City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Education

Telephone: (404) 471-6000

Address: 141 East College Ave.

Description: Six miles east of Downtown, Agnes Scott College is a private, four-year liberal arts college for women. Founded in 1889 by Decatur Presbyterian Church, it was named for the mother of industrialist and developer Colonel George Washington Scott, whose $112,000 gift to the school was the largest contribution to education ever made in Georgia at that time. In 1907 Agnes Scott became one of Georgia’s first accredited colleges and universities. Today Agnes Scott’s 881 students come from 45 states and 27 countries. The college boasts a 10-to-1 student-faculty ratio; the average class size is 15; 100 percent of the tenured full-time faculty hold doctorates; 60 percent are women. About 20 percent of students are adult women returning to college to complete degree work. Approximately 90 percent of students live in campus dorms. The library maintains extensive collections relating to Robert Frost, who visited the college 20 times, and Catherine Marshall, alumna, class of ’36. The 100-acre campus is involved in a master renovation and expansion program. The college’s many fine Gothic- and Victorian-style buildings are surrounded by broad lawns, old trees, and brick walks. Portions of 22 movies, commercials, and TV shows have been filmed here, including A Man Called Peter, Fried Green Tomatoes, and, most recently, Why Did I Get Married? and Five Killers.