Thanks to the unified effort of Hornet Nation, Alabama State University was announced today as the recipient of one of only three $50,000 awards given by Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” program.
The announcement was made during an event held at the Home Depot Customer Support Center in Atlanta. Actor Hill Harper served as the keynote speaker, with dignitaries such as Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Home Depot’s executive leadership in attendance.
ASU’s Interim President, Dr. Leon C. Wilson, also attended the announcement, along with the University’s vice president for Institutional Advancement, Zillah M. Fluker, and ASU alumna Natasha Wilson, who was instrumental in helping the University get the votes needed to win the contest.
“I was delighted to be present for the announcement that our University had won the top award in our category of voting,” said Wilson. “As funding for HBCUs becomes more of a challenge, we must develop different sources. Home Depot has certainly positioned itself as an organization that supports higher education and particularly HBCUs, and recognizes the need to support the consumers who shop in their stores and provide the talent that is part of their workforce.”
Retool Your School is a national campaign that has a goal of helping the nation’s Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). Supporters were invited to visit the Home Depot Retool Your School website and cast their votes for their favorite schools. After several weeks of voting, nine schools emerged as winners of prizes ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 in three categories. Alabama State won the top award in its category.
“It's great that Hornet Nation responded so overwhelmingly to our appeal to support the University,” said Fluker, whose division helped to coordinate the University’s winning effort. “We are especially grateful to Joselyn Miller, the ASU student who was an All Star with the White House Initiative on HBCUs, for leading the initial push on social media. We were ahead in the voting from the beginning and only gained momentum throughout the weeks of the contest. This shows what we can accomplish through a OneASU effort!”
The $50,000 prize serves as a campus improvement grant that ASU will use to renovate the on-campus Health Center.
“These renovations will allow us to update a key area of the campus that is utilized by our students,” said Dr. Davida Haywood, ASU’s vice president for Student Affairs. “Once the work is done, it will allow the Health Center staff to work more effectively and will provide a more comfortable and inviting environment for students who have health and wellness needs.”
Wilson said members of the ASU community are to be applauded for their support.
“We owe a big ‘thank you’ to those alumni, faculty, staff and students who responded to the call and cast their votes for ASU. Your efforts help us to keep moving ASU forward,” Wilson added.
http://www.alasu.edu/index.aspx
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Thursday, May 11th 2017 at 11:32AM
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