With help from Home Depot, Alcorn is readying campus for the return of students and faculty
Maintenance and construction crews at Alcorn State University have spent the summer prepping the campus for the return of students and faculty this fall. The cleaning, renovating and general sprucing up of various campus facilities is an annual initiative led by the Office of Facilities Management.
Crews have been busy waxing and polishing floors, cleaning, and improving residence halls as well as tidying classrooms for the start of the fall semester. New landscaping designs at the campus entrance and the Medgar Evers Heritage Village are also scheduled to be in place before move-in day.
Thanks to the $50,000 Home Depot Retool Your School award received in May, Alcorn will utilize funds to make upgrades and improvements to all dormitories. All residence hall lobbies will receive a fresh new coat of paint along with new lobby furniture and an accent wall in either Alcorn purple or gold. Some unique Alcorn branding will also be installed to provide the sense of a more identifiable, comfortable and inviting living space for students.
Other improvements to dormitories include the replacement of all desk chairs and dressers in Beulah Robinson and Albert Lott residence halls and new mattresses have been placed in the Honors and Natchez residence halls. Later this semester, Burrus Hall will receive a new roof.
Dr. Jeff Posey, associate vice president for Facilities Management, spoke about the importance of making students' living experience at Alcorn, their home away from home, the most satisfying possible.
"Our goal is to make sure every student, faculty, staff, and visitor enjoys a warm and welcoming environment at Alcorn." said Posey. "Providing high-quality student living and learning spaces along with every improvement we make to our facilities is focused on making an investment in and promoting student success."
Several significant construction projects are also happening across the campus. A new retail dining option is scheduled to make its debut in the James L. Bolden Campus Union in a few weeks. Work is underway on the new WOW Café, a casual American grill offering fresh chicken wings and sauces made with flavors from around the world. Also, the Jesse A. Morris Sr./W.C. Boykin Agricultural Science Building has received a significant renovation with refurbished classrooms, fresh paint, flooring, restrooms, and branding finishes. Additionally, construction will start soon on new observation towers for the football practice fields and the refinishing of the basketball courts in the Davey L. Whitney Arena Complex for the coming athletic seasons.
Alcorn's 20th President, Dr. Felecia M. Nave, complimented campus leaders and Facilities Management in particular for their hard work and dedication to upgrading the campus to help kick off her first academic year as its leader.
"We are extremely excited to welcome the Class of 2023 as well as welcome back our returning students to campus this fall. Continually beautifying and improving our campus is an essential step in the process of attracting and retaining students, their friends, family, and alumni," said Nave. "At Alcorn, we are laser-focused on providing a transformative experience for our students inside and outside of the classroom. We remain committed to presenting our students with the best living and learning environment in higher education. I applaud our facilities and leadership teams for the work they've achieved in such a short timeframe."
Campus improvements will continue throughout the semester. The Alcorn community is reminded to please pardon our progress regarding the two major, multi-million-dollar construction projects that are underway on campus to build a new Technology Classroom Building and the Faculty and Staff Housing Complex.
Alcorn is geared up and the campus is buzzing with excitement for the start of the new school year. We look forward to welcoming you home!
