Clayton State University is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Morrow, Georgia Morrow is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population was 6,569 in 2020. It is the home of Clayton State University and the Georgia Archives. History The community was named after ...

, United States. It serves

Metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

and is part of the

University System of Georgia The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gener ...

. The main

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

includes of wooded grounds and five lakes. Located in the north-central part of Clayton County in suburban south

metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

, the main campus is about twenty minutes from downtown Atlanta. Clayton State also maintains a separate Fayette County instructional site in Peachtree City and offers additional instruction at locations in Jonesboro in Clayton County and McDonough in Henry County. Upon opening in 1991, Clayton State's Spivey Hall began presenting

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and other musical entertainment. It has since developed into one of the premiere

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

venues in the Atlanta metropolitan area and offers more than 400 performances per year. These performances air frequently on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Clayton State basketball, soccer, cross-country, tennis, golf, and track & field programs are a part of Division II of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), competing in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC). In 2011, the Clayton State women's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship.

History

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 The Georgia Board of Regents oversees the University System of Georgia as part of the state government of Georgia in the United States. The University System of Georgia is composed of all state public institutions of higher education in the state ...

renamed many higher-education institutions, with Clayton State becoming Clayton College and State University. In 2005, the name was changed to Clayton State University. Clayton State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees. Clayton State University is organized into four colleges and one school: * College of Arts and Sciences * College of Business * College of Health * College of Information and Mathematical Sciences * School of Graduate Studies The College of Business is accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

; only the top 5% of all business schools worldwide are AACSB accredited. The Harry S. Downs Continuing Education Center, overlooking the main campus lake, offers programs in language, personal growth, and technical subjects, and is also a venue for conferences and special events. In 2016 the Clinical/Counseling Psychology master's degree program gained Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) accreditation through 2026. In 2004, approval for developing a masters program was given by the

. Clayton State University currently offers nine master's degree programs and 40 baccalaureate degree majors. In 2021, Dr. T. Ramon Stuart became Clayton State's first African-American president. The 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 ...

Student body

The vast majority of Clayton State students come from the Atlanta metro area. The remaining few come from other regions of Georgia, the United States, and some 40 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 '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranking of colleges consistently identifies Clayton State University as having one of the most diverse student body populations among comprehensive baccalaureate-level colleges and universities in the southern United States. More than 80% of the student body self-identify as an ethnic or racial minority (majority African-American). All students are required to own or have access to a laptop computer, regardless of major or status. There are over 45 student organizations established on campus. Clayton State's Greek system consists of three National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) fraternities, four NPHC sororities, and

Alpha Kappa Lambda Alpha Kappa Lambda (), commonly known as AKL or Alpha Kapp, is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1914. Today, it operates 25 active chapters ...

. There is no traditional Greek housing on or near campus. Less than five percent of the undergraduate student body are active in the Greek system.

Athletics

Clayton State University is a Division II member of the

(NCAA), competing in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC). The university fields varsity teams, known as the Lakers, in five men's and five women's sports: men's and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, men's and women's cross country, men's

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, men's and women's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, women's

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, and men's and women's indoor and outdoor

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Portal bar, State of Georgia Universities and colleges established in 1969 Public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Clayton County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Clayton County, Georgia 1969 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) University System of Georgia