Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, is investing more than $33 million in new campus infrastructure projects through 2028.
Most notably, the investment includes a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a new student residence hall — the first new student housing facility constructed on the HBCU’s campus since 1982. Expected to open in 2028, the residence hall will offer nearly 200 beds and will become the largest residential building on the Edward Waters campus, creating needed space for the university’s growing student population. Fall 2026 enrollment at Edward Waters reached nearly 1,300 students, the highest in more than two decades, and enrollment has grown nearly 40 percent since 2019.
In addition to the residence hall, the HBCU is also constructing its first-ever on-campus track. Funded in part by the Department of Education grant and an additional $2 million from the City of Jacksonville, the track will serve both Edward Waters student-athletes and the broader Jacksonville area. Once the track is constructed, the university will host annual community health and wellness events at the new athletic facility.
Alongside these new construction projects, Edward Waters is investing nearly $9 million in additional funds for infrastructure updates throughout campus. These projects include comprehensive renovations to Centennial Hall, the HBCU’s oldest building and home to the University Library, and the Lee Cousins Administration Building, the second-oldest building on campus and the primary administration facility. Other projects include new academic and laboratory spaces, a new Student Welcome Center & Tiger One Stop, enhancements to Milne Auditorium, and upgrades to campus safety infrastructure.
“This is a generational investment in the spaces where our Tigers learn, live, compete, and lead,” said A. Zachary Faison, Jr., president and CEO of Edward Waters University. “For nearly half a century, this campus has grown in enrollment, in academic programs, and in national reputation without the addition of new student housing. In the year we celebrate 160 years as Florida’s first HBCU, we are building for the next 160. Our students deserve facilities that match the excellence of their aspirations, and that is exactly what this investment delivers.”
