Clayton State University

Clayton State University
© Clayton State University
Established	1969
Type	Public
Endowment	$1,099,942 free_label=Sports
President	Thomas J. "Tim" Hynes, Jr.
Academic staff	208
Admin. staff	356
Students	7145
Location	Morrow, Georgia, United States 33°35′40″N 84°19′42″W
Website	www.clayton.edu

Clayton State University is a public university in Morrow, Georgia. Clayton State University is a part of the University System of Georgia.

The main campus is located in a wooded area of 163 acres (0.66 km²), with several ponds and a lake, in the north-central part of Clayton County in suburban south metro Atlanta. The campus is located fifteen minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The University has 208 full-time faculty and 356 full-time staff.

Clayton State maintains an instructional site in Peachtree City. Since 1991, Clayton State's Spivey Hall enjoys recognition as one of the world's best concert halls, presenting jazz, classical music and all manner of musical entertainment. Clayton State is a part of the Division II NCAA sports in basketball, soccer, cross-country, tennis, golf and cheerleading programs.

Clayton State University's School of Business and College of Health enjoy state-wide reputations. The Harry S. Downs Continuing Education Center, overlooking the main campus lake, is home to multiple language programs along with many personal growth programs and some technical programs. The Downs Center is also a venue for conferences and special events.

The institution was founded in 1969 and was originally known as Clayton Junior College. When the school became a four-year institution in 1986, the institute took on the name Clayton State College. In 1996, the Georgia Board of Regents renamed many higher-ed institutions, with Clayton State becoming Clayton College & State University. In 2005, the name was changed to Clayton State University. In 2004, the go ahead for developing a masters program was given by the Board of Regents. Clayton State University currently offers eight masters degree programs and 40 baccalaureate degree majors. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) degree program was formally approved in November 2005 and is now part of the School of Graduate Studies that guides eight graduate programs including: MALS, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Arts in Teaching English, Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics, and Master of Archival Studies. The Master of Science in Psychology degree will be offered beginning fall 2010.

In fall of 2008, Clayton State University opened its first on-campus housing facility, Laker Hall, with capacity for 451 beds. Laker Hall is Georgia's first and only gigabit ethernet service residence hall.

Student body

Clayton State students live throughout Atlanta and represent every region of the United States and some 30 foreign countries.

While one-third of the students are under 22, the median age is 28 and the University is recognized for two-thirds of its students being non-traditional, adult learners.

The US News & World Report ranking of colleges has identified Clayton State University as having the most diverse student body population among comprehensive baccalaureate-level colleges and universities in the Southern United States six times in the past decade.

All students are required to own, or have access to, a laptop computer, regardless of major or status. On February 1, 2011 the student login "SWAN" (Student Web Access Network) was updated to be more secure against phishing of students' usernames and passwords.

Campus Events Council is the largest student based organization on the Clayton State University campus. This organization creates events that cater to the student body through informative and social measures.

Recent developments

In addition to the significant expansion of the University's academic programs - both graduate and undergraduate - the past half dozen years at Clayton State have been highlighted by the establishment of the first joining state and federal archives facilities in the United States adjacent to campus, the institution of a comprehensive strategic planning process, and the reaffirmation of the University's accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The James M. Baker University Center, Clayton State's signature building, was completed in August 2004 and named in honor of Clayton State alumnus James M. "Jim" Baker in November 2005, and provides the University with a true "Center" for student life. The building contains a food service area, a help desk for servicing notebook computers, state-of-the-art visual technology in classrooms, offices and enhanced learning facilities including wireless capabilities and more than 2,000 data drops.

In a six-week period between August and October 2008, the University dedicated three new buildings: the University's first student housing (Laker Hall), the Student Activities Center, and a new building for the AACSB-accredited School of Business.

When President Dr. Thomas K. Harden left to become chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in May 2009, Dr. Thomas J. "Tim" Hynes, Jr., provost of the University of West Georgia, became Clayton State's interim president, being appointed permanently by the Board of Regents as the University's fourth president on February 9, 2010.

On January 26, 2011, Clayton State University officially opened the Laboratory Annex Building with a dedication ceremony. The new state-of-the-art building features 18,000 square feet (1,700 m²) of new laboratory and research space.

Clayton State University has 2 campuses in Morrow, the main campus and CSU East. The main campus is located 2000 Clayton State Blvd and the other is located at 5823 Trammell Rd. In addition to the two campuses in Morrow, there are also campuses located in Fayette/Peachtree City. Henry/ McDonough, and Jonesboro.

On February 16, 2011 the Clayton State Laker women's basketball team became number one in Division II women's college basketball. This is the first number one ranking ever achieved by a Clayton State sports team.

In Summer 2011, Clayton State purchased the former Clayton Place apartment complex across the road and railroad tracks from the main campus. The renovated student housing is now known as Clayton Station.

Athletics

Clayton State University is an Division II member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), competing in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC). The university fields varsity teams, known as the Lakers and Lady Lakers, in five men's and five women's sports: men's and women's basketball men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's tennis men's and women's track & field.

Women's basketball

Clayton State University won its first national championship in school history when the Lady Lakers won the NCAA Division II women's basketball national title in 2011.

External links

• Clayton State University website
• Clayton State University athletics website