Кларк Атланта: История и современность первого университета для афроамериканцев на Юге США.

Historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia, U. S.

Atlanta University was founded on September 19, 1865, as the first HBCU in the Southern United States. Atlanta University was the nation's first graduate institution to award degrees to African Americans in the Nation and the first to award bachelor's degrees to African Americans in the South; Clark College (1869) was the nation's first four year liberal arts college to serve African American students. The two consolidated in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.

Clark College was founded in 1869 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, which later became the United Methodist Church as the nation's first four year liberal arts college to serve the primarily African American student population. Originally named Clark University, the school was chartered and incorporated in 1877. It first offered instruction at the postsecondary level in 1879, and awarded its first degree (baccalaureate) in 1880. It became Clark College in 1940. It was named for Bishop Davis Wasgatt Clark, who was the first President of the Freedman's Aid Society and became Bishop in 1864. A sparsely furnished room in Clark Chapel, a Methodist Episcopal church in Atlanta's Summerhill section, housed the first Clark College class. In 1871, the school relocated to a new site on the newly purchased Whitehall and McDaniel Street property. In 1877, the School was chartered as Clark University. An early benefactor, Bishop Gilbert Haven, visualized Clark as the "university" of all the Methodist schools founded for the education of freedmen. After the school changed locations several times, Bishop Haven, who succeeded Bishop Clark, was instrumental in acquiring in South Atlanta, where in 1880 the school conferred its first degree. In 1883, Clark established a theology department named for Dr. Elijah H. Gammon. In 1888 the Gammon School of Theology became an independent theological seminary, and is currently part of the Interdenominational Theological Center. Clark College merged with Atlanta University on July 1, 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.

In December 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $15 million (~$ in ) to Clark Atlanta University. Her donation is the largest single gift in the history of the institution. In September 2021, Clark Atlanta launched a 10 year $250 million capital campaign to raise scholarhips funds for more low income students, advance research and teaching efforts, improve infrastructure and technology on campus, and to establish more endowment chairs and professorships.

Clark Atlanta University's current president is George T. French Jr., who started in the role in 2019. He was preceded by Lucille H. Maugé, as acting president.

Clark Atlanta University's main campus houses 37 buildings, including an art museum, on and is 1.4 mile (2 km) southwest of Downtown Atlanta.

All undergraduate students with under 58 credits hours are required to live on campus.

Annually between 30 and 40% of students are Georgia residents, while the remaining come from outside Georgia. Approximately 25% of students are male and 75% are female. 95% of first year students receive need based financial aid. The average need based scholarships or grants awarded to first year students is $5,713.

All new undergraduate students are required to attend "CAU Experience," five days of events orchestrated to acquaint them with the legacy, culture, and community of Clark Atlanta University. The preeminent scheduled event is the ceremony in which new undergraduate students are officially inducted as CAU Panthers.

Clark Atlanta University, known athletically as the Panthers, competes within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division II. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

The university's marching band is known as the Mighty Marching Panther Band.

All nine of the National Pan Hellenic Council organizations have chapters established at Clark Atlanta University. About two percent of undergraduate men and three percent of undergraduate women are active in CAU's National Pan Hellenic Council.

This is a list of notable alumni which includes graduates, non graduate former students, and current students of Atlanta University, Clark College, Clark University, and/or Clark Atlanta University. It does not include other notable persons who may have attended Clark Atlanta University as cross registered students (credit as an alumnus is not given to Clark Atlanta University, which has spurred controversy over the school's cross registration policies).