- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – Lincoln University, the nation’s first historically black degree-granting institution, defeats Alabama A&M, Cheyney University and others in The Home Depot ® RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program with the award of Grand Prize $50,000 Tier I Grant.
The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, is scheduled to award Lincoln’s grant, Saturday, Oct. 27th during a formal presentation at halftime of the Lincoln Lions Homecoming football game against the Bowie State University Bulldogs. Grant funds will cover restoration costs of the porch and exterior of Lincoln’s Alumni House, one of the historic buildings on the campus.
“This is a sweet victory for Lincoln University of PA and demonstrates a wonderful example of school spirit through an organized and collaborative voting effort by students, alumni and supporters of this great institution,” said Lincoln’s President Dr. Robert R. Jennings, also a former president of Alabama A&M, which Lincoln soundly defeated by 11,786 votes.
Online voting which took place from February 14th to April 10th, ended with Lincoln receiving 239,633 votes. Huntsville-based HBCU, Alabama A&M is The Home Depot’s first-ever Campus Pride Grant winner; receiving a $25,000 grant. Tier II Grant winners receiving $10,000 awards, included: Cheyney University, Cheyney, PA; Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO; Knoxville College, Knoxville, Tennessee; Fisk University, Nashville, TN; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; Gadsen State Community College, Gadsen, Alabama; Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL; Texas College, Tyler, TX; Benedict College, Columbia, S.C.; Denmark Technical College, Denmark, S.C.; and Miles College, Fairfield, AL.
“The RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL program continues to grow each year,” said Melissa Brown, manager, Multicultural Marketing, The Home Depot. “Receiving more than 1.75 million votes this year, the HBCU community really galvanized their students, alumni and social networks to encourage their supporters to vote.”
The 2012 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL winners were chosen by a combination of public, online voting and were reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges, which this year included: Laz Alonzo, actor; Dr. Lezli Baskerville, President, National Association for Equal Opportunity In Higher Education and, Monica Newman McCluney, Director, Corporate Alliances, United Negro College Fund, both returning judges for the third straight year; Justin Durant, NFL Player for the Detroit Lions; and Gregory Moore, Esq., Commissioner, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
Lincoln University of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, founded in 1854 as the nation’s first historically Black degree-granting institution, combines the elements of a liberal arts and science-based undergraduate curriculum along with select graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly-technological and global society. Today, the University enrolls a diverse student body of approximately 2,000 men and women. Internationally recognized for preparing and producing world class leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Lillian Fishburne, the first African American woman promoted to Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Langston Hughes, the noted poet, Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria.