Clayton State Kicks off Fall Semester with President's State of the University Event
(August 20, 2025) - The President’s State of the University event was opened by Clayton State Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jill Drake, who recognized all the new faculty and staff who have joined the university and the critical role they all play in enabling student success.
Dr. Drake also emphasized that the theme for this Welcome Week is Driving Social Mobility Forward, and to do that, we want to remember the values that we share here at Clayton State, including adaptability, excellence, people-centeredness, integrity, and collaboration.
Dr. Kurt-Alexander Zeller, Vocal Studies & Opera, Director from the Department of Film, Communication, and Performing Arts, then introduced a musical performance by Bachelor of Arts in Music student Malique Holmes and staff accompanist Grant Jones, which captivated the audience of faculty and staff. Dr. Zeller said the performance was a great way to show the success of the department’s programs.
SGA President Amiah Pierre is currently pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Civil Engineering, and she shared moving personal stories that illustrate how her experience at Clayton State made her and other students feel truly “seen, supported, and valued.” She added that “Clayton State’s mission of Social Mobility was not just a tag line, but a promise. That no matter where you begin, your potential will be seen, nurtured, and elevated.”
Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Michael Lindsay welcomed everyone back from the summer. It said, as the new semester begins, “We are refocused on providing the students of Clayton State with a quality education,” and that “the faculty senate remains dedicated to shared governance and is focused on its portion of university advancement.”
Staff Council Chair Spenser Emerson, who is also Associate Director of Laker Life, emphasized a theme we are focused on at Clayton State: “to build, advocate, and challenge.” We build relationships across the campus. When we advocate together, we strengthen the entire campus. He added, “Let us have the courage to challenge the status quo and have the determination to find better ways forward.”
In his State of the University address, President Lewis discussed some of the great successes that the Clayton State University family had achieved together over the past year and encouraged all the faculty and staff in attendance to drive each other forward as one team.
“I am encouraging everyone to be fiercely competitive to make one another better (not be better than one another), if we do this, our students will perform to their best abilities.” The central theme of Dr. Lewis’s address was for everyone in the audience to stay focused on creating more opportunities for student success. He challenged the group to “stay focused on our North Star and ultimate goal to be the number one institution in the state of Georgia for social mobility!”
President Lewis discussed significant investments in Clayton State that will have a major impact on advancing the social mobility of our students. The institution has secured another $250,000 from the Coca Cola Foundation, a planned gift agreement for Spivey Hall for $250,000; and the College of Business Innovation Center was awarded $150,000 for Entrepreneurism from the TRUIST Foundation. According to Dr. Lewis, “These major gifts were collaborative efforts between the colleges and the Division of Advancement and External Affairs that resulted in the institution raising more than $2.4 million from all donors last year.”
Dr. Lewis talked about student success both inside and outside the classroom. Men’s Soccer finished the season ranked in the top 10 in Division II. Two CSU athletes, Wes Williams in basketball and Alexis Iturria in soccer, signed professional contracts. Most of all, he was so proud of their academic achievements. President Lewis proudly pointed to the fact that “our student athletes earned a record number, 82 Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll selections.”
Three MBA students have been selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 Southern Classic Research Challenge organized by the CFA Atlanta Society. Twenty-seven students earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree via the Ignite Teacher Education Program’s first cohort with Clayton State University. The Nursing program achieved a 100% pass rate for Spring and Fall 2024 Nursing graduates and 95% so far for Spring 2025 graduates.
President Lewis also praised the outstanding faculty at Clayton State University. “Our students don’t learn without excellent teaching and rigorous scholarship from our faculty.” The highlights the president shared showed just how active and engaged the faculty at Clayton State has been during the past academic year. He noted that “there were approximately 350 instances collectively that faculty produced, published, served on boards, received honors, won grants, and gave presentations.”