Editorial: College of Coastal Georgia Thriving as a Four-Year Institution

Expand it and they will come, and they did, proving the leadership of Brunswick and the Golden Isles was right. People with vision like chamber president Woody Woodside, practically every Brunswick mayor and Glynn County Commission chairman from the 1980s on supported its creation. Finally, a gentleman from the Isles, Jim Bishop, made it possible while serving on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

All got what they had been seeking — a four-year college at the corner of Altama Avenue and 4th Street. And it has been people like Dorothy Lord, president of the college when it was a two-year institution, and every president since Valerie Hepburn that has made the four-year College of Coastal Georgia the success it is today.

At last report, College of Coastal Georgia may very well have set a record for enrollment this fall semester. Initial numbers released by the college put enrollment at 3,700 students, including a large freshmen class of 800 students. Resident halls are full to the brim and that includes all existing off-campus student housing facilities.

A goodly number of the young men and women attending the college this year hail from Glynn, as well as from surrounding coastal counties and other regions of the state. Students from other states are drawn here by an assortment of reasons, not the least of which is the college’s positive reputation. Other factors piquing their interest could be the moderate climate and the recreational opportunities available in the Isles.

Visionaries knew a four-year college in the University System of Georgia in a beachside community would sparkle in the eyes of high school graduates wanting to further their education. Large universities and their sprawling campuses have their advantages, but so do small colleges where a student can leisurely walk to class without having to break out into a fast jog. Other attributes of satellite campuses are personalized attention and support systems.

The college’s leadership goes out of their way to rally community support for the institution. Southeast Georgia Health System, for example, is investing a small fortune in its School of Nursing and private donations continue to add vigor to other programs.

To the college leadership, professors and instructors, we say keep up the great work. To the new students and upperclassmen, we say welcome to the University System of Georgia’s coastal campus.

Editorial column originally appeared in The Brunswick News September 2, 2025