Several hundred thousand students return this month to more than two dozen metro Atlanta college campuses, where they’ll see big building projects and can take new courses.
Here’s a look at all the fresh happenings and big hires for fall 2024 coming to a college or university near you.
Agnes Scott College
Credit: Jenkins•Peer Architects
Credit: Jenkins•Peer Architects
The college will open its renovated Main Hall, a signature building on its Decatur campus that dates to 1891. The updated and preserved building features a dormitory, administrative offices and the Career Exploration Center. The center will support students with counselors and mentors as well as professional development tools and technology. The college also will introduce a graduate studies program with a physician assistant tract. Classes begin Aug. 28.
Atlanta Metropolitan State College
The school will mark its 50th anniversary this year with a Founders Day celebration on Sept. 25. Classes begin Aug. 19.
Berry College
Credit: Brant Sanderlin/Berry College
Credit: Brant Sanderlin/Berry College
The school near Rome will conduct a national search for a president to take over after longtime leader Steve Briggs retires at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. The college will also launch an Inclusive Post-Secondary Education program for those aged 18 to 26 with intellectual disabilities. The two-year certificate program provides academic courses as well as internships, mentorship and vocational skill-building. Classes begin Aug. 26.
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Executive Leadership Institute has teamed up with Harvard University to further its work. The institute recruits and develops presidents and leaders for the nation’s HBCUs. Classes begin Aug. 21.
Clayton State University
Clayton State will host an investiture ceremony on Sept. 20 for President Georj Lewis, hired last year. The university will introduce a Master of Arts in teaching in elementary education starting next spring. Classes begin Aug. 10.
Emory University
Credit: Ayers Saint Gross
Credit: Ayers Saint Gross
Emory University graduate students can now live on-campus in Atlanta. The school is opening its only on-campus housing for graduate and professional students after beginning construction on the project in fall 2022. The more-than-500-bed building features studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
The new Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement will host its first Ideas Festival Emory on Sept. 20-22 at the Oxford College campus. The event will feature dozens of speakers, including Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple, AJC contributing food writer and cookbook author Virginia Willis and writer John T. Edge. Classes begin Aug. 28.
Georgia Gwinnett College
Students who graduate from Georgia Gwinnett College in December will be the first to celebrate commencement in the school’s new convocation center, scheduled to open in late fall. The more-than-70,000-square-foot facility with 3,100 seats also will host sporting events and offer student health and recreation space on the Lawrenceville campus. Classes begin Aug. 12.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Credit: Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Credit: Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Meet “Monty,” Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s new mascot. The furry, friendly student ambassador’s full name is “Piedmont the Lion,” and it can be found at community and college events. The school’s main campus in Clarkston and its Covington campus are undergoing renovations to provide more learning and student gathering spaces. The work is expected to be finished within the year. Classes start Aug. 12.
Georgia State University
Credit: Georgia State University
Credit: Georgia State University
A new 3.7-mile walking path with special signage will connect areas of the downtown Atlanta campus. The path winds through campus quads and takes pedestrians to the university’s most visited spots. A new 900-space Fulton Street Parking Deck also will open behind the school’s Convocation Center.
The university is opening a $6.3 million dental hygiene clinic at its Dunwoody campus in September to train students who will have access to 20 treatment rooms.
Georgia State has also revamped the curriculum for its part-time master’s in business administration program to focus more on artificial intelligence, big data analysis and how to foster productive teamwork in workplaces. The MBA program also will be offered online for the first time this fall.
Classes begin Aug. 26.
Georgia Tech
Credit: Georgia Tech
Credit: Georgia Tech
In October, Georgia Tech will unveil its Pathway of Progress: Celebrating Georgia Tech Women, described as an “architectural sculpture” with a digital experience component. The art piece features a canopy of metal tiles and pays tribute to prominent graduates and historical events. It is being built near the John Lewis Student Center.
Several significant yearslong construction projects are ongoing on the Atlanta campus, including the third and final phase of Tech Square featuring two high-rise towers plus work to construct the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center. Other projects closer to completion include an upgrade to sidewalks and roads on the east side of campus, to be complete by the end of 2024. Safety improvements are coming to Ferst Drive to separate bike, pedestrian, vehicle and bus traffic, with the project to wrap up by early 2025. Work also is underway to upgrade the D.M. Smith Building. That renovation, to be done by mid-2025, will bring a virtual lab and hoteling space for the School of Public Policy.
Classes begin Aug. 19.
Gwinnett Technical College
Students enrolled at Gwinnett Technical College can earn 20 new certificates launching this year. The list includes various Ford and Mercedes-Benz technician programs and certificates for salon and spa support specialists, robotic welding operators and electric vehicle charging station technicians. Classes begin Aug. 19.
Kennesaw State University
Coffee lovers, rejoice. The Kennesaw campus’ Carmichael Student Center has been renovated to include a new Starbucks that opens this fall. Also on that campus, the Commons Dining Hall will reopen with updated interior finishes, and the university has reworked its vehicle and pedestrian pathways to eliminate vehicles from the campus center. On the Marietta campus, the Crawford Lab Building has been renovated and reopens this fall.
The Kennesaw State Owls’ sports teams are starting the first year competing in Conference USA. New academic programs include a Master of Science in artificial intelligence and a Master of Education in teacher leadership and educational leadership.
Classes begin Aug. 12.
Morehouse College
The private historically Black men’s college in Atlanta has begun a search for a new president after David A. Thomas announced he’ll retire June 30, 2025. The college also is starting construction on a new residence hall and student center. Classes begin Aug. 21.
Morehouse School of Medicine
The Atlanta medical school has renovated the Hugh Gloster Building and Medical Education Building with updated laboratories and office and conference rooms. New student orientations began this summer.
Morris Brown College
Since regaining its accreditation in 2022, Morris Brown College continues to hire new administrators and faculty. The list includes new academic hires in music, psychology, and general studies and liberal arts as well as a director of community standards and career development and other posts. Classes begin Aug. 12.
Oglethorpe University
Credit: Henry Bradley
Credit: Henry Bradley
The private university in Brookhaven will celebrate President Kathryn McClymond with inauguration and investiture events on Sept. 19-20. McClymond was named the school’s first female president last year.
The school has also hired a new provost, Gabriel Barreneche, who hails from Berry College. Oglethorpe and Emory University’s School of Nursing will launch this fall a coordinated effort that allows Oglethorpe students to earn a master’s degree in nursing. Classes begin Aug. 26.
Savannah College of Art and Design
The college is offering a number of new degree programs at its Atlanta campus, including bachelor’s degrees in game development and master’s degrees in cinematography. Also new to the Atlanta site are six undergraduate and graduate programs that had previously only been offered at the main campus in Savannah. Those include a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in sound design and master’s degree programs in animation, visual effects and other areas.
Classes at the Atlanta campus begin Sept. 9.
Spelman College
Spelman College students can now pursue a cosmetic science concentration and minor. Online learners can earn a new certificate in business communications. The school is also developing an initiative to recruit students from small towns and rural areas in partnership with the STARS College Network. Classes begin Aug. 21.
University of Georgia
Credit: JUSTIN EVANS
Credit: JUSTIN EVANS
After a $30 million renovation, the landmark Holmes-Hunter Academic Building will reopen this fall. The updates have made way for new student meeting spaces, conference areas and a classroom. UGA also is rolling out new safety measures, announced after the on-campus killing of Laken Riley. Those include a Campus Safety Ambassadors program that will escort students as they walk through campus, upgraded lighting and automated license plate readers. Classes begin Aug. 14.
University of North Georgia
Credit: Cozart
Credit: Cozart
The Cumming campus has added a 27,300-square-foot expansion that cost $15.5 million. The extra space allowed the university to offer bachelor’s degrees in Cumming, which paves the way to more than doubling enrollment from 1,000 to 2,200 students. The university also is launching a new master’s degree in spatial data and information sciences. Classes start Aug. 12.
University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia will open its renovated Humanities Building this fall. The school’s athletic program has been boosted to NCAA Division I and is now a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Two new colleges were formed in July: the College of Mathematics, Computing, and Sciences and the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Classes start Aug. 14.
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