1965

The Board of Regents adopts a resolution approving the establishment of a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia in the Macon/Warner Robins area.

1966

Bibb voters pass a $4.5 million bond referendum by 4 to 1 margin to provide initial funding for a public college in Macon. The University System of Georgia takes charge of project.

1968

• The 167-acre main campus opens on Eisenhower Parkway under President Jack K. Carlton. With 1,110 students, Macon Junior College has the largest charter enrollment of any new college in Georgia history.
• Since junior colleges in Augusta, Columbus and Savannah were upgraded to senior status (1963-65), speculation begins almost immediately about expanding to a four-year institution.

1970

The Regents direct Macon Junior College to organize Robins Resident Center to serve civilian and military employees of Robins Air Force Base.

1972

• President Carlton resigns his post to accept the presidency of Western Carolina State University.
• Dr. William W. Wright, dean of the college, is elected the second president of Macon Junior College by the Board of Regents.

1983

A statewide needs assessment by the University System identifies Macon/Warner Robins as one of three areas in Georgia that is underserved by public higher education.

1984

President Wright resigns to become dean of the school of business at Stetson University in Deland, Florida. Jack H. Ragland, controller, is appointed acting president.

1985

Dr. S. Aaron Hyatt is elected president of the College.

1987

The Board of Regents vote to delete "junior" from the name of all two-year institutions, and Macon Junior College officially becomes Macon College.

1989

1990

• Student and alumni groups submit names of 25,000 Middle Georgians on petitions for senior status.
• State legislature approves $25,000 for study related to change of status for Macon College. Macon Representative Denmark Groover appears before the Board of Regents to plead Macon College case.

1991

• Chancellor Propst puts all requests for expansion on hold for one year as budget cuts imposed throughout University System.
• College opens Warner Robins Campus in Advanced Technology Park.

1992

• Dr. Raymond Dawson of University System of North Carolina conducts review of Macon College request as consultant to the Board of Regents. Dawson meets with Macon College students, alumni, faculty and administrators, state legislators, elected officials, community representatives and officials from area public and private colleges.

1993

• Dawson recommends a change of status for Macon College, followed by a withdrawal from Macon of Georgia College and Fort Valley State College undergraduate programs.
• Chancellor Propst submits the Dawson Report to the Board of Regents where it is remanded to the Planning and Oversight Committee for further study.
• The College celebrates its Silver Anniversary. Groundbreaking takes place for 65,000- square-foot arts and academic buildings.

1994

Stephen R. Portch takes office as Chancellor of the University System. Governor Zell Miller appoints Macon businessman Charlie Jones to an at-large seat on the Board of Regents - the first Maconite to serve on the Board since 1966.

1995

• New Classroom Building completed under Gov. Miller's Georgia Rebound Program.
• Chancellor Portch recommends to the Board of Regents that the Macon/Warner Robins and Atlanta metro areas be singled out for a special assessment based on demographics and educational needs. A Blue Ribbon panel composed of national higher education leaders is named to review results of a System-wide mission study.
• Presidents of four University System institutions in the Macon region meet with Chancellor Portch to form the Central Georgia Planning Council.
• The College's newest Academic Building -- housing the divisions of Social Sciences and Humanities and featuring a foreign language lab, theatre, art studio and rehearsal hall -- is dedicated and the first Endowment Campaign attracts more than $1 million during opening drive.
• Mission Review for Macon College conducted at Georgia Tech under the supervision of a Blue Ribbon committee of external consultants. Georgia State University's Applied Research Center conducts focus sessions with business, government and education leaders in Middle Georgia to establish needs for future.

1996

• Board of Regents approves a new mission for Macon College which includes the introduction of the Bachelor of Science degree in selected majors.
• The first three baccalaureate programs are approved by the Regents. They include the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Health Services Administration and Health Information Management.
• Regents act on name change for Macon College. It will become Macon State College following the approval of the College's principal accrediting agency of a "substantive change" in the institution's mission.

1997

• President Hyatt announces his resignation effective August 1. Dr. Hyatt will assume the duties of General Secretary Rotary International.
• At its semi-annual meeting (23-25), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approves the introduction of a baccalaureate program at Macon College.
• Phase I of a $10.9 million Nursing/Health Sciences and Lab Complex ranks #20 on the Board of Regents' Major Capital Priorities List.
• A Convocation is held on the main campus to recognize the change of mission and the adoption of a new name - MACON STATE COLLEGE. Following the ceremony, groundbreaking is conducted for the $8.7 million Student Services Center.
• Interim President David A. Bell is introduced to Macon State community by Chancellor Stephen Portch.
• The Peyton Anderson Foundation presents the College with a $1 million grant to be matched by other sources to fund two academic chairs in Information Technology. These are the College's first endowed positions.

1998

• The Board of Regents unanimously approves the permanent appointment of David Bell as President of Macon State College.
• Gov. Miller presents his FY 99 budget to the Georgia General Assembly. It contains a $1 million commitment to Macon State College from the Georgia Eminent Scholars Endowment Trust Fund to match the Peyton Anderson gift.
• Board of Regents approves reorganization of Macon State College administration and establishes a new academic unit - the School of Information Technology.
• The new Macon State College Foundation holds its first meeting. Waddell Barnes, M.D., is elected president of the Foundation by its new board of trustees.
• Board of Regents approves new baccalaureate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business and Information Technology. Dr. David Adams is named to the first Peyton Anderson Chair in Information Technology.
• The College's Warner Robins teaching site in the Advanced Technology Park is designated a permanent off-campus center by the Regents.
• Dr. David A. Bell is inaugurated as the fifth president of Macon State College.
• The Regents authorize the creation of the Institute for Information Management to be associated with the School of Information Technology. The institute will serve as a vehicle for economic development and outreach.

1999

• The Educational Technology Center is established on the Macon campus. The center is allied with the School of Information Technology and trains public school teachers and staff in the effective use of educational technologies.
• The College's fifth baccalaureate degree program is approved by the Board of Regents. Housed in the Division of Humanities, the Bachelor of Science in Communications and Information Technology places special emphasis on communicating through the new media.
• The first baccalaureate graduates of Macon State College are awarded the bachelor of science degree in ceremonies at the Macon City Auditorium.
• Governor Roy Barnes appoints Macon businessman and civic leader Connie Cater to the Eighth District seat on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
• The Board of Regents approves Phase II of the Professional Sciences and Conference Center - a $20 million structure to house the Division of Business and Economics, the School of Information Technology and University System meeting facilities. Phase I moves up to #7 on the Regents' Major Capital Priorities List.
• Gov. Roy Barnes announces a two-year ICAPP grant of $500,000 to create and staff a corporate training environment focused on building Central Georgia's information technology workforce. The first client is ComputerLogic of Macon.
• The Macon State College Educational Technology Center is dedicated by Gov. Barnes in a refurbished facility formerly known as the Lecture Complex.
• Regents gather on the MSC campus to hold their October board meeting which features an economic development briefing on Central Georgia conducted by leaders in business, health, manufacturing and military affairs.
• President Bell delivers the College's Master Plan to the Board of Regents defining how the campus will be developed to complement the academic mission.
• The Foundation successfully completes a campaign to match state funds for a third Eminent Scholar. An endowment of $500,000 is reserved.

2000

• Michael E. Staman, former vice chancellor and chief information officer for the University System, joins the MSC faculty to hold a Peyton Anderson Endowed Chair in Information Technology.
• President Bell announces the introduction of the first MSC Bachelor of Science degree at the Warner Robins Center. The B.S. in Information Technology will begin Summer Semester.
• The $8.75 million Student Life Center is opened bringing all student services under one roof while providing a new home for the Division of Business and Economics.
• Macon State College is chosen by GLOBE - Global Learning Online for Business and Education - to offer the bachelor of science in information technology. This is the University System's first online bachelor's degree in IT.
• President Bell founds the Central Georgia Technology Alliance as the mid-state affiliate of the Technology Association of Georgia. He is elected chair of the charter board of 'TAG Central' and is named to the executive committee of Atlanta-based TAG.
• With Cox Communications, the College forms Cox@MaconState, a partnership that gives MSC students a direct broadband connection to online courses at MSC and access to educational resources throughout the University System of Georgia.

2001

• Enrollment at Macon State's Warner Robins Center exceeds 1,000 students for the first time in its 10-year history.
• The Regents approve a new baccalaureate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Public Service with a major in human services, which will be housed in the Division of Social Sciences.

2002

• Construction begins on the College's first three-story building. Phase 1 of a 175,000-square-foot, $36.2 million professional studies complex will house nursing and allied health, the natural sciences and mathematics, business, information technology and a conference center. Phase I, designed by John Portman and Associates, is a $16.2 million project that will house the College's nursing and other professional health sciences programs, as well as new labs and classrooms for the division of natural sciences and math.
• The Georgia General Assembly approved a $5 million appropriation to be used in conjunction with property donated by the city of Warner Robins to establish a permanent Macon State College campus on Watson Boulevard, just a half mile from the main gate at Robins AFB. Renovation of the historic Thomas Elementary School and construction of a 25,000-square-foot addition will begin in summer 2002, with plans for the new Warner Robins Campus to open in fall 2003.
• The Regents approve a new baccalaureate program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, housed in the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences. Known as an "RN-BSN completion" degree, the program will be specifically geared toward registered nurses with associate degrees who want to complete a four-year bachelor of science degree.
• Following a national search, the College filled its third $1 million endowed chair from the Macon State College Foundation. Dr. Wayne Cecil, who holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of Kentucky, joined the Division of Business and Economics as the Georgia Eminent Scholar Chair in Accounting. In addition to his extensive academic credentials, Dr. Cecil, a CPA, brings to Macon State 10 years of professional experience with two of the four largest accounting firms in the world.
• The campus of Macon State College served as the 10th site for the University System of Georgia's "Knowledge Is Power Tour." The 12-stop tour, sponsored by the ICAPP, provided the state's business leaders with a chance to meet the system's new chancellor, Thomas C. Meredith.
• Fifteen Robins Air Force Base employees, all of whom have bachelor's degree in engineering, receive their certificates in information technology from Macon State through the University System's ICAPP. The RAFB engineers finished the fast-track IT program in six months. This was Macon State's third ICAPP partnership.

2003

• The Board of Regents, at the request of President Bell, names the Macon State College Botanical Gardens after Dr. Waddell Barnes, chair of the MSC Foundation Board of Trustees and the driving force behind the development of the gardens. Along with this honor, the Macon State College Foundation is establishing an endowment in Dr. Barnes' name to support further enhancement and maintenance of the Botanical Gardens and to develop a related educational program.
• The number of Macon State baccalaureate graduates continues to climb each year. In Spring 2003, 194 Macon State graduates (or nearly 34 percent of the total of 579 graduates) receive their baccalaureate degrees.
• State and local dignitaries are among the 500 people attending a dedication ceremony and open house for Macon State College's Warner Robins Campus. Speakers include Rep. Larry Walker of Perry, Rep. Larry O'Neal of Warner Robins, Mayor Donald Walker of Warner Robins and Regent Mansfield Jennings Jr. of Hawkinsville. Guests tour the renovated Thomas Hall and the new two-story Academic Services Building, which were completed earlier in the month.
• The Board of Regents approve President Bell's request to name the College's new 75,000-square-foot academic building in honor of Macon developer and community leader Charles H. Jones for his service to the region and contributions to higher education. The Charles H. Jones Building will be the College's first three-story structure and the largest building on the Macon campus.
• The Charles H. Jones Family Foundation is responsible for the largest single gift ever made to the College, a $1.5 million contribution to Macon State's first comprehensive fundraising campaign that is currently underway.
• More students are attending Macon State College this fall than at any other time in the institution's 35-year history. Final registration for Fall 2003 totals 5,403 students at the College's Macon, Warner Robins and Robins AFB campuses. Much of the increase was driven by Macon State's new Warner Robins Campus, where enrollment is up more than 26 percent over last fall. Final registration at the new Warner Robins Campus for the regular semester totaled 1,504.
• Due to the high demand and need for registered nurses in Central Georgia, Macon State College will begin accepting a new class of nursing students each spring in addition to the fall. Beginning spring semester 2004, the College will accept an additional class of 25 nursing students who will pursue their associate degrees as a cohort.
• The Warner Robins City Council signs an agreement transferring 72 acres of land to Macon State College for any future expansion of its Warner Robins Campus. The city-owned land is adjacent to the Warner Robins Campus.

2004

• At its March 10 meeting, the Board of Regents formally accept the Warner Robins City Council's gift of approximately 72 acres of city-owned land adjacent to the Warner Robins Campus. The City Council voted in December 2003 to sign an agreement transferring the land to the Regents for the future expansion of the Warner Robins Campus.
• The Charles H. Jones Building is dedicated on March 25, with more than 400 in attendance, including University System Chancellor Thomas Meredith. The Jones Building, which features ultra-modern science labs and "smart" classrooms wired for technology, will be largely devoted to expanding, in both quantity and quality, the College's degree programs in nursing, other health sciences, math and natural sciences. The first classes are scheduled in the new facility in Summer 2004.
• The College records the highest enrollment in its 36-year history, with final registration for Fall 2004 totaling 5,733 students.

2005

• The Board of Regents approve a bachelor of science in early childhood education for Macon State College, part of the University System's initiative to significantly increase the number and diversity of well-prepared teachers in the state's public schools. Macon State has put development of the degree program on the fast track so the College can admit the charter class of students in Fall Semester 2005.
• Dr. Martha L. Venn joins Macon State College as the first chair of the new Division of Education.
• On Aug. 6, Macon State College has a pinning ceremony for the first students to graduate from the College's new RN-BSN Completion Program. Of the 14 graduates, nine received their associate of science degree in nursing from Macon State.
• The College records the highest enrollment in its 37-year history, with final registration for Fall 2005 totaling 6,149 students. Since Macon State began offering bachelor's degrees in 1998, enrollment has increased 70 percent. The Warner Robins Campus also records its highest enrollment, 1,849, an increase of more than 52 percent since 1998.
• In fall 2005, the College adds its eighth four-year degree: the bachelor of science in early childhood education. The charter class includes 67 students ready to begin upper-division coursework.
• Macon State College announces plans to introduce courses leading to the associate of science degree in nursing on its Warner Robins Campus in Spring 2006, a move that will significantly increase the number of Registered Nurses needed by area healthcare facilities. This was made possible through a partnership with Houston Healthcare.
• With the opening of fall semester 2005, Macon State College unveils the dramatic transformation of its 37-year-old Library building. The result of a $5 million renovation, funded by the state Legislature, the College's newly renovated Library is now an ultra-modern facility loaded with technological resources.
• On Dec. 7, Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker gives the deed to 72 acres adjacent to the Warner Robins Campus to the Macon State College Foundation for the expansion of the Campus. The property was acquired by the City of Warner Robins in a land swap with the U.S. Air Force, which previously used the land to provide privatized housing for Robins Air Force Base personnel.

2006

• Gov. Sonny Perdue appoints Robert "Bob" F. Hatcher Sr. of Macon, president and CEO of MidCountry Financial Corp., to serve on the University System's Board of Regents. Prior to his appointment, Hatcher served on the Macon State College Foundation (1998-2006). Hatcher represents Georgia's 8th Congressional District on the Board of Regents.
• The Board of Regents authorize Macon State to offer a bachelor of science in mathematics and a bachelor of science in biology. With the addition of these two degrees, all of the College's academic divisions now have bachelor's programs to offer students.
• Macon State College formally names the Warner Robins Campus auditorium in honor of former State Rep. Larry Walker of Perry and Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker during a dedication ceremony.
• Macon State and the Monroe County school system announce a cooperative venture that gives aspiring teachers the chance to take most of the courses leading to the bachelor of science degree in early childhood education in Monroe County. Beginning in the fall, the College will offer education courses using classroom space at Banks Stephens Elementary School in Forsyth.
• The Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency accepts President David Bell's invitation to relocate its headquarters to Macon State's main campus. RESA will move from Fort Valley to the newly renovated Education Building (formerly the Nursing Annex) in December 2006. The agency's relocation makes the College unique in that it is only University System of Georgia institution that is headquarters to three entities vital to K-12 support: an academic Division of Education that is producing new teaching talent for Central Georgia schools; the Middle Georgia Educational Technology Training Center; and, now, RESA.
• Macon State has unveiled a new sign on the east side of the campus, which runs parallel to Interstate 475. The sign is 60 feet tall and 50 feet wide, and is designed to increase the visibility of the Macon campus, much of which is hidden from view from adjacent highways because of the many rolling hills and wooded areas.
• Enrollment at the College continues to climb, topping 6,200 this fall for the first time. Official enrollment for Fall 2006 is 6,243 students, the most in Macon State's 38-year history.

2007

• The Board of Regents authorizes Macon State to offer the bachelor of arts degree in English in fall 2007. The degree includes two tracks: the English education track will prepare students to teach English at the high-school level, and the traditional English track will prepare students interested in careers requiring a foundation in language and communications skills.
• The Board of Regents authorizes Macon State to begin offering the bachelor of arts degree in history in fall 2007. The history degree includes two tracks: the history education track, which will prepare students to teach history at the high-school level, and the traditional history track aimed at students interested in careers in the arts, law, government and community service, historical interpretation and curator-ship, as well as graduate education.
• The Macon State College Foundation awards $20,000 Presidential Scholarships to five of Central Georgia's highest-achieving high school seniors. The scholarships, given for the first time this year, represent the Foundation's largest awards ever to students enrolling at Macon State.
• Macon State's charter class of 45 early childhood education majors graduates on May 11. They are among 340 Macon State students set to be awarded their bachelor's degrees; another 370 are candidates to receive associate's degrees. This is the highest total of Macon State graduates of any given year in its history. To date, Macon State has graduated more than 1,600 students with four-year degrees since introducing baccalaureate programs 10 years ago.
• The Board of Regents includes two major building projects for Macon State College in the FY '08 budget. Macon State receives $22 million in bond funding for a Professional Sciences Center on the Macon campus (construction completion expected in late 2008) and $5 million for a new academic building on the Warner Robins Campus (design and construction expected to be about 18 months).
• The Board of Regents approves a bachelor of science in nursing. The new program, known as a "pre-licensure" bachelor of science in nursing, differs from Macon State's current RN-BSN baccalaureate program in that it is structured more like other traditional four-year degrees and is designed for students not yet licensed as RNs. The College expects to launch the new degree in fall 2009.
• In the first major reorganization in its history, Macon State eliminates the academic organizational structure that called for divisions headed by chairs and implements one that creates schools headed by deans, with the changes effective immediately. The new structure consists of the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, School of Information Technology, School of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Division of Learning Support.
• Leaders in the new organizational structure are: Dr. Robert Kelly, dean, and Dr. Martin Slann and Dr. Eric Sun, associate deans, School of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Martha Venn, dean, School of Education; Dr. Alex Koohang, dean, School of Information Technology; Dr. Rebecca Corvey, dean, and Dr. Janet Andrews, associate dean, School of Nursing and Health Sciences; John Cole, J.D., interim dean, School of Business; Linda Green, interim chair, Department of Learning Support.
• Macon State College's Division of Education receives accreditation and full approval from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to prepare and recommend education majors for state certification.
• A traditional pinning ceremony takes place December 18 to honor Macon State College's first class of nursing students to be based at the Warner Robins Campus. The ceremony is in the Warner Robins Civic Center, with State Rep. Larry O'Neal, R-Warner Robins asthe keynote speaker. The 33 students receiving pins makeup the Warner Robins Campus' charter class of the associate of science degree in nursing.

2008

• Macon State mourns the death of its first president, Dr. Jack K. Carlton. Carlton, who had retired to Lake Sinclair, died February 26 at the age of 86. Carlton was appointed president in July 1967, a little more than a year before what was then Macon Junior College enrolled its first students. He helped finalize plans for campus construction, assisted in designing the initial curriculum and recruited many of the first faculty and staff members. Carlton left the College in fall 1972 to accept the chancellorship of Western Carolina University.
• Macon State unveils a new logo to reflect the dramatic transformation of the institution in the last decade and its ongoing evolution. The logo shows rays of light over the College's name, representing Macon State's new era. The seven rays represent the seven counties that make up the core of Central Georgia, from which Macon State draws most of its students. Rays of light were selected to symbolize the bright future that many Macon State graduates expect to realize with one of the College's bachelor's degrees.
• The College returns to normal after a Mother's Day tornado hit the Macon campus on May 11. The Macon campus fully reopened on May 15. Only one day of Maymester classes is cancelled, and summer semester begins on schedule. The initial damage estimate to the campus is placed at slightly more than $11 million. The 167-acre campus lost an estimated 90 percent of its tree canopy, approximately 3,900 trees in all, including specimen trees of the botanical gardens. The tornado damaged much of the Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens located throughout the campus.
• Macon State will introduce a bachelor of science in education with a major in middle grades following approval on June 11 by the Board of Regents. The program will be the nation's first undergraduate degree to give students the opportunity to earn dual certification in general and special education to teach children in the fourth through eighth grades.The College will launch the degree program in fall 2009 with a projected enrollment of 20 students.
• The Board of Regents on August 20 approved three new bachelor's degrees, bringing the total number of four-year programs to 17. Two of the new programs - a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies - are designed to appeal to students with wide-ranging academic interests who want to craft a degree around their career or graduate school goals. The third, a bachelor of science in respiratory therapy, meets a pressing healthcare need in Central Georgia. All three degrees begin immediately.
• After receiving a two-part gift just under $1.3 million from the Helene Fund Health Trust to expand nursing education in Georgia, the Medical College of Georgia is partnering with the nursing programs at Macon State College and Georgia Southwestern University to expand its Clinical Leadership Program with a $1.1 million component of that gift. Students in the program will take classes on those campuses. The Medical College School of Nursing offers a master's-level, 16-month clinical nurse leader program, the first its kind in Georgia, which aims to reduce the nursing shortage by offering advanced degrees to those with non-nursing backgrounds, so students with a baccalaureate or higher degree in a non-nursing field can obtain a master's degree in nursing at an accelerated pace.

2009

• Macon State's newest facility, the Professional Sciences and Conference Center, opens for spring semester classes on Jan. 7. At 100,000 square feet, the building is the college's largest and most versatile facility, housing academic programs in business and information technology. The $22 million structure also has an expansive high-tech conference center as well as academic classrooms, lecture halls, faculty/staff offices and continuing education offices.
• The Office of Admissions launches a Student Ambassador Program to give top students the opportunity to promote Macon State to the community and to help recruit new students. Ambassadors -- full-time students with at least a 3.0 GPA who have demonstrated good communication and interpersonal skills -- are selected during spring. The 21 Student Ambassadors greet students arriving for summer semester.
• Three of Macon State's oldest academic buildings are demolished and land is cleared for the construction of a $24.2 million teacher education building on the Macon campus. Estimated for completion by the fall of 2011, the three-story building will house the School of Education and its two important state partners, the Educational Technology Center and the Regional Educational Services Agency.
• The Warner Robins Campus gets its third academic building with the opening of the $5 million Oak Hall, named for the century-old oak tree near the building. The building opens in time for fall semester classes, and a dedication ceremony for the 28,000-square-foot, two-story facility takes place Aug. 11.
• In fall 2009, Macon State introduces Club Sports through its Recreation and Wellness Program. Macon State student JP Mitchell starts the Baseball Club, the first official club sport, which has a successful inaugural season, finishing sixth in the nation after being knocked out of the National College Baseball Association's DII World Series. During 2010, basketball, competitive cheering, rugby, soccer, and tennis clubs are organized.
• More students are attending Macon State College than at any other time in the institution's 41-year history. The college sets an enrollment record in fall 2009, with a final number of 6,615. Enrollment at the Warner Robins Campus is especially strong, with 2,010 students attending classes, an increase of more than 7 percent over the previous fall.
• Robins Air Force Base officials select another 20 Macon State students to participate in the Student Career Experience Program, better known as the co-op program. To date, more than 140 Macon State students and graduates are employed at Robins either full-time or part-time as a result of the co-op program. Through the program, which began in 2004, some of Macon State's top business majors are hired to work part-time in various base directorates while they finish their bachelor's degrees. If they perform well, the students could be eligible for full-time employment at Robins at salaries that exceed $50,000 within two years. Base officials see the co-op program as a major component in helping replenish their professional workforce.

2010

• The college gets its 18th baccalaureate degree following the Board of Regents' approval of a proposed bachelor of science in psychology program, which is to be offered beginning fall 2010.
• For the first time, Macon State is the host site for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival's popular Tunes and Balloons balloon glow. An estimated 10,000 people visit the campus on March 20 to watch 12 hot air balloons set up on the campus track and field.
• With the announcement of student housing coming in fall 2010, Macon State establishes an Office of Residence Life and a Department of Public Safety to be staffed by certified police officers on campus 24/7. Shawn Douglas is named director of public safety and chief of police. Dr. Chris Summerlin joins the college as director of Residence Life, along with James Hagler, director of recreation and wellness.
• During a spring contest, students, faculty and staff submit nearly 600 names to be considered for the new student housing complex. From a condensed list, President David Bell selects College Station, submitted by student Kamiron B. Smith. The name "College Station" has been associated with Macon State since 1987 when the college's internal roadway was changed to College Station Drive.
• Dr. Ron Williams becomes the second dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, following Dr. Robert Kelly's retirement. Dr. Kelly joined the Macon State faculty in 1976 as an assistant professor, eventually becoming chair of the Humanities Division. After an academic reorganization in 2007, Dr. Kelly was named dean of the new School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Williams comes to Macon State after serving on the faculty at Saginaw Valley State University, Armstrong-Atlantic State University, Clemson University and Ohio University.
• Macon State introduces student housing with the opening of fall semester 2010. College Station, an on-campus student housing community managed by the college, is located on Ivey Drive directly across from the campus lake. During the fall semester, 125 qualified Macon State students call College Station their home.
• The college introduces a Freshman Year Experience (FYE) program titled, "Macon Connections for College and Beyond," which, as of fall semester 2010, is mandatory for first-time, full-time freshmen in the regular curriculum. University System-wide, an FYE program is considered a strong tool for the retention and progression of college students.
• The arrival of club sports prompts the Student Government Association to solicit from the Macon State community suggestions for a new mascot. Macon State unveils a new mascot, Blue Storm, in time for fall semester, following a summer-long, SGA-sponsored contest. A committee of students, faculty and staff review the more than 370 suggestions and reduce the list to five finalists, with President David Bell making the final selection.
• The Georgia Teacher Academy, an initiative of Macon State's School of Education, debuts on campus in fall 2010 with Dr. Ann Levett as executive director. The academy, designed to help keep talented teachers in the classroom, is funded through a $250,000 Peyton Anderson Foundation grant, a $10,000 gift from Boeing, and a $25,000 donation from the James H. Porter Charitable Trust.
• Macon State becomes one of the University System of Georgia's five affiliate eCore institutions, paving the way for some students to be able to complete bachelor's degrees entirely online. eCore is a University System initiative that gives students the chance to complete their first two years of college in an online environment.
• President David Bell announces his intention to retire at the end of the academic year. Bell, 65, is the fifth and longest-serving president in the college's 42-year history. He will have completed 14 years as president of Macon State when he steps down June 30, 2011.
• President David A. Bell is the 2010 recipient of the University System of Georgia Chancellor's Outstanding Customer Service Leadership Award, the highest honor given to University System presidents for their outstanding efforts in process improvement and customer service. In addition, Macon State's Excellence in Customer Service program earned the 2010 Gold award for Institution of the Year at the chancellor's annual Customer Service Awards Sept. 28. The Gold award is the highest in the category and was given to Macon State in recognition of the college's completion of several projects during the 2009-2010 year. Lynn McCraney, Macon State's dean of students, was the officially designated customer service champion for the college, which means she coordinated the college's customer service initiatives.
• The School of Education earns accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE accreditation comes after the agency thoroughly reviewed all aspects of the School of Education, means the school has met rigorous standards and demonstrated it produces well-prepared teacher education graduates. According to the NCATE website, the agency's accreditation provides an assurance that the school's teacher preparation program has met national standards set by the teaching field at large and has undergone rigorous external and impartial review by professionals, policymakers, and representatives of the public.

2011

• Robins Air Force Base selects 17 Macon State students to participate in the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) during spring semester 2011. Through the program, which began in 2004, some of Macon State's top students, mostly business majors, are hired to work part-time in various RAFB directorates while they finish their bachelor's degrees. If they perform well, the students could be eligible for full-time employment at Robins upon graduation. Since the program began, a total of 229 Macon State students have been hired as part of SCEP.
• Macon State confers its 3,000th bachelor's degree during the 2011 commencement at the Macon Coliseum. The graduate is Julia Ann Harshbarger, an early childhood education major from Macon.
• Dr. David A. Bell's tenure as president ends on June 30, and his successor, Dr. Jeffery S. Allbritten, reports to work on July 5, 2011. Dr. Allbritten, who had been serving as president of the Collier Campus of Edison State College in Naples, Fla., was selected from more than 140 applicants in an extensive review process involving a campus committee and the Board of Regents. He becomes the college's 6th president.
• Macon State revamps its former Communications and IT bachelor's degree program to create the bachelor of science in new media and communications (NMAC), which will train students in digital communication. NMAC courses will be offered through the School of Arts and Sciences' new Department of Media, Culture and the Arts.
• At fall semester convocation on Aug. 8, Macon State faculty elected members to its first Faculty Senate, a body of elected faculty representatives that emphasizes a more deliberate process of policy review as it advises the college president on all aspects of Macon State. A Faculty Senate is a transition from the long-standing Academic Council, in which all faculty members were ex officio members. Dr. Kevin Cantwell, professor of English, was elected the Faculty Senate's first chair.
• Macon State and Darton College in Albany sign an agreement that allows the automatic transfer of Darton students, once they have completed their 2-year degree in business computer systems, into Macon State's bachelor's degree in information technology.
• Longtime Houston County educator David Carpenter is named interim dean of the Warner Robins Campus. His responsibilities include overseeing all academic and operational aspects of the Warner Robins Campus and Robins Resident Center. In 2010, he retired as superintendent of the Houston County School System.
• An Open House for the new $24.4 million Education Building draws more than 300 guests, with USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby serving as guest speaker. The three-story, 80,000-square-foot Education Building officially opened at the beginning of fall semester 2011. Designed by tvsdesign of Atlanta and constructed by Chris R. Sheridan and Co. General Contractors, the building houses the School of Education and the Georgia Educator Support Alliance.

2012

• Macon State College and Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Dublin and Eastman will consolidate under a plan recommended by Chancellor Hank Huckaby and approved by the USG Board of Regents on Jan. 10. The plan, which includes the consolidation of six other institutions into three, is expected to take 12 to 18 months, with a completion deadline by the start of fall semester 2013. The purpose of the consolidations is to increase college completion rates, broaden access to public higher education and maintain affordability.
• Macon State enters into articulation agreements with Central Georgia Technical College in Bibb County and Middle Georgia Technical College in Houston County, which allows students who complete IT programs at either of the tech schools to seamlessly transfer into Macon State's 4-year degree program in IT. The agreements go into effect spring semester 2012.
• Macon State enters an agreement with Mercer University, which allows qualified Macon State students to enroll in military science courses for credit through Mercer's Army ROTC Program. The ROTC courses are taught on Mercer's campus. Macon State students will be able to transfer those Mercer ROTC credits to their Macon State degree programs. The agreement goes into effect spring semester 2012.