History. It all started with 136 acres next to Interstate 75, and a community that had hoped for a college since Joe Brown University came and went in the late 1800s. The vision was realized in July 1963, when Dalton State College was chartered as Dalton Junior College by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Dalton Junior College opened as the 24th unit of the University System of Georgia, which currently consists of 34 units.

Over the next several years, Whitfield County issued bonds to raise funds, a site was selected within the city limits of Dalton, and five buildings were slated for construction. When the College opened in September of 1967, four of those were complete: the administration/library building (now Westcott Hall), a classroom/science building (now Sequoya Hall), a general purpose student services building (now Pope Student Center), and the Maintenance/Warehouse building. The health and physical education building (now Bandy Gymnasium) was completed in February 1968.

Once the original buildings were complete, additional facilities followed almost immediately. Gignilliat Memorial Hall, a general purpose classroom building, was completed in 1970. A new library was occupied in 1972. The library has since been named for Dr. Derrell C. Roberts, former President of the College. Major additions to the Pope Student Center, Westcott Hall, and the Maintenance/Warehouse building were completed between 1973 and 1975. The Technical Education Building opened in 1979, and a major addition to Sequoya Hall was completed in 1989. Ribbon-cutting for the Liberal Arts Building took place during fall semester 1999; the building was named in 2001 for Shirley and Alan Lorberbaum ñ former residents of Dalton and believers in the importance of education. An addition to the Roberts Library was completed in 2002. The construction of the James E. Brown Center for Continuing Education is underway.

From an enrollment of 524 in fall 1967, the student body of the College grew to more than 3,000 in fall 1994 and more than 4,200 by 2004. A highly qualified faculty helps students achieve baccalaureate degrees, prepare for advanced degrees at other colleges and universities, and attain careers in business, education, health, service, technical, and vocational fields. Developmental programs and counseling services have always been integral components of the College's comprehensive programming.

The accreditation of Dalton College by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree has been continuous since 1969. In 1987, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia deleted Junior from the name of the College. The mission and purpose of Dalton College changed in fall 1998 to include focused baccalaureate offerings, and the name of the College was changed to Dalton State College on November 11, 1998, at the meeting of the Board of Regents on the College campus.

Today, Dalton State College offers baccalaureate degrees in Early Childhood Education, Biology, Mathematics, Social Work, Accounting, Management, Marketing Systems, Management Information Systems, Technology Management, and Industrial Operations Management.