FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Brittany A.B. Surratt
Communications Marketing Specialist
brittany.bell@howard.edu
(202)-238-2394

Howard University has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Home Depot “Retool your School Program”. The Home Depot 2016 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program is designed to reinvigorate the appearance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The University won the Tier I Award in the Cluster 1 category of schools with an enrollment of more than four thousand students. The competition mandated each school not only compete in a social media and online voting competition but also to present proposals for projects that display sensitivity to sustainable design principals and have a significant impact on campus life, particularly that of the students. The winner was required to obtain a high voting count and a strong project proposal. Howard University’s Office of Sustainability will use the grant to cover the cost of removing old non-functioning drinking fountains and replacing them with over 40, new filtered combination drinking and bottle filling stations, providing students with filtered options.

“Students continue to demand the provision of clean drinking water. This need coupled with the growing national and local concerns around the provisions of clean water, led us to submit a project that would allow for additional phases of installation to occur,” said Alfonzye Chisholm, director of the Office of Sustainability. “This competition brings together the whole University family including the various alumni chapters across the country. The competition is fierce and students and alumni can show their continuing love for the University. It is also perceived as a way to give back or support,” explained Chisholm. “Of greater importance is the financial benefit it can have on addressing a particular project need that may not otherwise be a priority among the list of urgencies at the University. ” 

The Office of Sustainability was tasked to lead the Home Depot effort since projects must be sustainable designs. It has become an important part of their sustainability strategy. Previous sustainability projects included the rain gardens at Blackburn Center and the stadium, a new Bus shelter/patio/planter at Cramton Auditorium, Earth Day campus grounds beautification and the implementation of an organic garden next to the Towers dormitory. These projects may not have happened without the grant funding. The Office of Sustainability works closely with Facilities Management, students and other offices in an effort to identify meaningful and impactful projects. “We have benefitted greatly having won a grant 4 of the 6 years since the inception of the completion. This year we finally won the top prize. This feat is significant for any HBCU and very important to Howard University,” said Chisholm. For more information, visit http://www.retoolyourschool.com. 

About Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University has produced three Rhodes Scholars, nine Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, over 60 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University's Web site at www.howard.edu