The Georgia Board of Regents last week approved another round of consolidations between state colleges, this time in South Georgia.
Statesboro’s Georgia Southern University will merge with Savannah’s Armstrong State University, with the latter assuming the former’s name. The combined schools will have an enrollment of over 27,000, making it the 4th largest University in the state.
Tifton’s Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is also consolidating with Bainbridge State College, with the new merger adopting the Abraham Baldwin moniker.
Georgia schools are no strangers to consolidations – this is the 5th round since 2012. In 2015 there were two major mergers, Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University, and Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College. In both of those cases, along with the more recent ones, many students and alumni expressed concern and dismay over the moves. While a wide array of logistical concerns is readily apparent, the Board of Regents reassured worried students, arguing that the economic and educational upside from the mergers far outweighs any negatives.
The consolidations now must be approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and should they pass the process should be complete by fall of 2018.
