Dear Panther Family,
I hope you are enjoying the emerging April weather as we enter the final stretch of the spring semester.
I’m incredibly proud to share some exciting news that has developed over the past several months. Many of you have seen the building at 100 Edgewood Avenue – a 17-floor, 353,000 square foot building, literally at the center of our downtown campus. Last December, we were able to acquire this valuable asset, which will meaningfully contribute to our Strategic Plan’s, “Identity Placemaking and Belonging” pillar. A significant component of that pillar is to give even more vibrancy to our campuses by increasing interaction spaces that are both functional and engaging.
You should also know that we have proposed to the city that they close Gilmer Street between Courtland Street and Peachtree Center Avenue to facilitate the development of a plaza just south of Hurt Park. These steps represent significant progress in the very center of our Downtown campus.
We have an agreement with the University System of Georgia to redevelop 100 Edgewood primarily through fundraising and, prior to purchasing the building, we imagined the building being used for high-demand academic programs in areas such as art, health professions, and computing, as well as “College-to-Careers” innovation spaces. As far as activating the plaza, we envision the first three floors having dining and meeting space for students.
To begin the important work of redeveloping the building, this week I commissioned a new committee, The 100 Edgewood Redevelopment Committee. This team of university leaders, administrators, and foundation trustees will solicit, create, and evaluate proposals for developing the building. This committee’s expertise spans academics, facilities, fundraising, contracts, and real estate. The committee will brief me as they develop ideas and potential plans, in partnership with our academic deans. Then we will collectively share and evaluate in conversation with the broader GSU community. I am pleased to have our General Counsel, Kerry Heyward, co-lead with our GSU Foundation Real Estate Chair, Esmael Hill. Other committee members include:
- Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Jared Abramson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
- Tabatha Michel, Interim Vice President for University Advancement
- Ramesh Vakamudi, Vice President for Facilities Management Services
- Neal Bateman, Associate General Counsel
- John Lundeen, Trustee, Real Estate Committee member
- Joe Reinkemeyer, Trustee, Finance Committee Chair, Treasurer
I am excited to imagine how this “Panther Quad” might redefine our downtown campus in the very near future. This will be a shining asset that will accelerate the placemaking ideals of our GSU community while also resonating with our donors as we move through our fundraising campaign.
All the best and Go Panthers!!
