Educating students for more than a century

Henry W. Grady was a prominent Georgia journalist. — Grady College is named after Henry W. Grady, a 1868 graduate of the University of Georgia.

What is now known as the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication started in 1915 when a young English professor, Steadman V. Sanford, thought journalism should be taught at the University of Georgia. The Board of Regents agreed and passed a resolution on June 12, 1915, approving the creation of the School of Journalism.

For seven years, Professor Sanford was in charge of the new school. On June 12, 1921, the Board of Regents changed the name to the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism after the legendary Atlanta journalist and University of Georgia alumnus, Henry Woodfin Grady (1850-1889). A child of the Civil War, Grady served as editor for the Atlanta Constitution, building the newspaper into the one of the most influential publications in the nation.

In 1988, the school became the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Today Grady College is a digital-first college offering multiple graduate degrees and four undergraduate majors including advertising, entertainment and media studies, journalism and public relations.

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