Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically Black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. The university was formed when two separate schools, Atlanta University and Clark College, merged in 1988, but the original institutions date back to the mid 1800s. Enrollment at the university in 2009 was over 3,800.http://www.cau.edu/About_CAU_At_A_Glance.aspx

Clark Atlanta is a United Methodist Church-affiliated institution and is also a member school supported by the United Negro College Fund. Thirty-eight separate majors are offered at CAU through four colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education and Social Work. Clark Atlanta is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Tuition and fees for the 2009 school year were $17,038 with an additional charge of $7,192 for room and board.http://www.cau.edu/About_CAU_At_A_Glance.aspx

The separate colleges that merged to become Clark Atlanta University were both founded in the mid-19th century. Atlanta University was founded in 1865 by the American Missionary Association. Clark College was founded in 1869 by the United Methodist Church. Both schools were designed to provide education to African-American youths, who were denied access to higher learning at the time.http://www.cau.edu/About_CAU_History.aspx

After the two institutions merged to form CAU in 1988, Dr. Thomas Cole, Junior served as the university's first president. The current president is Carlton E. Brown, who has been overseeing the school since 2008.http://www.cau.edu/About_CAU_History.aspx In 2010, Clark Atlanta University was named one of the best colleges in the United States by US News and World Report.http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/atlanta-ga/clark-atlanta-university-1551