Columbus State University

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.Reagan L. Grimsley Enriching Lives: A Pictorial History of Columbus State University (Donning Publishers, 2008)

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. After Markwood retired in 2022, John M. Fuchko assumed the role of interim president. During the Summer of 2023, Dr. Stuart Rayfield began her tenure as president, and was inducted on October 20, 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.columbusstate.edu/president/rayfield/ |website=Columbus State University |access-date=November 26, 2023 |title=Biography - Columbus State University }}

Image:CSUClockTower.jpg

Columbus State University's 132-acre (53 ha) main campus is located in suburban and downtown, Columbus. A satellite campus is also located on Fort Moore at the southern edge of the city.

CSU's main campus is located 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 (コロンバス（GA）補習授業校 Koronbasu (GA) Hoshū Jugyō Kō) has its office in the Howard Building at the university,"[http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/nihongo/shisetsulist.html shisetsulist.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224015749/http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/nihongo/shisetsulist.html |date=February 24, 2015 }}." (). Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. "#109B Harward{{sic}} Bldg. Columbus State University 4225 University Ave. Columbus, GA 31907" and it conducts its classes at the university."[https://sites.google.com/site/japaneseschoolofcolumbus/ Home] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517145721/https://sites.google.com/site/japaneseschoolofcolumbus/ |date=May 17, 2014 }}" (). 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." As of 2005 classes are held at the Howard Building."[https://web.archive.org/web/20050915011037/http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/clarinet/hnortha.html 北米の補習授業校一覧]" (). 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."

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 Department of Communication 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 Professions relocated downtown.{{cite web|url=https://www.columbusstate.edu/aboutus/riverpark.php|title=RiverPark Campus|website=www.columbusstate.edu|access-date=May 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202153725/https://www.columbusstate.edu/aboutus/riverpark.php|archive-date=February 2, 2019|url-status=live}} This college's new home, Frank Brown Hall, mixes new construction with rehabilitating the 1931 Mediterranean-revival building (the previous location of the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper) along with new construction.{{cite web |url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/02/09/3557984/board-oks-csu-design-to-replace.html |title=Board OKs CSU design to replace old L-E tower at 12th and Broad |publisher=Ledger-Enquirer }} {{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The university recruits from all fifty states as well as every major metropolitan area and county 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 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 world renowned Schwob School of Music received the Regents Teaching Excellence Award for Departments and Programs from the University System of Georgia.[http://music.colstate.edu/ Columbus State University: Schwob School of Music] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724041013/http://music.colstate.edu/ |date=2009-07-24 }} The Department of History and Geography ended the Master of Arts Program, which had offered tracks in History (general) and History - Race, Ethnicity & Society.

In 2009, the university added a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Leadership degree as its first doctoral program.{{Cite web|url=https://news.columbusstate.edu/columbus-state-to-offer-doctor-of-education-degree/|title=Columbus State to Offer Doctor of Education Degree {{!}} CSU News|website=news.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209031702/https://news.columbusstate.edu/columbus-state-to-offer-doctor-of-education-degree/|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://academics.columbusstate.edu/catalogs/current/reqs/coehp_ed_d_currlead.php|title=Doctor of Education|website=academics.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209003137/https://academics.columbusstate.edu/catalogs/current/reqs/coehp_ed_d_currlead.php|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://cfl.columbusstate.edu/leadership/edleadership_edd.php|title=Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership|website=cfl.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209003013/https://cfl.columbusstate.edu/leadership/edleadership_edd.php|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://te.columbusstate.edu/edleadership_edd.php|title=Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Leadership|website=te.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209003133/https://te.columbusstate.edu/edleadership_edd.php|archive-date=February 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.ccssc.org/ |title=Columbus State University's Coca-Cola Space Science Center |publisher=Ccssc.org |access-date=2015-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418003031/http://www.ccssc.org/ |archive-date=April 18, 2009 |url-status=live }}

The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians provides regular programs and offers fellowships.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mccullerscenter.org/|title=Carson McCullers|website=www.mccullerscenter.org|language=en|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824012225/http://mccullerscenter.org/|archive-date=August 24, 2017|url-status=live}} The university also owns the Carson McCullers House in Nyack, New York.

Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center hosts student and public programs. Its facilities include two nature trails, a bee exhibit, a live alligator and other reptiles, various live raptors, 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.{{cite web |url=http://oxbow.columbusstate.edu/ |title=Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center |publisher=Oxbow.columbusstate.edu |access-date=2015-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120191903/http://oxbow.columbusstate.edu/ |archive-date=November 20, 2011 |url-status=live }}

The Center for Global Engagement (formerly Center for International Studies) makes use of the Spencer House at Oxford University in the United Kingdom including for the Spencer Oxford Visiting Student Program, a year-long program for students to reap the benefits of the life and scholarship of the University of Oxford.{{cite web |title=Center for Global Engagement |url=https://www.columbusstate.edu/global/spencer-house.php |website=columbusstate.edu |publisher=Columbus State University |access-date=22 April 2024}}

Pasaquan, an art environment created by Eddie Owens Martin or St. EOM in Buena Vista, Georgia, was recently renovated and reopened in 2016 through the Kohler Foundation and is now operated by the university.{{cite web |url=https://news.columbusstate.edu/pasaquan-re-opens-with-live-music-and-tall-tales/ |title=Pasaquan |publisher=news.columbusstate.edu |date=2016-10-12 |access-date=2018-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410201852/https://news.columbusstate.edu/pasaquan-re-opens-with-live-music-and-tall-tales/ |archive-date=April 10, 2018 |url-status=live }}

The Columbus State University Archives houses over four hundred manuscript collections, including those of the International Trombone Association, The International Trumpet Guild, and the Institute for the Study of American Cultures.{{Cite web|url=https://archives.columbusstate.edu/|title=Columbus State University Archives|website=archives.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823070659/https://archives.columbusstate.edu/|archive-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=live}} Other special collections include the [http://galileo-usg-csu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?ct=facet&fctN=facet_local1&fctV=ARCHIVES+-+J.+Kyle+Spencer+Map+Collection+(3rd+floor)%24%24ICSU&rfnGrp=1&rfnGrpCounter=1&frbg=&&fn=search&indx=1&dscnt=0&vl(1UIStartWith0)=contains&scp.scps=scope%3A(CSU)&tb=t&vid=CSU_V1&mode=Basic&ct=search&srt=rank&tab=default_tab&dum=true&vl(freeText0)=map&dstmp=1503453427639 Spencer Southeastern Map Collection]{{Cite web|url=http://digitalarchives.columbusstate.edu/exhibits/show/spencer-map-collection|title=J. Kyle Spencer Map Collection · Columbus State University Archives|website=digitalarchives.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823071631/http://digitalarchives.columbusstate.edu/exhibits/show/spencer-map-collection|archive-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=live}} and unique manuscripts related to Southern author Carson McCullers.{{Cite web|url=https://archives.columbusstate.edu/mccullers/index.php|title=CSU Archives - Carson McCullers Research|website=archives.columbusstate.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823070859/https://archives.columbusstate.edu/mccullers/index.php|archive-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{Infobox US university ranking

| USNWR_REG = 64

}}

For 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Columbus State No.64 out of 136 Regional Universities South, No.30

in Top Public Schools, and No.36 in Best Value Schools.{{cite web |title=Columbus State University |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/columbus-state-university-1561 |website=usnews.com |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=22 April 2024}}

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

"The Uproar" is the university's official student-run newspaper. It is distributed on all Columbus State campuses and throughout the city of Columbus.{{cite web |url=http://saber.columbusstate.edu/ |title=The Saber |publisher=Saber.columbusstate.edu |access-date=2015-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606065457/http://saber.columbusstate.edu/ |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Columbus State Cougars}}

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 compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Peach Belt Conference. Rifle competed as an associate member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I until after the 2014–15 school year, when the program was dropped. The Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center, a 4,500-seat arena, houses the Cougars.

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, football, ultimate frisbee, women's soccer, women's volleyball, and wrestling.

Columbus State University currently has 17 Greek organizations for undergraduate students. About five percent of undergraduate men and women are active in CSU's Greek community.{{cite web |title=Columbus State University Student Life |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/columbus-state-university-1561/student-life |website=U.S. News & World Report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411022804/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/columbus-state-university-1561/student-life |archive-date=2022-04-11 |url-status=live}}

{{Main|WCUG (FM)}}

The university's Department of Communication operates and programs a student-run radio station, WCUG (FM) 88.5 Cougar Radio.

• Bob the Drag Queen - American drag performer, winner of season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race{{cite web |last1=Terrell |first1=Matthew |title=Preview: RuPaul's Bob the Drag Queen comes home for Mother's Day and a Heretic drag show|date=April 28, 2016 |url=https://www.artsatl.org/preview-rupauls-bob-drag-queen-home-mothers-day-heretic-drag-show/}}
• John Clarence Stewart - American actor and singer{{Cite web|last=Ho|first=Rodney|title=INTERVIEW: Atlanta native John Clarence Stewart on playing Simon on "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist'|url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/interview-atlanta-native-john-clarence-stewart-playing-simon-zoey-extraordinary-playlist/ZDUICwDSVW1AjMfZC3xSSJ/|access-date=2020-07-07|website=ajc|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514020221/https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/interview-atlanta-native-john-clarence-stewart-playing-simon-zoey-extraordinary-playlist/ZDUICwDSVW1AjMfZC3xSSJ/|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live}}
• Joni Ernst - Republican U.S. Senator from Iowa{{cite web |url=http://theiowarepublican.com/2010/joni-ernst-announces-bid-for-kim-reynolds-iowa-senate-seat/ |title=Joni Ernst Announces bid for Kim Reynolds Iowa Senate Seat | the Iowa Republican |website=theiowarepublican.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115181318/http://theiowarepublican.com/2010/joni-ernst-announces-bid-for-kim-reynolds-iowa-senate-seat/ |archive-date=15 January 2015 |url-status=dead}}
• Joseph Gullett - Republican State Representative from Georgia

• List of colleges and universities in Georgia

{{Reflist}}

{{ccat}}

• {{oweb}}
• [https://csucougars.com/ Athletics website]

{{UnivSysGa}}

{{Peach Belt Conference navbox}}

{{College sports in Georgia}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|32.501419|N|84.942226|W|source:dewiki_region:US-GA_type:edu|format=dms|display=title}}

Category:Buildings and structures in Columbus, Georgia

Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Category:Education in Troup County, Georgia

Category:Public universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:1958 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Universities and colleges established in 1958