From the newly renovated Milne Auditorium to expanded academic offerings, the university is experiencing what its president calls an era of \u201cEmerging Eminence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edward Waters was established in 1866 by the AME Church to educate newly emancipated African Americans after the Civil War. Empowering Black students remains central to its mission. In 2018, Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. took the helm as President and CEO. <\/p>\n
Dr. Faison, Jr., a third-generation product of an HBCU, said the impact of these institutions cannot be overstated. <\/p>\n
\u201cOver 70% of Black teachers are products of an HBCU. Black judges, Black lawyers, Black news anchors are products of HBCUs,\u201d Faison said.<\/p>\n
RELATED: <\/b>Edward Waters University reaffirmed for accreditation with no recommendations for improvement<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Yet many HBCUs, including Edward Waters, have faced serious challenges over the years, including aging infrastructure, financial instability, chronic underfunding, and operational strain.<\/p>\n Before 2018, EWU had run operating deficits for about 10 consecutive years and had not introduced new academic degree programs in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n Under Faison\u2019s execution of a multi-year strategic plan, the institution transitioned from college to university status and introduced 10 new academic degree programs. The university also unveiled a multimillion-dollar dining facility, renovated student residence halls, and built an on-campus stadium for the first time in its history.<\/p>\n In athletics, Edward Waters made a historic move by joining the SIAC conference and becoming members of the NCAA at the Division II level for the first time. The progress extends beyond facilities and athletics. Since 2018, the university has:<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/b>Edward Waters University celebrates growth as student enrollment reaches 20-year high<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Faison credits a campus-wide commitment to student success. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have a commitment amongst our faculty, our staff, and our university administration to meet students where they are, and then take them to places where they didn\u2019t think that they could go and that really is the Edward Waters story,\u201d Faison said.<\/p>\n In what may be one of the institution\u2019s most significant milestones yet, the university recently received a full 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation with zero recommendations for improvement from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/b>Leadership shakeups hit Edward Waters\u2019 athletics department, athletics director resigns<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Faison called it a testament to the \u201cvitality and forward-moving trajectory\u201d of the institution.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, the future of Edward Waters University, located in the heart of New Town, is centered on growth, opportunity, and community impact.<\/p>\n Transformation and innovation shapes Edward Waters University Looking ahead, the future of Edward Waters University, located in the heart of New Town, is centered on growth, opportunity, and community impact. <\/p>\n \u201cSo goes Edward Waters, so goes this New Town community,\u201d Faison said.<\/p>\n Since 2018, the university has invested nearly $40 million in campus upgrades, with more potentially on the horizon. Plans under consideration include a new student residence facility, a conference center, and a walking trail. <\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n Academically, the university is preparing students for a workforce shaped by emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that we\u2019re looking at now is how we can infuse AI certification in all of our courses, so that those students are prepared and know how to strategically utilize AI as they go out into the world of work,\u201d Faison said.<\/p>\n The university is also exploring its first terminal degree program and expanding athletics, while engaging students, staff, alumni, trustees, and the broader community to shape its next chapter.<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: <\/b>Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/b><\/a>] <\/b><\/p>\n Work on the university\u2019s next 10-year strategic plan is underway, with plans to share it later this year.<\/p>\n As Edward Waters University builds on its historic foundation, Dr. Faison said the goal remains clear: to ensure its future is just as transformative as its past \u2014 for students, for Jacksonville, and for the country.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it were not for an Edward Waters, you would not have the Black middle class, the Black professional class that we have in Jacksonville, throughout the state and throughout our country. And that\u2019s not dissimilar from the HBCU story everywhere,\u201d Faison said.<\/p>\n Click here<\/b><\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/b><\/p>\n Action News Jax Top Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Action News Jax explores the contributions and experiences of African Americans that continue to shape…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":618892,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5136],"tags":[264997,209557,5229,264996,257490,9223,107065,167750,128775,264999,209555,209556,3188,723,7310,425,264998,83669,5207,51272,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,57517],"class_list":["post-618891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-a-_zachary_faison_junior","tag-ackerman_cancer_center","tag-america","tag-black_excellence","tag-black_history_month","tag-doctor","tag-edward","tag-edward_waters","tag-edward_waters_university","tag-faison","tag-first_coast_ymca","tag-first_florida_credit_union","tag-fl","tag-florida","tag-jacksonville","tag-local","tag-ncaa_division_2","tag-newtown","tag-president","tag-siac","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-waters"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116140246673832821","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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