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. 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.
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 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 has its office in the Howard Building at the university, and it conducts its classes at the university. As of 2005 classes are held at the Howard Building.
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 centuryindustrial 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. This college's new home, Frank Brown Hall, mixes new construction with rehabilitating the 1931 Mediterranean-revival building along with new construction.
Academics
Undergraduate
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.
Graduate
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. The Department of History and Geography offers an MA with tracks in History and History - Race, Ethnicity & Society.
Doctorate
In 2009, the university added a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Leadership degree as its first doctoral program.
Academic centers and outreach
The university operates the Coca-Cola Space Science Center which hosts student and public programs. Its facilities include the Omnisphere Theater and the Mead Observatory. The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians provides regular programs and offers fellowships. The university also owns the Carson McCullers House in Nyack, NY. 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. The Center for Global Engagement makes use of the Spencer House at Oxford in the United Kingdom. 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. 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. Other special collections include the and unique manuscripts related to southern author Carson McCullers.
Student life
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.
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.
