DePauw names residence corridor after civil rights chief – WISH-TV | Indianapolis Information | Indiana Climate

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – DePauw University’s Board of Trustees has decided to name the university’s new dormitory after alumnus and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. In addition, the board of directors established the Vernon E. Jordan Jr. Scholarship for Public Service and Community Leadership, awarded to students who wish to take a leadership role in the work of public interest.

The more than $ 23 million dormitory opened last fall for freshmen on the Greencastle campus. In addition to more than 150 student beds, the four-story, more than 60,000 square meter building includes communal living spaces such as a lounge and a kitchen.

DePauw President Dr. Lori White says that both the naming of the dormitory and the creation of the scholarship program are the university’s way of honoring the life of Jordan, which graduated in 1957.

“Vernon Jordan’s remarkable career embodies the best of DePauw and embodies DePauw’s mission to prepare leaders for the needs of the world,” White said in a press release. “Our entire community felt it was important to recognize Vernon in meaningful ways to ensure his incredible public service legacy continues at DePauw and is a source of inspiration for generations of DePauw students.”

The New York-based Corning Inc. Foundation donated $ 500,000 as seed money to the scholarship. According to DePauw, the recipients are students who “demonstrate community engagement and leadership potential”. The program is designed to help recipients develop skills and experience to “solve critical challenges on a global scale and embrace public service and be successful”.

The Vernon E. Jordan Fellows will participate in service learning, off-campus studies, internships, on-campus speakers, and various other programs, according to the university.

After graduating from DePauw, Vernon Jordan earned a law degree from Howard University and has served throughout his career as a lawyer, Georgia Field Director for the NAACP, Director of the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional Council, Executive Director of United Negro College Fund and President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League.