The ongoing process to renovate the J. Alvin Brown residence hall on campus, which began with generosity from donors, is now over halfway funded.
To date, around $3.5 million has been raised for the renovation of the residence hall, which will cost around $5.5 million total. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.
Upon completion, the all male dorm will house around 220 students.
Director of Development April Moreton said the University is blessed to have a large number of donors for projects like J. Alvin.
“The project began with a silent phase in which we talked to a certain group of donors that have given to JBU before,” Moreton said.
After this phase was completed, the project was announced to the public. A widespread mailing of informational brochures was sent to alumni that had a connection to the residence hall.
“These brochures were sent out to people that may have lived in J. Alvin, or married someone that lived in J. Alvin or even had a child that lived in J. Alvin,” said Moreton.
To enhance the giving effort, the University Advancement staff took to Facebook and other social media. Through Facebook posts and videos, the staff was able to generate more donations for the building.
“We had a funny spoof on walking through J. Alvin and looking at the new construction while kind of giving an update. These were emailed to a group of recipients that had some sort of connection to the project,” Moreton explained.
These efforts have led to more giving for the residence hall renovation, and many residents are thankful for those gifts.
Freshman Luke Hogan said he is very appreciative and can’t wait to have a larger dorm room.
“I’m just really excited that people are willing to invest in us in the ways that they are,” he said.
Freshman Blake Reap said he is thankful for the donations because of the small size of J. Alvin currently.
The donations have come from more than just alumni.
According to Moreton, 54 percent of the inhabitants in J. Alvin have given some amount to the project.
“JBU is very blessed with a community that loves the students, and students that want to give back to their school,” Moreton said.