TSU Fans Urged to Vote as Home Depot Kicks off Annual Retool Your School Campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – It’s time to vote again TSU fans, alumni, students, faculty and staff!

The annual Home Depot Retool Your School Campus Improvement Program and voting kicked off Monday, Feb. 17.  At stake is the much coveted nearly $250,000 award for campus improvement projects.

To get a share of the money, TSU must compete with other Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. Each school submits a brief description of projects to be considered. Winners are determined through online voting, which runs through April 14.

Awards are given out in the following grant categories: Tier I, a single $50,000 grant; Tier II, 13 $10,000 grants; and a $25,000 Campus Pride Grant for each of the three schools that receive the most votes and social media activity.

According to Ron Brooks, associate vice president for Facilities Management, TSU has submitted three proposals for improvements around the campus. The first, a Tier I project, would create a Heritage Walk Mall similar to the Jefferson Street Gateway to Heritage Plaza that would memorialize TSU history and those associated with it. The second project, for a Tier II grant, would install an interactive information kiosk that displays TSU history, directions and general-event information.

Also on TSU’s list is a proposed project for the Campus Pride Grant to erect TSU banners along Jefferson/John Merritt Boulevard.

“It’s really important for everyone to get involved in voting and help TSU secure these funds,” said Brooks. “We are thankful for our leadership, hard work and commitment of all to move these projects forward. However, to make them a reality, we are going to have to rely on the votes from alumni, students, faculty, staff and supporters.”

According to The Home Depot, the goal of the Retool Your School program is to provide sustainable and lasting renovations to give new life to HBCUs campuses. Each year, the outpouring of support for the program from alumni, students, parents and the community grows. Since the program’s inception in 2010, more than three million votes have been cast as the HBCU community bands together for their favorite and most deserving HBCU school projects.

“The Home Depot is thrilled to once again offer the Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant available to HBCUs,” said Melissa Brown, manager of multicultural marketing at Home Depot. “It is such a rewarding program connecting with our communities and it takes school spirit to a whole new level.”

To cast your vote for Tennessee State University, visit The Home Depot link and click on Tennessee State University to vote. You can vote only once each day. Help spread the word for TSU by using the cobranded hashtag #tsuTHDRYS on Twitter and Instagram. Using these hashtags helps to increase our chances of winning the Campus Pride grant.

For more information, visit The Home Depot Retool Your School website.

Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.