The History of Clark Atlanta University

By Karcheik Sims Alvarado

Published November 15, 2024
Last Updated December 3, 2024

Atlanta University

Atlanta University (AU) was founded in 1865 by the American Missionary Association to educate African American students. AU, before consolidation, was the oldest postsecondary institution conferring graduate degrees to Black students in the United States. A decade after the Civil War ended, AU began granting Bachelor’s degrees and serving as a training ground for Black teachers and librarians across the Southeast. By the 1930s, under the leadership of John Hope, AU started offering graduate education in liberal arts, social and natural sciences, social work, library science, and business administration.

Clark University/Clark College

Clark University was founded in 1869 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Named in honor of the society’s first president, Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark, the university relocated from downtown in 1872 after purchasing 400 acres of land in Atlanta’s Summerhill Community, where The New Schools at Carver now resides. In 1941, Clark

The university relocated to its new campus adjacent to Atlanta University and renamed itself Clark College.

Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) seeks to “be recognized internationally as a leading research institution of higher education and learning. CAU’s goal is to be impactful globally, innovative in its approach, provide transformational experiences, and engage in high-value activities.

Established in 1988, CAU began with the merger of Clark College and Atlanta University. It is one of only two private historically Black universities in the United States to award doctorates in more than five disciplines, and it is the largest Atlanta University Center institution, with over 4,000 students pursuing Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees.

According to the United Negro College Fund, Clark Atlanta University’s total economic impact is $204M for its local and regional economies, employment impact is 1,708 jobs, and total lifetime earnings for graduates is $1.9B.

Step into the shoes of students with this Guide to Clark Atlanta University.

Whether in the classroom, museum or in the field, Dr. Karcheick Sims Alvarado has sought to document and teach the African-American odyssey through various mediums.