Morris Brown On The Way Back To The Top
By: Anthony Wilson
Issue date: 12/13/06 Section: News
Tom Joyner, the popular radio personality, donated $1 million to the school's scholarship fund, and the United Negro College Fund has also given $1.5 million to Morris Brown's student scholarships.
In trying to build the financial foundation that will ensure Morris Brown's future, the men and women rebuilding the school are coming up with new and innovative ways to generate money aside from student enrollment.
"We've got to look for some other ways to be able to have a revenue stream. We're trying to make certain that we work hand and hand with ways that we can develop the parts of the campus that are not being used," Dr. Pritchett said.
Over the past year, the school has leased part of its property to movie producers and other entertainment giants. Recently the school hosted Russell Simons' Hip-Hop Summit, focusing on financial literacy.
They have also had numerous movie productions on campus; the movie "Stepping" with Ne-Yo was filmed on campus over the last year. "We did the big movie 'Marshall' here. We have a strong alliance with the Georgia Film Commission and it has been those kinds of things that have helped us pay the bills. Usher, the multi-platinum singer, was here this summer with his new look foundation camp," Caldwell said.
School administrators are hoping to continue with a variety of innovative things at the school to make it not only healthy financially in the future but also to make Morris Brown a leader for other HBCUs.
"We really believe that some plans that we have in place for what we're going to be doing over the next couple of years will truly be a model for other HBCUs," Dr. Pritchett said.
In trying to build the financial foundation that will ensure Morris Brown's future, the men and women rebuilding the school are coming up with new and innovative ways to generate money aside from student enrollment.
"We've got to look for some other ways to be able to have a revenue stream. We're trying to make certain that we work hand and hand with ways that we can develop the parts of the campus that are not being used," Dr. Pritchett said.
Over the past year, the school has leased part of its property to movie producers and other entertainment giants. Recently the school hosted Russell Simons' Hip-Hop Summit, focusing on financial literacy.
They have also had numerous movie productions on campus; the movie "Stepping" with Ne-Yo was filmed on campus over the last year. "We did the big movie 'Marshall' here. We have a strong alliance with the Georgia Film Commission and it has been those kinds of things that have helped us pay the bills. Usher, the multi-platinum singer, was here this summer with his new look foundation camp," Caldwell said.
School administrators are hoping to continue with a variety of innovative things at the school to make it not only healthy financially in the future but also to make Morris Brown a leader for other HBCUs.
"We really believe that some plans that we have in place for what we're going to be doing over the next couple of years will truly be a model for other HBCUs," Dr. Pritchett said.
