Jackson State University News January 22, 2021 Jackson State redesigns commuter lounge with Home Depot $50,000 grant After securing the 'Retool Your School' campus improvement grant for $50,000, JSU has redesigned the commuter lounge in the Student Center. The Retool Your School program was established in 2010 by The Home Depot to give back to the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program provides support through grants for on-campus enhancement projects. "I am very pleased with the outcome of this project," said Carol Woodson, director for Events and Visitor Services. "I hope it is more welcoming for our students." The redesign included new tables, chairs, barstools and lounge seating. Both patio areas that are connected to the second floor were completely furnished with seated and bistro tables and stools. "I was responsible for the design concept, selecting furniture, paint colors and other accessories. The accessories chosen provided pops of color, and Sabrina Howard created a work of art to provide some additional texture and design elements in the room," said Woodson. Additionally, Woodson noted, "The biggest part of the project was installing motorized shades on all of the windows and replacing the countertops." The Home Depot strives to give back to our nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) what they have so generously given to their communities: a strong foundation renewed purpose, and distinctive character. Since 2009, the Retool Your School Program has provided more than 3.1 million dollars in campus improvement grants that allow HBCUs to make sustainable improvements to their campuses. In 2021, to deepen its commitment to HBCUs, The Home Depot is increasing its support of HBCUs by investing $1 million in campus improvement grants across 30 schools. Thirty campus improvement grants will be awarded based on consumer voting. One grant for the Campaign of the Year Award will be awarded to the school whose campaign proves to be most original, innovative and particularly effective. Voting for the 2021 campus improvement grant begins February 15 at 12:00 est. and ends on March 15 at 11:59 pm est. Sandra M. Phoenix HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/