Our history begins back in the first half of the 20th century, when the W. K. Kellogg Foundation together with the State of Georgia called for a modern and innovative adult learning center to encourage and nurture learning as a continuous process throughout life. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation gave a $2.44 million grant to construct what is today the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, located in the R. Chappelle Matthews Public Service Complex. The Matthews Complex includes the Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, Treanor House, the Hoke Smith Building, Hoke Smith Annex and the J.W. Fanning Building.
When we opened our doors in 1957, our original concept was that of a dynamic, extraordinary program that provided adult and continuing education for the people of the State of Georgia and the United States of America.
This grand vision resulted in a state-of-the-art residential adult learning center capable of inspiring, facilitating, and supporting the lifelong learning process. It was a new concept on college campuses: to have a continuing education center that included conference rooms and a hotel all under one roof.
The Georgia Center became the second of the residential adult learning centers funded by grants from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and in 1990 there were 13 such centers in the U.S., Costa Rica, Great Britain, and Honduras.
Our building became not only the premier example of educational advancement, but also a forerunner in architectural, landscape, and interior design. Today, we provide classes and professional opportunities for adult education, host conferences large and small, and host multitudes of guests in our hotel rooms.
Throughout the years, we have had the privilege of hosting some of recent history’s most influential characters. From U.S. Secretaries of State, to U.S. Presidents, the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel has always been, and always will be, a place where great minds congregate.
