Piedmont University

Piedmont University is a private university located in Demorest and Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1897, it offers undergraduate and graduate programs through colleges of arts and sciences, business, education, and nursing and health sciences. The Demorest campus serves as the primary residential location, while the Athens campus focuses on programs for traditional and nontraditional students, including graduate study. Piedmont is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and maintains small class sizes with a student-centered academic environment. Students are often drawn to its liberal arts foundation, professional programs in education and nursing, and its setting in northeast Georgia’s Blue Ridge foothills.

Piedmont University was founded in 1897 in Demorest, Georgia, as the J.S. Green Collegiate Institute by residents of Habersham County who sought to expand educational access in northeast Georgia. Reverend Charles C. Spence served as its first president. In 1901, the American Mission Board of the Congregational Churches assumed operation of the school, and in 1902 the name was changed to Piedmont College. The institution became independent in 1948 while maintaining ties to Congregational and later United Church of Christ traditions. During the late twentieth century, Piedmont College expanded its academic offerings, adding business and nursing programs and opening a campus in Athens in the 1990s. Campus facilities in Demorest grew significantly with new academic buildings and student housing. In April 2021, Piedmont College officially became Piedmont University, reflecting its broadened graduate programs and institutional development.