RUST COLLEGE GETS $1 MILLION AS A RESULT OF PRESIDENT BIDEN'S OMNIBUS BILL
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Posted By: Angelica Owens on March 22, 2022 HOLLY SPRINGS, MS - Rust College has received its first Congressional special project appropriation recommended by Senator Roger Wicker. The transformative $1 million allocation will help in the creation of the Ida B. Wells Social Justice and Interpretive Center on the historic Mississippi Industrial College (MIC) campus owned by Rust College in the Washington Hall building. “We are grateful to Senator Wicker and his staff for recognizing the potential of this project to positively impact Rust College and the surrounding community,” said Dr. Ivy Taylor, President of Rust College. In 2008, Rust College purchased the campus of the closed HBCU Mississippi Industrial College (MIC), with the intention of utilizing the existing historic campus as an opportunity to grow programming and opportunities for Rust College students and enhance the Holly Springs community. Through the Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance Community Grant Program, a Master Plan Study was funded to assist Rust College with the planning and development of the MIC campus. Throughout the years MIC has been identified as a cultural asset to the Holly Springs community with potential for utilization of its buildings for contemporary community needs. The Ida B. Wells Social Justice and Interpretive Center will facilitate research and celebration of Mississippi’s rich civil rights history and accomplishments of the past, while taking lessons from those ideals and best practices to have a positive impact on the social justice issues of today. The Center will pay homage to the extraordinary life of Ida B. Wells, her roots in Holly Springs, and serve to accomplish three goals: educating students, community, and tourists on civil rights history; serve as a center for collaborative efforts to combat discrimination and poverty in our state, and influence policy change on key issues. The planned areas of focus of the Center will include academic enrichment, community engagement, and fine arts. According to Rust College Board Chair and alumnae Cecelia Sawyer, “Reclamation of the Washington Hall building and creation of our Ida B. Wells Social Justice Center will contribute to the academic, social, and personal development of students and provide opportunities for educational, cultural, and leadership development.” Preservation of the MIC campus will provide space for student and community organizations and this $1 million allocation is a critical step toward realizing the plan. About Rust College Rust College is the oldest most prestigious historically black college in Mississippi founded in 1866 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Offering degree programs in business, education, humanities, science and mathematics, and social science. Rust College equips and inspires students for excellence and service in their communities and throughout the world. Located in Holly Springs, MS, just 35 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Rust College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. For more information about Rust College, call (662) 252-8000, ext. 4915 or visit www.rustcollege.edu. ### If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Angelica Owens
From Holly Springs, MS Rust College class of 2019 Member Since January 2022 |
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