1964. It was a big year. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act into law. The Beatles landed in New York City for their first U.S. tour. And the DeKalb Board of Education officially opened DeKalb College, the first and only public two-year college in the state controlled by a local school district.

Twenty-two years later, DeKalb College joined the University System of Georgia; and in 1997, the USG Board of Regents changed the name of the college to Georgia Perimeter College to reflect its expanding mission and its service throughout the metro Atlanta area. The GPC moniker became official in the fall of 1998.

Today, Georgia Perimeter has five campuses—Alpharetta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton County—plus the state university system’s largest online program. GPC currently serves more than 21,000 students and during its history has helped more than 350,000 students toward their dream of earning a college degree.

On Friday, Sept. 5, at 10:30 a.m., GPC faculty, staff and retirees will kick off the college’s 50th anniversary celebration at Fall Convocation in the Clarkston Campus gymnasium. Special guest speaker will be Dr. Houston Davis, USG executive vice chancellor. Interim President Rob Watts will give the annual state-of-the-college address, and Academic Affairs Vice President Ron Stark will provide a college update. 

The business part of the day will be followed by a picnic. The faculty/staff parking lot 1 (between buildings CA and CB) will be blocked off for that purpose.

Friday classes will be held, and libraries and bookstores will be open; however, campus departments will be closed.