Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU), part of the University System of Georgia, was founded in 1935 as Armstrong Junior College to enhance higher educational opportunities in the community. The foundation of the institution, then as now, was a firm commitment to the ideals of a liberal education.

The city-supported college was housed in the historic Armstrong House, a gift to the city from the family of George F. Armstrong. Over the years, the college occupied six additional buildings in the Forsyth Park and Monterey Square areas. In 1959, as Armstrong College of Savannah, it became a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia. In 1964 the Board of Regents conferred four-year status on Armstrong State College.