Perimeter College at Georgia State University is a college of Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Perimeter College was originally a public community college founded by an Atlanta area county board of education before merging with Georgia State University in 2016 to create one of the largest universities in the United States with over 50,000 students. The Perimeter College (PC) campuses became components of Georgia State University, still maintaining their own mission, degrees, and admittance requirements, separate from those of the main campus. Before merging with GSU, PC served metro Atlanta with five campus locations and offered more than 40 programs of study, including Arts, Music, Theatre, Nursing, Business Administration, Education, Dental Hygiene, Criminal Justice, and Sign Language Interpreting.
History
Perimeter College was founded by the DeKalb County Board of Education as DeKalb College in 1958 and offered its first classes in Clarkston, Georgia, in 1964. Its service area grew as new campuses opened and students came to the college from throughout the metro area. In 1997, DeKalb College was renamed Georgia Perimeter College. It was called Georgia Perimeter College, as a two-year associate degree-granting unit of the University System of Georgia until January 6, 2016.
Campuses
Three in DeKalb County: Clarkston Campus (formerly known as "Central Campus"), in an unincorporated area south of Clarkston, is the original campus. Decatur Campus (formerly known as "South Campus"), in an unincorporated area south of Decatur. Dunwoody Campus (formerly known as "North Campus"), in Dunwoody Home to an observatory that is available for public use. Newton County: Newton Campus, in an unincorporated area, south of I-20 and east of Covington. Fulton County: Alpharetta Center, in Alpharetta in north Fulton County. The Perimeter College Botanical Gardens include a Native Plant Garden and the Ferns of the World Garden, which contains more species of ferns than any other garden in the United States. Discussions about plants, garden walks and special sales are open to the public.
Academic profile
Perimeter College was the largest two-year college and the fourth-largest institution in the University System of Georgia, with about 21,371 students enrolled. PC's online program was the largest in the state university system, serving over 9,000 students. Perimeter College transferred almost 3,000 students annually to bachelor's degree programs within the University System of Georgia, accounting for one-fifth of transfers within the system. To allow students to transfer to four-year institutions of their choice, Perimeter pioneered a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, signing more than 40 TAG agreements with in-state, out-of-state, public and private four-year colleges and universities.
More than one-third of Perimeter College's faculty members earned their doctorate; this statistic did not include numerous part-time instructors. PC had more Governor's Teaching Fellows than any other institution in Georgia: 40 since 1996. More than 46 PC faculty members received National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Teaching Excellence Awards since 2003.
The 3-year graduation rate was 7% before amalgamation with Georgia State University.
Military outreach
Perimeter College's Military Outreach program served one of the largest military and veteran populations in the State, with over 1,100 military-affiliated students attending PC each semester. Designated year after year as a Military Friendly and Best-For-Vets institution, PC's Military Outreach program had been recognized as a model in the State and across the Nation. The Military Outreach Center provided all the services, support and assistance student veterans need to reach their academic goals. PC had Military Outreach Centers located on all five campuses and provide personalized assistance to its many Online student veterans, offering everything from academic and financial aid counseling, to scholarships and emergency grants for military/veteran students and their families. PC honored its student veterans by Serving Those Who Have Served.