Point University


Point University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university in West Point, Georgia. It was founded in 1937 as Atlanta Christian College in East Point. The college announced its name change to Point University in 2011 and relocated its main campus to West Point in June 2012.

History

Atlanta Christian College

Atlanta Christian College was founded in 1937 by Thomas Olin Hathcock, a prominent Fulton County, Georgia judge from 1914 until 1942. He and his wife, Nora Head Hathcock, were members of the Christian churches and churches of Christ, the denomination that the institution has always been affiliated with. The property for the 300-acre campus was from a farm Nora Hathcock had inherited.
Following its 1937 founding, Atlanta Christian College devoted itself mainly to the education of ministers, missionaries, and other church-related workers. In 1965, the college became an accredited member of the American Association of Bible Colleges. In 1990, in conjunction with a broadening of its curriculum, the college was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.

Point University

On February 2, 2011, student leaders and administrators of Atlanta Christian College announced a name change to Point University, which became effective on July 1, 2011. In addition to the name change, the college announced the 2012 relocation of its main campus to West Point, Georgia, an hour southwest of the current campus near Atlanta. Adult learning classes will continue to be held at the East Point location, as well as an adult learning program and dual-credit enrollment program for high school students at the current off-site locations in Peachtree City, Savannah, and Birmingham, Ala.
In addition to renovating the former West Point-Stevens headquarters for use as the primary academic building for traditional program studies in West Point, the University also has apartment-style student housing in nearby Valley, Alabama.
In addition to the relocation announcement, the university was accepted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The university also announced the athletics program would undergo expansion as part of the transition from the National Christian College Athletic Association to the NAIA, including the addition of intercollegiate football, softball and cross country beginning in fall 2011. The athletics nickname was also changed from the Chargers to the Skyhawks. In Spring 2014, the Point University Skyhawks were admitted to the recently started Sun conference as a charter member.

Presidents

Point University offers degrees in biblical studies, biology, exercise science, business, marketing, accounting, management, child and youth development, counseling and human services, sociology, criminal justice, early childhood education, middle grades education, English, history, humanities, music and psychology. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate and baccalaureate degrees. Its accreditation was most recently affirmed in 2016. The early childhood education program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Professional Standards Commission of the State of Georgia.

Athletics

Point University athletic teams are known as the Skyhawks. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Football was a member of The Sun Conference for 2014 and 2015, moving to the Appalachian Division of the Mid-South Conference in the fall of 2017. The rest of its sports compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis; women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, lacrosse, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
The university was formerly a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I. The Skyhawks have won a number of regional and national championships, most recently the 2010 NCCAA Division II national championship in baseball.

Notable students and alumni