The Compass
Elizabeth City State University’s award-winning student newspaper]
VOL^NO. 2
DECEMBER 6, 2000
CIRCULATION 2,200
HUD Gives ECSU Development Grant
Secretary, Andrew Cuomo, of the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) awarded $10.4
million to 38 Historically Black Col
leges and Universities (HBCUs) to as
sist the schools with stimulating local
community and economic develop
ment. Of the $10.4 million, Elizabeth
City State University's Office of Com
munity Development received
$475,000.
"The schools receiving the grants are
key players in HUD's efforts to revital
ize America's neighborhoods. We need
their involvement because of their lo
cation and relationship with their com
munities," Cuomo said.
HBCU grants are awarded annually
on a competitive basis to schools that
demonstrate a commitment and abil
ity to produce successful community
programs.
The HBCU funds come from HUD's
Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) program, the agency's linch
pin for community development ac
tivity and an essential ingredient in
community development partnerships,
and only HBCU's designated by the
U.S. Department of Education are eli
gible for funding.
Morris Autry, Director of Commu
nity Development at ECSU said the
University plans to use the grant to
address the housing and community
development needs of communities af
fected by 1999 Hurricanes, expand
home ownership and affordable hous
ing opportunities for low and moder
ate income residents, widen employ
ment opportunities and stimulate eco
nomic development in distressed com
munities. The grant will also be used
to provide computer technology and
internet access to local disadvantaged
residents and assist local governments
and community-based organizations in
developing and implementing commu
nity revitalization strategies.
"These funds will play a key role in
continuing the University's mission of
providing community development
services in our surrounding areas," said
Autry.
The Business and Economics Schoiars gathered to collect trash
from roadsides and ditches in Elizabeth City.
-Photo Courtesy of Chi’Mur Knight
Political Figure to
Speak at Graduation
Mr. Harvey B. Gantt, speaker for fall graduation.
-Photo courtesy of University Relations
Heather Malone
Mr. Harvey B. Gantt, co-founder and
partner of Gantt Huberman Architects,
will be the keynote speaker for Eliza
beth City State University's 131st faU
Commencement Convocation, which
will be held on Saturday, December 9
at 10 am in the Vaughan Center.
Gantt, a native of Charlotte, South
Carolina, was the first African Ameri
can to attend and graduate from
Clemson University in South CaroHna
and the first African-American Mayor
of Charlotte. In 1970, he received his
master's degree in City Planning from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technol
ogy (MIT).
Gantt is a member of the American
Institute of Architects and the National
Organization of Minority Architects
and was named FeUow of the Ameri
can Institute of Architect in 1987. He
has served on the North Carolina Board
of Architecture and the AIA National
Minority Services Committee, and has
served as a juror on numerous design
awards programs and as a member of
the accreditation committees at
Howard University's and Southern
University's Schools of Architecture.
Gantt has also lectured at several col
leges and iiniversities, some of which
include Hampton, Yale, Cornell and
North Carolina A&T.
Gantt has received numerous hon
ors and awards including the Char
lotte NAACP Citizen of the Year Award
and the Distinguished Service Citation
of Public Service from the American
Ir\stitute of Architects.
Gantt currently serves on the boards
of Crisis Assistance Ministry of Char
lotte, Charlotte Center City Partners,
the Charlotte Chamber and the Cen
tral Piedmont College Foundation.