Edward Waters University Invests 33 Million Dollars in Campus Expansion

Edward Waters University will invest 33 million dollars in campus improvements in Jacksonville, Florida, including a new 200-bed student residence and a competition-level track and field facility, President and CEO A. Zachary Faison Jr. announced Thursday, October 8, 2026. The projects aim to accommodate enrollment growth, expand athletic facilities, and provide additional recreational opportunities for the surrounding community.

According to the university, the investment represents the largest capital development initiative in its 160-year history. The student residence will be the institution's first new housing construction since 1982, with an opening planned for fall 2028.

Faison said the housing project will address growing demand for on-campus accommodation. Enrollment has increased approximately 40 percent since 2019, according to the university, which currently has about 1,300 students and approximately 600 on-campus beds.

The university has a waiting list for campus housing, and students unable to secure rooms must find accommodation elsewhere. Faison said the institution hopes the additional capacity will help it surpass 1,500 students.

Addressing students at Milne Auditorium, Faison emphasized the university's responsibility to provide facilities that support academic ambitions.

"You deserve facilities that match the excellence of your aspirations, and that is exactly what this investment will deliver," Faison said to students.

He also connected the expansion to the institution's anniversary and its long-term development plans.

"In the year we celebrate 160 years as Florida's first HBCU, we are also building for the next 160 years," Faison said.

Faison described the announcement as a significant milestone for his administration, reflecting years of work to secure the investment.

"Second only to the day that Edward Waters College became Edward Waters University, today is the proudest accomplishment of this administration," he said.

The university's 33 million dollar investment package combines federal financing, municipal support, and university funding. Faison said 25 million dollars will come through a 30-year loan from the U.S. Department of Education's Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program.

He declined to disclose the interest rate but described the financing terms as favorable.

"Very competitive," Faison said of the interest rate.

The City of Jacksonville has allocated 2 million dollars toward the track and field facility, with university funding covering the remaining project costs. The athletic complex is intended to accommodate competitions while expanding recreational opportunities for residents.

The university said its partnership with the city will include free annual community programs promoting physical activity and healthy living.

"In partnership with the City of Jacksonville, which provided substantial supplementary support for the facility, Edward Waters will host free community programming annually to promote physical activity and healthy living among neighborhood residents," the university said.

The institution also highlighted local public health needs as part of the rationale for community programming. According to the university, the ZIP code containing its campus ranks among Jacksonville's most health-burdened areas, with elevated rates of hypertension, diabetes, and asthma.

The university described itself as Florida's first independent institution of higher learning.

Edward Waters University, a private Christian institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, is located at 1658 Kings Road, a few miles from downtown Jacksonville.

Beyond the housing and athletic projects, Faison and the university identified additional planned improvements, including a new welcome center, library renovations, laboratory modernization, and historic preservation work.

The university is also preparing to introduce its first doctoral degree program as early as fall 2027, according to the October 8 announcement.

Faison said limited campus capacity has become a constraint on enrollment growth.

"We have exceeded all of our enrollment targets because we don't have any more space on campus," he said.

He said the new residence is expected to create room for further expansion.

"Our desire is once this new facility is built that we'll pass the 1,500 student mark," Faison said.

The announcement was attended by Marvin Zanders II, bishop of the AME Church and chairman of the university's board of trustees; Florida Sen. Tracie Davis, a Democrat representing District 5, which includes the campus; and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan.