Augusta State University (ASU) is a state-supported, four-year public university located in the heart of Augusta, the second largest city in Georgia. It is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s history dates to the late 18th century, when the Academy of Richmond was chartered in 1783 and began to provide college-level classes in 1785. When the Civil War broke out, studies were suspended for some time and the academy building served as a hospital for wounded soldiers. The academy's operation was overseen by a board of trustees in 1909, and the control passed to the Augusta Board of Education. The board established the Junior College of Augusta at the same property in 1925. After becoming a part of University System of Georgia in 1958, the college formally changed to Augusta College and attained four-year status in 1963. The college campus is an 80-acre facility featuring historic and modern buildings. Originally a military storehouse, Payne Hall is a three-story, Georgian-style building that includes Academic Affairs, Academic and Architectural Planning, and the offices of Financial Aid, Veterans Affairs, and the Registrar. The three-story Reese Library, with a seating capacity of 1,000, holds nearly 400,000 volumes. An additional campus, Forest Hills, was opened in 1991. That 244-acre facility includes the Physical Education/Athletic Complex and an 18-hole golf course. University Village, the gated residential complex, is near the facility. Augusta College was renamed Augusta State University when the University System of Georgia changed the names of most of the four-year colleges in 1996. Today, it encompasses three colleges (Pamplin College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, and College of Education) and offers associate, bachelor, master, and specialist degrees, as well as a paralegal certificate and cooperative doctorate. Special programs, such as Honors Program, Co-op Education, internships, study-abroad and exchange programs, and ROTC also are provided. ASU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer associate, bachelor, master and specialist degrees.