CLARKSTON, Ga. (AP) — Students, faculty and alumni will be marking the 50th anniversary of Georgia Perimeter College with events beginning this week.

The school opened in 1964 as DeKalb College and has grown to five campuses located in Alpharetta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton County.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (http://on-ajc.com/1sXy7Fx ) the anniversary celebration kicks off Friday during a fall convocation with guest speaker Houston Davis, executive vice chancellor for the state university system. It will also include the annual state-of-the-college address and will be followed by a picnic.

The school currently has more than 21,000 students, up from 763 at the time it was founded. The college is also home to the university system's largest online program.