1908-1920 John Melson•Subsequenttothe1906passingofthePerryAct,JohnH.Melsonwas appointedasthefirstprincipaloftheFourthDistrictA&MSchool,asecondary schooldesignedtobetterprepareruralyouthforfarmlife.

•Whentheschoolopenedin1908underhisleadership,theregionwasin economiccrisis,soseveralindividualsandorganizationsdefaultedonpledges toassistinfinancingtheschool.Melson’swife,PenelopeStevensMelson, conducteda“bookshower”amonglocalcitizenstoprovidethenucleusof alibrary.

• In1919,PrincipalMelsonasked13stategovernorstogivetotheschoolan oaktreenativetotheirparticularstate.Thesewereplantedonfrontcampus, which,untilthattime,hadbeenacottonfield.

• “WeLearntoDobyDoing”becamethemottofortheschool.

•IrvineSullivanIngramwashiredasprincipaloftheA&MSchoolin1920. WhentheBoardofRegentsestablishedanewjuniorcollegeontheA&Msite in1933,IngrambecamethefirstpresidentofWestGeorgiaCollege.

• In1937,withsupportfromtheJuliusRosenwaldFund,theinstitution launchedaprojectthattrainededucatorstoteachinruralschools. Theprojectattractednationalattention,includingpublicationofaseriesof drawingsbyNormanRockwellmadeinoneofthelocalschools. Ingramalsoaddedalab,sociologyclassesandsummerclasses.

• In1946,WestGeorgiaCollegewasrestructuredintofoureducationaldivisions: Language,Literature,andtheArts;SocialSciences;ScienceandMath;and Education,HealthandVocations.

•AfterWWII,whenveteransflockedtothecollegeduetothenewGIbill,new dormsbecameanimperativeadditiontothecampus.Fivenewresidence hallswerebuiltandwerenamedforalumnioftheinstitutionwhohaddiedin thewar.

• In1958,WestGeorgiaCollegetransformedfromaJuniorCollegetoa SeniorCollege.

• In1960,PresidentIngramretiredaspresidentofWestGeorgia Collegeafteraremarkabletenureoffortyyears–13asprincipalofthe A&MSchooland27aspresidentofWGC.

•WilliamH.Rowbecamepresidentin1960afterIngram’sretirementbutdied fromaheartattackninemonthsintohisterm.Ingramreturnedasinterim presidentuntilJamesE.BoydwasinductedinAugustof1961.

1920-1960 Irvine Sullivan Ingram

1960 Row/Ingram

University of West Georgia’s Presidential Legacy:

100 Years of Leadership

1961-1970 James Boyd

1971-1975 Ward Pafford

• JamesEmeryBoyd,ascientistatGATechandaformermemberofWGC’s originalfaculty,becamepresidentofWestGeorgiaCollegeinAugustof1961. WestGeorgiaCollegewasthenthefastestgrowingcollegeinGeorgia.

•Asthecollegegrew,theneedforadditionalhousingonceagainarose.During Boyd’stenure,ninenewresidencehallswerebuilt.Theywere:Cobb(’64), Strozier(’64),Gunn(’65),Boykin(’66),Pritchard(’66),Downs(’69),Watson (’70),Bowdon(’71)andRoberts(’72).Mostwerenamedafterthefounding facultyofWestGeorgiaCollege.

• Thecollegealsoneedednewacademicbuildings.FivewerebuiltunderBoyd: TheHealthandPhysicalEducationBuilding(’65);theAcademicCenter(’68), whichincludedalibrary(nowIngramLibrary);theSocial-SciencesBuilding(’68),(nowthePaffordBuilding);theMathandPhysicsBuilding(’69),(nowtheBoydBuilding);theHumanitiesBuilding(’70);andtheEducationCenter(’70).

• Tohelpthecollegecontinuetogrow,WGClaunchedascholarshipandloan fundin1962with$18,772.By1971,$1,711,650infinancialaidhadbeen giventoWGCstudents.

•Withmorestudentscameexpandinginterests.Boydaddednewmajors includingChemistry/Sociology(’61/’62),Physics/Psychology(’62/’63), Economy/PoliticalScience(’63/’64)andFrench/Spanish(’64/’65).Healso implementedthefirstmaster’sprogramin1967andincreasedthe graduationrequirementsfrom190to200credithours.

• TheWGCFoundationwasestablishedin1967toworkfortheadvancement ofthecollege.ItsfirstchairmanwasanalumnusoftheA&MSchoolanda prominentphysician,Dr.SteveWorthy(1929).

• TheDivisionofGraduateStudieswasestablished(1967-68).

•Duringthechallengesofthe’60s,Boydinvitedayoungblackwoman, LillianWilliams,toattendWGC,therebyintegratingthecollegewithout incidentandwithoutwaitingforacourtorder.

• In1969,CloiseT.Reesebecamethefirstblacksecretaryemployed oncampus,withresponsibilitiesassociatedwiththeoperationoffour departments:History,PoliticalScience,GeographyandSociology. Thatsameyear,thefirstblackfacultymember(CharlesWilson,formerly anAssistantPrincipalinCarrolltonHighSchool)joinedWGC.

•BoydleftthecollegeinDecemberof1970tobecomeavicechancellor oftheUniversitySystem,andGeorgeWalkerservedasinterimpresident duringthespringandsummersemestersof1971.

•Dr.WardB.Pafford,aliteraryscholar,becamepresidentinthefallof1971 andremaineduntilspring1975.

•UnderPafford’sadministration,thedivisionalorganizationofthecollegewas changedtoaschoolstructure,andaFacultySenatewasestablished. TheDebateTeamrosefromregionaltonationalprominencebyqualifyingfor thenationalDebateTournamentforthefirsttime.WGCinstitutedtheSpecialistdegreeinEducationandtheMBA,andestablishedastandard instrumentforstudentevaluationofcoursesandprofessors.

1975-1993 Maurice K . Townsend•Dr.MauriceK.Townsendbecamepresidentin1975.Apoliticalscientistwith expertiseingovernmentbusinessandeducation,hefeltitwasimportantfor apersoninhispositiontointeractnotonlywiththefacultyandstaff,butalso withthestudents,andhedidsoonaregularbasis.Healsoreorganized studentservicesinordertoplacethepresidentclosertothestudents.

•DuringhistimeatWestGeorgiaCollege,enrollmentclimbedfrom5,803in 1975to6,351in1983.In1980,WestGeorgiareviveditsintercollegiate footballteam,whichhadbeendormantfor23years.

• In1988,aWGC-Newnanlocationwasestablishedusingborrowedrooms atNewnanHighSchool.ClassesmovedtotheShenandoahIndustrialParkin 1990andtheNewnanCenterofficiallyopened.

•Dr.Townsend’sloveofreadingledhimtoincreasethesizeofthelibrary.In thecourseofhispresidency,hepersonallydonated6,905volumestothe library.Hisfirstmajorconstructionprojectwasexpansionofthecollege library,whichin1980wasrenamedforanddedicatedtoformerPresident Ingram.Thefollowingyear(1981)Ingrampassedaway.

•WhileWardPaffordwaspresident,anewfoodservicesbuildingwasbuiltand finishedin1974butneveropened.Townsendopenedthisbuildingin1976, anditwascalledtheZ-6.

• ThedramaandmusicdepartmentsflourishedduringTownsend’spresidency, especiallyfrom1974to1984.Townsendinitiatedthebuildingofa performingartscenter,whichwasdedicatedtohimposthumouslyin1994.

• In1986,Townsendintroducedthefour-yearnursingdegree,oneofUWG’s mostsuccessfuldegrees.In1993,constructionbeganonthenew educationcomplex.Thecostwas$3,250,000and,oncecompletedin1995, ithousednursingandeducationclasses.

•OnMay16,1993,Townsenddiedafterservingfor18years–longerthan anyoneelseintheadministration,excludingIngram’scombinedtimeas principaloftheA&MSchoolandpresidentofWestGeorgiaCollege.TheTownsendCenterforthePerformingArtsandtheTownsendMemorialGardenarelastingtributestothecollege’sfifthPresident.

1994-2013 Beheruz N. Sethna• After Maurice Townsend died, Dr. Bruce Lyon (Vice President of Student Services) served as acting president for fi fteen months.

• In 1994, Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna became the fi rst person from an ethnic minority to head a predominately white or racially-integrated institution in Georgia when he was named President of West Georgia College. Originally educated as an engineer, Dr. Sethna held a Ph.D. from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree with honors from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. He had also gained considerable experience in marketing while working for Lever Brothers and Proctor & Gamble.

• When Dr. Sethna took the job in 1994, the belief was that he would be a dynamic president—and he was. Among other things, he helped move students into the residence halls in September of that year. He often worked close to eighteen-hour days, even emailing people at 3 a.m.

• Enrollment continued to climb under Sethna’s presidency, dropping only in 1996 when standards of enrollment were raised. The institution adopted the motto: “Educational excellence in a personal environment.”

• The fi rst of its kind in the state, The Advanced Academy of Georgia opened in 1995, giving exceptional high school students the opportunity to take actual college classes and live on campus. Academy graduates have gone to the best universities in the world, such as Yale and Oxford, and have been awarded Goldwater and Marshall Scholarships; one Advanced Academy alumnus graduated May 2012 with his MD—at age 21.

• On June 12, 1996, West Georgia College became the State University of West Georgia. The McIntosh stone logo, the fi rst symbol of UWG, was replaced by a logo symbolizing the torch of knowledge. Three undergraduate units became colleges rather than schools with this transition.

• In 1998, the university received approval for its fi rst doctoral program (Ed.D. In School Improvement). Three additional doctoral programs followed, including the university’s fi rst Ph.D. program. In 2012, UWG graduated the fi rst Ph.D. in the history of the University System of Georgia outside of the four Research Universities.

• In 2008, UWG graduated the youngest Bachelor’s degree graduate in the history of the University System.

• Under Sethna’s leadership, the university obtained approval for classifi cation as a SACS Level VI institution, its highest certifi cation level, and implemented Georgia’s fi rst Honors College.

• Sethna taught a sole-instructor course every year as President and even as interim Senior and then Executive Vice Chancellor, and, over his career, was personally recognized seven times for instructional innovation by the Decision Sciences Institute. He was also elected Honors Professor of the Year by UWG students.

• Campus facilities expanded signifi cantly during Sethna’s tenure. Examples include the Coliseum (’10), a new Bookstore and University Stadium (’11), the Center Point Suites (’12), renovations to the Library (’12), additional seating areas across campus and the Visual Arts Building (’12) and the Nursing building (’13). Residence and dining facilities opened on the East side of campus in 2013-14.

• In January of 2005, by a vote of the Board of Regents, The State University of West Georgia became The University of West Georgia.

• In September of 2005, UWG housed more than 200 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, ranging in age from two months to the mid-eighties.

• In 2006, due to several considerations including pressure from the NCAA to eliminate the use of team names associated with Native Americans, the university changed its mascot from the Braves to the Wolves.

• By 2013, plans were underway to relocate UWG’s Newnan location to the historic Newnan Hospital in downtown Newnan. The Newnan Center offered a complete array of core courses, as well as dual enrollment for high school students, two full undergraduate programs and fi ve full graduate programs.

• During Dr. Sethna’s tenure, UWG increased its enrollment by about 50%, increased its land holdings by more than 70%, more than doubled its square footage, more than doubled the number of degrees awarded, and increased its endowment to more than ten times its 1994 level.

• In total, Dr. Sethna served as President for 19 years, the longest tenure of any president aside from Dr. Ingram’s combined service.

•

In 1996, the university granted its first honorary doctorate to Roy Richards, Jr., CEO of Southwire Company. In 1997, UWG granted the second honorary doctorate to Julian Stanley, renowned educational psychologist and 1936 alumnus of West Georgia Junior College. Through the remainder of Dr. Sethna’s presidency, 12 more honorary doctorates were awarded.