Lorberbaum Liberal Arts Building

On Wednesday, May 14, 1997, Lieutenant Governor Pierre Howard presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of Dalton State College’s new humanities building. The three story, 50,000 square-foot complex, designed to house 21 classrooms, nine labs, and 50 faculty offices, would double the college’s existing educational capabilities at a single stroke. The building would be the first new facility added to the campus since 1979. Funding approval for the building had shifted between the 1996 and 1997 state budgets as Governor Zell Miller and legislators maneuvered monies to fill other agendas. 

With construction completed in August, 1999, the December 9, 1999 unveiling coincided with Dalton State’s homecoming celebration. Lynn Morse, Dalton State’s head groundskeeper, well remembers the final hectic preparations for the dedication ceremony. Although construction on the building was completed in the summer of 1999 in an open area formerly occupied by magnolia trees, Morse and her crew worked hours of Saturday overtime and requested the assistance of student volunteers to plant trees, flowers, and shrubbery to meet the dedication deadline. 

In recognition of a $1 million commitment from the Alan S. Lorberbaum Family Foundation the new humanities building was named in honor of Shirley and Alan Lorberbaum in an April 12, 2001 ceremony. Mr. and Mrs. Lorberbaum, founders of Aladdin Mills, took an active role in the community for over 50 years as volunteers, philanthropists, and proponents for a better quality of life through education. The Lorberbaum Foundation made the gift to continue their work of enhancing educational opportunities for residents of Northwest Georgia.