Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) is "Georgia's technology university", located just northwest of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, USA. It is a part of the University System of Georgia.
The school began in 1948 in barracks on the campus of the Peachtree-DeKalb Naval Air Station in Chamblee, northeast of Atlanta. At that time, all colleges in Georgia were considered extensions of the state's four research universities, and the Southern Technical Institute (STI) belonged to the Georgia Institute of Technology. STI was begun as an engineering technology school, to help military personnel returning from World War II gain a hands-on experience in technical fields. Georgia Tech was not equipped to do this, as its engineering-only curriculum was focused more on theory.
Around 1958, the school moved to Marietta, to land donated by Dobbins Air Force Base. In 1981, the school was split from Georgia Tech, around the same time most of the others were separated from University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Georgia Southern University. The school was renamed Southern College of Technology (SCT), and later SPSU in 1996.
Students of the university operate WGHR, a noncommercial radio station licensed by the FCC. It has been on the air since 1981, serving much of Cobb County in the northwest metro Atlanta area. The station is student- and listener-supported, with diverse programming from a wide variety of genres.
Students also operate The STING, an acronym meaning Southern Technical Institute News Gazette. The student newspaper has been publishing since the school was founded. |
