The University of Georgia-Griffin Campus had its beginnings as the Georgia Experiment Station, one of the first State Agricultural Stations established in this country. Located in Spalding County since 1888, the primary objective of its research program is to develop information that will aid in improving the living standards of the people in Georgia, with a particular emphasis on agriculture and food science.
Griffin Campus scientists helped revolutionize agribusiness and farming statewide by solving many persistent crop problems. The deep-furrow method of planting winter oats, pioneered here around 1900, saved southern farmers millions of dollars. Researchers have bred numerous crop varieties, such as Empire cotton, which had a major impact on Georgia cotton growers in the 1940s. Griffin scientist Jasper Guy Woodroof contributed greatly to early food science research by developing the technology for frozen foods. Today, the UGA Griffin Campus is one of the premier agricultural research centers in the region and is poised to address research, extension and teaching needs of the 21st century. Campus programs contribute to the university’s mission “to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things.”
The Griffin Campus has a strong commitment to education. Research information reaches the public through the UGA Cooperative Extension Service, field days, conferences, Web sites, short courses, and continuing education and mentoring programs.
Beginning in the fall of 2005, the Griffin Campus began offering undergraduate bachelor's degree-completion programs on campus. The first two programs were a bachelor of science in environmental sciences and a bachelor of science in agriculture. Additional programs have since been added, including degrees in general business, consumer economics and microbiology. Graduate degree programs also are offered in mathematics education and agricultural leadership.
The UGA Research and Education Garden, located on the Griffin Campus, is also an educational outreach program of the campus. The 65-acre garden includes a series of theme gardens where homeowners can see firsthand how various plants grow in Georgia conditions. Visitors can also gather landscaping and gardening tips and ideas.
Many graduate students in UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences complete their laboratory and field class work alongside Griffin faculty.
Just 30 miles south of Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport, the UGA Griffin Campus is easily accessible by visitors across the nation and the world. The campus is a unit of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
University of Georgia - Griffin Campus Research and Education Garden