Georgia Military College
Encyclopedia
Georgia Military College (GMC) is a United States Military Junior College, high school
, and middle school
in Milledgeville, Georgia
. GMC is one of five military junior college
s that participates in the Army's Early Commissioning Program
. Cadets who graduate from GMC's two-year, military science
-oriented curriculum receive an officer commission in the U.S. Army. Although GMC is a public institution, it is part of neither the University System of Georgia
nor the Technical College System of Georgia
. The junior college was established in 1879, and later added a preparatory school for students in sixth grade
through twelfth grade
.
The main campus
in Milledgeville serves approximately 275 full-time, resident ROTC students (the Corps of Cadets) and several hundred commuter students. GMC's five centers and two extension offices in other parts of Georgia serve nearly 4,000 students.
GMC's military preparatory school for commuter students in and near Baldwin County
has approximately 250 middle school students and 250 high-school-level Army Junior ROTC (JROTC) Cadets. The preparatory school's ACCEL Program (formerly known as Joint Enrollment) enables qualified seniors to attend classes at the junior college and the high school simultaneously, while earning credit for both their high school diploma and their college degree. The ACCEL Program is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
GMC's Early Commissioning Program
(ECP) is specifically designed to enable students to become a Second Lieutenant in the US Army after the first two years in college. GMC offers funding specifically to help pay costs for Corps of Cadet members on the Milledgeville Campus. The State Service Scholarship Program provides 39 full scholarships to qualified Georgia residents with an interest in military service as well as a quality college education. The program is funded through the Georgia General Assembly. Scholarship recipients are required to become members of either the Army or Air National Guard and must be nominated by a member of the Georgia General Assembly. These scholarships cover tuition, fees, rooms, board, books and supplies. Scholarship winners must join the Corps of Cadets and participate in Army ROTC. Army ROTC Scholarships are also available for qualified cadets interested in the Early Commissioning Program (ECP). These scholarships are funded through ROTC and cover tuition, fees, and an amount for books, plus a monthly stipend. There are various options for ROTC scholarship based on the student's desire for active duty or reserve component duty.
After completing studies at GMC, a transfer scholarship is available for those GMC graduates desiring to complete their 4-year degree at Georgia's senior military college
, North Georgia College and State University
(NGC&SU) in Dahlonega, Georgia
. Georgia is the only state in the country to have both a senior military college
(NGCSU) and a military junior college (GMC). Combined, GMC and NGCSU currently have almost 900 cadets pursuing a commission in the U.S. Army.
One of the ways in which a student can become an ECP cadet is to attend the Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox
, Kentucky
. The course is four weeks long and the Cadet will be paid by the U.S. Army for completing the course. Between the Cadet's freshmen and sophomore years, the Cadet will attend the National Advanced Leadership Course (NALC) at Fort Lewis
, Washington. Following NALC, the Cadet may be able to attend additional training with Army units all over the world and in the United States. After completing required training, the Cadet is commissioned a U.S. Army officer at the end of his/her sophomore year. The ECP program allows Cadets to become Commissioned 2nd Lieutenants two years earlier than normal ROTC Cadets and even West Point Cadets. These Commissioned Army Officers can then serve in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. After completing their four year degrees, they will be promoted as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army. They will go to the Army Officer Basic Course as a 1st LT while other ROTC and USMA grads are only a 2nd LT.
GMC opened its modern barracks (dorm) facility in January 2007 for the 275 students that comprise the Corps of Cadets. A new academic building and dining hall have recently been completed.
The school's middle school is modeled after the high school, having drill at the end of the day led by cadet leadership.
"to educate young men and women from the Middle Georgia area in an environment which fosters the qualities of good citizenship." It was the apparent intention of the General Assembly to establish the school as a unit of the slowly forming University System of Georgia
. State property in Milledgeville, including the former state capital building which had been damaged by General William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea", was loaned to the University of Georgia
by the Act of 1879, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Georgia was given veto powers by this Act over the acts of the local Board of Trustees of the new institution. The school was originally called Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College and was ceded state government lands surrounding the Old Capitol Building, the seat of government for the state of Georgia from 1807-1868. The Old Capitol Building, then as now, is the main college facility and sits on the highest point in Milledgeville. The 1890 graduating class was the first to have female students.
The college's intended purpose was to enable graduates to enter higher classes at the University of Georgia, to give training in agriculture and mining, and, finally, to train teachers.
The name of the school was changed to Georgia Military College in 1900. Legislative acts of 1920 and 1922 severed the relationship with the University of Georgia and gave the local Board total power over the operations of the school. In 1922 as well the method of electing members of the Board of Trustees and filling vacancies on the board was changed. This act provided for a seven-member board to be elected from and by the citizens of Milledgeville with terms of the Trustees staggered to provide continuity. In 1930 the official addition of a junior college division to the college-preparatory secondary school finally justified its name. In 1950 the War Department designated the institution a "Military Junior College." Today it is one of only six remaining US military junior colleges so designated.
scored the game winning goal in the 2010 MLS Cup
lifting the Colorado Rapids
soccer team over FC Dallas
.
, GMC Junior College distant learning centers and extension offices are located in Atlanta
, Augusta, Columbus, Madison, Sandersville, Valdosta
and Warner Robins
. The distance learning centers serve as junior colleges to their local communities. There is no military requirement to attend a distant learning center.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
. GMC is one of five military junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
s that participates in the Army's Early Commissioning Program
Early Commissioning Program
In the United States, the Early Commissioning Program allows graduates of one of the country's five military junior colleges to become commissioned officers in the armed forces reserve in two years, instead of the usual four. The students must still go on to complete a bachelor's degree before...
. Cadets who graduate from GMC's two-year, military science
Military science
Military science is the process of translating national defence policy to produce military capability by employing military scientists, including theorists, researchers, experimental scientists, applied scientists, designers, engineers, test technicians, and military personnel responsible for...
-oriented curriculum receive an officer commission in the U.S. Army. Although GMC is a public institution, it is part of neither the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...
nor the Technical College System of Georgia
Technical College System of Georgia
The Technical College System of Georgia , formerly known as the Department of Technical and Adult Education , is the body which supervises the U.S...
. The junior college was established in 1879, and later added a preparatory school for students in sixth grade
Sixth grade
Sixth grade is a year of education in the United States and some other nations. The sixth grade is the sixth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 11 – 12 years old...
through twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
.
The main campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
in Milledgeville serves approximately 275 full-time, resident ROTC students (the Corps of Cadets) and several hundred commuter students. GMC's five centers and two extension offices in other parts of Georgia serve nearly 4,000 students.
GMC's military preparatory school for commuter students in and near Baldwin County
Baldwin County, Georgia
Baldwin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2010, the population was 46,337. The county seat is Milledgeville.Baldwin County is part of the Milledgeville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes neighboring Hancock County....
has approximately 250 middle school students and 250 high-school-level Army Junior ROTC (JROTC) Cadets. The preparatory school's ACCEL Program (formerly known as Joint Enrollment) enables qualified seniors to attend classes at the junior college and the high school simultaneously, while earning credit for both their high school diploma and their college degree. The ACCEL Program is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
Corps of Cadets
Early Commissioning Program
In the United States, the Early Commissioning Program allows graduates of one of the country's five military junior colleges to become commissioned officers in the armed forces reserve in two years, instead of the usual four. The students must still go on to complete a bachelor's degree before...
(ECP) is specifically designed to enable students to become a Second Lieutenant in the US Army after the first two years in college. GMC offers funding specifically to help pay costs for Corps of Cadet members on the Milledgeville Campus. The State Service Scholarship Program provides 39 full scholarships to qualified Georgia residents with an interest in military service as well as a quality college education. The program is funded through the Georgia General Assembly. Scholarship recipients are required to become members of either the Army or Air National Guard and must be nominated by a member of the Georgia General Assembly. These scholarships cover tuition, fees, rooms, board, books and supplies. Scholarship winners must join the Corps of Cadets and participate in Army ROTC. Army ROTC Scholarships are also available for qualified cadets interested in the Early Commissioning Program (ECP). These scholarships are funded through ROTC and cover tuition, fees, and an amount for books, plus a monthly stipend. There are various options for ROTC scholarship based on the student's desire for active duty or reserve component duty.
After completing studies at GMC, a transfer scholarship is available for those GMC graduates desiring to complete their 4-year degree at Georgia's senior military college
Senior Military College
In the United States, a Senior Military College is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs and are specifically recognized under 10 USC 2111a...
, North Georgia College and State University
North Georgia College and State University
North Georgia College & State University is a four-year public university located in Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia. Founded as North Georgia Agricultural College in 1873, it is the second oldest co-educational institution in the state. The university is renowned for its ROTC program, and is...
(NGC&SU) in Dahlonega, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Georgia is the only state in the country to have both a senior military college
Senior Military College
In the United States, a Senior Military College is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs and are specifically recognized under 10 USC 2111a...
(NGCSU) and a military junior college (GMC). Combined, GMC and NGCSU currently have almost 900 cadets pursuing a commission in the U.S. Army.
One of the ways in which a student can become an ECP cadet is to attend the Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The course is four weeks long and the Cadet will be paid by the U.S. Army for completing the course. Between the Cadet's freshmen and sophomore years, the Cadet will attend the National Advanced Leadership Course (NALC) at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington. Following NALC, the Cadet may be able to attend additional training with Army units all over the world and in the United States. After completing required training, the Cadet is commissioned a U.S. Army officer at the end of his/her sophomore year. The ECP program allows Cadets to become Commissioned 2nd Lieutenants two years earlier than normal ROTC Cadets and even West Point Cadets. These Commissioned Army Officers can then serve in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. After completing their four year degrees, they will be promoted as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army. They will go to the Army Officer Basic Course as a 1st LT while other ROTC and USMA grads are only a 2nd LT.
GMC opened its modern barracks (dorm) facility in January 2007 for the 275 students that comprise the Corps of Cadets. A new academic building and dining hall have recently been completed.
High school and middle school
Because it is part of JROTC, GMC's high school has mandatory 50-minute LET (Leadership, Education, Training) classes throughout the day. The school day is followed by a 50 minute period of marching on historic Davenport field three times a week. After school extracurricular activities include marching band, football, baseball, basketball, softball, rifle team, drill team, dance line, cheerleading, color guard, cross county, soccer, tennis, and track.The school's middle school is modeled after the high school, having drill at the end of the day led by cadet leadership.
History
Georgia Military College was created in 1879 by act of the Georgia General AssemblyGeorgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
"to educate young men and women from the Middle Georgia area in an environment which fosters the qualities of good citizenship." It was the apparent intention of the General Assembly to establish the school as a unit of the slowly forming University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
The University System of Georgia is the organizational body that includes 35 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The System is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general policy to educational institutions as well as administering...
. State property in Milledgeville, including the former state capital building which had been damaged by General William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea", was loaned to the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
by the Act of 1879, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Georgia was given veto powers by this Act over the acts of the local Board of Trustees of the new institution. The school was originally called Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College and was ceded state government lands surrounding the Old Capitol Building, the seat of government for the state of Georgia from 1807-1868. The Old Capitol Building, then as now, is the main college facility and sits on the highest point in Milledgeville. The 1890 graduating class was the first to have female students.
The college's intended purpose was to enable graduates to enter higher classes at the University of Georgia, to give training in agriculture and mining, and, finally, to train teachers.
The name of the school was changed to Georgia Military College in 1900. Legislative acts of 1920 and 1922 severed the relationship with the University of Georgia and gave the local Board total power over the operations of the school. In 1922 as well the method of electing members of the Board of Trustees and filling vacancies on the board was changed. This act provided for a seven-member board to be elected from and by the citizens of Milledgeville with terms of the Trustees staggered to provide continuity. In 1930 the official addition of a junior college division to the college-preparatory secondary school finally justified its name. In 1950 the War Department designated the institution a "Military Junior College." Today it is one of only six remaining US military junior colleges so designated.
Athletics
Georgia Military College competes in soccer, tennis, golf, cross country, softball, and football. The football program has firmly established itself as one of the very finest junior college programs in the country. Since 1991, GMC has developed 36 All-Americans, won the Junior College National Championship in 2001, played for the national championship in 2002, played in eight junior college bowl games, and sent over 250 young men to continue their education and athletic careers at four-year institutions across the country. The football team finished the 2005 season ranked 2nd in the nation. On the golf course, the Bulldogs took home the 2004 NJCAA DIII National Championship Trophy, with Brendon O'Connel taking the individual title. Alumnus Macoumba KandjiMacoumba Kandji
Macoumba Kandji is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays for the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Early Life and College:Kandji was born in Senegal, raised in The Gambia, and came to the United States in 2003...
scored the game winning goal in the 2010 MLS Cup
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
lifting the Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
soccer team over FC Dallas
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
.
Campuses
In addition to the main campus in MilledgevilleMilledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
, GMC Junior College distant learning centers and extension offices are located in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Augusta, Columbus, Madison, Sandersville, Valdosta
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
and Warner Robins
Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located primarily in Houston County with a small portion in Peach County. The city has its own metropolitan statistical area . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 48,804...
. The distance learning centers serve as junior colleges to their local communities. There is no military requirement to attend a distant learning center.
External links
- Georgia Military College
- Kappa Epsilon Psi Military Sorority, Inc - National Veterans Sorority
- "Middle Georgia Military & Agricultural College", Union Recorder, August 21, 1900 from the Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive in the Digital Library of Georgia.