Explore the Campus

Feels like coming home

Come to Central State University and you’ll meet students from around the world who help make this lively community a family. Most HBCUs are tight-knit. But we rely on one another more and push one another higher than we might on an urban campus. Together, we work hard, have fun, and uplift our community.

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Welcome (Clock Tower)

Welcome to Central State University! As Ohio's only public HBCU and 1890 Land-Grant Institution, Central State has enriched minds and changed lives for over 135 years — always with a focus on the future. We were founded by free African Americans who sought to liberate others through knowledge, and today, we continue that tradition. Our goal is to equip and uplift students so they can compete in a global, tech-driven market. We achieve this by enhancing opportunities for all, creating future leaders through innovative degree programs, bold research initiatives, and a close-knit community that supports your success. Get an education for your future. Discover Central State University!

Sunken Garden (Campus Traditions)

The Sunken Garden serves as the heart of the Central State campus. It is the one place on campus where students take their first and last walk. The Garden hosts our most solemn annual ceremonies, where freshmen become Marauders and graduating seniors become Centralians. The Garden is also the location of a buried time capsule, which took place during our 1987 centennial celebration.

landscaped area called the Sunken Garden at Central State University

University Student Center (Student Life)

The University Student Center is the hub for student life on campus. Everything you do here — volunteering, student clubs, student government — provides a path to connect, feed your passions, and fuel your future. The USC houses our Marauder Cafe, the Wow, Marauder Leadership and Engagement, Marauder Zone Bookstore, Career Services, and many other administrative offices as well. No matter your passions or interests, you'll find your fit at Central State.

Greek Row

Greek Row showcases the plots of our vibrant Greek community on campus, highlighting the Divine 9, which includes four African American sororities and five fraternities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). Greek Life is an essential piece of any university campus. It improves critical areas of life on campus, including leadership, academics, and community service, and helps you build lifelong friendships with peers who share values similar to your own.

Dining

Dining Services is dedicated to providing the Central State University campus community and visiting guests with the highest quality food, beverage, and service. We offer a variety of choices to meet your nutritional needs right on campus. From all-you-care-to-eat dining experiences to quick pick-up spots, and a free mobile food market, you'll have delicious and nutritious food that excites and expands your palette. In addition, our dining locations are home to trivia nights, open mics, contests, and much more!

Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library

Named after the acclaimed author, lecturer, elocutionist, and political activist, The Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library stands as a testament to one of CSU's core principles: That the foundation of all knowledge is research, and all research requires exquisite minds. To achieve this, the Library not only puts a world-class collection in the hands of our students but also provides instructional support in the use of the Library's immense resources. The Library contains the University's collections of more than 300,000 volumes, microfiche and microfilm, periodicals, phonograph records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, and film. The Library also houses e-books, e-journals, a production lab, a computer lab, and the Information Literacy Research Room.

ROTC

The Marauder Battalion is the name of Central State University's Army ROTC, which operates as the host school for Cedarville, Wilberforce, and Wittenberg Universities. The Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) is a collegiate program that allows scholars, athletes, and leaders to earn a commission as an officer in the United States Army. Along with normal classwork, Cadets have the opportunity to develop as leaders, conduct military training, maintain physical fitness, and participate in programs such as Airborne School, Air Assault School, as well as other military schools and internships. ROTC is open to all students with no service obligation for the first two years of the program.

College of Engineering, Science, Technology and Agriculture

Reengineer the future with a degree from the John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture. Here, you'll not only get a quality STEM education, but also enjoy an atmosphere of collaboration, research, and inquiry amongst our faculty and students. Our award-winning, interdisciplinary programs, hands-on research opportunities in a wide range of fields, and internships will empower you to solve tough challenges, reshape the future, and blaze a trail for leadership in your career. In addition, our 1890 Land-Grant programs serve underrepresented students, farmers, families, and communities across the state of Ohio and beyond.

College of Business

The College of Business prepares students for careers in business, government, private and public nonprofit organizations, and graduate school. Housed in the Charles S. Smith Building, named for the college's founder, the building includes classrooms and laboratories that speak to our commitment to student success, emphasizing academics, experiential learning, and professional development. With various majors, including Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Economics, and Agribusiness, our highly qualified and dedicated faculty will help you build your career. These are just a few of the reasons HBCU Digest named us one of the Best Business Programs in the nation.

Joshua I. Smith Center for Education & Natural Sciences

The Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the largest department in the College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture. Housed in the Center for Education & Natural Sciences, it offers degree programs in four areas of Basic and Applied Science: Biology, Chemistry, Exercise Science, and Sustainable Agriculture, as well as a number of student clubs, activities, and experiential learning opportunities. In addition, our department offers minors in biology, chemistry, exercise science, forensic science and nutrition, and even hosts education courses.

College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education

The College of Humanities & Arts and Sciences now includes Education! From jazz studies to criminal justice to education, students in CHASE will choose from multiple majors, each designed to help them become global citizens. The academic departments include humanities, communications and visual arts, education and music, and health and social sciences. The College also houses the WCSU Jazzy 88.9 radio station and numerous federal- and state-funded research programs.

Health Center (Student Health)

Everyone works better when they feel good and limit stress. That is why the Harry M. Lackey/Benjamin F. Lee Health Center is dedicated to incorporating your health and wellness - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - as part of your academic life. In addition to a health clinic, the Center houses Counseling Services, the Office of Academic Empowerment and Accessibility (OAEA), a Relaxation Room, and a Study Resource Room. From visiting the waterfall off U.S. 42 to meeting a Central State counselor, we will help you find ways to cope with whatever life is dishing out. And we will always be here for you.

The Ward Center (Advising & Tutoring)

The Norman E. Ward Sr. Center is named after Ward, a 1950 CSU graduate who was an outstanding athlete and returned to the University as a teacher, coach, and administrator. This building houses Admissions, Financial Aid, Cash Management, the Registrar's office, Trio Support Services, and our First and Second Year Student Success and Tutoring Services and Desire2Learn (D2L) program.

Honors College

The Honors College is a collaborative environment for exceptionally motivated and accomplished students. Honor students have the advantage of earning honors scholarships, living in an honors residence hall with other academically motivated honors students, developing one-on-one mentoring relationships with professors, and earning General Honors, Honors in the Major, University Honors, and International Honors designations. Become tomorrow's leader by living in a community of tomorrow's leaders!

Center for International Education

The Center for International Education (CIE) knows that a strong global perspective is critical to a complete, well-rounded undergraduate experience. To achieve that, the center initiates, coordinates, plans, and implements different types of study-abroad programs and experiences. Central State University also provides Student and Exchange Visitor Program services (SEVIS) to international students. We are honored to host students who represent a number of nations and welcome them to join our multicultural community as we prepare all of our students to succeed in a global society.

Residence Life

At Central State, our 11 residence halls are more than dorms. They are a vital part of your cultural, academic, and social life. Surrounded by your peers and supported by resident advisors, you will work hard, play hard, and be part of a tight-knit community that feels like family. We offer traditional dormitory settings, junior suite communities, modern suite-style communities, and apartment living spaces. All residents have access to individual essentials, laundry, cable TV, WiFi, and hardwired internet services. Living on campus offers a seamless transition to college life, providing endless opportunities to connect and make new friends. Get ready to become part of the CSU residential family!

Mass Communications Center

The Mass Communications Center is a staple for Marauders studying communications, composition and creating writing, and international languages and cultures. It prepares students for successful careers in journalism, public relations, strategic media, law, teaching, marketing, advertising, sales, and more by putting the tools in students' hands. In addition to WCSU Radio and On Our Own Radio, The Mass Communications Center houses two classrooms, a computer lab, a television studio, editing suites, a student lounge, and faculty offices, which offers students the opportunity to engage with broadcast news and radio without leaving campus.

McPherson Stadium

McPherson Stadium is home to Central State University's Marauder football and track & field teams. Constructed in 1949, this building has undergone numerous renovations since its founding, which have expanded and modernized the stadium. These include updates to the all-weather track, locker rooms, training rooms, and office spaces. On game days, the stands are filled with students, faculty, and alumni, who pack the stands and cheer our Marauders on to victory.

African American History Museum

The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) is the home of one of the nation's largest collections of Afro-American art and culture, and Central State's next-door neighbor. This stunning modernist museum chronicles the rich experience of African Americans from their arrival in 1619 to the present day. With more than 9,000 artifacts, thousands of photographs, and 350 manuscript collections that date as far back as the 1700s, it is a collection of local, regional, national, and international significance.

Alumni Relations

Our alumni are known as Centralians. They demonstrate the power of a Central State University education and the resilient spirit of our esteemed Institution. Centralians contribute as ambassadors of Central State, help students shine at College fairs and other events, and encourage businesses, social and civic groups, and places of worship to support the University. We are proud to have 20 active alumni chapters across the country. For God. For Central. For State.