COLUMBIA, S.C. (Oct. 13, 2026) — Allen University will renovate its Student Center, strengthen its academic programs and widen the path into science and engineering, backed by nearly $7.5 million in federal awards announced Tuesday.
The money reaches three parts of Allen at once: what students learn, how they enter STEM fields and where the campus gathers.
“These investments help us strengthen the foundation of an Allen University education,” said Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett, Sr., President of Allen University. “Our focus is on creating opportunities for students and ensuring they have the resources, support and learning environment to succeed. Each award moves that work forward.”
Three awards, three priorities
$4.29 million for the Student Center. The largest award, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, goes to the Willie H. Johnson Student Center, where students eat, buy their books and gather between classes.
Renderings by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture show what the work could bring: a columned entrance marked “Allen University Student Union,” a two-story atrium with tiered wooden seating, a campus bookstore and a coffee bar called Coffee Connection. Allen will share the project’s full scope and timeline as planning moves forward.
$1,736,974 for academic strength. A Title III, Part B award goes to the university’s foundation: the strength of its academics, the operations behind them and its financial stability.
$1,450,816 for STEM. A Title III, Part F award, known as FUTURE Act funding, will support initiatives including the MSEIP STEM Summer Camp, which draws participants deeper into science, technology, engineering and mathematics and prepares them for the education and careers that follow.
The awards grew from work across the university, from leadership and academic departments to sponsored programs and administrative offices. Allen will manage each one against its approved goals, with ongoing monitoring of spending, implementation and outcomes.
Pritchett said the university will report back as the work unfolds.
“We look forward to sharing the progress of these initiatives,” he said, “and the difference they make for our students.”
About Allen University
Allen University is a private, historically Black university in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Allen offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, and is home to the Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary. Allen is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Learn more at allenuniversity.edu.
Media contact: Ms. Tiana Scarlett, AVP, Marketing and Communications | (803) 376-5717 | tscarlett@allenuniversity.edu