The University of West Georgia’s Newnan campus traces its founding to Dr. Steve McCutcheon, who, in 1987, was the Director of Continuing Education for West Georgia College. Seeking to make West Georgia College courses available in Coweta County, Dr. McCutcheon approached Newnan banker Bill Williams for support. In August 1987, after Dr. McCutcheon had met with the Newnan Coweta Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee, they formed a steering committee to plan the West Georgia College Newnan Center. This initiative was formally announced in 1988 by Dr. Robert Townsend, the President of West Georgia College.

The Newnan Center opened as a collaborative effort between West Georgia College, the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce, the Coweta County Board of Education, and other community groups and leaders. In September 1988, the Newnan Center opened and borrowed classrooms at Newnan High School for its two offered courses and 15 students.

In November 1989, the Georgia Power Company contacted West Georgia College to offer classroom and office space in the proposed Georgia Power Shenandoah Environment and Education Center, located on Georgia Power’s 14-acre solar research site in the Shenandoah Industrial Park. Classes began in 1990.

In 1998, the Coweta County Commission purchased the property from Georgia Power for over one million dollars. Under the leadership of West Georgia College’s President Beheruz Sethna, Vice President Tim Hynes, and Dean Don Wagner, a ten-year lease agreement was negotiated for the amount of $1 per month. The Coweta County Commission offered to pay all operational expenses of the Center for the first two years of the lease.

In 2001, the University expanded the Newnan Center’s course offerings to include a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership. These were the first full graduate degree programs offered completely at the Newnan Center. In 2002, UWG added another complete graduate degree program at the Newnan Center with the Masters of Special Education and in 2005, UWG added a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. This was the first complete undergraduate degree program offered in Newnan. In 2007, a complete Masters of Business Administration program began at the Newnan Center. The following year, an Early Childhood Education program was offered. In 2009, the Masters of Arts in Criminology was added to the Newnan Center’s graduate degree programs, bringing the total number of complete graduate programs to six.

On August 3, 2009, the Newnan Center held a ceremony marking the transfer of ownership of the Newnan Center property from the Coweta County Commission to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

The UWG Newnan campus transitioned to the old Newnan Hospital in the Spring of 2015.