Southern Polytechnic State University

Southern Polytechnic State University
Official logo of Southern Polytechnic State University
Former names
The Technical Institute (1948–1949),
Southern Technical Institute (1949–1987),
Southern College of Technology (1987–1996)
MottoImagination, Innovation, Application[1]
TypePublic
Active1948[2]–2015
FounderBlake R. Van Leer
EndowmentUS$3.1 million (2012)[2]
Academic staff
226 full-time (fall 2013)[3]
96 part-time (Fall 2013)[3]
Students6,238 (spring 2014)[4]
Undergraduates5,410 (spring 2014)[4]
Postgraduates802 (spring 2014)[4]
Other students
26 (spring 2014)[4]
Location
Marietta, Georgia
,
U.S.

33°56′32″N 84°31′15″W / 33.94222°N 84.52083°W / 33.94222; -84.52083
CampusSuburban (230+ acres)[5]
Colors    Green and White
NicknameRunnin' Hornets
Sporting affiliations
Southern States Athletic Conference
MascotSting
Websitespsu.edu
President Emerita: Dr. Lisa Rossbacher[6]

Southern Polytechnic State University (also called Southern Poly; abbreviated SPSU) was a public, co-educational, state university in Marietta, Georgia, United States approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta. Until 2015, it was an independent part of the University System of Georgia and called itself "Georgia's Technology University."[7]

Southern Tech was founded in 1948 as The Technical Institute in Chamblee, Georgia by Blake R. Van Leer.[8][9] The first classes were held with 116 students. It was renamed the Southern Technical Institute in 1949 and moved to its present campus in Marietta, Georgia in 1962. It went through another name change in 1987 and became the Southern College of Technology. In the summer of 1996, the university adopted its polytechnic name. It was one among a small group of polytechnic universities in the United States that tend to be primarily devoted to the instruction of technical arts and applied sciences.[10]

On November 1, 2013, plans were announced by the Georgia Board of Regents for Southern Polytechnic and Kennesaw State University to be consolidated into one university.[11] On January 6, 2015, the Georgia Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the consolidation of Southern Poly and Kennesaw State, with Kennesaw State as the surviving institution. On July 1, 2015, Kennesaw State established the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in honor of the former SPSU.

  1. ^ Temporary Style Guide. Marietta, GA: Southern Polytechnic State University. PDF.
  2. ^ a b "Southern Polytechnic State University." U.S. News & World Report Report LP, 2012. Retrieved 11 Aug. 2014. <"Southern Polytechnic State University | Southern Polytechnic | Best College | US News". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-28.>.
  3. ^ a b Institute of Education Sciences, Retrieved 7 Mar 2012, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=141097
  4. ^ a b c d BOARD OF REGENTS UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA Retrieved 5 Aug 2014, http://www.usg.edu/research/documents/enrollment_reports/SER_Spring_2014_Final.pdf
  5. ^ Watson, Ann S. "New Georgia Encyclopedia." Georgia Humanities Council, 10 Dec. 2004. Retrieved 10 Mar. 2012. <http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1429>.
  6. ^ SPSU President Emerita, Retrieved 11 Aug 2014, http://www.spsu.edu/presidentemerita/
  7. ^ "University Mission." Southern Polytechnic State University Marietta, Georgia. Retrieved 01 May 2012. [1].
  8. ^ "Georgia Tech Football Preview Kennesaw State". Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  9. ^ Bennett, Richard A. (1998). Southern Polytechnic State University: The History (PDF). Southern Polytechnic State University Foundation.
  10. ^ "Points of Distinction". Admissions & Outreach Office at Cal Poly Pomona. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Kennesaw State, Southern Poly to merge". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 1 November 2013.