The Rosenwald Building

Most of the buildings on Georgia Southern’s campus are named in honor of a man or woman who had a direct association with the University, but the Rosenwald Building is one of the rare exceptions.

Originally built as a library in 1938, when the school was still called South Georgia Teachers College, the building is a tribute to the illustrious retailer and philanthropist—Julius Rosenwald. The college library was located in Rosenwald Building until 1975, but today is home to the University Museum and the Offices of the Registrar and Financial Aid, among others.

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Rosenwald was part owner of what was America’s leading mail-order business—Sears, Roebuck and Company. Under Rosenwald’s leadership, Sears evolved into a popular bricks-and-mortar merchandise store and one of the largest retail chains in America. He served as its vice president and treasurer from 1895 to 1910, as president from 1910 to 1924, and as chairman of the board of directors from 1924, until his death in 1932.

The business luminary is equally known for his extraordinary philanthropy efforts, which far outpaced the work of his contemporaries. Established in 1917, the Julius Rosenwald Fund raised millions of dollars for rural and minority schools and colleges throughout the United States. Thanks to Rosenwald’s generosity and dedication to education initiatives, more than 5,000 “Rosenwald Schools” were built in the rural South to help educate African-American youths. In addition, roughly 4,000 libraries were added to existing schools.

Because of our own role as a leader in rural education, Georgia Teachers College was able to secure grants from the Rosenwald Fund in order to raise the educational level of teachers in rural public schools as well as establish scholarships for future teachers who wished to work in rural schools. In his book, “Georgia Southern: Seventy-Five Years of Progress and Service”, historian T. Ray Shurbutt wrote that the College received $75,000 in grants and scholarships from the Rosenwald Fund, when Marvin Pittman was president. As a tribute to Rosenwald’s devotion and generosity, the new library was dedicated to his memory when it opened in 1938.

Director of Georgia Southern University Museum Brent Tharp says the Rosenwald name is integral to understanding the extraordinary story of Georgia Southern. “It is a testament to the progressive vision for the role of education in the community shared by the school and Julius Rosenwald. It represents, too, the perseverance that has been a hallmark of this institution,” he said. “In the midst of the crushing effects of the Great Depression, Marvin Pittman and the faculty and staff of Georgia Teachers College not only kept the school going, but actually expanded the campus and operations, including a new library thanks in part to the Rosenwald Fund.”

According to Shurbutt, the original building was constructed for $31,466. Even today, the Rosenwald building is still one of the most eye-catching buildings on campus—an architectural landmark that admirably connects our glorious past and present, and reminds us all of what the hope of Georgia Southern University’s future can be, when just one person takes the time to care. – Sandra Bennett