History & Tradition

Our History & Traditions

In the midst of Georgia Military College’s Milledgeville campus stands the Old Capitol Building, symbolic of the school’s history of reinvention and enduring spirit. In 1879, a handful of students from middle Georgia enrolled in the newly established preparatory school, attending classes in the Old Capitol Building that now stood empty after lawmakers moved to the new capital in Atlanta. Back then, most of GMC’s students came with the intention of bettering their futures via agricultural studies or the military.

Times have certainly changed, but on these historic grounds we continue to instill the values of duty, honor and country, concurrent with an education that sharpens minds and readies students to pursue their future goals.

The GMC of today – a fully modernized central campus, with over 20 programs of study, online global course options, four degree types and more than 12,000 students – is nearly unrecognizable from its humble beginnings. But true to form, the accomplishments and contributions of our graduates continue to serve as a testament to the ideology of our founders: “To educate young men and women… in an environment which fosters good citizenship.”

Now, as we write the next chapters in GMC’s history book, we do so with a deep appreciation for the past and a keen focus on the future.

LtGen William B. Caldwell, IV
President

Click to view our historic timeline in PDF.

History of Georgia Military Global Online Leadership College

For over 140 years, Georgia Military College has served the men and women of Georgia by believing in one simple tenet – every person, regardless of background or circumstances deserves the opportunity to better themselves through education.  For that reason alone, we decided to open our doors and our arms to students across the globe so that opportunity would not be limited by geography any longer.  In 2011, Georgia Military College launched the Online Campus that began serving students from all over the world.  Careful attention was paid to crafting this campus, and we ensured that any student would have access to the same quality education and services even if they never set foot on one of our campuses across the state.  Since that time, our program has grown remarkably, and we teach over 4,000 online students today.  In 2019, under the direction of President Caldwell, the GMC Online Campus was reformed to launch the Georgia Military Global Online Leadership College in an effort to open our arms even wider and expand our programs to more deserving students.  To support the launch of the Georgia Military Global Online Leadership College, President Caldwell has invested greatly to expand and build upon our successful first eight years.  The new college will be able to enroll and educate more students, provide even greater support services and produce even more online graduates than in years past.  When you become one of our students, you will be participating in a tradition that stretches back over a century, and you will be proud to earn the title of graduate from our school.