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Quality Education at an

affordable cost earns

CIU #1 ranking

Columbia International University is ranked #1 among colleges and

universities in South Carolina by

BestColleges.com

.

The website’s rankings are intended to inform and guide prospective

students toward institutions that provide a quality education and a

meaningful learning experience at an affordable cost. The site’s team of

education experts apply rigorous methodology to the latest education

data to rank more than 60 postsecondary schools in the state.

In addition to affordability, CIU earned the top spot on the survey for a

74 percent graduation rate and its 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio, offering

students a unique familiarity with their professors.

The ranking comes as CIU experienced a dramatic 15 percent growth in

enrollment in the fall and continues with facility expansion, renovations

and revitalization of the Monticello Road corridor.

Meanwhile, CIU has received reaccreditation from the Southern

Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and from

the Association for Biblical Higher Education.

CIU NEWS

Monticello Road

Revitalization Underway

CIU Partnership with neighborhoods to spur

economic development

A partnership between Columbia International University

and neighborhood leaders in North Columbia has reached

a milestone that will transform blighted, crime-attracting

properties on Monticello Road into commercially viable

properties that will enhance the area’s appearance, reduce

crime and attract significant economic activity.

CIU recently completed the last purchase of seven

properties on Monticello Road from the I-20 exit along

the gateway leading to the campus. Abandoned buildings

have been demolished and cleanup of the sites has begun.

At a news conference on the CIU campus, CIU President Dr.

Mark A. Smith announced he is talking with business owners

who have expressed interest in the properties, bringing

applause from the community leaders, elected officials and

sheriff’s deputies who joined him at the podium.

The idea for revitalization began about a year ago when

Andre T. Melvin, pastor of Temple Zion Baptist Church, CIU

professor Dr. Andre Rogers and community residents began

meetings to discuss concerns about vacant buildings, trash,

and public safety issues along Monticello Road.

“We are so glad to see what God has done in a year’s

time under the leadership of Dr. Smith and CIU, and we

look forward to continuing our partnership, working on

economic development and impacting families in these

communities,” Melvin said.

CIU is also poised to meet business and IT needs with

the new William H. Jones Global Business & IT Center

scheduled for completion this fall. One of the purposes

of the Center is to provide a corporate training room for

Columbia area business professionals to act as a catalyst

for business development, especially along the Monticello

Road corridor.

“We have a strong core value at CIU that we are to give

back to our local community,” Smith said. “As we take

Christ to the nations, we must first start here at home. As

president I commit to invest locally and be a part of our

community.”

CIU President Dr. Mark Smith addresses

news conference

ciu.edu

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