Dr. Randall Gooden

Professor of History

Office: Arts & Sciences G214A
Humanities
College of Arts & Sciences
RandallGooden@clayton.edu

Biography

A native of West Virginia, Randall S. Gooden's pursuit of history grew from early interests in family history and genealogy. His undergraduate and graduate education at West Virginia University combined primary work in both academic history and public history with minor work in political science. Eclectic part-time job experiences in teaching, historic preservation and site interpretation, oral history, and archives took him into full-time work as assistant curator at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection at West Virginia University, and to a position as head of the archives/library at Ohio Historical Society's Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, and then as executive director of Geauga County (Ohio) Historical Society. He came to Clayton State in 2005, and worked concurrently for his first three years as circuit rider archivist for the Georgia Archives. His years at Clayton State have been highlighted by his six years on the faculty senate--including two years as senate chair--and his designation in 2016 as a University Professor.

Education

BA, History, West Virginia University, 1984

MA, History under Public History Option, West Virginia University, 1985

Ph D, History, West Virginia University, 1995

Intellectual Contributions

Randall S. Gooden, The Governor's Pawns: Hostages and Hostage-Taking in Civil War West Virginia, Kent State University Press – 2023

Randall S. Gooden, “German or Yankee? Defining Ohio Identity on the Pennsylvania Border” , Kent State Univ. Press – 2025

Randall S. Gooden, "Neither War nor Peace: West Virginia's Reconstruction Experience." In The Civil War's Aftermath in Appalachia, University Press of Kentucky – June 2010

Randall S. Gooden, "Crossing into War: Hostages in Civil War Virginia and West Virginia", The Smithfield Review – June 2020

Randall S. Gooden, “Navigating Democracy in America: A Virginia Family’s Journey through the Changing Political and Social Landscape of the Antebellum Era”, The Journal of Genealogy and Family History – July 2018

Presentations

Randall S. Gooden, The American Civil War and the Discovery of Appalachia, Society of Appalachian Historians May 19 2025

Randall S. Gooden, “Expanding and Enriching Your Distinctive Collections: A Practical Approach”, Belk Library and Information Commons Faculty and Staff Meeting, Appalachian State University – June 11 2024

Randall S. Gooden, “’Our Brethren Have Been Ruthlessly Snatched’: The Union League Raid in Berkeley Springs in 1864”, Virginia Forum, Virginia Forum – March 18 2023

Randall S. Gooden, “’Just As Soon As I Find That I Can Be of No More Service to My Friend:’ A Story of the State and Its Hostages in Civil War West Virginia” , Society of Appalachian Historians, Society of Appalachian Historians – May 23 2022

Randall S. Gooden, Joshua Meddaugh, Jelani M. Favors, The American Presidency: Past, Present and Future, The Laker Lounge: Official Podcast of Clayton State University, Clayton State University – January 2021

Service to the University & University System of Georgia

University, Admission Appeals Committee, Committee Member, April 2019 , May 2020

University, Core IMPACTS Working Group, Committee Member, September 2024 , December 2024

College, Curriculum Committee, Committee Member, August 2017 , August 2020

College, Dean's Faculty Advisory Committee, Committee Member, August 2020

College, Dean's Search Committee, College of Arts and Sciences, Committee Member, September 2025

University, Faculty Senate, Chairperson, August 2015 , August 2017

University, Faculty Senate, University Senate Service, April 2012 , August 2018

University, Freedom of Expression Committee, Task Force Member, April 2017 , May 2017

College, Graduate Curriculum Subcommittee, Committee Member, August 2013 , August 2016

Department, Promotion and Tenure, Committee Member, August 2022

University, Structural Adjustments to Faculty Evaluation Committee, Committee Member, November 2021 , August 2022

Service to the Community

Board Member, Spalding County Board of Elections and Registration, Local – January 2018 to November 2020

Other, United States Southeast Area, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, International – March 2025 to Present