Guy Herbert Wells became the president of GSCW on July 4, 1934. The former president of Georgia Southern University was the best hope of the Board of Regents to lead the college into the future. The new president understood that he would need to modernize GSCW in terms of academics and codes of dress and personal behavior for the students. Under Well’s leadership, the college enrollment continued to rise. Wells oversaw the college during the tenure of the renowned writer, Flannery O’Connor, and the campus’ participation as a WAVES training facility. I
n 1953, Wells retired from his post of President, and was granted the title of President Emeritus, to take a post with the State Department in Liberia. After his return to the states in 1954, Wells began advocating for full integration of schools in the University System of Georgia.