Thanks to the generous efforts of the SAU community – including faculty, staff, students, and alumni – the Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) campus is ready for classes to start today.

Students began moving into dorms on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Preparations got a big boost this summer, especially on Aug. 10 when volunteers gathered for a campus clean-up. The volunteer team performed various activities, such as cutting grass and picking up trash.

Those efforts were supplemented by several other informal efforts throughout the summer, including faculty and staff members who came to campus on their own time and performed tasks such as cleaning out buildings and landscaping.

The university could not have done the job of preparing the campus for the fall without the help of dozens of volunteers, said Dr. Marcus H. Burgess, Interim President of Saint Augustine’s University

“I am deeply grateful for the hard work put in by the faculty, staff, and community over the summer getting the campus ready,” Dr. Burgess said. “Their selfless sacrifice shows that we have the positive spirit and the drive that we need to bring this campus back.”

SAU received another big boost when it won a $60,000 Campus Improvement Grant after finishing fifth among universities with a student enrollment of 1,200 or less in Home Depot’s prestigious Retool Your School competition. Saint Augustine’s won the grant in April after an online voting campaign supported by the entire SAU community, including students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

The equipment began arriving in mid-August. The funds will pay for 15 sets of washers and dryers for four campus laundry rooms. In addition. The university was able to purchase:

– privacy walls, tables, and chairs for the new Academic Success Center
– lounge furniture, charging towers, outdoor tables, benches, and umbrellas for the student union
– paint, brushes, and other miscellaneous supplies
– a case of 50 bags of laundry pods to gift to students living in campus housing.

There were even funds left to help replace mini blinds and get window AC units for our dormitories.

Dr. Janelle Jennings-Alexander, Interim Provost and Vice President for ​Academic Affairs and Student Experience, summarized: “We still have work to do, but the community has come together to ensure that our institution is ready to provide an excellent experience in the fall semester and for the future.”