Origins The school was founded in 1886 by Artemas Lester, a
circuit-riding Methodist minister who wanted to provide the residents of the
Appalachian Mountains with an education. The college was funded in part by production from an agricultural program, or college farm. Students who could not afford education were allowed to work on the farm to earn tuition. Originally known as
McTyeire Institute for the small village where the school was located, the college struggled for the first year until an
Athens judge,
Young L.G. Harris, donated enough money to keep the school open. The school was later renamed
Young Harris Institute and became Young Harris College in honor of its benefactor, as was the
surrounding town in 1895. A fire destroyed the college's main classroom building in 1911, but it was rebuilt by local townspeople and named Sharp Hall in honor of the college president at the time. The Young Harris Academy was founded in the late 19th century and provided a
primary education for thousands of students until it closed after
World War II.
Bequest Margaret Adger Pitts, who died in 1998, left an estate valued at $192 million, mostly in
Coca-Cola stock acquired by her father in the 1920s. YHC was one of four Georgia entities named to receive the yearly dividends and trust proceeds, approximately $3 million to each of the beneficiaries. The college announced that the money would be used for scholarships, improvements to the campus, and religious programs.
Transition Since the early 1910s, YHC was a two-year school, granting
associate's degrees. In 2008, the college earned its four-year accreditation through regional accreditation organization, the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and was approved to offer
bachelor's degrees in biology, business and public policy, English, and music. In February 2010, Young Harris' accreditation was expanded to include communication studies, history, outdoor leadership, theatre, and musical theatre in the list of sanctioned bachelor's programs. A
moon tree was planted on campus in 2024.
Presidents • 1886–1887 Marcus H. Edwards • 1888–1889 Edward A. Gray • 1889–1894 C. C. Spence • 1894–1899 William F. Robison • 1899–1916 Joseph A. Sharp • 1916–1917 George L. King • 1917–1922 John L. Hall • 1930 Ella Standard Sharp • 1930–1942 T. Jack Lance • 1942–1947 J. Worth Sharp • 1947–1950 Walter L. Downs • 1950–1963 Charles R. Clegg • 1963–1964 Robert P. Andress • 1964–1966 Raymond A. Cook • 1966–1971 Douglas Reid Sasser • 1971–1991 Ray Farley • 1990 Clay Dotson • 1991–2003 Thomas S. Yow III • 2003–2004 Clay Dotson • 2004–2006 W. Stephen Gunter • 2006–2006 John W. Wells • 2007–2017
Cathy Cox • July–October 2017 (Interim) C. Brooks Seay • 2017–2024
Drew Van Horn • 2025–present
John W. Wells == Academics ==