A Smart Approach to the Future
Macon's students today hold the promise for the next century's community and leadership. The area's educational institutions fully intend to prepare them for the technology-based world they will inherit. A sharpened focus on educational quality, generated from the grassroots level to the state's legislature, provides innovative programs, financial assistance, and more demanding standards for every instructional level. The goals of raising aspirations and expectations, and creating a culture of excellence in education, permeate every program in some way or another.
The Macon 2000 Partnership was established in 1992 to
improve the quality of education in Bibb County. Macon 2000
relies heavily on community involvement to achieve its goals.
Educators, parents, students, clergy, government, businesses, and
social service personnel work together to put plans into action for
the public school system. The organization's efforts, especially in
seeking grants, have brought the schools an array of programs
without imposing additional tax costs. These include tangible programs
for at-risk, gifted, or challenged students. Macon 2000
Partnership successes have eamed national attention, and the
organization serves as a state model for other educational
partnerships.
Connecting with the Working World
Elementary students learn through the innovative television studio
program at the Winship Geography & History Magnet School.
Photography by Ken Krakow.
School administrators, from the Bibb County School System to the post-secondary institutions, forged partnerships with area businesses to further elevate students' prospects as employees. These programs introduce classrooms to realistic challenges and advanced technology, helping to ensure the readiness of tomorrow's workforce. The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, an active supporter of the educational community, developed a presentation illustrating the benefits of business involvement in education and encouraging participation. The Chamber of Commerce also assists with career workshops and offers "shadowing" or on-the-job mentorship opportunities for students. Over 60 businesses, agencies, churches, and civic groups have adopted Bibb County schools to provide insightful information and instructional materials beyond the curriculum.
Additionally, all of the area's post-secondary institutions,
including Mercer University, Wesleyan College, Georgia College,
Macon College, Fort Valley State College, and Macon Technical
Institute, linked their respective educational facilities to industry
through various programs. These cooperative efforts help to maximize
the educational opportunities at the schools and advance
the area's economic development.
State Educational Support
The Georgia Legislature heard the concerns of parents, educators, and businesses and acted to encourage post-secondary education for the state's high school graduates. Now every Georgia high school graduate pursuing a degree, diploma, or certificate at any of the state's public or private colleges, universities, or technical institutes can apply for financial aid through the state's unique HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) program. Funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the HOPE program also provides financial assistance for schools seeking computers and other advanced equipment.
The Georgia Legislature also allocated funds to provide training assistance for new and expanding industries planning to hire large numbers of personnel. Named Quick Start, this economic development tool minimizes start-up problems for the participating companies and creates an immediate skilled labor force; it's a win-win program for employees and employers. Schools such as Macon Technical Institute and Macon College also offer short-term programs for companies looking to train a group of employees on a particular subject.
The current strength of Macon's educational climate owes a great
deal to the efforts of contemporary local, regional, and state leaders.
They took their history lessons to heart and vowed to create a truly
progressive educational experience for all Maconites.
Macon's Early Lessons on Education
As a frontier town in the 1820s, Macon invited adventurers and entrepreneurs, but few children. To the city's credit, the Bibb County Academy and a singing school opened in 1824. Macon became a central location for learning institutes mainly after the Civil War. Some early schools here resulted from the city's progressiveness; others formed out of necessity due to the traditional segregation of the times. A few of these institutions disappeared into the history books when the Civil Rights Movement rendered them unnecessary. Many endured the troubled eras and evolved into leading educational facilities.
One of the South's first specialized educational programs opened a new world to nine vision-impaired children in 1852. The Georgia Academy for the Blind has continuously taught since then, even during the Civil War when it moved its classes to Fort Valley for safety. The school returned to Macon and later established its Vineville Avenue campus. The nation's third-largest school for the blind now offers some 170 disabled students regular high school and special education diplomas. About 135 staff members and 50-plus volunteers help students learn marketable skills and participate in numerous community activities. The Academy also provides internships for student teachers from six post-secondary schools, including Macon College and Mercer University.
Twenty years after the Georgia Academy for the Blind broke new ground for special-needs children, other private elementary and secondary schools initiated programs here. Mount de Sales Academy began with associations to the Catholic faith in the 1870s and remains an active private school. In addition, some 15 other private institutions and over 40 private pre-school facilities now accept students in the Macon area.
Many of the other elementary and secondary schools built in
Macon's early history reflected the segregationist beliefs embedded
in the Southern society at the time. The Bibb County Public
School and Orphanage System organized common free schools
for whites in 1872. Schools for black children, such as Lewis High
School, were independently created during the latter part of the
nineteenth century. Central City College, later renamed Georgia
Baptist College, formed in 1882 and remained the only local post-secondary
institution for blacks until Maconite Minnie Smith
founded the Beda-Etta College in 1921. "Miss Minnie" taught children
during the day and adults in the evenings at a building she
purchased with her life savings. Her dedication to education,
intensely shared by so many leaders of both races, helped heal
the scar left by the South's racism. By 1964, black school children
sat in classrooms next to white children. Today, cultural awareness
and appreciation for diversity come across clearly in the
school lessons, moving the community forward in equality.
Quality Education in Bibb County Public Schools
When national consultants surveyed the Bibb County School System in the 1990s, they raved about the variety of successful new programs available to students. Certainly the Board of Education's television studio and cable broadcasts rank among the more creative efforts to involve the community in the educational process. Over 25,000 students in the Bibb County system learn through an array of innovative programs and the dedicated efforts of professional instructors. About 75 percent of the certified staff hold advanced degrees; many have earned state and national recognition, including presidential citations.
Computer labs at Southeast High School connect the school
and the students to the next century. Photography by Ken Krakow.
The school system features four magnet schools among its 31 elementary facilities. Alexander II Math-Science School began in 1979 and Clisby Fine Arts School, Hunt Language Arts & Spanish School, and Winship Geography & History School followed. All of these schools teach students from kindergarten through sixth grades. Seventh and eighth grade pupils attend one of the four middle schools: Appling, Ballard Hudson, McEvoy, or Miller. Each middle school receives Channel One and holds "Explorations in Technology" labs. Four high schools offer grades 9 though 12 three diploma sequences. Students may opt for the standard high school path, a vocational-technical route, or a college preparatory format. Two facilities also address the needs of exceptional students.
As part of the school system's goal to prepare students for
the high-tech world ahead of them, all the high schools
teach an "Introduction to Technology" class to give students
insights and hands-on experience with the latest advancements.
Additionally, the school system equipped every classroom
to download a variety of satellite cable programming.
Computer labs, a two-way video and audio teleconferencing
system, and other technology connect the schools--and the
students to the next century.
Post-Secondary Progressiveness
A little more than a decade in existence, Macon took it's first bold step into the world's post-secondary educational arena. The novel idea of a school granting degrees to women generated considerable debate. Fortunately, the majority believed the time had come "to place the Females of our beloved State so far as science and literature are concerned, on a footing with the males, and by a practical, useful, and thoro' [sic] education, fit and prepare them for all the duties of life . . . . " as stated by the Georgia Female College's first Board of Trustees in November 1836. One month later, the charter for the world's first college for women was granted. By the 1860s, students at Georgia Female College formed the nation's first two sororities, The Adelphean Society (AIpha Delta Pi) and The Philomathean Society (Phi Mu). Renamed Wesleyan College in 1917, the school also claims the world's oldest alumnae association. Wesleyan College's alumnae currently number above 7,500 in cities spanning the globe.
About 500 young women attend Wesleyan annually from all around Georgia, different states, and foreign countries. Ranked fifth in the South among regional liberal arts colleges by US. News & World Report, Wesleyan's average student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1 ensures personalized attention. Over 20 Bachelor of Arts major degree programs, including pre-professional programs in law, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, and health sciences, provide a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning. The school maintains its affiliation with the United Methodist Church and retains its progressive approach to education. Modern communication equipment connects the entire campus. Each Freshman student receives a computer to plug into the college network. The system provides access to Internet and assignments can be "handed-in" online.
The 200 acre campus of Georgian-style buildings and
cascading lawns, established in 1928, beautifully enhances the
suburban area of Macon. It isn't the only landmark Wesleyan
College bestowed on the community. The school's first location
on College Street gracefully overlooked Washington Park until it
burned in 1963. Now the Federal Building housing the United
States Post Office stands in its place, constructed to remarkably
resemble the school's original building.
Mercer University Expands Macon's Educational Horizons
Just as Wesleyan College grew from Macon's early history, another post-secondary school located here in the nineteenth century and earned national and international acclaim. Georgia Baptist leader Jesse Mercer founded Mercer University in 1833 at Penfield, Georgia, and relocated the institution to Macon in 1871. That year, the school officials hired Chicago architect G.P Randall to construct Mercer University's central administration building. During the Great Chicago Fire (the infamous conflagration kicked off by Mrs. O'Leary's cow), all of Randall's drawings for the building burned. He reportedly built the entire structure as planned from memory, completing it in 1874. Restored in 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the central administration building still houses the university's main offices.
Even before finishing the original administration facility construction, Mercer University established its Walter F. George Law School in 1873. One of the oldest law schools in the South, it came four years after the school's cornerstone academic program, the College of Liberal Arts. The Law School moved to the Coleman Hill site in the 1970s, but the College of Liberal Arts remains on the 130-acre central campus. Now drenched in ivy garlands and shaded under a canopy of magnolia and pine, the main campus also encompasses the School of Engineering, School of Medicine, Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, and University College. The Southern School of Pharmacy occupies Mercer University's Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta.
Today, Mercer University's combination of programs in liberal arts, business, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, and law issue some 20 undergraduate and professional degrees. No other independent university of Mercer's size in the country offers such an impressive range of programs. The school ranks among the top ten colleges and universities in the South and extends the best value among southern regional universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. The school's 6,700-plus students also position Mercer as the nation's largest (and the world's second largest) Baptist-affiliated institution.
The school's administrators shared the city's concerns about economic development and actively responded. A lack of family practitioners, especially in the rural areas, prompted the creation of Mercer's School of Medicine in 1982. The American Academy of Family Physicians presented the school with a Gold Achievement Award, noting that among all medical schools in the country, Mercer produced the highest percentages of graduates pursuing family practice residencies.
In 1985, Mercer University established the state's second engineering school to fulfill the demand for qualified aerospace employees. The Mercer Engineering Research Center, initiated two years later at Warner Robins, directly bridges academia with industry to creatively solve real-world challenges. Allied with this center, the Mercer University Research Office focuses on faculty and staff projects, and assists them in seeking funds. The Research Office opened in 1994 and quickly took a leadership role in developing new medical treatments, devising better testing methodologies, creating useful theoretical equations, and many other accomplishments that may hold keys to greater health and scientific understancling in the future.
Fort Valley State College offers several graduate programs,
concentrating on education and counseling fields.
Photography provided by Fort Valley State College.
The Atanta-based Center for Business Research and
Development, part of the School of Business and Economics,
invites Georgia municipalities and businesses to use the facility for
market research, seminars, and workshops. Professional continuing
education programs offered by the University College at
Macon and five other locations further reinforce the link to the
business community. This fast-growing school for non-traditional
students, including business people, gifted children, and senior citizens,
reflects Mercer's ability to readily adapt to changing educational
needs. With highly automated libraries, computerized campus
facilities, active student organizations, and one of the country's
largest academic book presses, Mercer University promises to
remain one of Macon's proactive educational institutions.
The University System of Georgia's Area Colleges Open Opportunities
Three more educational institutions followed Wesleyan College and Mercer University to the area, greatly contributing to the growing regional education center here. All part of the University System of Georgia, Fort Valley State College and Georgia College began instruction in the late 1880s; Macon College opened its doors almost 80 years later, answering the call for a two-year facility conveniently located in Central Georgia.
Georgia College, established in 1889 with its main campus at nearby Milledgeville, now offers an easily accessible branch facility in Macon's CIGNA Building. The school's ten undergraduate degree programs at Macon include business, education, legal assistance studies, criminal justice, nursing, and general studies. The Georgia College graduate programs also reflect some of the city's primary growth industries: business, nursing, education, and public administration. Continuing education classes similarly support the local workforce. Besides the modern classroom facilities, Georgia College in Macon houses a comprehensive computer lab, full library/media center, bookstore, and accessible faculty offices for a complete college experience within a professional setting.
Fort Valley State College began as Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School in 1895. A merger with the Forsyth State Teachers and Agricultural College in 1939 prompted the change to its current name. Located on a handsomely landscaped 650-acre tract in Fort Valley, the main campus hosts the School of Agriculture, Home Economics and Allied Programs; the School of Arts and Sciences; and the School of Education, Graduate, and Special Academic Programs. The University System of Georgia's newest 55,000-square-foot meeting facility, the C.W. Pettigrew Farm and Community Life Center, accommodates up to 600 guests for conferences, conventions, or arts performances. About 300 of Fort Valley State College's 2,700 students attend classes in Macon, also at the CIGNA office complex. The Macon branch offers several graduate programs, concentrating on education and counseling fields. Undergraduate degree programs at Macon include business, education, and criminal justice disciplines. Macon's central location and the school's flexible scheduling draw students from all around the area.
On the opposite side of the city, Macon College welcomed the state's largest post-secondary charter class ever when 1,110 students began studying there in 1968. The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, the Bibb County Board of Commissioners, and other regional leaders had campaigned for a public institution of higher education, understanding the need for a centralized school to serve the growing community. Instead of a four-year school, they worked toward creating a two-year institution--a progressive concept at the time. By the 1990s, the school enrolled about 5,000 students from a broad radius of counties surrounding Macon.
The main campus stands on a wooded, 167-acre site partially hidden from Eisenhower Parkway and I-475. The tranquil setting even invites Canadian geese to pause there every spring to visit Lake Kneedeep. The campus started with seven buildings. Student population growth and expanded missions brought four more structures, including a library in 1994 and a classroom auditorium building in 1995. To maximize its accessibility, Macon College also operates branch facilities in the downtown historic Capital Theatre building, at Robins Air Force Base, and in the Middle Georgia Technology Development Center at Warner Robins.
A part of The University System of Georgia, Macon College
offers students a variety of traditional collegiate programs with
a special emphasis on majors related to health and technology.
Photography provided by Macon College.
Macon College's programs closely relate to the area's industries,
including health services and aerospace. Students choose from over
38 two-year transfer programs; some 15 two-year career programs;
and a variety of two-year cooperative or one-year certificate programs.
In addition, Macon College expanded its continuing education
courses in conjunction with the Central Georgia Small Business
Development Center, and created its Center for Educational and
Economic Development to present applicable professional educational
opportunities and serve as a liaison between the public
school system and area industries. Macon College also cooperates
extensively with the Macon 2000 Partnership to encourage
students to raise their aspirations and reach their goals.
Macon Technical Institute Fulfills a 1917 Objective
Less than 50 years since the Civil War had abrupty halted many classrooms, Georgia earned the country's respect for its forward-thinking leaders. Dudley Mays Hughes reigned among them as a State Senator and U.S. Congressman. A native of nearby Twiggs County, Hughes led much of the early efforts to establish public vocational-based educational institutions for the benefit of the nation's youth and the country's businesses. The history books most frequency mention his tireless visionary for the 1917 Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act. Hughes' innovative measure defined a new type of school curriculum and authorized federal money to advance vocational education for the first time. The same year, Hughes helped form the Georgia State Board of Vocational Education--a predecessor to the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. This department oversees Macon Technical Institute (MTI) today.
The current MTI programs embody much of the concepts first
introduced by Hughes. Established in 1962, the school moved to
its spacious campus off Eisenhower Parkway in 1978 and created
a satellite campus in Milledgeville 12 years later. MTI teaches
technical studies covering about 74 areas, concentrating on high-demand
fields, such as accounting, practical nursing, medical
lab technology, or computer programming. Its Aircraft Structural
Technology diploma program produces highly skilled graduates
for the region's aerospace industry; the program's success
warranted construction of a new airplane hanger at the school
for hands-on training. The advanced facilities and superb placement
rates attract students from 35 counties seeking technical
certificates, diplomas, associate degrees, or continuing education
courses. Cognizant of its critical ties to area employers, MTI's
Business and Industry Services department promotes economic
development and works with area firms to create specialized
training courses for employees. The school honors the
Department of Technical and Adult Education's Technical
Education Guarantee, ensuring competent and appropriately
trained workers.
Educational Support for All Ages
The educational opportunities seem boundless in Macon. The Middle Georgia Regional Library system particularly encourages lifelong learning. Incorporating three branch locations in Macon and the main collection at the Washington Memonal Library, the system serves all of Bibb County and beyond. Constructed in the 1920s, Washington Memonal Library now holds some 415,000 books for adults and children, The Macon Telegraph issues from 1823 to the present, an African-American collection, the local history archives, CD-ROM and other computer-based catalogs, and many other resources. The library also houses an extensive collection for the blind and the world-renown Genealogical & Historical Room. About 15,000 national and intemational researchers annually peruse through the 16,000 volumes and 6,000-plus microfilm reels for information on early pioneers, the 13 colonies, and the Revolutionary War.
Besides the fine public schools and private institutions, commercial vocational schools and multitudes of organizations also offer specialized training. If a person wants to learn about something - anything - there's a resource in Macon.
