Page 6 - Laker Connection Fall 2009

Dr. Brad Rice
By Dr. Bradley R. Rice
fortyyears
In the 1960s, as the first wave of “baby boomers” was reaching college age and Georgia was evolving from Dixie to Sunbelt, the state’s University System went through a major transition. Enroll- ment expanded rapidly at the universi- ties and regional senior colleges; existing junior colleges in Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah became four-year institutions; and the Board of Regents established a string of four new two-year colleges along the Inter- state Highway 75 corridor. In each case, local bond issues supplemented
Clayton Junior College: From 1969 to 1986
2 THE LAKER CONNECTION
state funding to build the new cam- puses. These institutions opened in quick succession starting with Kenne- saw (1966), Dalton (1967), Macon (1968), and, finally, Clayton Junior Col- lege in Morrow in September 1969.
Clayton’s three sister colleges are situated immediately adjacent to I-75, and planners considered the current site of Southlake Mall for the Clayton campus. But founding President Harry Downs (then a Board of Regents offi- cial), State Representative Bill Lee, State Senator Terrell Starr, and other local leaders became enamored with a tract of woods and lakes along the old Macon & Western railroad track about two miles from the freeway exit. De- spite poor traffic access off Harper Drive, the beauty of the site carried the day and the campus had its home.
Clayton Junior College’s enrollment grew rapidly from the initial 942 stu- dents to more than 3,000 by the mid
Clayton State’s iconic bent tree. The tree, which once stood in the footprint of the James M. Baker University Center (UC) is memoralized outside the UC in Legacy Court.
1970s. From 1969 to 1985, the great majority of Clayton’s students enrolled in traditional associate degree transfer programs. In this early period, CJC also offered career-focused associate de- grees in nursing, dental hygiene, crimi- nal justice, and office administration. In 1981, the College established a Tech- nical Division in partnership with the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education leading to a wide range of new associate of applied science de- grees and one-year certificates in such
CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY 1969-2009