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Entertainment Industry Giant Kevin Liles Lends His Support to Effort
Morgan State University (MSU) is poised to begin a yearlong celebration of its sesquicentennial, and today, Morgan President David Wilson marked the occasion by announcing the second and largest comprehensive campaign in the University’s history.
“We are calling this The Anniversary Campaign for Morgan State University, and for obvious reasons,” said Dr. Wilson. “Next year, 2017, marks a historic milestone in Morgan’s history: the 150th anniversary of the University’s founding. It is a time for reflection on our past and to look forward to our future, a future we believe will be made brighter with the success of this fundraising effort.”
Kevin Liles, The Anniversary Campaign’s chairman, joined Wilson in making the launch announcement on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 at the Murphy Fine Arts Center’s Gilliam Concert Hall. Liles, a nationally known entertainment industry executive, is president and CEO of KWL Enterprises and a Morgan State University alumnus.
“The impact of this comprehensive campaign will be transformative for the students at Morgan, the research being advanced here and the impact this university makes on Baltimore and beyond,” said Liles. “Morgan State has already made history with a legacy of 150 extraordinary years as a leader in higher education in this country. We are now on track to make history again with this comprehensive campaign, and I am so proud to be a part of it.”
The goal of The Anniversary Campaign is to raise $250 million from private and public sources, President Wilson reported. It is the largest, most ambitious comprehensive campaign of any public historically black college or university (HBCU) in the country.
“This is an ambitious goal, we know, but we have ambitious plans for Morgan. And they begin with our number one priority: our students,” said President Wilson. “First and foremost, we want to ensure the continued success of our students while keeping Morgan affordable and accessible. We also intend to advance our teaching and research mission, continue enhancements to our physical campus to promote learning and innovation, and further engage with the communities we serve. That’s just another way of saying that we want to make certain that Morgan’s best days are ahead of us.”
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified Doctoral Research Institution offering more than 70 academic programs leading to bachelor’s degrees as well as programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. As Maryland’s premier public urban research university, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. More information about the university is available at www.morgan.edu.
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