The Georgia Military College has come a long way since its inception in 1879 when it was known as the Central Georgia Military and Agricultural College. With more than 5,000 undergraduate students as well as a preparatory education system that covers middle school and high school, some expansion and new development is a welcome sight. The school plans to break ground on a brand new $17 million Health and Wellness Center.
An opening event will take place this weekend and the public is welcome to join in the festivities. They will celebrate the groundbreaking of the new structure and launch Alumni Weekend for the school. The building will be a massive 56,000 square foot structure that will be able to serve roughly 2,000 co-ed students. A far cry from the current building which was designed in the early 60’s and didn’t have facilities to accommodate female students.
The school’s resolution was to convert the locker rooms for women and girls, but that forced male students and visiting schools to change and prepare out of building. There is only one gymnasium that has to be shared by 9 grade levels and very little room for other services such as rehabilitation, sports medicine and training equipment.
The state of the art structure will have multiple levels with natural lighting, exercise rooms, training labs and an elevated lap track. The space will allow an expansion in the types of sports available and improve inter-school sporting events. Funding for the project will come primarily from state and school budgets which amounts to $12 million as well as $2 million in gifts and donations. Another campaign has started that hopes to bring in another $3 million in donations by late 2013, in time for the centers grand opening.
To learn more about the college, or to gift to the GMC Foundation go to their websites. Georgia Military College Foundation and Georgia Military College