Columbus State University

For the university in Columbus, Ohio, see Columbus State Community College.
Columbus State University
Former names
 Columbus College
Type Public university
Established 1958
Endowment $28 million[1]
President Chris Markwood
Provost Tom Hackett
Academic staff
 300[2]
Administrative staff
 495[3]
Students 8,307 (Fall 2015)[4]
Undergraduates 7,106 (Fall 2015)[4]
Postgraduates 1,168 (Fall 2015)[4]
33[5]
Location Columbus, Georgia, United States
Campus Suburban, 132 acres (Main campus); Urban (RiverPark campus)
Colors Blue and Red
         
Athletics NCAA Division II – Peach Belt Conference
Nickname Cougars
Mascot Cody Cougar
Website www.columbusstate.edu

Columbus State University is a public institution of higher learning located in Columbus, Georgia. Founded as Columbus College in 1958, the university was established and is administered by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

The university was first called Columbus College when it opened as a junior college in a hosiery mill in 1958. The college was staffed by fifteen faculty and staff and almost three hundred students attended courses in the first year.

Columbus College relocated to the midtown area in 1963, building a campus defined by modern architecture on what was previously a dairy farm. The school was granted four-year status in 1965 with offerings of bachelor's and master's degrees. The first four-year class graduated in 1970.

In 1996 the school was renamed Columbus State University as part of a program to restructure four-year institutions within the state's university system. The school now offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than ninety academic disciplines. As of the 2010 academic year, the university enrolled more than 8,200 students. In early 2007, the art and theatre departments moved to the university's newly built RiverPark Campus in downtown Columbus. The complex was designed to provide students of the fine arts with a tightly-knit living community and larger studios, laboratories, and galleries. The Schwob School of Music is housed in the adjacent RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.[6]

Frank Brown was President of Columbus State University from 1988-2008. Prior to holding this office, he was Vice President for Business Affairs. In August 2008, Tim Mescon became president, and in 2015 Chris Markwood became president.

The T.Y. Whitley Clock Tower on main campus

Campus

Columbus State University's 132-acre main campus is located in suburban and downtown, Columbus Georgia. A satellite campus is also located on Fort Benning, Georgia at the southern edge of the city.

Main campus

CSU's main campus is located near in suburban Columbus at the intersection of Interstate 185 and GA-85. This campus houses the majority of the university's academic and athletic departments. Notable buildings include the Simon Schwob Memorial Library, the Center for Commerce and Technology, the D. Abbott Turner College of Business, and the Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center which is home to the athletic department.

The Japanese Saturday School of Columbus – Georgia (コンパス（GA）補習授業校 Koronbasu (GA) Hoshū Jugyō Kō) has its office in the Howard Building at the university,[7] and it conducts its classes at the university.[8] As of 2005 classes are held at the Howard Building.[9]

RiverPark campus

CSU's RiverPark campus, located near the banks of the Chattahoochee River, is the home of the university's fine and performing arts, communications, and history and geography departments. The downtown campus is housed in a mix of rehabilitated 19th and early 20th century industrial and commercial buildings and newly constructed facilities. The Schwob School of Music is contained in the state of the art RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, while the art and theater departments reside in the Corn Center for the Visual Arts, the Yancey Center, and the Rankin Arts Center. The Communications Department is located in the Carpenter's Building and the Department of History and Geography is located in the Yancy Center and Dillingham Building. The university continues to expand the RiverPark campus by acquiring new real estate in the area. CSU also houses over 400 students in several halls of residence in downtown Columbus along with dining, campus bookstore, and regular bus service to the main campus. In 2016 the College of Education and Health Sciences will re-locate downtown.[10] This college's new home will mix new construction with rehabilitating the 1931 Mediterranean-revival building (the previous location of the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper, along with new construction.[11]

Academics

The university has received special recognition for its business school, which offers a reputable MBA program, as well as for its servant leadership program. The department of theatre also boasts the only accredited teacher education and certification program in drama in the state of Georgia. Additionally, in 2008 the music department received the Regents Teaching Excellence Award for Departments and Programs from the University System of Georgia.[12]

The university recruits from all fifty states as well as every major metropolitan area in the state of Georgia. Because of the school's international education programs, presently offering exchanges to more than thirteen countries, the university has been known to be a popular destination for international students including those from India, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The university operates the Coca-Cola Space Science Center which hosts student and public programs. Its facilities include the Omnisphere Theater (a planetarium) and the Mead Observatory.[13]

The university also operates the Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center which hosts student and public programs. Its facilities include two nature trails, a bee exhibit, a live alligator, various live raptors, various live reptiles, a live opossum, and a Native American exhibit. Each month, the center hosts its Second Sunday on the second Sunday of each month which is a special program open to the public at a small fee. Programs include the annual Insectival, Reptile Fest, Natural Holiday Decorations, Hummingbirds, Bees and Honey, and Bats.[14]

Student life

In addition to co-educational intramural and recreational programs, students participate in more than fifty chartered student groups, sororities, fraternities, honor societies, club sports, and special-interest clubs.

Newspaper

"The Saber" is the university's official student-run newspaper. It is distributed on all Columbus State campuses and throughout the city of Columbus.[15]

Athletics

Official Athletics logo

Columbus State University, home of Cougar Athletics, has many types of men's and women's athletics, including basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, golf, and cross country. All sports, with the exception of rifle, compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Peach Belt Conference. Rifle competes as an associate member of the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. The Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center, a 4,500-seat arena, houses the Cougars.

Club sports

Club sports at the university formed in 2008 and may represent CSU in intercollegiate competitions. Currently there are 10 club sports offered: bass fishing, co-ed tennis, men's soccer, paintball, martial arts, tackle football, ultimate frisbee, women's soccer, women's volleyball, and wrestling.

Greek life

Columbus State University currently has 18 Greek organizations. Information on these groups can be found at the Columbus State University Greek Life website.

See also

References

  1. ↑ As of 2011. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  2. ↑ CSU Common Data Set 2010-2011
  3. ↑ CSU Employees by Primary Function 2009-2010
  4. 1 2 3 http://www.usg.edu/research/documents/enrollment_reports/SER_Fall_2013_Final.pdf
  5. ↑ CSU Facts & Figures 2010: Enrollment by Major Program - Graduate
  6. ↑ Reagan L. Grimsley Enriching Lives: A Pictorial History of Columbus State University (Donning Publishers, 2008)
  7. ↑ "shisetsulist.html." (Archive). Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. "#109B Harward [sic] Bldg. Columbus State University 4225 University Ave. Columbus, GA 31907"
  8. ↑ "Home" (Archive). Japanese Saturday School of Columbus – Georgia. Retrieved on May 13, 2014. "Our Japanese Saturday School, is conveniently located on the Columbus State University campus in Columbus, GA."
  9. ↑ "北米の補習授業校一覧" (Archive). MEXT. September 15, 2005. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. "Japanese Saturday School of Columbus (連絡先) c/o Ms.Kimiko Selvidge 60 Lee Rd.969,Phenix City,AL 36867 U.S.A. (学校所在地） Howard Bldg.RM#109 Columbus State Univ.Columbus,GA31993 U.S.A."
  10. ↑ http://www.columbusstate.edu/aboutus/riverpark.php
  11. ↑ http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/02/09/3557984/board-oks-csu-design-to-replace.html
  12. ↑ Columbus State University: Schwob School of Music
  13. ↑ "Columbus State University's Coca-Cola Space Science Center". Ccssc.org. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center". Oxbow.columbusstate.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  15. ↑ "The Saber". Saber.columbusstate.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-21.

External links

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Coordinates: 32°30′05″N 84°56′32″W / 32.501419°N 84.942226°W / 32.501419; -84.942226

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