GMC News

Georgia Military College Celebrates its 136th Anniversary

Georgia Military College (GMC) celebrated its 136th Anniversary on Wednesday, October 14, commemorating more than a century of excellence in education.   Statements from Governor Nathan Deal and US Congressman Jody Hice were read in honor of this special date in GMC history.  One of GMC’s oldest alumni, COL Charles Ennis, one of GMC’s youngest students, Cadet Barlow and one of GMC’s junior college Student Ambassadors, Daniela Alvarez, all participated in the celebration.

GMC was established in on October 14 in 1879 by act of the Georgia General Assembly (GGA) and was originally called Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College. In 1900, the name of the school was changed to Georgia Military College.

The Old Capitol Building, then as now, is the main college facility and sits on the highest point within the Milledgeville city limits.  In 1880, the school’s first session opened with 219 male and female students. Dr. Walter Stafford Dudley, the school’s first president, guided this class.

In 1950, the War Department designated GMC a "Military Junior College." Today, GMC is one of only five United States Military Junior Colleges and has been designated by the Georgia General Assembly as ‘The Military Junior College of Georgia.’

GMC is the alma mater to many distinguished graduates including: actor, Oliver Hardy; aviation pioneer, Bert Atkinson; pioneering pediatric surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock; U.S. Secretary of Labor, W.J. Usery, Jr.; football coach, Bill R. Yoast; and Georgia Governor, George Busbee.  

For over a century, graduates have fought in world conflicts including the Spanish-American War, World War I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraqi War and the Afghanistan Conflict. Many alumni have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In 1879, a hand full of students enrolled in GMC, most to pursue either a military path or agricultural studies. Today, more than 12,000 students attend GMC either online or at one of the eleven campus locations throughout Georgia to pursue limitless career options.