On Wednesday, April 10, Ralston College expanded their Savannah footprint with the official opening of new administrative offices in the Philbrick-Eastman House on Chippewa Square.
The college recently leased the former Parker’s headquarters at 17 W. McDonough Street after the convenience store company expanded to a new corporate office in a former Gulfstream building located near the airport. Judge Realty CEO Lori Judge brokered the lease between Ralston College and Parker’s.
The partnership between Ralston College President Stephen Blackwood, Greg Parker, founder and CEO of Parker’s Kitchen, and Lori Judge, CEO of Judge Realty, made the expansion possible. “The Philbrick-Eastman House is an iconic Savannah landmark that truly represents the ideals of Ralston College,” said Parker, who formerly used the 11,334-square foot space for the corporate offices of The Parker Companies.
“It seems fitting that a college that is committed to truth, beauty, freedom and fellowship would be housed in such a classic, stately building. We want to congratulate Ralston College on this recent expansion and are wishing them every success in the future,” he said.
Now, Ralston College’s Savannah campus totals more than 50,000 square feet and includes its main academic building at 26 E Gaston St, overlooking Forsyth Park.
“We are grateful to entrepreneurs Greg Parker and Lori Judge and to Savannah residents for their embrace of Ralston College and its graduate students in this beautiful city,” Blackwood said. “Savannah is the perfect place to build a College devoted to the educational mission of seeking truth, fostering freedom of thought and speech, apprehending beauty, and forging the friendships that these activities bring about. Our students are fortunate indeed to have the pleasure and privilege of studying in such a uniquely attractive place.”
Ralston College, which was founded in 2010, is currently accepting students who in spring 2025 will make up the College’s third consecutive cohort to be admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in the Humanities. The College offers an intensive one-year graduate program that traces the development of Western civilization from ancient times to the present and includes an eight-week term in Greece followed by three terms in Savannah.
In addition to its degree program, the College hosts free, public lecture series as well as podcasts and online lectures. For more information about the college, visit: https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma.This article appears in Connect Savannah I April 2024.