Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University
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Name	Clark Atlanta University
Motto	I'll Find a Way or Make One
Established	1988 (merger of Clark College and Atlanta University)
Type	Private HBCU
Endowment	$108.5 million (2021)
President	Dr. George T. French Jr.
City	Atlanta
State	Georgia
Country	United States
Campus	Urban, 126 acres
Affiliations	United Methodist Church
Website	www.cau.edu

Clark Atlanta University. Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a private, historically Black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1988 by the consolidation of Atlanta University (founded 1865) and Clark College (founded 1869), it is a pivotal institution in the landscape of African-American higher education and a significant incubator for leadership and activism within the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Its legacy is deeply intertwined with the intellectual and strategic foundations of the fight for racial equality and social justice in America.

History and Merger

The university's roots trace back to two of the nation's oldest institutions dedicated to educating African Americans. Atlanta University, founded in 1865 by the American Missionary Association with assistance from the Freedmen's Bureau, was a pioneer in graduate education for Black students, establishing the first graduate programs for African Americans in the South. Its early leaders included prominent figures like John Hope, who served as its first African-American president. Clark College, founded in 1869 as Clark University by the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was named for Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark and focused on undergraduate liberal arts education. For decades, the two institutions operated in close collaboration as part of the Atlanta University Center consortium, sharing resources and faculty. The formal merger in 1988 created Clark Atlanta University, combining Clark College's strong undergraduate tradition with Atlanta University's historic graduate and professional programs, forming a comprehensive university. This consolidation was a strategic move to strengthen Black academic excellence and continues the mission of its predecessors under the enduring motto, "I'll Find a Way or Make One."

Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Clark Atlanta University and its predecessor institutions served as a critical nerve center for the Civil Rights Movement. The campus was a safe haven for organizing, strategic planning, and intellectual debate. Faculty and students were actively engaged in the struggle; the university's Department of Political Science and its Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy provided crucial research on voter registration, desegregation, and public policy. Perhaps most famously, students from the Atlanta University Center, including CAU's precursors, were the driving force behind the Atlanta Student Movement, which organized the Atlanta sit-ins in 1960 to challenge racial segregation at lunch counters in the city. Key leaders of the movement, such as Lonnie King and Herschelle Sullivan Challenor, were students at these institutions. The university also had direct ties to Martin Luther King Jr., who often spoke on campus, and his papers were originally housed at Atlanta University before their transfer to Morehouse College. This environment fostered a generation of activists who applied academic rigor to the pursuit of social justice.

Academic Programs and Social Justice Focus

CAU maintains a strong academic focus on social justice, equity, and community engagement through its colleges: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, and the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work. The Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work, named for the noted civil rights leader and National Urban League executive, is particularly renowned. The university offers unique programs like the Ph.D. in Humanities with a concentration in African American Studies, and it houses important research centers such as the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development and the Center for the Study of the Southern Black Church. The curriculum across disciplines emphasizes the historical and contemporary experiences of the African diaspora, public policy analysis, and community-based research. This scholarly commitment ensures that the institution's mission extends beyond the classroom, aiming to produce graduates equipped to address systemic inequities in fields like education, public health, criminal justice, and economic development.

Notable Alumni and Activism

Clark Atlanta University boasts a distinguished roster of alumni who have made significant contributions to civil rights, politics, arts, and academia. Notable alumni include Ralph David Abernathy, a key lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. and a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); James Weldon Johnson, author of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and a former executive secretary of the NAACP; and Kenny Leon, a Tony Award-winning theatre director. In politics, alumni include Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia House Minority Leader, and the late Congressman John Lewis, who, though primarily associated with Fisk University, had deep ties to the Atlanta University Center community. The legacy of activism continues with graduates leading in organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Children's Defense Fund, and various social justice initiatives worldwide, upholding the university's tradition of creating "change agents."

Campus as a Historic and Cultural Center

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