Clark Atlanta University is proud to unveil its newly renovated Panther Stadium football field, made possible by a $1.8 million grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s $6.5 million HBCU Invitational Field Refurbishment Program.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Arthur Blank Family Foundation for the generous donation of the new Clark Atlanta University Panther Stadium field,” states Clark Atlanta University President George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. “This investment not only enhances our athletic program but also strengthens our community, fostering unity and pride amongst our students, faculty, and alumni.”
The refurbished field, which features a new turf surface, will debut on September 7 as the Panthers take on Allen University. The grant was part of a larger $6.5 million initiative by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to upgrade football fields at four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Georgia and Alabama.
“We thank the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for their generous support of our new football turf field, which enhances our athletic department and campus,” states Dr. Jerel Drew, Athletics Director at Clark Atlanta University. “Special thanks to Beverly Smith and her LISC team, along with Marty Lyons and Bill Gillan from Landtek, for their dedication in bringing this vision to life. We look forward to this field’s positive impact on our student-athletes and the community.”
The HBCU Invitational Field Refurbishment Program, managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) with support from the NFL Foundation, aims to improve field quality, safety, and accessibility for students and local community groups.
About Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College, both of which hold unique places in the annals of African American history. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Clark College, established four years later in 1869, was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions. Notable alumni include James Weldon Johnson, American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.