More Than a Building: Inside CAU’s New Student Success Center
An array of glass windows stretches across the building, and a red awning shades a balcony lined with chairs, giving Clark Atlanta University’s campus a vibrant new space for student support.
The new Student Success Center officially opened its doors to the Clark Atlanta University (CAU) student community Monday, Aug. 31, with the ribbon-cutting set for Oct. 9.
The $12 million project marks the university's first major construction in two decades, fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III program.
It’s an amazing moment to see a new landmark on a college campus, but how will the new building address problems that students are experiencing?
Many students worry day-to-day about financial aid, dining hall space, housing, and overall hardships that come with attending an HBCU in today's social and political climate.
“I don’t think they ‘needed’ a building, it’s like, you know, a blessing in disguise,” said junior Kaleb Williams.
“I feel like Clark Atlanta needs to do better with the dormitories,” he added.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published in 2025, CAU announced their plans to break ground on three new buildings simultaneously: A new dining hall, residence hall, and the Student Success Center.
While the Student Success Center represents a new addition on campus, it also meant changes for the faculty and staff members whose offices are now housed inside the building, requiring departments to relocate and adjust to a new environment designed around student success.
For Chanithia Holt, Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development, the move represents more than a change of scenery.
“Students gain convenience, accessibility, and a more connected support system,” said Holt. “Having multiple resources in one location can make it easier for students to identify what support they need and connect with the appropriate office without having to navigate multiple locations across campus.”
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Development serves as one of the premier student resources on campus, providing new internship opportunities weekly, orchestrating workshops, and helping students navigate through their matriculation.
While Holt sees the center as a way to make student resources more accessible, some students are still learning what the building has to offer.
Despite the high anticipation for the doors to open, awareness of its services has not reached every corner of campus. Many students aren’t sure what the Student Success Center has to offer and see it primarily as a new building on campus.
“I was confused about what the real purpose of the building was.” —Nehemiah Scott
The difference between the university’s vision for the center and what students know raises another question: If students aren’t actively being informed about the functionalities of the Student Success Center, how will they take advantage of it?
“I had mixed feelings, I was excited but also confused,” said junior Nehemiah Scott when asked about his first impression upon the announcement of the new center this past summer. “I was confused about what the real purpose of the building was.”
Around campus, students have familiar places to relax, study, and connect with one another. Jazzman’s Brew and Bakery, the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library and the Student Center.
“I think I’ll really utilize that center for a place to study, just a place to go and sit down in silence and do class work,” added Scott.
The true purpose of the new Student Success Center lies in the centralized resources such as academic advising, tutoring, success coaching, career exploration, internship preparation, workshops, technology-enhanced learning spaces, and more.
For the new center to fulfill its purpose, students should be encouraged to use the Student Success Center for the services it was designed to provide. Its success may ultimately depend on whether students understand and take advantage of the resources available to them.
Nonetheless, the Student Success Center gives Clark Atlanta University students a new opportunity to connect with resources designed to support their academic and professional goals.
As students become more familiar with what the center offers, the building’s impact will be determined by whether it becomes more than a new space on campus and instead becomes a resource students know how to use.
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