Georgetown College - An Educational Success Story in Perseverance

Georgetown College began with a man named Silas Noel, a lawyer, jurist, and minister from Kentucky’s capital of Frankfort. In 1829, Mr. Noel led a group of twenty-four Baptist leaders from the surrounding areas to convince the state legislature to grant a charter to the Kentucky Baptist Education Society that would enable them to start a college. After considering several different cities at which to found the school, the group chose the town of Georgetown with its promise of $20,000 and a 52-acre patch of land that had previously housed the defunct Rittenhouse Academy.

After these initial victories, the College experienced a string a hardships during its first decade of existence. Following the death of its first elected president (William D. Staughton) while on route to assume his duties , the Reverend Joel Smith Bacon was chosen to take the helm by the Board of Trustees. However, after fighting legal battles for over two years with the College’s primary financial supporter, Scott Count and Pawling Funds, Bacon left in frustration, leaving the institution in a state of limbo.

This uncertainty over the College’s future continued for several years until hopes were raised by the election of the Reverend Rockwood Giddings as president in 1839. Giddings was able to increase the College’s endowment, organize an entirely Baptist collection of Trustees, and begin work on the first permanent building on campus, later known as Giddings Hall. Nevertheless, the strain from running the institution contributed to Giddings passing away while still in office during the following year. His successor, Reverend Howard Malcolm, was able to complete the Giddings construction projects, establish a college library, found the Georgetown Female Academy, and organize the first of the College’s literary societies.

Following Malcolm’s resignation in 1849 due to his opposition to slavery, the presidency was passed to Reverend Duncan Campbell. The school closed briefly during the Civil War, many of its students being supporters of the Confederacy. Upon its reopening, the College’s highest office was soon passed to Reverend Richard M. Dudley, the first alumnus to assume the office of president and the man largely responsible for saving the institution from permanent demise. During his fourteen-year tenure, Rev. Dudley succeeded in raising the College’s endowment, presided over the integration of women into the student body, and oversaw the construction of new dormitories and administration facilities. He was aided in these efforts by Dr. James Jefferson Rucker. By the turn of the century, Georgetown College was finally standing on solid ground.

Unfortunately, this period of stability did not last long. Between 1918 and 1946 the College’s ability to function was severely hindered by World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. In addition to a dramatic drop in enrollment levels, a strong degree of animosity developed between the College and the General Association of Baptists in Kentucky (GABK), which almost shut down the institution indefinitely. After the end of WWII, Georgetown experience a resurgence of vitality, as large numbers of veterans enrolled under the new G.I. Bill. The construction of the John L. Hill Chapel, the Cooke Memorial Library, and the Nunnelley Music Building were also completed during this period.

During the 1960s and 1970s the institution experienced a huge series of construction projects designed to afford students and faculty the greatest convenience and comfort on a day-to-day basis. During the administration of President Robert Mills, the College saw the openings of new dormitories, a south campus, the George Matt Asher Science Center, and the renovation of Giddings Hall.

This period of progress has continued to the present day. With the 1991 election of current president Dr. William H. Crouch, Jr., the College has witnessed the construction of a new library, a new student center, and a new athletic complex. Dr. Crouch has also formalized the College’s relationship with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, invited several African-American Baptist conventions to work together in ministry with the College, and joined the Baptist World Alliance and International Baptist Convention, which, among other things, allows student to secure internships in European Baptist churches.

With such a rich history of perseverance, Georgetown College is an institution of higher education with the dedication and tenacity necessary to meets the needs of any student who walks through its doors. Visit us on campus or on the Web at (www.georgetowncollege.edu). Please give us the chance to show you around our wonderful campus and welcome you into our college family!