President's Perspective Newsletter

Construction Underway for New MLK Communication Arts and Humanities Building

Just north of the existing Martin Luther King, Jr. Arts and Humanities building, crews are busy laying the foundation for a new building that will continue to honor the great civil rights icon. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Communication Arts and Humanities building is scheduled to open in fall 2024.

With BSU experiencing exponential growth in recent years, the construction project will create additional classrooms, labs and work spaces to help meet the changing needs of the campus community. The radio and television studios will provide sophisticated technology areas for students to have instructional and broadcast opportunities, along with learning labs to support other media platforms. The various learning enclaves will serve as spaces for active learning and collaboration and mirror those in the Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing.

The casual passersby will notice crews continuing to perform site work to connect new underground utilities like electricity and water to existing campus sources through November. Next, concrete footing will be installed. Then, structural steel will rise from the dust around March as spring approaches.

Once complete, a pattern depicting a soundwave from one of Dr. King’s speeches will appear on the exterior, and an image of Dr. King etched into felt panels will appear on the first level entrance to the auditorium. Additionally, a two-story image of Lt. Richard Collins III, a Bowie State University student who lost his life in a racially motivated act of violence days before graduation, will be etched into felt panels on the second floor as a memorial and celebration of his life. A nearby seating area will encourage reflection and collaboration.

The new facility will be 192,000 sq. ft., measuring about 40,000 sq. ft. larger than the one it replaces. It will house the Departments of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies, History and Government, Communications and Military Science.