Public Law 448 on August 18, 1906, establishing a
state-run Agricultural and Mechanical School in each of Georgia's 12
congressional districts; and
WHEREAS,
on November 23, 1906, Tift County sent 30 delegates to Albany to bid to become
the site for the Second District A&M School, and, led by the determined
effort of Mr. H.H. Tift, Tifton outbid Camilla, Pelham, Ashburn, and Albany;
and
WHEREAS,
the Second District A&M School opened its doors for classes on February 20,
1908, with three instructors, 27 students, and three buildings, Tift Hall, Lewis
Hall, and Herring Hall, which still stand today on the front of the campus;
and
WHEREAS,
in 1924, its name was changed to the South Georgia A&M College, and in 1929,
its name changed again, this time to the Georgia State College for Men, making
it the first senior college for men in south Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
in 1933, it was renamed Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in honor of a
Georgia signer of the Constitution and the first president of the University of
Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
today, ABAC bears strong witness to its roots, the Division of Agriculture and
Forest Resources being the largest division of study on the 421 acre campus;
and
WHEREAS,
since 1908, the college has expanded its curriculum to include 57 programs of
study, including two new Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Diversified
Agriculture and Turfgrass and Golf Course Management, the first four-year
degrees offered by ABAC under its new state college status within the University
System of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
ABAC also embraces Georgia's search for health care workers with its Division of
Nursing, which sends highly skilled nursing graduates into the health care
industry each year and has over 700 nursing program students; and
WHEREAS,
the college offers outstanding programs in humanities, social science, business,
science and mathematics, and health and physical education; and
WHEREAS,
ABAC recorded its all-time record enrollment during the 2007 fall semester with
3,665 students from 154 Georgia counties, 12 other states, and nine countries,
and it housed more students than ever before on campus with over 1,300 students
living in the ultramodern ABAC Place apartments and the new ABAC Lakeside
complex; and
WHEREAS,
the intercollegiate sports program at ABAC is one of the best in this state with
five national championships to its credit, two in men's tennis and three in
softball; and
WHEREAS,
ABAC is proud of its many alumni, including the Honorable George T. Smith, the
only man in the history of Georgia to be elected to all three branches of state
government.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body join in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College, congratulate it on its past accomplishments, and look
forward to its continued success and achievement.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College.