Columbus State University’s newest students took the plunge last fall with a new series of courses dubbed “The River” that are reimagining the core curriculum and the first-year college experience. These additions to the core academic curriculum are creating a new foundation for students transitioning to college life—especially those new to Columbus, Georgia.

“One of our greatest assets at Columbus State University is the city in which our students learn, live and will hopefully lead after they graduate,” said Libby McFalls, interim director of The River program, who helped design the program along with other faculty. “Our River courses turn every corner of the city into our classroom, its historic landscape into our textbooks, and local experts and leaders into our instructors.”

In Fall 2025, the university launched a three-course, seven-hour sequence with “RIVR 1101: Taking the Plunge” and “PERS 1102: Charting Your Course.” Students enroll in sections aligned with their majors; the content is customized to their academic interests, and students begin forming social networks within those interests from their very first class meeting. Over the semester, activities such as tours and field trips to sites like businesses and museums, VIP guest speakers, and class projects that benefit community and industry partners transform each RIVR class into a “city-as-text” learning experience.

“The city-as-text tour helped me observe the city more thoughtfully, rather than just passing through it,” explained Aamani Ayers-Turner of Kennesaw, who is majoring in biology. “The tours taught me that Columbus is very arts-driven and has a lot of rich history behind it…. I see how these experiences helped me have a better understanding of and become more aware when I walk around Columbus.”

A river runs through it

McFalls highlighted the program’s name—“The River”—is a tribute to the Chattahoochee River’s significance to Columbus’ identity and its depiction in the university’s logo. The fall’s initial course offerings—along with “RIVR 2101: Navigating Deep Waters” when introduced in Spring 2027—address several institutional priorities. First, they create a shared first- and second-year experience for the more than 1,000 new students who enroll in Columbus State each fall.

“Two of my closest friends I’ve made in college thus far were classmates from my RIVR course,” Columbus native Elsa Ratcliff, an art major, said. “[The course allowed] me to venture outside my comfort zone both creatively and professionally. As a 2-D artist who typically works by themself, this course pushed me to work with media that I otherwise wouldn’t have in various group settings. I am now significantly more comfortable venturing into group settings and new materials and processes.”

For her section of RIVR 1101, Professor Hannah Israel of the Department of Art partnered with The Food Mill and the Fox Elementary Community Garden to connect creative expression with learning about societal issues, such as food insecurity.

“Throughout the course, students [explored] creative ways to raise awareness, experimenting with collage, zines, papermaking, printmaking and painting,” she explained. “These artistic practices become tools for advocacy, allowing students to find their voice and communicate community needs with clarity, creativity and compassion.”

Plunging into careers, partnerships

Another expectation for River courses is that they hardwire essential, career-ready skills directly into the curriculum, so students develop skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and time management. McFalls said these qualities are the ones that today’s employers say they most desire in new college graduates.

“My students developed their leadership, critical thinking, communication and writing skills in a multistage team writing about a real-world research assignment,” added Dr. Mike Newbrey, a senior lecturer in the Department of Biology, whose class focused on stream habitat ecology. “[The course] gave my students unique skills and experiences necessary to function successfully with confidence as future professionals in STEM fields [as they worked] in team settings and with field data collection, data organization, and software such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.”

“This course has truly set me up for success by providing me with knowledge that I will be using in my degree plan, such as finding peer-reviewed articles, how to read scientific articles, and how to write and format research papers,” biology major Malique Render of Columbus explained about his experience in Newbrey’s class. “A lot of the classes at CSU require students to work together, so learning how to work as a team and expanding my teamwork capabilities has been and will forever be useful and meaningful.”

Finally, The River broadens learning experiences beyond the classroom to community settings and through projects directly related to their fields of study. This provides students with practical experience through real-world applications. During the semester, they research their community partner’s problem or need in teams and, at the end of the semester, present their findings and recommendations as a group.

That learn-by-doing approach was evident in Dr. Kristin Seamon Lilly’s class geared toward students interested in mathematics and data science. They used Microsoft Excel and real data to help Columbus Fire and Emergency Management Services officials better allocate their resources.

As a result of Lilly’s course, students and public safety leaders identified patterns in emergency calls related to mental health crises. Students analyzed peak response times and offered recommendations on when to staff a mental health mobile unit—helping the department consider more effective use of personnel and emergency resources.

“I had fun working with local community leaders on a real-world need,” robotics engineering major Timmy Cockcroft of Columbus said. “I highly enjoyed learning Microsoft Excel, albeit it is kind of weird to say out loud as a 20-plus-year-old. If you can specialize in real things, with real people, right in front of you, and solve their problems, you will be valuable after college.”

Besides the novel approach to student instruction and engagement, The River also aligns with the university’s five-year strategic plan. Academic leaders highlight how The River curriculum supports the strategic plan’s key goals, including student success, career readiness and employability.

“Combined with our new academic and career coaching model, The River is helping students explore their professional interests much earlier than at other universities,” explained Dr. Melissa Young, assistant vice president for student success. “That means they’ll be less likely to change majors later in college, more confident in the academic choices they make throughout their studies, and more intentional in pursuing opportunities like internships and networking that lead to the career of their dreams.”

Other rungs of the strategic plan focus on community impact and economic competitiveness. The River curriculum supports university goals to align academic experiences with the region’s workforce development needs and to strengthen community and industry partnerships.

“The city of Columbus is significantly interwoven with Columbus State’s history and success,” said Shana Young, the university’s associate vice president for community engagement. “Today’s CSU students are the region’s workforce and leaders of tomorrow—so it behooves all of us to identify ways, like The River program, to recruit and retain the best and brightest to the Chattahoochee Valley.”

Business and community leaders wishing to partner with the university on projects or share their subject-matter expertise through The River program—either individually or through their organization—can contact Libby McFalls for more information.