Campus Expansion Powered by $100,000 Home Depot Retool Your School Grant

Alabama A&M University celebrated the grand opening of a new outdoor basketball court during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with students, faculty, staff and representatives from The Home Depot. The new court, located between Morris and Hopkins Halls near the ROTC Building, was made possible by a $100,000 campus improvement grant from The Home Depot 2024 Retool Your School (RYS) competition.

Earlier this year, Alabama A&M was named a winner in the RYS program, thanks to the strong support of Bulldog Nation, which contributed over 500,000 votes on the RYS website. This marked the University’s fourth consecutive win in the RYS competition, which provides financial support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for campus renovations and improvements.

“This means a lot for our students,” said Dr. Braque Talley, Vice President for Student Affairs. “It’s an opportunity to engage our students at a different level, give them alternative activities, but enhance our campus as well.” 

In addition to the new court, The Home Depot RYS grant was also used to install gazebos and additional seating areas across multiple residential facilities, including Normal Hills, Knight Complex, Councill Hall, Palmer Hall, and Foster Complex. Both additions were at the request of students, who spend 85% of their time on campus.

Since 2009, The Home Depot’s Retool Your School Program has granted over $9.2 million to HBCUs across the nation, with a total grant pool of $2 million awarded to 30 HBCUs this year. This year’s win marks Alabama A&M University’s sixth RYS grant, enabling the University to make substantial, sustainable improvements across campus.

Fred Tate, Customer Experience Manager at The Home Depot’s North Parkway location for 27 years, attended the ceremony to witness the impact firsthand. “I was here when Alabama A&M University won its first Retool Your School grant, and I’ve been with you all ever since,” Tate said. “That first grant of $25,000 was used to lay the pavers on The Quad. Now the grants are up to $150,000. It’s incredible. I’ve seen countless grants awarded, but seeing these improvements come to life here at home - it's something special.”

Alabama A&M hopes to see more improvements next year. Voting for the 2025 RYS competition begins in February.

“I think it means a lot that our community can come together, our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, to rally behind the mission and support our University and provide support for our students,” added Talley. “Thank you for your support and Let’s Go Bulldogs!”