Georgia State University: A Comprehensive Overview of the Downtown Atlanta Campus

Georgia State University (GSU), a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, stands as one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. Classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research spending and doctorate production," Georgia State offers over 250-degree programs across 10 academic colleges and schools, solidifying its position as the most comprehensive public institution in Georgia. With a history spanning over a century, Georgia State's campus has evolved significantly, incorporating modern facilities and historic buildings alike.

Historical Development and Expansion

Founded in 1913, Georgia State initially functioned as an offsite department of Georgia Tech until 1947, and then UGA. In 1955, it became an autonomous four-year college named Georgia State College of Business Administration. Over its history, Georgia State has expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions and construction to meet the growing needs of its student body and academic programs.

The 1990s marked a period of significant growth, with the expansion of Alumni Hall in 1991, the opening of the Natural Science Center in 1992, and the acquisition of the former C&S Bank Building on Marietta Street in 1993, which now houses the Robinson College of Business. Georgia State's foray into the Fairlie-Poplar district began in 1996 with the acquisition and renovation of the Standard Building, the Haas-Howell Building, and the Rialto Theater. The Standard and Haas-Howell buildings provide classrooms, offices, and practice spaces for the School of Music, while the Rialto Theater is home to Georgia State's Jazz Studies program and an 833-seat theater.

In 1998, the Student Center expanded toward Gilmer Street, adding a new 400-seat auditorium and space for exhibitions and student club offices. A new Student Recreation Center opened in 2001 at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Gilmer Street.

Following the 2006 master plan update, the campus saw a flurry of construction activity. A $20 million refurbishment to the Pullen Library complex was completed during the 2006-07 school year. Multiple on-campus housing units were built, including the 2,000-bed University Commons in 2007, a new dormitory named Freshman Hall (later renamed Patton Hall) in 2009, and the conversion of a former Wyndham Garden Hotel and a Baymont Inn & Suites into Piedmont North, a new dormitory with 1,100 beds. New Greek housing was constructed in 2010 along Edgewood Avenue.

The Citizens Trust Building on Piedmont Avenue was purchased in 2007 to provide space for offices and student services. The Parker H. Petit Science Center, completed in 2010, features state-of-the-art science laboratories and teaching spaces. In 2013, Georgia State began operating from the 25 Park Place Building, a 26-floor skyscraper that was originally the home of the Trust Company of Georgia and later the SunTrust Bank. This building now houses many academic units of the College of Arts and Sciences, including the Dean's Office, the University Advisement Center, and facilities of the School of Public Health.

In November 2024, Georgia State University secured $107 million to initiate significant upgrades to its downtown campus as part of a transformative plan featuring nine projects aimed at revitalizing and reimagining the campus experience. The effort was bolstered by an $80 million donation from the Robert W.

Key Buildings and Facilities

25 Park Place

25 Park Place is a mixed-use classroom and office building that houses several departments at Georgia State University. Previously the Trust Company of Georgia Building and the SunTrust Bank Building, its acquisition reflects the university's expansion into the downtown area.

Sparks Hall

Sparks Hall, designed by Cooper, Barrett, Skinner, Woodbury, and Cooper, was the first building specifically designed and built for the school. Construction took place between 1952 and 1955 at a cost of approximately $2 million, and the first classes were held there on April 21, 1955. On June 8, 1960, the building was named for George McIntosh Sparks, former president of the college. Currently, the building houses Undergraduate Admissions and the Financial Management Center.

University Commons

On August 10, 2007, Georgia State opened the University Commons, a US$165 million complex housing 1,992 students. It occupies a city block bounded by Ellis Street, Piedmont Avenue, John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, and Jesse Hill Jr.

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Patton Hall

In the fall of 2009, Georgia State opened a 325-bed residence hall exclusively for freshman students, originally named Freshman Hall and later renamed Patton Hall.

Petit Science Center

The Parker H. Petit Science Center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides advanced science laboratories and teaching spaces. An extension to the Petit Science Center was completed in 2016.

Rialto Center for the Arts

The Rialto Center for the Arts, an 833-seat performing arts venue located in the Fairlie-Poplar district, serves as a prominent cultural stage. It hosts the Rialto Series, which features national and international jazz, world music, and dance performances, as well as School of Music performances and the Atlanta Film Festival.

Recreation Center

The on-campus Recreation Center features racquetball courts, a squash court, a 7,000-square-foot free-weight area, an aquatic center, a 35-foot climbing wall, game rooms, exercise rooms, aerobics, dance, and martial arts studios, and a gymnasium containing four basketball/volleyball courts.

Cinefest Film Theater

Georgia State University operates Cinefest Film Theater, a student-run movie theater in the school's University Center. Cinefest exhibits a wide array of motion pictures, including international cinema, art house films, revival house movies, and second-run Hollywood fare.

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University Library

Georgia State houses three university libraries. The University Library, housed in Library North and Library South, contains more than 1.4 million volumes, including 8,000 active serials and nearly 22,000 media materials. The library provides access to numerous electronic periodical and resource indexes, more than 14,000 electronic journals, and approximately 30,000 electronic books.

Perimeter College Campuses

In January 2015, news broke that Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College would merge. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the merger of Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College, a 2-year college with five campuses, over a year later. Perimeter College consists of five different campuses around the Metro Atlanta region. Campuses in Alpharetta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody, and Newton County each offer different amenities. The Alpharetta campus consists of two buildings, with students enrolled at that campus having free access to a nearby private gym, as well as access to the other Perimeter campus amenities. The Clarkston campus is a full campus with athletic facilities, (tennis courts, soccer field, gym) and 14 buildings. The Decatur campus includes greenhouses, tennis courts, as well as six academic buildings including a Student Success Center. The Dunwoody campus includes a gym, weight room, soccer field, tennis courts, an observatory, a gazebo, and eight academic buildings. Unlike the other colleges that make up the university, students accepted to Perimeter College only have access to the five suburban campuses associated with that college and not the main campus.

Transportation and Accessibility

The university provides shuttles circulating campus following four different routes. The blue route circulates from the parking lots of Turner Field to the heart of campus with stops at Langdale Hall and Sparks Hall, and is active on weekdays from 7:00 am to 2:00 am. The red route circulates between the main campus and the Aderhold Learning Center with stops at the Arts and Humanities building and at the Rialto Center/Aderhold. In December 2014, streetcars returned to Atlanta for the first time in 60 years. The Atlanta Streetcar’s current route transverses the campus along Edgewood and Auburn Avenues. Georgia State students are allowed access to the Georgia State Stadium parking lots just south of campus at the former site of Turner Field, with access limited to weekdays between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm.

Research and Academic Programs

Georgia State is one of four research universities in the University System of Georgia. Physics at Georgia State is split between physics and astronomy. Areas of research range from atomic physics, biophysics, condensed matter physics, neurophysics, nuclear physics, and physics education and innovative instruction. The astronomy program uses many observatories, including the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona and the Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System (or SMARTS) in Chile, and the CHARA array on Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles County, California, Hard Labor Creek Observatory in Rutledge, Georgia, and the Urban Life Observatory, all of which are operated by Georgia State. Biological research at Georgia State is divided into four categories; applied and environmental microbiology (AEM), cellular molecular biology and physiology (CMBP), molecular genetics and biochemistry, and neurobiology and behavior. Georgia State is currently the only university in the United States operating a BSL-4 lab (the highest bio-safety level) at level 4 conditions. The Language Research Center specializes in language research, with bonobos and chimpanzees. The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience is composed of more than 60 researchers from seven other Atlanta institutions, including Emory University and Georgia Tech. The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy at Georgia State University hosts one of the world's most powerful optical stellar interferometers, the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy, atop Mt. Wilson, California; in 2007, this telescope array became the first to virtually obtain an image of the surface of another sunlike star.

Student Life and Activities

The representative body of Georgia State students is the Student Government Association (SGA). The SGA is composed of a president, executive vice president, campus-specific vice presidents, a speaker, a senate made up of representatives from each college, a judicial branch, and an election commission. Georgia State University is home to 31 fraternities and sororities: seven of the North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC), five of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), seven of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), and 12 multicultural organizations operating as the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC).

Cultural Contributions

Georgia State University makes notable contributions to the cultural vitality of the downtown Atlanta community. The Rialto Center for the Arts is a prominent cultural stage, hosting a variety of performances and events. The School of Music holds concerts featuring faculty, students, and guest performers in the Kopleff Recital Hall throughout the year. Additionally, the Art Galleries, based in the Ernest G. The Digital Arts and Entertainment Laboratory (DAEL), housed in the Department of Communication, offers equipment and facilities for digital media research and production.

Athletics

The 16 Georgia State varsity athletic teams compete in the NCAA's Division I, with their football program being in FBS. They are founding members of the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State's beach volleyball team competes in Conference USA. The university has won conference championships in basketball (men's and women's), baseball, golf (men's and women's), softball, soccer (men's and women's), women's tennis, and beach volleyball.

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