February 13, 2016
MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER (2/13/16) - East Texas Baptist University President Blair Blackburn, who is set to be formally inaugurated during a ceremony next Friday, said he has a vision for the university that includes improving the housing and educational opportunities for not only the city of Marshall but all of Harrison County.
"This vision is about building educational opportunities and offering affordable, quality housing in our community," Blackburn said Friday. "I believe the key to breaking the cycle of poverty is to offer quality education and housing in our city that supports learning and student success. We believe in Marshall and we want to draw more families to this great city and bring more diverse families into our community."
Blackburn said the university is ready to put action to words and recently began removing dilapidated houses on its property along Grove Street, directly across from the university campus.
While a construction date is not yet set for those properties, Blackburn said he plans to build affordable homes in the current lots that will serve students, staff and faculty.
The architectural style of the homes will be in keeping with the university's classical Georgian style of architecture, he said.
"This housing will compliment the neighborhood and add value to the community," Blackburn said. "The houses that were there were uninhabitable."
Blackburn is also preparing to begin Phase 1 of a construction plan that will build new townhomes for students, staff and faculty where the current Van Zandt Hill apartments are located.
"We will remove three of the five buildings within the next three months. We will begin the construction of two attached townhome buildings in the same classical Georgian style that matches the design of our central campus," Blackburn said. "This housing will be for married students, upperclassmen, graduate students, staff and faculty."
The townhomes will consist of 10 units, offering three bedroom/three bathroom or one bedroom/one bathroom models.
The three bedroom homes will be about 1,750 sq. ft. while the one bedroom homes will run about 875 sq. ft.
Each building is about 14,000 sq. ft., Blackburn said.
"We have employed architectural firm BMA Architects out of Duncanville to handle the design," he said. "We will call these buildings 'University Park Townhomes' and we will be keeping the trees out front that are currently there."
Blackburn said the buildings can house up to 88 people.
"The residents will have access to the running trail that runs behind the property, a lake, they will also be adjacent to our athletic facilities and across the street from our Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex and our Anderson Sports Complex as well as Taylor Softball Field and our Intramural Sports Field," he said.
Blackburn said the Van Zandt Hill apartments were constructed in the early 1970s and have reached the end of their life cycle, causing the need for the new construction.
The university's enrollment increase is also another reason for the new construction projects, Blackburn said.
"We are trying to accommodate the growth of our campus," he said Friday. "We've had enrollment increases of 6.2 percent this spring with our traditional, full time students and we've had an overall increase of 3.5 percent this spring. It is unusual for a university to have such growth in the spring semester but this has been a result of God's blessing and the addition of new programs."
Some of the new programs the university has recently added include a Bachelor's degree program in Business Administration in Hotel and Hospitality Management, a Bachelor's degree program in Science in Sports Management, a Master's degree program in Science in Kinesiology and a Master's degree program in Education for College and University Leadership.
The university is also beginning online classes this fall, he said.
"This is just the beginning, I would like to see ETBU partnering with the city of Marshall to improve housing here in the city," Blackburn said. "Our work here and around the campus will set the stage for greater economic development and housing development. I would like to work with the city and the school districts in the area to remove abandoned and condemned homes and allow our students the opportunity to clear those lots, then build housing for the people here in the city."
Blackburn said a way to make that happen would be for ETBU to add a Bachelor's in Construction Management Program.
"We could have university students lead the effort to build affordable homes for families, and allow our students to put their learning into practice," he said. "This will show the students responsibility to the community. That is part of our mission, to transform the lives of our students so they can transform the lives of others. Rather than us telling them to give back to their community, this will show them how to do it."
Blackburn said his plans for ETBU include working closely with the city and county to improve the area and increase the population.
"We believe in this city and we believe this is what God has called us to do," he said. "ETBU is known as the 'light on the hill' and we believe it is our responsibility to illuminate the entire city and the world."
(Used by permission www.marshallnewsmessenger.com, story by MNM Education Reporter Bridget Ortigo.)