RUST COLLEGE GETS $1 MILLION AS A RESULT OF PRESIDENT BIDEN'S OMNIBUS BILL
|
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! |
 |
Angelica Owens
From Holly Springs, MS Rust College class of 2019 Member Since January 2022 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
Promote the Vote Fund: Ensuring Every Voice Is Heard in Michigan 28 April 2026
Promote the Vote Fund, a Ford grantee, is a coalition of partner organizations leading these efforts. The organization works across the ideological spectrum to support voting rights for Michiganders ...more
Hija Chang • 78 Views • May 3rd, 2026 |
 |
Temple to open medical campus in Atlantic CityBoth Temple and the Katz School of Medicine are guided by the belief that education and healthcare open doors and transform communities, and that is exactly what we have accomplished in Pennsylvania,” ...more
Hija Chang • 82 Views • May 3rd, 2026 |
 |
Apartheid’s legacy and the rise of xenophobia in South Africa todayPhoto: An image showing a South African township street with closed small shops owned by African migrants, police presence in the background, and community members walking past with tense expressions. ...more
Joel Savage • 317 Views • April 30th, 2026 |
 |
James Artissen, Big Gipp & DJ Burn One - Just Another DayAcclaimed Grammy-Nominated singer-songwriter James Artissen teams up with Southern hip-hop rapper Big Gipp, and respected producer DJ Burn One for their latest release, “Just Another Day.” The record ...more
Lenell Johnson • 202 Views • April 28th, 2026 |
 |
PROPEL Center Launches Future of Tech Innovation Challenge to Spotlight HBCU Talent & Shape the Next Generation of AI LeadersPROPEL Center, the global HBCU technology and innovation hub committed to strengthening the future Black talent pipeline, announced the launch of the Future of Tech Innovation Challenge, a national co ...more
Crystal Willis • 252 Views • April 27th, 2026 |
Popular News
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 108,198 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
