WILBERFORCE — Central State University has been awarded a $500,000 federal Interior Department grant to help turn its historic campus power plant into the Frank Murphy Student Success Center, a career services facility.
[ Jack Thomas begins tenure as Central State University's 9th president ]
The grant agreement, signed in June, will fund a portion of the planned $3 million conversion of the plant.
"The Frank Murphy Student Success Center will give an old building new life," said Dr. Morakinyo Kuti, director of CSU's Office of Sponsored Programs and Research and its Center for Academic Research and Innovation.
CSU Facilities Director Milt Thompson will oversee the project, which will provide classroom and meeting spaces as well as technology spaces to support academic programs and events, along with other multi-functional, multi-use amenities, Kuti said.
The center also will feature tutoring rooms, data centers, individual study carrels, and other unique spaces. The center is part of the university master plan and fits within the larger vision for the campus over the next five years.
The supporting federal grant, part of $7.7 million in grants to 18 projects in 12 states for the preservation of historic structures on campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is administered by the National Park Service through its Historic Preservation Fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant program.
The grants support the physical preservation of National Register listed sites on HBCU campuses to include historic districts, buildings, sites, structures, and objects. Eligible costs include pre-preservation studies, architectural plans and specifications, historic structure reports, and the repair and rehabilitation of historic properties according to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeology and Historic Preservation.
“These grants help us to honor the legacy of HBCUs in serving our nation’s higher education needs,” said David Vela, National Park Service deputy director. “Funding awarded this year will help preserve 18 historic properties on HBCU campuses in 12 states, many of which are listed in the National Register.”