ATLANTA — Georgia State University announced Wednesday that it had received the largest gift in its more than a century of operations and would use it to start its largest campus transformation project.
GSU officials said they received an $80 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, also the largest from the Foundation to any institution in the University System of Georgia.
The $80 million was added to a $107 million Atlanta campus upgrade plan, focused on nine projects the university says will reinvigorate and reimagine the GSU campus experience.
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“The Woodruff Foundation, one of Georgia’s greatest philanthropic institutions and one of downtown’s most important partners, is entrusting us and our University System of Georgia colleagues to act boldly over the next two years to realize a new vision for our downtown campus,” Georgia State President M. Brian Blake said, thanking the foundation for their support and partnership.
The university launched a project site detailing their plans and describing them as an effort at “creating a true college town” in downtown Atlanta.
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After the donation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a GSU alumnus, expressed his excitement for the project and what it means for the city.
“This project will breathe new life into our downtown area and into the City of Atlanta,” Dickens said. “We all want to make sure that downtown is brighter and more inviting. And as an alumnus of Georgia State, I want to see this campus flourish. This is a great way to connect these parks and to make sure that people have an enjoyable experience downtown.”
The projects the funding will help push forward include:
- A campus greenway and removal of Sparks Hall
- A new facade for the Arts & Humanities building
- An addition and renovation at 100 Edgewood Terrace
- A Gilmer Street pedestrian streetscape for Panther Quad
- Greenway Expansion connecting to Hurt Park
- Upgrades to Woodruff Park
- Updates to Edgewood to connect to Panther Quad
- New facade for 58 Edgewood Building
- Close Auburn and Edgewood avenues to vehicle traffic
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