After today, Gainesville State College will no longer be under Martha Nesbitt’s leadership.But her influence and legacy, her friends and colleagues say, will remain on the Oakwood campus as long as it stands.Nesbitt, who has held the presidency of Gainesville State since 1997, officially retires today. She was the third president of the college, succeeding Hugh Mills and J. Foster Watkins.Since taking over in 1997, Nesbitt has led the college in the “age of growth.”From 2000 to 2010, enrollment grew 174 percent and the college now serves around 8,900 students.In 2003, the Oconee campus opened, giving students in the eastern part of the state access tothe institution.“I’m a great fan of President Nesbitt,” said Philip Wilheit, a member of the University System Board of Regents. “She’s done a wonderful job of guiding the school to the heights that it’s obtained.”But some who know and have worked with Nesbitt said it is not just the growth the college has seen that makes her the leader she is — it’s her ability to maintain the Gainesville State culture amid the growth.“I was so impressed with what she did at Gainesville State College,” said Margaret Venable, vice president of the Oconee campus.