History

Atlanta University is founded by the American Missionary Association, with later assistance from the Freedmen’s Bureau. It is the nation’s oldest graduate institution serving a predominantly African American student body.

Clark College is founded in Atlanta’s Summerhill Community by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It is named in honor of Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark, who was the first president of the Freedman’s Aid Society. The institution is envisioned by early benefactor, Bishop Gilbert Haven, as the “university” for all Methodist Schools founded for the education of freedmen.

Atlanta University begins granting bachelor’s degrees and preparing Black teachers and librarians for employment in the public schools of the South.

Atlanta University begins granting bachelor’s degrees and preparing Black teachers and librarians for employment in the public schools of the South.

Clark College is officially chartered and renamed Clark University.

Clark University confers its first degrees.

After several location changes, Clark University relocates to a 450-acre property in South Atlanta.

Clark University establishes the Gammon School of Theology, named for Dr. Elijah H. Gammon.

The Gammon School of Theology becomes an independent seminary eventually joining the Interdenominational Theological Center.

W.E.B. Du Bois joins the Atlanta University faculty as a professor in history and economics. While at Atlanta University, Du Bois conducts groundbreaking sociological research, hosts nationally renowned conferences on African American issues, and popularizes the term “talented tenth” to describe an elite class of African American intellectuals.

Atlanta University graduate James Weldon Johnson (Class of 1894) writes the poem “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” which is later set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1905. The song becomes widely popular and known as the “Negro National Anthem.”

Clark University joins eight institutions to form the Southeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Renamed in 1929 as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). SIAC is the second-oldest historically Black college and university athletic conference in the nation.

Atlanta University begins offering liberal arts graduate education including social and natural sciences.

Atlanta University initiates the “University Plan” with Morehouse College and Spelman College, which is the first iteration of the Atlanta University Center Consortium of HBCUs in Atlanta.

Clark University’s Leete Hall, designed by local African American architect Alexander Hamilton, is dedicated. Leete, along with Clark University’s Crogman Chapel and an adjacent 50-seat gymnasium are among the most visually significant structures in Atlanta during this period.

Atlanta University becomes the home to the first art department at a historically Black college and university when Paris-trained artist Hale Aspacio Woodruff joins the faculty. As one of Georgia’s first college professors of studio art, he later initiated the University’s Art Annuals (1942-70), a series of national art exhibitions for black artists.

Clark University and Atlanta University begin to explore economic efficiencies through closer proximity and affiliation.

Clark University reverts to its previous name, Clark College, moving to a new campus location adjacent to Atlanta University.

Atlanta University establishes graduate schools of Library Science, Education, and Business Administration. The Atlanta School of Social Work gives up its independent charter to become an integral part of Atlanta University.

The controlling boards of Clark College, Atlanta University, Morehouse, Morris Brown, and Spelman College, along with Gammon Theological Seminary, ratify “Articles of Affiliation” officially creating the Atlanta University Center (AUC).

The Atlanta Student Movement is formed by Atlanta University and Clark College students, among other AUC students from various HBCUs. Students issue an “Appeal for Human Rights.” The group also leads a series of “Sit-Ins” which were an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Clark College student Carolyn Long (Banks), who served as one of many leaders in the movement, would later become the first African American woman to serve on the Atlanta City Council.

WCLK-91.9 FM hits the airwaves and becomes the first black federally licensed educational FM radio station in Georgia. Transmitting from Clark College’s McPheeters-Dennis Hall, the station played its very first jazz selection, “Maiden Voyage,” by Herbie Hancock.

Construction is completed for a new library that serves as the intellectual and information hub of the AUC. Named in honor of the late Robert Winship Woodruff, philanthropist and former CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, the library supports the teaching, learning, and research missions of the six institutions that comprise the AUC.

Clark College launches its educational access cable TV station. Reaching more than 900,000 cable households in the City of Atlanta, the station also serves as a broadcast training center for the College’s Mass Media Arts Program.

Clark Atlanta University is founded through the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University.

The premiere issue of Clark Atlanta Magazine is published. The alumni associations of Atlanta University and Clark College vote overwhelmingly to consolidate as the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association.

The CAU Guild is founded by CAU First Lady Brenda Hill Cole to raise scholarship funds for students in the arts.

Money magazine ranks CAU one of the top 10 college buys among HBCUs School of Library and Information Studies celebrates 50th anniversary.

School of Education celebrates 50th anniversary. CAU meets the Kresge Foundation Challenge by raising $9 million through CAU’s Atlanta Challenge Campaign resulting in an overall campaign total of $11.6 million.

The School of Business Administration celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The School of Social Work celebrates its 75th anniversary.

CAU holds the nation’s first African-American film festival, “Reversing the Negative,” attracting actors such as John Amos and Whitman Mayo.

CAU is the official 1996 Olympic host for field hockey. The Host Broadcast Training Program Six new campus facilities are dedicated, including the 470-bed University Gate House, the Olympic Promenade, the Olympic Field Hockey Stadium, and the CAU Art Gallery.

Community Education Leadership Institute receives $235,000 grant from the Corporation for National Service to address critical educational needs in the Atlanta University Center’s community, colleges, and universities.

CAU becomes one of the few beta test sites and the only HBCU to house a $1-million supercomputer for use in research on computationally intensive real-time projects for the military and private industry.

Clark Atlanta University Press publishes its first book, an anthology of creative works in African-American history first published in Phylon, an interdisciplinary journal founded by W.E.B. Du Bois.

CAU is the first School of the Month of the millennium for the Tom Joyner Foundation through which more than $145,000 in support is raised.

School of Social Work celebrates its 80th anniversary and is officially dedicated as the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work.

CAU receives $1-million grant from Atlanta-based Goizueta Foundation to establish the Goizueta Scholarship for Teacher Preparation.

Carl and Mary Ware Academic Center opens to honor alumnus Care Ware, who served as chair of CAU Board of Trustees for 15 years, and alumna Mary Ware, a charter member of the CAU Guild.

CAU receives a $5-million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Center for Functional Nanoscale Materials.

“I’ll Find a Way or Make One” is ranked No. 9 in Motto magazine’s Top Ten College Mottos.

New Residential Apartments are renamed the Dr. James P Brawley Hall in honor of the 19th president of parent institution, Clark College.

The Inaugural “Spirit of Greatness Gala” is hosted by the CAU Alumni Association to raise scholarship funds and honor Pathways to Excellence recipients.

CAU is among the top 20 universities granting doctoral degrees to African Americans, according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

CAU establishes a $100,000 endowed scholarship with a donation from The Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation to support students pursuing careers in public service, teaching, social work, humanities, science, and medicine.

CAU celebrates the 70th anniversary of its historic permanent collection, as well as the 60th anniversary of “The Art of the Negro” mural series, with the publication of a coffee-table sized catalogue, In the Eye of the Muses: Selections for the Clark Atlanta University Art Collection.

Bust of W.E B. Du Bois is unveiled on his birthday, Feb. 23, during the four-day, international event, W.E.B. Du Bois and the Wings of Atlanta Commemorative Conference.

CAU receives Atlanta Phoenix Award for participating in President Barack Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative. The University is cited for playing a vital role in facilitating cultural, education and economic changes between the U.S. and Africa.

The University’s Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development is awarded a $7.4 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Minority Health and Therapeutic Development.

Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work celebrates its 95th anniversary CAU is named one of the best schools in the Southeast by The Princeton Review.

CAU is named top HBCU producer of African American Ph.D.s in nanomaterials science.

Student enrollment for the year reaches over 4000, while the ranks of the Scholars and Honors program grows to include more than 300 Students. The University also confers degrees upon more than 800 Graduates.

Men's Basketball Team captures its fifth SIAC Championship Title, which propels the team to the NCAA Division II tournament as the No. 8 seed, making it one of only three HBCUs to make the Tournament.

Lady Panthers women’s basketball team wins the 2018 SIAC tournament title and earns a bid to the 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Moody Investor Services moves the University’s credit outlook to positive signaling that CAU is a thriving institution and stands in stark contrast to Moody’s 2018 outlook for US higher education overall

Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work ranks among the Top 100 Best Social Work Programs in the Nation by US News & World Reports.

CAU receives its first $1 million pledge from Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning TV Writer/Producer Kenya Barris and Wife Dr. Rainbow Edwards-Barris.

The Charles S. Ackerman Memorial Scholarship, a $2 million scholarship program, is established along with a gift in kind of 114 rare books valued at approximately $127,000, to honor the late CAU Trustee and Atlanta Businessman.

The University helps to establish an Art History major and Curatorial Studies minor at the Atlanta University Center. CAU Art Museum is also among 20 U.S. art museums to receive funding as part of the Walton and Ford foundations’ $6 million Diversifying Museum Leadership Initiative.

10th anniversary of the Spirit of Greatness Gala, a fundraiser that to date has raised more than $1.5 million for student scholarships.

CAU received a $15 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the second-largest individual donation in the university’s history at the time.

CAU launches its first comprehensive 10-year campaign, the Campaign for Clark Atlanta University, aiming to raise $250 million for scholarships, research, infrastructure, and endowment growth.

CAU is selected as the site of the new PROPEL Center, a global HBCU headquarters for innovation.

CAU announces a $5 million commitment from Cisco to support entrepreneurship and empower Black entrepreneurs among its students and in the wider community.

CAU receives a $1 million gift from Chick-fil-A to advance student success and access.

CAU’s Board of Trustees approved a new five-year strategic plan, Destination 2028, charting the university’s future direction.

CAU celebrated its 35th anniversary as a consolidated institution (formed in 1988), reflecting on its legacy and achievements.

CAU is renewed as an R2 “High Research Activity” institution under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, one of only two private HBCUs with that status.