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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