COLUMBIA, S.C. — Benedict College was awarded more than $130,000 from the National Park Service as part of the History of Equal Rights Grant Program. The program is investing nearly $4.5 million for both state and national projects associated with the Civil Rights movement.
Duckett Hall is one of the oldest buildings on Benedict College's campus. Named in honor of former professor Dr. Thomas Duckett, the college aims to use new grant funding to preserve its legacy.
“The beauty of having a historic campus is that our students are able to remember the past, learn the past, engage with the past, while preparing for the future," said university president Roslyn Artis.
Built in 1925, Duckett Hall is one of five historic buildings on campus. According to Artis, it was under Dr. Duckett's instruction that helped prepare countless black physicians, engineers, dentists, and pharmacists for the workforce.
Duckett taught science there for more than 40 years, and the facility housed the school's science programs until 1966.
“We were in the top 10 producers of physics graduates for many, many years actually we are still in the top ten producers of physics graduates in the STEM disciplines and so that legacy is built by people like Tom Duckett so we want to acknowledge and respect that," she said.
The funds are being used primarily to restore the building's windows in an effort to bring it up to code standards while maintaining its integrity. Today, the building houses the Tyrone A. Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Casey Cooper is a scholar there with aspirations of becoming an accountant.
“Being able to go to a historical facility I’m able to, I feel like, study more, be more engaged, because I’m knowing I’m not just fighting for myself but I’m fighting for people that’s coming after me also," said Cooper.
The university says the project could take up to two years to complete as it is pending approval on the local, state, and federal levels.