Edward Waters University plans first new dorm since 1982 in $33 million campus push

Edward Waters University is preparing to open its first new on-campus residence hall since 1982. The Jacksonville HBCU said the building is the centerpiece of more than $33 million in campus upgrades planned through 2028.

Florida's oldest historically Black college expects the residence hall to welcome students in fall 2028. University leaders say the project will add nearly 200 beds and become the largest housing facility on campus.

Growth that outran the beds

Fall 2026 enrollment sits near 1,300 students, up almost 40 percent since 2019 and the highest total in more than two decades. About four in five students are Floridians. President and CEO A. Zachary Faison Jr. said the new hall will finally give the school the beds it needs to grow its traditional residential population.

"This is a generational investment in the spaces where our Tigers learn, live, compete and lead," Faison said as the university marks 160 years. "Our students deserve facilities that match the excellence of their aspirations."

How the money comes together

About $25 million for the residence hall and a new on-campus track is coming through the U.S. Department of Education's HBCU Capital Financing Program. Edward Waters closed that deal on Sept. 10 after a federal review of leadership, enrollment and audited finances. The City of Jacksonville is putting $2 million toward the track, which will also host community health and wellness events.

William Fisher of the Rice Capital Access Program has said the financing reflects confidence in the university's management, not a gift. LandSouth Construction of Jacksonville is building the hall. Niles Bolton Associates is the architect.

More than dorm rooms

Nearly $9 million more will refresh classrooms, labs, student services, historic buildings and campus safety systems. Centennial Hall, home to the library, will get a main-floor renovation with modern study space and a café. The Lee Cousins Administration Building will reclaim floors that have been offline since 2023.

Student Taryn Sanders said the project adds to Edward Waters' story instead of freezing it in the past. "We've gotta keep adding," she said. "We can't just think, 'We were this and we stopped there.' We gotta keep moving forward."

The dorm will close a 44-year gap in new on-campus housing and give the next class of Tigers another way to live the campus life the university is racing to grow.