"A Trip To ABAC"

A few weeks ago I made a trip to Tifton, Georgia to speak at ABAC College. ABAC stands for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and for all the time I have been living in Georgia I thought of it as a "farming" school. Sort of like Clemson in South Carolina where I grew up.

I really didn't know much at all about ABAC. I had passed by the sign for it as I sailed down Interstate 75 heading to Florida. And both my sons had gone down to work at the Agrirama as part of a day trip at the school they attended. The Agrirama is part of the school where they grow crops just like they did in the 1800's. The people there dress up like the 1850's and use equipment they used then.

Anyway I was speaking to a group of students, faculty and community members and I always like to do that. When I arrived at ABAC I went to the library where my host for the day was waiting. He introduced me to two students who were there to take me on a tour of the campus. This young man and young woman were well versed in all things ABAC. As they walked me from one place to another they spelled out the history and the future plans for ABAC.

One thing that impressed me was that each and every building, each and every improvement, cost in the millions. It was 3.2 million for this, 20.7 million for that, 1.8 million projected for those. Doesn't anybody do anything in the thousands any more? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around millions. You can tell my mindset is still back at Erskine College in the sixties.

When I was in college we had two people to a room in the dorm, and it was just a room - a narrow room. We had a sink and a closet and room for two desks and a couple of beds. Students at ABAC can live in apartments on campus that have one person to a room with a shared bath in between. They also have a kitchen area and all of it is furnished. Utilities are included for less than $400 per month. Oh yes, they also have wireless Internet connection. Get out of here!

As I listened to these guys tell me about the food and the furnishings on campus I felt as if I had gone to college in a covered wagon, and fought the Indians along the way. Times sure have changed. And for the better in most ways. The campus at ABAC contains students of all races and creeds. And it certainly looked as if they all mixed together in friendly groups and were totally without discomfort. Now that is progress.

When the tour was over I went back to the building where I was to speak. Speaking is something I enjoy and something that can go either really good or really bad. A lot for me depends on the audience. I feed on how they are acting and reacting. At ABAC on this day it was good. This group listened attentively, laughed in all the right spots, and later asked intelligent thought-provoking questions. 

Before I left for the day I mentioned I had always thought of ABAC as just being a place for agricultural students, but that now there seemed to be a big mixture of majors and career fields. I was quickly told that though agriculture still is a vital part of ABAC, the main career fields for students are Nursing and Business. Agriculture comes third.

Live and learn, that's what it is all about. So if you are heading down I-75 and see the sign for ABAC turn off and take a tour. They are spending millions to make this an even better school for Georgia. Oh they spend millions for everything except my speaking fee. That was a little bit less. Make that a lot, lot, lot less.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!