Clayton State Points of Pride
- 2019 Best College ranking for top 141 best regional universities in the South, U.S. News & World Report 2019 Best Colleges
- 2018 Best College ranking for nation’s top 142 best regional universities in the South, U.S. News & World Report 2019 Best Colleges
- 2019 #13 Atlanta Area’s 25 Largest Colleges and Universities, Atlanta Business Chronicle Book of Lists
- 2019 #4 of Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s Degree, SR Education Group
- 2019 #14 of Best Online Colleges in Georgia, SR Education Group
- 2019 #16 Most Affordable Colleges Online, AffordableCollegesOnline.org
- 2019 #1 for offering a variety of online degree programs, including Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science, BachelorsDegreeCenter.org
- 2018 no. 1 “Best Value” public university in Georgia, James Magazine
- 2017 #1 Top Online Colleges for Dental Hygiene Degrees, SR Education Group
- 2017 Best College Rankings, Top 140 Universities in the South, U.S. New & World Report
- 2017 Top School Offering a Supportive Environment for Active Service Members and Veterans, Military Advanced Education and Transition Guide
- 2016 Best Buy for Georgia Universities, James Magazine
- 2016 #12 Atlanta’s 25 Largest Colleges and Universities, Atlanta Business Chronicle
- 2016 Tree Campus USA Award, The Arbor Day Foundation—Clayton State is a three-time winner of this award
- 2016 #7 Top 15 Business Schools in the Metro Area, with the Highest MBA Enrollment, Atlanta Business Chronicle
- 2015 #8 Public Institutions in the South, U.S. News & World Report
- 2015 #22 Best Campus Security, Best College Reviews
- 2010 Top Most Diverse Student Population among Baccalaureate-Level Colleges and Universities in the South, U.S. News & World Report
- Community Engaged University, Carnegie Foundation
- Top Workplace in Metropolitan Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Faculty and Staff
Stats
- Student–faculty ratio 22:1
- 237 full-time faculty
- 75% of undergraduate instructors hold the highest degrees in their field
Recognition
- Dr. Mary Lamb, associate professor of English, and Dr. Jennifer Parrott, assistant professor of English, co-edited the book, “Digital Reading and Writing in Composition Studies,” published by Routledge, 2019, for their Research in Writing Studies series.
- Dr. Khalilah Ali, assistant professor of English, published “Sankofa: A Modern Retelling of the Fable The People Could Fly,” a Spoken Word Performance in Ubiquity: The Journal of Literature, Literacy, and the Arts, in 2018. She also re-released an album, Manifesto [Audio file] with Afropolitan Presents, Atlanta, GA, 2018.
- Dr. Leon Prieto, associate professor of Management, released a book he co-authored entitled “African American Management History” in 2019, which highlights several historical black business luminaries and they embraced the philosophy of “cooperative advantage” to succeed and build their communities.
- Dr. Jelani Favors, assistant professor of history, released his book entitled “Shelter in a Time of Storm,” which explores the significance of historically Black colleges and universities, commonly known as HBCUs, and the efforts of students to fight for freedom and justice for African Americans.
- Colleen Walters, Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, winner of the Clinical Novice Faculty Teaching Award for excellence and innovation in the teaching of nursing, by American Association of Colleges and Nursing
- Gordon Baker, Dean of Libraries, winner of the Hal Mendelsohn Award from the Southeastern Library Association for continual, dedicated outstanding service to the association
- Dr. Rodger Bates, Professor of Sociology, 2016 GSA Meritorious Service Award for scholarship in support of the Journal of Public and Professional Sociology, by Georgia Sociological Association
- Dr. Alphonso O. Ogbuehi, Professor of Marketing and International Business, College of Business, received a grant to study business and entrepreneurship in Nigeria as part of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
- Alisa Kirk, Area Director, UGA Small Business Development Center, named one of the top 25 women of Atlanta, by Rolling Out Magazine
- Carolina Amero, Assistant VP, Auxiliary and Administrative Services, named Service Excellence Ambassador of the Year as part of the Chancellor’s Annual Service Excellence Awards
- Sherwin James, Advisor and Assistant Director, Center for Advising and Retention, won the Advising Excellence Award at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)
Student Life
- 45+ student organizations so you can immerse yourself in campus life
- Eight Greek Fraternity and Sorority chapters focused on cultivating unique attributes within the individual and within
the campus community:
- Scholarship
- Leadership
- Service and philanthropy
- Brotherhood and sisterhood
- Spivey Hall, our world-class performance arts venue, where you can take in a concert or show
- A safe campus, ranked #21 on the list of Top Safest Schools for Women by Campus Circle, and #22 on the Best Campus Security list by Best Colleges Reviews
- BOOST, a childcare assistance program and one of our many family resources
Athletics
- Accomplished athletic teams: Women's
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Soccer
- Track and field
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Soccer
- Track and Field
- 62 total championships, including the 2010-2011 Women’s Basketball, NCAA Division II National Championship Title and the men’s basketball 2016-2017 Peach Belt Conference West Division Championship
- Hank Kim, men’s golf head coach, named the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Co-Coach of the Year. Kim is the second Laker in program history to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining Clayton State Athletics Hall of Famer Bob Hill who claimed the honor in 2005.
- Maia Kuhnen and Crystal Nelson, All-Academic Team selections by the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association—first time student-athletes on any CSU teams have received this honor
Accreditation and Recognitions
Clayton State University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Clayton State University.
Read more about our SACS accreditation.
Such regional accreditation is the standard for a university’s overall educational effort. In addition, our specialized accreditations include:
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
- American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation
- Association of University Programs in Health Administration
- National Association of Schools of Music
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- Georgia Board of Nursing
- American Bar Association (paralegal and legal studies)
- National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
- Georgia Professional Standards Commission
Interested in learning more about Laker life?