Photo courtesy Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University’s architecture department has received $100,000 from the Cooper Carry Charitable Foundation, Inc. The gift will be used to increase access to the architecture profession for African-American students.
The foundation is the charitable wing of the Cooper Carry architectural firm, located in Atlanta, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Eighty thousand dollars of the gift will be used to establish new need-based scholarships for undergraduate students. Twenty thousand dollars is designated for a technology scholarship that will provide students laptops and/or architecture design software—as Tuskegee has transitioned to remote instruction.
“We knew Tuskegee University would be the place to develop a new and meaningful partnership—and we believe it is important to be part of actively developing diverse voices in design and architecture,” said Kevin Cantley, Cooper Carry president.
Of the approximately 100,000 licensed architects in the United States, only two percent are African-American, a statistic that has not changed significantly since the 1960s, said Tuskegee University.
“Tuskegee is one of only seven accredited architecture degree programs, which collectively account for approximately half of all African-American graduates in architecture. This gift will enhance student academic success and increase our commitment to the students by making sure they are prepared when they go out into the workforce as future architects,” said Carla Jackson Bell, vice-president for academic affairs at the school.
