In 1970,Derrell C. Roberts became the second president of Dalton State College. Under his leadership, student enrollment tripled, reaching almost
3,000 in 1993. The size of the faculty doubled from 47 to 93 members.
The college library's 131,000 volumes and other holdings placed the
institution at the top of the list of two-year college libraries in the
University System of Georgia.
He served until his retirement in 1994, and became President Emeritus in 1994.
In 1997, the Dalton College Library was named for Dr. Roberts.