Page 34 - Laker Connection Fall 2009

Then Now
The footbridge in 1974, the year Benita earned her associate degree from Clayton Junior College. The footbridge in 2009, the year Benita retired from Clayton State University.
Same but Different...
By Dr. Benita H. Moore
How have you been able to go to school and then work at the same place for so many years? Aren’t you bored? This state- ment and question was often made to me while working at Clayton State. My response was “you are right . . . I work at the same place, but the place is not the same—it is a different work place
than when I began.” Let me explain. When I began as a student in 1972 at Clayton Junior College, there were fewer than 1,000 students and only two-year programs. The student body was closer to 20 years of age and much less diverse than in 2009. However, CJC prepared me academically for four more formal degrees and a successful career. Academic standards were im- portant then and are still important now. In 1982, when I joined the faculty, CJC had just been approved to house the “vocational/technical” school for Clayton and Henry counties and to offer “vocational” programs. I was part of the “staffing up” hired to prepare students for jobs in electronics, drafting, busi- ness/office, computer programming,
avionics, aviation maintenance, telecom- munications, marketing/merchandising, and management and supervision ca- reers. At the peak of “vo-
In 1994, a new president, Dr. Richard Skinner, replaced founding president Dr. Harry S. Downs. Dr. Skin-
ner, known as a change agent and innovator, moved CSC forward in technology. CSC went from a main frame com- puter system to a laptop university in a few years.
The Information Tech- nology Project made Clayton State the third public university in the United States to require students to have laptops. This involved more than just equipping students with laptops; it involved re-educating faculty mem- bers to teach in a way that was not familiar to them. Faculty members learned
to use technology in the classroom and in assignments, much different than lec- turing!
The Board of Regents bestowed a new name in 1996—Clayton College & State University. In 1998, the University System of Georgia converted from the quarter system to semesters. This con- version involved more than “pressing a
30 THE LAKER CONNECTION
cational” enrollment, there were more than 1,400 students.
CJC was approved to offer baccalaureate programs, and CJC be- came Clayton State Col- lege in 1986. Approved to offer BBA and BSN degrees, Clayton’s mis- sion began to change with more focus on bachelor programs. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, CSC was ap- proved to offer a few more bachelor pro- grams—but still limited choices existed in bac- calaureate programs.
Computer Programming
In 1990 intercollegiate athletics came to CSC. This changed the look of Clayton students—having students on campus for more than just classes and students coming from different areas of the state and country as well as outside the USA. Athletics brought students to CSC for academic and athletic reasons.
Aviation Maintenance