James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 77
Community Engagement & Economic Development
It’s clear that a key aspect of Rayfield’s presidency
has been strengthening CSU’s ties with the local community and beyond. She has championed partnerships
with local schools, businesses and organizations to create
more opportunities for students and enhance the university’s impact on the region. Notable collaborations include
the ongoing partnership with the U.S. Army to develop
a robotics workforce, providing students with hands-on
experience in cutting-edge technology.
Interestingly, an annual study estimates the regional
economic impact of Columbus State University’s institutional spending as $290.2 million for Fiscal Year 2022. This
represents a 2.5 percent increase over the university’s
FY21 computed regional economic impact.
“While these numbers quantify our impact, they don’t
tell the full story,” she said. “Our community is much more
alive because of Columbus State University, which provides
concerts, art exhibits, lectures, sporting events, theater performances, summer camps and youth programs, and other
activities that add to the Chattahoochee Valley’s vibrant
quality of life and growing tourism and economic impact.”
Then there’s the all-important issue of workforce development. “It’s baked into who we are as a university— going
back to when the TSYS company was considering leaving
Columbus to find a more suitable workforce. In response
to their concerns,” Rayfield said, “we developed an academic program that provided the computer programming
training that TSYS needed to develop its workforce. Today,
more than half of the area’s teachers, school counselors
and administrators are Columbus State University graduates. A great number of our local nurses, IT professionals,
public safety employees, and community leaders and
business entrepreneurs of all ages are alumni.”
the HOPE Scholarship— Georgia’s scholarship program
available to Georgia residents who have demonstrated academic achievement. “Our data shows that if students can
keep their HOPE Scholarship, they are much more likely to
graduate,” she notes.
The Future of Columbus State
Looking ahead, after a little over a year at the helm,
the president’s overall success plan involves ensuring that
it adapts to the changing landscape of higher education
while maintaining its commitment to student achievement
and community impact.
“Using data to benchmark ourselves, we will implement
a series of recommendations from the National Institute for
Student Success (NISS) to provide our faculty and staff with
more tools to help our students succeed,” Rayfield pledges.
“We are exploring new academic programs and developing
a strategic enrollment plan to guide our academic offerings
and student recruitment efforts. We will continue to cultivate the amazing support we have in this community and
look forward to developing even stronger partnerships with
local organizations and the military base. There are so many
opportunities in front of us!”
Cindy Morley is a staff writer for James and James Magazine Online.
Rated “A Best Value” Regarding Tuition
Student tuition and related college costs present a
big obstacle for all too many parents and students today,
and Columbus State is working to address these costs and
help students succeed. “Because of our low tuition and
the quality of our faculty, Columbus State University is
consistently rated ‘a best value’ in Georgia and the South,”
Rayfield said. “But even with our affordability, we realize
college costs are a concern for all students and can be a
barrier for some. That’s why we put such importance on
private scholarships. Because of incredible donor support,
we can offer more than $3 million annually in student
scholarships. That includes funds that help students finish
school, and emergency loans for students who are just a
bit short after their semester ends. This will continue to be
a priority for us going forward.”
One initiative she and her team are planning is an early warning system for students who are in danger of losing
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