Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. As ...

, United States. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

History

Charleston Southern University was chartered in 1960 and became the Baptist College of Charleston, where it offered its first classes in the education building of the First Baptist Church of North Charleston. The university offered the first instruction at a post secondary level in 1965 and awarded its first degree in 1967. In 1990, the South Carolina Baptist Convention voted to change the university's name from Baptist College at Charleston to Charleston Southern University. In 2001, the university was placed on a censure list issued by the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...

Academics

The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's and master's degrees. CSU students can choose from more than 50 undergraduate majors and graduate programs such as business, education, criminal justice, computer science, cyber security, Christian studies, graphic design, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, etc. Each degree program is combined with a comprehensive

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

foundation which is designed to develop

problem-solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

and

communication skills Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not only transmit ...

Accreditation

Charleston Southern University is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctorate degrees. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention (

Campus

Charleston Southern is located off Exit 205B on I-26 in

. It is situated on , formerly the site of a rice and indigo plantation.

Leadership

President

B. Keith Faulkner is the fourth and current president of Charleston Southern University. He is the first alumnus of the school to serve as president. * John A. Hamrick (1964–1984) * Jairy C. Hunter Jr. (1984–2018) *

Dondi E. Costin Dondi Enos Costin (born August 21, 1964) is an American academic, Baptist minister, and former major general in the United States Air Force. He has led the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps and served as Chief of Chaplains of the United State ...

(2018–2023) * B. Keith Faulkner (2023–present)

Student activities

Beyond the classroom, students can participate in a variety of campus activities including academic clubs, service organizations, intramural athletics and campus ministries. Intramural athletic activities include flag football, basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and more. Campus ministries include Cru,

Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international nonprofit Christian sports ministry based in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. History FCA was founded in 1954 by Eastern Oklahoma State College, Eastern Oklahoma A&M basketball c ...

, Campus Outreach, and Elevate.

Student life

Single students under 21 years of age are encouraged to live on campus. There are at least four dining facilities on campus; one is the dining hall located in the Student Center, another is Java City located near the library,

Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A, Inc. ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain and the largest chain specializing in Chicken burger, chicken sandwiches. Headquarter ...

and, the newest addition, The Buc Stop in the Student Center.

Athletics

The university offers intercollegiate athletics for both men and women, competing in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), ...

. Charleston Southern fields teams in the following sports:

Notable alumni

* Michelle D. Commander – Associate Director and Curator of the Lapidus Center at the

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) be ...

* Charles James – Professional football player and star of HBO's ''Hard Knocks'' * Sam Gandy – Alzheimer's researcher *

Bobby Parnell Robert Allen Parnell (born September 8, 1984) is an American former baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. He was drafted by the Mets in the ninth round of the 2005 Major League Baseb ...

– Professional baseball player *

Tim Scott Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina. A member of the Re ...

– United States Senator * Charlie Simpkins – Track and field athlete; 1992 Olympic Games silver medalist in the triple jump *

R. J. Swindle Robert Joseph "R. J." Swindle (born July 7, 1983) is a Canadian former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 and 2009. Amateur career A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, S ...

– Professional baseball player *

Tyler Thornburg Tyler Michael Thornburg (born September 29, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins. Early ...

– Professional baseball player

References

External links

* {{Coord, 32, 58, 51, N, 80, 4, 16, W, type:edu, display=title 1964 establishments in South Carolina Buildings and structures in North Charleston, South Carolina Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Education in Charleston County, South Carolina Education in North Charleston, South Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1964 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention Private universities and colleges in South Carolina