Morehouse receives $4 million for new building, academic programs

Morehouse College became the recipient of gifts totalling $4 million, for new buildings and academic programs, from media giant Google and real estate giant Prologis. Google donated a $1 million gift with no restrictions to the college, while real estate firm Prologis this month donated $3 million towards the real estate program.

Morehouse President David Thomas, who serves on the Google HBCU Presidents’ Council, credits the gift stemming from that relationship. In addition to the $1 million gift, Google will build a technology hub on campus that it calls a Google Annex. The space will be designed completely by Google, including all the furnishings, and it will have $100,000 worth of technology. The tech giant will pilot these hubs at five HBCUs, including Morehouse. 

Logistics real estate giant Prologis’ $3 million donation will be used to create an endowed fund to support the new Morehouse Real Estate Institute, which is launching next semester. “We see this as critical because real estate is the largest single asset class in our economy,” Thomas said. The institute aims to diversify management with the real estate industry. It will offer four classes initially — real estate finance, risk management and insurance, real estate fundamentals and appraisals.

The classes will be open to all the students at the Atlanta University Center, not just Morehouse. Prologis’ funding will also help the college hire more faculty to teach and oversee new extracurricular activities. The money will also be used for stipends for students who want to spend part of their summer working in a real estate firm. Some Morehouse alumni have already volunteered to serve as faculty, mentors or provide internships. 

Thomas said he is also hoping to use Prologis’ gift as anchor funding to increase the institute’s endowment to $20 million and has started fundraising. The campus center and the real estate institute are two projects that are coming out of Morehouse’s ambitious $500 million capital campaign the college launched last year. Thomas said the college is nearly halfway to its fundraising goal, with about $240 million raised. 

Morehouse College has received a substantial $4 million in gifts, dedicated to the development of new buildings and academic programs. This generous contribution comes from two major entities: media giant Google and real estate powerhouse Prologis. Google’s donation of $1 million carries no restrictions and is a testament to the strong relationship between Morehouse and the tech company. Additionally, Google plans to establish a cutting-edge technology hub on the college campus, aptly named the Google Annex. This space, fully designed and furnished by Google, will be equipped with $100,000 worth of technology. Furthermore, Google intends to introduce these innovative hubs at five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Morehouse.

In a parallel initiative, Prologis, a logistics real estate giant, has contributed a substantial $3 million to establish an endowed fund aimed at supporting the forthcoming Morehouse Real Estate Institute, set to launch next semester. This institute holds significant importance as it seeks to diversify leadership in the real estate industry, the largest single asset class in our economy. The institute’s curriculum will encompass four foundational classes: real estate finance, risk management and insurance, real estate fundamentals, and appraisals.

Notably, these courses will be available to all students within the Atlanta University Center, extending beyond the Morehouse community. Prologis’ generous funding will also facilitate the hiring of additional faculty to instruct and oversee new extracurricular activities and provide stipends for students interested in gaining practical experience in real estate firms during the summer. Furthermore, several Morehouse alumni have already pledged their support by volunteering as faculty members, mentors, or offering internships.

President David Thomas is not only grateful for Prologis’ substantial donation but also aims to leverage it as anchor funding to raise the institute’s endowment to an impressive $20 million, embarking on a fundraising campaign to achieve this goal. These developments are part of Morehouse’s ambitious $500 million capital campaign launched last year, and the college has made significant progress, having raised approximately $240 million, placing it close to reaching the halfway mark of its fundraising objective.

The Google gift will be dedicated to the creation of Morehouse’s new campus center, which is an integral part of a larger project aimed at transforming the existing campus layout into a new quad. Morehouse President David Thomas explained that this endeavor is a comprehensive renovation of what is currently known as the main campus. The objective is to establish a space that can serve as a central hub, a crossroads, and a unifying point for the college community.

The transformation plan includes converting two parking lots into green spaces, which will be bordered by the campus center and two new dormitory buildings. This marks the first instance of new student housing construction at Morehouse since 2003. The entire project is scheduled to be finalized by September 2026, with an estimated construction cost of around $150 million. Of this amount, approximately $60 million will be allocated to the construction of the campus center. This facility will encompass dining areas, student advisory services, study spaces, and venues suitable for small seminars, enriching the academic and communal experience for Morehouse students.