Tuskegee University has announced the establishment of an HBCU grant program by Turner Construction Company to provide the school’s architecture, construction science and management, and engineering programs with $70,000 annually starting this fall. 

The money will be used towards student tuition assistance, internships, financial support for travel, software, and equipment to benefit learning objectives and reciprocal teaching to support an interdisciplinary capstone project at The School of Architecture and Construction Science and Management (TSACS). Tuskegee University is one of eight HBCUs to receive professional development and training led by Turner through the company’s diversity manager and talent acquisition team. 

“Turner's presence on campus will allow us to forge a lasting relationship that contributes to curriculum development and engage in real-world dialogues to accelerate our institution's growth efforts,” said Tuskegee University President Dr. Charlotte P. Morris. “We have been discussing a tiny house community for several years. I am elated to see this effort start to take shape with the support of such a world-renowned construction company.”

“Turner Construction Company strives to expand students' hands-on experience in order to prepare them for an interdisciplinary senior capstone project that will support our goal to focus on the design and construction of energy-efficient inhabitable net-zero homes using self-sustaining, recyclable, and affordable biodegradable building materials,” said Dr. Carla Jackson Bell, dean of the Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science, professor of architecture and project principal investigator. “This program will increase the awareness of the Macon County community of the importance of designing and constructing energy-efficient structures.”