Morehouse launched its 158th anniversary weekend with a groundbreaking of its new residence hall on Friday.
“This is a historic moment for the college and, quite frankly, for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) here in Atlanta and around the country because it will be a model of what is possible,” said David Thomas, president of Morehouse.
This project is the first new construction at the all-male institution in more than two decades 2003.
Hodan Hassan, the Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, said during the groundbreaking ceremony that part of the Campus of the Future Capital Campaign – a pillar of their Making Men of Consequence Campaign – which allows Morehouse to modernize and expand the campus and elevate its student experience to remain competitive among other top national liberal arts colleges. The school is raising $500 million for the campaign to drive investment in student scholarships and athletics and, innovative academic programs, faculty recruitment, and research.
Thomas said over $320 has been raised, and since the residence hall will be $170 of those funds, he was nervous that he would not make the goal.
“We overcame it in the same way at Morehouse’s inception,” Thomas said. “There was doubt whether a college for formerly enslaved men was innovative or was possible or could be funded. We’re basically showing that Morehouse still swims in the same stream of boldness and opportunity to educate young Black men.”
The living facility will be a five-story, 324-bed housing structure spanning over 88,000 square feet, with accommodations such as a green space, lounge area, technology room and labs, and welcome center.
Last week, the Woodruff Foundation gave Morehouse a $20 million grant which will go towards Morehouse’s next construction project, a 58,0000-square-foot Campus Center that will house a new dining hall, rooftop plaza, and a place where students, faculty and alums can gather.
READ MORE: “Morehouse College raise $322 million of its $500 million campaign”
“We still need $28 million to begin breaking ground,” Thomas said. “We hope that our community of support will continue to invest in building the campus of the future so that we can provide more state-of-the-are spaces and places for our scholars to live and learn and grow into the men of distinction and consequence that they are destined to be.”
Hassan says that the students deserve a leading learning environment that’s exceptional as they are and where they can develop their talents and fuel their passions to become leaders, entrepreneurs, public servants and innovators.
Thomas says he is counting on the generosity of alums, parents, partners and friends to help invest in Morehouse’s next phase of construction.
Click here to learn more about the Campus of the Future and donate to the Making Men of Consequence fund.
