The college was staffed by fifteen faculty and staff and almost three hundred students attended courses in the first year.

Columbus College relocated to the midtown area in 1963, building a campus defined by modern architecture on what was previously a dairy farm.

In early 2007, the art and theatre departments moved to the university's newly built RiverPark Campus in downtown Columbus.

The complex was designed to provide students of the fine arts with a tightly-knit living community and larger studios, laboratories, and galleries.

[11] CSU's RiverPark campus, located near the banks of the Chattahoochee River, is the home of the university's fine and performing arts, communications, and history and geography departments.

The downtown campus is housed in a mix of rehabilitated 19th and early 20th century industrial and commercial buildings and newly constructed facilities.

The Department of Theatre also boasts the only accredited teacher education and certification program in drama in the state of Georgia.

Additionally, in 2008 the world renowned Schwob School of Music received the Regents Teaching Excellence Award for Departments and Programs from the University System of Georgia.

[15][16][17][18] The university operates the Coca-Cola Space Science Center which hosts student and public programs.

[19] The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians provides regular programs and offers fellowships.

Programs include the annual Insectival, Reptile Fest, Natural Holiday Decorations, Hummingbirds, Bees and Honey, and Bats.

[22] Pasaquan, an art environment created by Eddie Owens Martin or St. EOM in Buena Vista, Georgia, was recently renovated and reopened in 2016 through the Kohler Foundation and is now operated by the university.

Rifle competed as an associate member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I until after the 2014–15 school year, when the program was dropped.