Harden takes final bow at Clayton State

Clayton State University said goodbye to President Thomas K. Harden at its annual spring commencement last Saturday. Harden will soon be heading to UW-Green Bay to start as chancellor on June 1. In his last official act as president, Harden declined making a farewell address at the ceremony and talked instead about how the suburban Atlanta institution has changed since he started in 2000. “Over the years, Clayton State has evolved into a comprehensive metropolitan university, adapting and developing academic programs to meet the ever-changing and expanding needs of its students and the world around it,” he said. The university’s academic programming more than doubled, graduate programs were instituted and the university enrollment grew from 4,200 to 6,000 under Harden’s leadership. A retrospective of Thomas K. Harden’s years as president of Clayton State University is a spotlight feature on the school’s website. Harden oversaw many advances to the university’s growth, both in student population and academic offerings. Take a look at www.clayton.edu/lakerspotlightharden.htm.