Upward Advancement: Clayton State University Aims to be the No. 1 College in the Nation for Social Mobility

She quickly discovered the school has much more to offer than simply classes towards a degree. “All the faculty and staff that I’ve met at Clayton State want to make this the best experience for students,” says Miller, a health sciences major who has a 14-year-old son and also cares for her 15-year-old nephew. Professors make students feel “they are cared for, they are needed, they are wanted, and they are prepared to go out into the world,” she says.

Miller feels blessed to have found a school that does more than provide her with an education; it supports her personal growth and her broader goals for her family. In fact, that’s part of the school’s mission: Clayton State is dedicated to advancing social mobility – improving outcomes related to socioeconomic status – both for its students and surrounding communities.

Located in Morrow on a wooded 165-acre campus with five lakes (hence its mascot named Loch), Clayton State is an oasis just eight miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It serves a diverse student population and is classified as both a minority-serving institution and a predominantly Black institution. Clayton State is a relatively young school, founded in 1969 as a two-year college offering associate’s degrees. It transitioned to a four-year institution in 1986, and a decade later, the Board of Regents authorized the change to university status.

Academic Success: Clayton State nursing students receiving their bachelor’s degree in spring of 2024 had a 100% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exams on their first attempt. Photo credit: contributed

And the College of Business’ online BBA in supply chain management was recently named the No. 1 most affordable supply chain management and logistics degree program in the country by SupplyChainGuide.org, a website that helps students and professionals find educational opportunities in that field.

“You are not being a good community member if you don’t share and so that’s what we, as a university, try to do.” Georj Lewis, president, Clayton State

One of the ways the school considers itself unique is its dedication to the community it serves and commitment to transforming the lives of its student body. The nontraditional student population is the school’s “bread and butter,” says Ashlee Spearman, vice president of Enrollment, Marketing and Student Success. In fact, Clayton State President Georj Lewis says that his goal for the school is to be No. 1 in social mobility in Georgia while receiving additional recognition nationally. At present, Clayton State is ranked at No. 38 in social mobility, according to the most recent U.S. News & World Report data.

Strategically Planned Support

When Lewis arrived at Clayton State in February 2023, the school’s strategic plan had just ended its three-year cycle. He says he immediately got to work on Clayton State’s next strategic plan, which goes through 2027, by holding town hall and department meetings and speaking one-on-one with faculty, staff and students. The school also hired an external consulting firm to provide assistance with the plan.

Additionally, Lewis refined and consolidated the school’s mission statement from two paragraphs into two sentences: “Our mission is social mobility. We transform lives through teaching, scholarship and service.” Spearman explains that the school made this change to show pride in Clayton State students who are “working and balancing life” while going to classes. “We have to adjust our services to accommodate those students,” she says.

The theme of the new strategic plan is Transforming Today for Tomorrow, which Lewis says represents Clayton State’s integrity and values as a “people-centered institution.” Clayton State seeks to advance social mobility by providing services and programs aimed at mitigating some of the barriers nontraditional students face.

Nontraditional Graduates: Through philanthropic and federal grants and a nonprofit partnership, a childcare subsidy has enabled students who have children to access top-tier childcare while pursuing their degrees. Photo credit: contributed

For example, the school’s childcare subsidy initiative addresses some of the particular hurdles students with children face while trying to get their undergraduate degrees. Deborah Deckner-Davis, psychology professor and director of Clayton State’s childcare assistance program, says that students who are parents are extremely motivated learners who often struggle with time-management. “The Institute of Women’s Policy Research came out with a report a few years back where, using national educational data, they were able to document that parenting students, on average, have higher GPAs than their non-parenting peers, and yet they are much less likely to graduate,” Deckner-Davis says. The cost of childcare greatly exacerbates the situation, she adds.

Through philanthropic and federal grants, as well as a partnership with Atlanta-based nonprofit Quality Care for Children’s Boost pilot program, the childcare subsidy has enabled hundreds of student-parents to access top-tier childcare while pursuing their bachelor’s degrees. Deckner-Davis calls this a “double whammy” effect with regards to how it is helping propel prosperity for families. “We need to stop pathologizing people for being parents,” says Deckner-Davis. “Instead, we need to figure out how to let them weave the different parts of their lives together.”

Students also support their fellow student-parents. In 2022, a Clayton State student and parent of a young child launched an organization called Parents Loch’d In, dedicated to the unique needs of students who are parents. During the academic year, the student-led organization holds events such as “Parenting Stressors for College Students,” sponsors kid-friendly programming during some of the school’s festivals and holds a parents-only meeting with Lewis. “The biggest challenge with students graduating sometimes has nothing to do with their academic ability,” says Lewis. “Our students are solid when they come in. They just have life events and sometimes that creates challenges.”

Miller is the organization’s vice president, serving alongside four other students who are parents, and Deckner-Davis serves as the group’s faculty advisor. Miller says one of the main goals of Parents Loch’d In is to raise the visibility of this resource on campus. “Making sure people know about this resource is something that’s kind of a continual objective,” Miller says.

In addition to having a strong social media following, Parents Loch’d In is a fixed presence at the school’s resource fair tables. Throughout the year, the organization is dedicated to making current and prospective students who have children feel supported. Miller also notes that the Clayton State professors are known for being very accommodating to student-parents. “They know you’re trying,” she says.

Work-Life Balance: Ashlee Spearman, vice president of Enrollment, Marketing and Student Success. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan

For Miller, being active in Parents Loch’d In is a way to pay forward the lessons she herself has learned. “Now that my kids are teenagers, this is just my way of giving back,” she says. Miller wants to show other students with kids they are not alone with whatever stressors they might be facing. “I don’t want them to feel like getting a degree is too difficult to attempt.”

Helping First-Gen Students

Many students at Clayton State are first-generation students. It’s a population that has its own particular challenges.

The I’m First initiative on campus unites faculty, staff and first-generation students to provide support and guidance throughout their academic experience. Additionally, this past June The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded Clayton State a $1 million grant specifically designated to support the education of first-generation students. This grant, which represents the foundation’s largest donation ever to Clayton State, will annually support 50 students over the next four years. Spearman calls the gift “transformative” and one that aligns perfectly with the school’s focus on social mobility. “This gift will greatly impact students and their families for future generations,” she says.

Commitment to the Community

Clayton State is equally committed to helping improve the lives of its surrounding local communities. “Part of a university is the outreach, and part of our strategic plan is the outreach,” says Lewis. “You are not being a good community member if you don’t share and so that’s what we, as a university, try to do.”

This past June, Clayton State participated in the University System of Georgia summer program series for high school students that are part of the state’s foster care system. The four-day, three-night camp was funded by Embark Georgia, a statewide initiative launched in 2012, whose mission is to assist foster care youth with access to college.

The Clayton State camp was spearheaded by two Student Affairs faculty members, Don Stansberry and Allen Ward. Stansberry, who joined Clayton State as the vice president of Student Affairs for the 2023-24 academic year, had created a similar program at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Stansberry says he approached Lewis with the concept and was given the green light. “Our foster care youth, similar to student-parents, oftentimes have unique challenges on the college campus,” says Stansberry. He has seen the power of such a program firsthand: Stansberry served as a court-appointed special advocate to help children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and he has foster nieces and nephews. He calls the camp his “personal passion.”

Making a Difference: Don Stansberry, vice president of student affairs, and Myles Villafranca, a first-generation college graduate working toward a master’s in psychology and clinical counseling. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan

Embark Georgia provided Clayton State with training and resources as well as the funding so kids could attend the camp for free, according to Stansberry, who says the main goal of the camp is to expose the foster care kids to higher education, spark their interest and help them see that continuing past high school is accessible to them. He says it was heartwarming to watch the campers’ transformations in just a few days.

The first day only a few children would share in a group setting, but by the last day they were all readily talking, he says. Seeing the difference in their comfort level is how he knows he is making a difference. “These kids are getting excited about what’s next for them,” Stansberry says. “They’re now thinking about higher education, when they weren’t before.”

In addition to the two staff members, five undergraduate students helped with the logistical planning and then worked as counselors and facilitators for the 13 campers, whose ages ranged from 14 to 18. Myles Villafranca, 24, graduated from Clayton State this past spring and is now a graduate student in clinical counseling and psychology. As a first-generation student, Villafranca says she can relate to foster care children particularly with regards to the college application process, which can be quite daunting without an experienced parent or guardian to assist. One of Villafranca’s roles was to help the campers with the general “common app” that can be used for all college applications. She also showed them how to apply for scholarships and financial aid.

“I talked to the kids about my being a first [generation student],” says Villafranca, adding that she had to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by herself and was grateful to help make it easier for the foster care kids by showing them what to do. “I’m already thinking about plans for next year’s camp,” she says.

Lewis says the school will again host the foster care camp in 2025. “It is in line with outreach and social mobility,” he says. “It’s meeting people where they are and giving them an opportunity to change. If these foster care students weren’t thinking about college before, and now they are, and if they persist with their education and graduate, the trajectory of their lives will be forever changed.”