The President's Report – Edward Waters University : simplebooklet.com

2 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023“A VISION, if it is to come to fruition must be collectively cultivated! It must grow from amongst the very persons who are principally responsible for the actualization of the VISION!And so the VISION for Edward Waters College will NOT be the singular, President A. Zachary Faison Jr. VISION It will not emanate exclusively from the limits of my own mind! As such, the VISION for Edward Waters College must be OUR VISION! It must be one that WE all synchronously coalesce around and leverage support for! A common shared VISION for what WE intend Edward Waters to become as we look towards the future! – A. Zachary Faison, Jr., J.D. President and Chief Executive Oﬃcer Introduction to the Edward Waters College CommunityApril 18, 2018Special Thanks: Writing & Editing: Dr. Pamela Richardson Wilks Mr. J. Allen Walker Dion Marketing Creative Direction: Dr. Pamela Richardson Wilks Mr. J. Allen Walker Graphic Design, Layout & Printing: Mr. J. Allen WalkerDion Marketing06 Marketing

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4 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Edward Waters University is a Christian, Historically Black, urban liberal arts institution that oﬀers high quality academic programs. The University strives to prepare students holistically to advance in a global society through the provision of intellectually stimulating programs, and an environment that emphasizes high moral and spiritual values in keeping with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Edward Waters University seeks to develop excellence in scholarship, research and service for the betterment of humanity.Mission StatementEdward Waters University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Edward Waters University may be directed in writing to the SACSCOC at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 5Message from the PresidentUpon my appointment by the Board of Trustees in July 2018 as the 30th President and Chief Executive Oﬃcer of the now former Edward Waters College, it was my foremost priority to comprehensively advance the overall competitive proﬁle of our institution. In particular, it has been our speciﬁc intention to amalgamate the high acumen and abilities currently existing amongst our institutional stakeholders with newly developed ideas, frameworks, and an expanded organizational capacity marked by innovation and a demonstrable record of eﬀectiveness for producing student success.Correspondingly, in an eﬀort to globally heighten the academic, programmatic, capital infrastructural, ﬁnancial, and operational proﬁle of Edward Waters as a more viable competitor in the higher education landscape, we introduced the foundations of an evolving strategic vision post the onset of my appointment. After an academic-year-long period of institutional review, assessment, and evaluation, the Eminence 2025 strategic vision was formally conceived per the input and support of our academic community of students, faculty, staﬀ, board members, community stakeholders, and alumni. With a distinctive emphasis upon (1) yielding higher student success outcomes; (2) creating a business model focused upon growth leading to greater ﬁnancial viability; (3) expanding the breadth of academic program oﬀerings and opportunities for more scholarly and high academic achievement, and (4) cultivating a culture of greater philanthropic beneﬁcence and establishing the institutional brand as a best-in-class institution of superlative excellence, Edward Waters College embarked upon its new trajectory and transformation into what has today become Edward Waters University (EWU). As such, the following impact report serves as an institutional pacemaker chronicling a collective of marked milestones and notable accomplishments achieved over the past nearly ﬁve years since this administration assumed the helm of leadership. Further, this review also dually demonstrates the ongoing collaborative and tremendously focused and dedicated eﬀorts of the entirety of the Edward Waters community in its collective commitment towards advancing the overall positionality of EWU as a best-in-class ‘Destination Institution’ of extraordinary higher educational distinction.Indeed, our story, our voice, is found in this evidence of historic transmogriﬁcation that truly personiﬁes our eﬄorescing Emerging Eminence. Sincerely,A. Zachary Faison, Jr. Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.President & CEO

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 7Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. assumes the role of President & CEO of Edward WatersDr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. took the helm of Edward Waters College (EWC), the State of Florida’s ﬁrst independent institution of higher edu-cation and ﬁrst Historically Black College or University (HBCU), in July 2018 post a unanimous vote by the Uni-versity’s Board of Trustees making him the nation’s youngest HBCU Presi-dent or Chancellor. Since that time President Faison has led the development and implementation of an ambitious strategic plan and agenda for the institution, titled Eminence 2025. Under the leadership of President Faison, the institution has undergone a dynamic and historic transition having in June 2021 been authorized by its accredit-ing body, (the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges—SACSCOC) to move from a baccalaureate to master’s lev-el degree-granting entity thereby ascending after 155 years from Edward Waters College (EWC) to Edward Waters University (EWU). Relatedly, in 2021 under President Faison’s leadership EWU was further approved to oﬀer the institution’s ﬁrst ever graduate degree program by SACSCOC, the Master of Business Administration (fully online MBA), while simultaneously achieving a successful SACSCOC ﬁfth-year accredi-tation review, without recommendations, reaﬃrming EWU’s full accred-itation through 2025. In 2022, the institution launched its second ever graduate degree program---the Master of Education Policy and Advocacy (MEPA) which is also oﬀered fully online. Named one of the HBCU Campaign Fund’s Ten Most Dominant HBCU Lead-ers of 2022 and designated by the Jacksonville Business Journal as a 2021 Ulti-mate CEO and by the Jacksonville Record & Observer as one of Jacksonville’s Six Top Newsmakers of 2020, President Faison with the support of a dynam-ically assembled team of dedicated academicians and administrators, has led EWU in achieving record high enrollment, extraordinary programmatic and academic proﬁle advancement, and unprec-edented ﬁscal, fundraising, and resource development success. Notably, and despite the challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, for the third consecutive year EWU experienced phenomenal enrollment growth as this past fall (Fall 2022) overall enrollment at Edward Waters University soared to over 1180 students (1187 for Fall 2022) marking the highest overall enrollment the institution has seen in nearly two decades. Having grown its enrollment by a remarkable 27.6% over the past three years, EWU has quickly become the fastest growing HBCU in the state of Florida and the fastest growing College or University in Jacksonville per published reports. Equally noteworthy, under Dr. Faison’s leadership the institution eliminated its formerly existing multi-year multi-million dollar operating deﬁcit and has now achieved three consecutive ﬁscal year-end (FY20, FY21, and FY22) operating net cash surplus’s for the ﬁrst time in over a decade.

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8 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Additionally, EWU has raised its admissions standards in an eﬀort to increase its competitive proﬁle while simultaneously establishing the inaugural Honors College at Edward Waters securing new honors student cohorts (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and now Delta Cohorts) boasting of an average 4.0 GPA and nearly 1150 on the SAT. In 2020, President Faison led EWU in securing a historically signiﬁcant $3.5 million-dollar state funding increase in the University’s re-occurring state funding allocation paving the way for the forthcoming addition of new academic degree programs at EWU including undergraduate programs in Forensic Science (successfully launched in Fall 2022), Computer & Information Science, Social Work, Public Health, a historic accelerated pathway to a nursing de-gree program with the University of Florida’s College of Nursing, and forthcoming new graduate masters degree programs in Public Administration and Cyber Security. Additionally, under President Faison’s leadership, EWU earned SACSCOC ap-proval to oﬀer the University’s ﬁrst ever fully online undergraduate de-gree program (i.e., the Bachelor of Business in Organizational Management); launched the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Race, Law, Social Justice and Economic Pol-icy; established the Charles H. Pearce Summer Institute and Bridge Program; secured an innovative corporate partnership with Follett Higher Education group to provide six-ﬁgure philanthropic support to the University and furnish new Chromebook laptop computers to every new ﬁrst-time in college full-time Edward Waters Univer-sity student through the year 2025; and led the contractual renegotiation necessary for the City of Jacksonville to directly fund a $4.4 million-dollar renovation of the University’s largest student residence facility and the $4.3 million-dollar new con-struction of the University’s ﬁrst ever on-campus athletic stadium both completed in 2021.Further, President Faison also recently led EWU in earning NCAA Division II membership (provisional) for its intercollegiate athletic program for the ﬁrst time in the institutions history while rejoining the historic Southern Intercolle-giate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after nearly a century long hiatus. In addition, under his leadership EWU concurrently added ﬁve new sports to the institution, including its ﬁrst ever women’s soccer, men’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s indoor track programs as well as the return of the university’s women’s golf pro-gram in collaboration with THE PLAYERS Championship. The University’s rapid-ly ascending trajectory under President Faison’s leadership has been well chroni-cled as the institution has earned back-to-back-to-back recognitions by the HBCU Campaign Fund as a Top 10 Smaller HBCU Rising for 2019, 2020, and 2021.A native of Atlanta, Georgia, President Faison’s career exploits include distin-guished professional experiences as a higher education executive adminis-trator, educator, and attorney. Prior to his Presidential appointment, he served as the General Counsel & Vice President of External Aﬀairs at Tuskegee University; Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Aﬀairs at Virginia Union University; Special Assistant to the President for Legal & Legislative Aﬀairs, Com-munity Aﬀairs, and Economic Development; Chief of Staﬀ; and Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Executive Director of the MVSU Foundation at Mis-sissippi Valley State University.As a scholar-educator, Dr. Faison has held professorial appointments at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in various academic disciplines including Po-litical Science, Criminal Justice, and Business Administration. He is also a former state prosecutor having served as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting crim-inal felony drug cases in Georgia. President Faison graduated Magna Cum Laude from Albany State University (ASU) with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English where he was an ASU Presidential/Foundation Scholar, ASU Velma Fudge Grant University Honors Program Graduate, ASU National Merit Scholar Graduate, an inductee of the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, and upon graduation was awarded for being the highest-ranking student in the University’s Department of English & Modern Languages. He attended the University of Georgia School of Law (UGA) where he earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and was a member of the UGA School of Law Executive Moot

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 9Court Board & UGA Law Moot Court team. He is a licensed member of the State Bar of Georgia and is admitted to practice before all of the state and federal bars of Georgia. President Faison has completed post-doctoral study as a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM) and was a Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI) Institute Fellow of the American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU) & Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU). Additionally, he is a grad-uate of AASCU’s New President’s Academy and is a Gamma Cohort Fellow of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (HELF). He also holds the Certiﬁcation in Fundraising Management (CFRM) designation from The Lily Fundraising School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.President Faison maintains active memberships with various local and national civic, professional, and community organizations. In 2020 he was appointed by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry to serve as a member of the JEA Board of Directors (the eighth largest publicly owned electric utility in the United States and larg-est in Florida). He also serves as a trustee member of the Jacksonville Chamber, is a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Board of Directors, Visit Jacksonville Board of Directors, the Jacksonville Civic Council, Leadership Jacksonville, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, and was recently named an institutional director of the UNCF Board of Directors. Dr. Faison has received regional and national recognition for his out-standing leadership and achievements per his selection as a member of The Business Journals Inﬂuencers: Rising Stars 100; the National Bar Association (Top 40 Attorneys Under 40) the Jacksonville Business Journal (Top 40 Under 40) and has been specially recognized and honored by both of his alma maters— The University of Georgia and Albany State University—as amongst each of its respective 40 most dis-tinguished alumni under 40.He is the son of Alderman Faison, Sr. and Dr. Jewel J. Faison, and brother to Dr. Morgan Zacheya-Jewel Faison. President Faison has been blissfully married for ﬁfteen years to Mrs. Tyciee L. Faison, who is also a seasoned higher education administrator/educator and seminary trained theologian.“Our future posterity will not be determined by our prominent historicity of our past but by the contemporaneous relevance of our today and our audacity to innovate in preparation for our tomorrow.” – Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., Introduction to the Edward Waters Community, April 18, 2018

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12 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–20231234The Eminence 2025 Strategic Vision is the result of an institutional community gathering of knowledge surrounding various stakeholder interactions and en-gagements. Meetings with the students, staﬀ, faculty, alumni, and other insti-tutional constituencies produced a series of data sets that informed the administration on the direction and forward trajectory of Ed-ward Waters. After consideration of the feedback provided, as well as indicating points of intersectionality between and among the var-ious constituent responses, Eminence 2025 was created to en-capsulate the past, present, and future of the institution – re-specting the culture and history of Edward Waters, while seeking to innovate and project the promise and potential of the institution – its students, academic enterprise, ﬁscal adeptness, and brand manage-ment as a global and nationally recognized think tank for ideas, advoca-cy and agency within the 21st century marketplace.Enhancethe academic proﬁle of Edward Waters University by comprehensively inaugurating a competitive 21st century academic program of superlative excellence. Createﬁnancial viability through the development and implementation of a sustainable and progressive institutional business model.Fostera genuine student-centered culture essentially rooted in student leadership and development, student success and service, and student engagement and achievement.Engendera culture of institutional philanthropic support and establish the Edward Waters brand as a best-in-class institution of distinction and emerging eminence. To view the Eminence 2025 Strategic Plan in its entirety,please visit: www.ew.edu/e2025

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14 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023The institution made history transitioning to Edward Waters University after approval allowed the college to oﬀer graduate degree programs for the ﬁrst time in its history.The announcement was made during a press conference at which the institution presented the new name and other signiﬁcant milestones, marking the evolution of the 155-year-old institution’s history that reﬂects its leadership in the rapidly changing higher education marketplace through its innovative programs and workforce-ready education.The announcement comes after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), regional accreditation agency approved the institution’s level change from a baccalaureate to master’s level degree granting entity, allowing Edward Waters the opportunity to oﬀer graduate programs for the ﬁrst time in the school’s history. “In the 155 year history of Edward Waters, this most auspicious and transformative occasion reaﬃrms the forward and upward moving trajectory of our storied and illustrious institution,” said EWU President and CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.Additionally, the school was approved to operate a new, fully accredited Online Master of Business Administration degree. These two changes allowed for the school to move from College to University status and is the ﬁrst graduate degree program ever oﬀered at the State of Florida’s ﬁrst independent institution of higher learning and ﬁrst Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Not only was the institution approved to oﬀer graduate programs, but also its Fifth-Year accreditation review was accepted and approved by SACSCOC without any required follow-up report. This seals the University’s accreditation until its next reaﬃrmation review by SACSCOC in 2025. “Edward Waters University will continue to emerge as the state of Florida’s premier destination institution of higher education through the growth of its academic programs and strengthening of its ﬁscal viability that will sustain the institution for yet another 155 years and beyond as we continue to implement the strategic vision Eminence 2025.”The new Online MBA Program enrolled over 30 students in its ﬁrst cohort in fall 2021 and nearly the same number enrolled in the program’s second cohort which began in Fall 2022. Interested students can apply to get more information about EWU’s new online MBA program on the University's website. EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE OFFICIALLY TRANSITIONS TOEDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY“In the 155 year history of Edward Waters, this most auspicious and transfor-mative occasion reaﬃrms the forward and upward moving trajectory of our storied and illustrious in-stitution." – Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., Press Conference, June 2021

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Phase One: DiscoveryThe ﬁrst phase in identifying key priorities within the academic enterprise involved using a critical observation of the current conditions of the academic enterprise at the time. This was done using several measures. First, beginning August of 2018 and continuing throughout that fall semester, President Faison and his academic administrative team conducted various focus group sessions with the related constituents. Not only were students asked about their academic and career interests, but in particular faculty were engaged in focus groups and allowed to express their thoughts and opinions on not only the state of academics at Edward Waters, but also an opportunity to engage and oﬀer aspirations concerning its future. Faculty and academic staﬀ were invited to participate and submit their suggestions for future academic endeavors, including shifts, changes, and additions to the current programs of study. The information from these sessions throughout fall 2018 determined the administration’s course of action and suggestions to the Board of Trustees in not only revamping the academic engagement within the broader institutional strategic focus, but also within the divisional vision for the future. However, there were two initiatives that were immediately initiated during the fall 2018 semester: The Edward Waters College (EWC) Shared Reading Experience, which provided ﬁrst-year students with a common educational experience while fostering a sense of academic community through the First-Year Seminar; as well as Stay Woke: The Edward Waters College President’s Distinguished Speaker Series, which was initiated during Homecoming week of 2018 with world renowned poet, writer, activist, and educator Nikki Giovanni featured as the inaugural speaker. Stay Woke remains a mainstay of the institution that focuses on student and campus-wide academic and experiential engagement, while providing access to distinguished and scholarly speakers and national thought-leaders not only to the Edward Waters internal, but also to the Jacksonville community at large.In 2018, The Faison Administration entered Edward Waters with the intentionality of exacting evolutionary change in various aspects of the institution. One area of priority was the academic enterprise of the institution. At the time, the institution had eight programs of study that fell under seven academic departments. Additionally, the administrative team also understood that academic aﬀairs must take into consideration the fact that academic curriculum, and also structure determined institutional functionality that must be related and intimately engaged with the entirety of the Edward Waters operational structure. Therefore, President Faison and the administrative team under the auspices of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Aﬀairs, Dr. Donna H. Oliver, undertook the responsibility of identifying key priorities that would in turn develop a plan of action for the revision and development of a best-in-class academic experience – connecting academic quality and integrity with expansion reinforced by the use of data-driven strategies.Dr. Donna H. OliverProvost & Senior Vice Presidentfor Academic Affairs

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 23Phase Two: Comprehensive Review of Academic ProgramsRunning concurrently with the focus sessions being conducted with faculty, academic staﬀ, and students, the institution decided to not only utilize the aforementioned sessions to document constituent engagement, but also strategic assessment and evaluation methods to quantitatively analyze the positionality of the academic programmatic thrust. As such, Edward Waters commissioned EAB, a nationally recognized leader within the higher education space that focuses on data driven models that assess the eﬀectiveness and eﬃciencies of respective areas within the institution to enhance the decision-making processes for administrators. In this case, EAB, working with the academic leadership, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the academic programs of the institution, showing the intersectionality of retention, graduation, enrollment, ﬁscal viability, market-career analysis, and growth potential or saturation of each academic program oﬀered. This analysis was presented to the team at Edward Waters, along with suggestions for new programs given the locale, job market, and peer institutional comparisons. In spring 2019, the institution presented these ﬁndings to the faculty as well as Board of Trustees in order to not only formulate the Eminence 2025 Strategic Vision, but also the recasting of the academic enterprise of the institution with programmatic restructure, including taking the EAB recommendation of adding Social Work, Computer and Information Sciences, as well as Forensic Science as three new programs of undergraduate study.Phase Three: The Recasting of Academic Aﬀairs – Strategic Implementation After the focus group discussions with various campus constituents and the EAB comprehensive review of academic programs, the institution was ready to move forward with strategic implementation within its academic enterprise. One of the ﬁrst achievements programmatically occurred in April 2019, when the institution received approval by its regional accreditor, Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), to oﬀer its ﬁrst online degree program. It was determined the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) with a concentration in Organizational Management would be the ﬁrst degree oﬀered in this modality. However, as this programmatic thrust was available through the CLIMB program – the institution’s accelerated adult degree learning mechanism, it was later determined even this model needed to be reexamined to allow further expansion into other programmatic areas outside of business administration. As such, CLIMB was re-visioned, which would now house the non-traditional model of degree attainment for working adults in a series of accelerated, eight-week courses, and re-branded as the Accelerated Degree Program. Additionally, the Accelerated Degree Program would also house the Oﬃce of Dual-Enrollment, which focused on the ability for Duval County High School students to obtain college credits while still enrolled in their respective high schools.In fall, 2019, one year after the on-boarding of President Faison, the Division of Academic Aﬀairs had begun to show progress towards the imagination of the then Edward Waters College as a competitor within the academic space. This was achieved through a variety of lenses that created a kaleidoscope of opportunities to undergird the academic community. To begin, the administration looked at institutional outputs – for example, student achievement gaps, graduation rates, and retention – and how those correlated to student preparedness as institutional inputs. Thus, one of the greatest collaborative movements at the institution was to raise admissions standards at the college. The increased competitiveness of the student enrolled at the onset was a determinate for student academic engagement for better retention and persistence to graduation. However, to ensure Edward Waters remained true to its HBCU mission related to student access, the institution conceptualized and implemented the Reverend Charles H. Pearce Institute. This summer bridge experience, which admitted its ﬁrst students in summer 2019, allowed students whose acceptance to the institution may have been impacted by the new academic standards the opportunity to still attend Edward Waters, but with

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an intentional focus on preparing students for the academic rigor and personal attributes needed for a successful collegiate experience. This program, along with the Tiger Center for Academic Persistence and Success, or TCAPS, became the impetus for eliminating the achievement gap among students at the institution by creating an intentional ﬁrst- and second-year student program with intrusive advisement, as well as student tutoring and academic servicing. Conversely, the administration wanted to increase its academic proﬁle by recruiting and recognizing high achieving students upon enrollment. As such, the Edward Waters Honors College was established and welcomed its ﬁrst students in fall 2019. The Alpha Cohort of the Honors College boasted 20 students from the southeast region of the United States and internationally, including the countries of Guyana and Nigeria. These Presidential and College Scholars were the inaugural class. The Honors College has continued to uplift and recognize those students with not only high academic achievement in high school, but also other related accolades in athletics, band, and student leadership that has translated into their collegiate tenure.Next, the institution began to engage faculty in research, development and enhancement. With a pledge from President and Mrs. Faison, the Edward Waters Professional and Scholarly Development Fund was established to ensure additional funding for faculty and staﬀ research and enhanced professional development opportunities. This $25,000 gift to the institution encouraged direct input from the faculty regarding their establishment of criteria and was a true reﬂection of the administration’s desire for shared governance and faculty participation. Additionally, the institution created its own space for academic research. With the establishment of the Center for Undergraduate Research in 2019, the institution introduced two academic publications in April 2020: The HBCU Journal on Research Initiatives – an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed refereed journal with an emphasis on research initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and the Undergraduate Journal on Research across the Disciplines – an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed refereed journal with articles from enrolled undergraduate students at Edward Waters and other globally recognized institutions. Likewise, the institution began to increase the number of competitive faculty with doctorate degrees by 8% over the following year, and maintained its top three majors in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Biology. Such consistency within these majors undergirded the decision to further explore majors, undergraduate and graduate, within those ﬁelds.By the end of 2019, the institution was oﬀering a concentration in Forensic Science in Biology as well as in Criminal Justice, along with increased research opportunities for faculty and students. The Edward Waters Shared Reading Experience continued with the all-freshman read of Bryan Stevenson’s text, “Just Mercy,” while Stay Woke President’s Distinguished Speaker Series featured Tamika Mallory and Charlamagne the God. Moving into 2020, the institution was well on its way to providing a comprehensive academic experience for students and faculty, alike. However, only one month after returning to the spring 2020 semester, the institution was faced with what continues to prove an unexpected and unprecedented global event, the introduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), better known as COVID-19. Critically impacting national and global social and economic structures, the decision was made in March 2020 to move from in-person instruction to completely online instruction. Within one week, the 239 sections of courses that were located inside the academic spaces were transitioned to the virtual space, with Zoom as the instructional platform of choice. Later that semester, the Learning Management System (LMS) platform, Moodle, was upgraded after faculty input regarding the options for a new LMS were presented and the decision was made to retain Moodle with the respective upgrades and training. Though the institutional physical infrastructure and access may have been impacted by COVID-19, the institution maintained its business continuity related to the academic enterprise without interruption. Fall 2020 found the institution continuing in the virtual space, but the growth impact of the academic programmatic structure became even more aggressive and stronger.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 25The Edward Waters Honors College welcomed 20 new ﬁrst-time students as a part of its Beta Cohort, and opened the Honors College Center for Collaborative Learning located above the Admissions Oﬃce on Pearce Street. This Center is designed to provide the resources and academic space for our honors scholars and the Honors Program Director. Relatedly, The Jacksonville Chapter of the Links, Inc., an organization of African American women founded in 1946 that is devoted to strengthening African American communities through fund-raising, education, advocacy, and volunteering, identiﬁed the space as one of their HBCU initiatives for the 2020-2021 year, providing the additional furnishings and cosmetic decor necessary to create an environment that is more conducive to the needs of our scholars. Relatedly, the institution established two new Honor Societies: the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honors Society and the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society. In addition to promoting students with academic proﬁles, the institution also focused on the new age of learning through the creation of its new Oﬃce of Distance Learning in August 2020, hiring the staﬀ to support the online, virtual, and learning community to provide the technological infrastructure and operational functioning within the academic space. September 2020 found the institution submitting its SACSCOC Fifth-Year Interim Report, along with its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) report. After extensive review, SACSCOC found the institution in full compliance with all standards and no ﬁndings in June 2021. Further, after consideration of the academic structure and desire for academic competitiveness, the administration decided to actively engage in the addition of graduate studies to the academic proﬁle with the institutional approval to submit the substantive change prospectus for the Master of Business Administration to SACSCOC. This prospectus, along with the submission for a level change from a level II – baccalaureate degree to a level III – master’s degree granting institution, was submitted in March 2021, with notiﬁcation of approval from SACSCOC on June 17, 2021. It must be noted, the addition of the Master of Business Administration was the ﬁrst program to receive approval for a new degree program addition since 1973, according to SACSCOC records. Further, the institution also received approval to move from a level II to level III institution, and on June 17, 2021 submitted documentation to SACSCOC oﬃcially changing its name from Edward Waters College to Edward Waters University. Even more, eﬀective August 16, 2021, the institution welcomed 32 students as post-baccalaureate scholars to begin classes in the new Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program, the ﬁrst new degree program oﬀered at the institution in nearly 50 years!And we haven’t stopped! March 31, 2021, the institution commemorated the opening of a new state-of-the-art laboratory for its renovated Biology Laboratory to enhance curricular and scientiﬁc research at Edward Waters. This $250,000 investment was made, with construction beginning in February 2021.The administration commissioned a committee of University administrators, faculty, and staﬀ to do a complete physical walk-through of the facility and oﬀer recommendations and suggestions. The result is a collaborative renovation plan that will boast aesthetic as well as functional use of the common and classroom spaces that is modern and collegiate beginning in Spring 2023. While the spring boasted the Third Annual EWU Undergraduate Virtual Research Conference, sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research, fall 2021, witnessed programmatic growth when the institution submitted yet another substantive change to oﬀer the new Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Advocacy. As the institution continues to move into its growing edge as a premiere institution of academic excellence, so does it continue to provide the necessary infrastructures needed to ensure a seamless and integrated system.

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26 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023The culmination of the one-stop shop experience is the integration of a new Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) as the institution moves from its current Student Information System (SIS), Ellucian PowerCampus, to a more robust, cloud based solution Ellucian Colleague SAAS. This solution will ensure seamless integration of all aspects of the institution for operational eﬀectiveness and eﬃciency, including Degree Works for a more integrated student academic experience, connectivity to the LMS, as well as ease of access for faculty and staﬀ as well and is continuing to be constructed for initial data transfer which began spring 2022 and is scheduled to be completed during the 2022-2023 academic year. Additionally, in December of 2021 the institution was approved to oﬀer its newest undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science. That new degree not only reinforces new curriculum, but new spaces for practice and application as the Forensic Science Laboratory is under construction and is to be completed in fall 2022, just in time to receive the ﬁrst students of the program. Further, in Summer 2022 the institution began its $1.1 million dollar comprehensive renovation of the Hatcher-Stewart Academic Building which when completed will provide a signiﬁcantly enhanced teaching and learning environment that will combine theoretical and practical learning to create a truly extraordinary academic experience. Since the construction of the building in 1969, it has served as the primary facility for student instruction.

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28 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Edward Waters University is committed to oﬀering its students a competitive, twenty-ﬁrst century higher education experience that is relevant, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of an ever-changing global community. Over recent years, the institution has demonstrated an uncanny resilience and ability to adapt in a strategic and non-traditional manner. The Division of Academic Aﬀairs is dedicated to providing a high quality education, scholarship, research, and service through involved, innovative, informed, and appropriately credentialed faculty and professional staﬀ. In 2018, President Faison, along with the new academic aﬀairs administrative team conducted a comprehensive year-long review of its academic oﬀerings in line with the strategic visioning of the forward trajectory of Edward Waters. This external review conducted by EAB Global, Inc., academic leaders, along with input from faculty, resulted in a comprehensive report that assessed market driven programs, institutional and ﬁscal viability, and accessibility to resource management. As a result, The Division of Academic Aﬀairs began to phase out three academic programs: Music, Mathematics and Elementary Education, while adding three new programs: Forensic Science, Computer and Information Science, and Social Work. Further advancing the educational enterprise of the institution through signiﬁcant grant funding and academic co-curricular engagement, in November 2018, Edward Waters University submitted a grant proposal to the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund seeking funding to launch the ﬁrst-ever Honors College in the history of the institution. The result was an acquisition of a $100,000 award in February 2019.The Honors College at Edward Waters is designed to develop an enhanced environment of academic excellence and student achievement quantiﬁed by successful graduation and post-graduation outcomes for students.The inaugural semester of the Honors College began in Fall 2019 with the Alpha Cohort. This group consisted of twenty students from three states and abroad. Edward Waters established the Beta Cohort for the 2020-2021 school year and the College welcomed the Gamma Cohort in Fall 2021, and the Delta Cohort in Fall 2022. Subsequently, in November 2020, EWU received an additional $150,000 from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund in support of the Honors College at Edward Waters. This brings the cumulative investment of the Fund to $250,000 in support of this initiative since the establishment of the Honors College in 2018.Alpha Cohort205.954.01Beta Cohort205.04.0Gamma Cohort205.983.94Delta Cohort204.34.1# of StudentsHighest GPAAverage GPAEMINENCE IN ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 29Relatedly, the then named Edward Waters College launched two peer-reviewed, refereed journals as a reﬂection of the institution’s renewed commitment to research and scholarship in Spring 2019: The Edward Waters College Journal on Historically Black Colleges and Research Initiatives for Faculty and the Edward Waters College Journal on Research Across the Disciplines. These two academic journals were the ﬁrst of their kind produced by the University. Both journals were released February 1, 2019. The journals, available locally, nationally and internationally in hardcover or electronically on Amazon, are part of the continuing eﬀort to improve the quality of education at Edward Waters. As such, the ﬁrst-ever EWC Center for Undergraduate Research was established on November 29, 2019. Previously an empty space in the library, the Center for Undergraduate Research was equipped to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.In concert with this expansion of the research pillar of the academy, Edward Waters launched the ﬁrst-ever EWC Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2019. The inaugural HBCU Undergraduate Research Conference was titled, Rising: Emerging Eminence in Historically Black College and Universities Research. The event held in the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex featured keynote speaker Dr. Morgan Z. Faison, Clinical Associate Professor in Early Childhood/Elementary Education at the University of Georgia.

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30 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023ENHANCING THE ACADEMIC PROFILE THE HONORS COLLEGE AT EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYThe mission of the Honors College at Edward Waters is to provide an enriched and challenging academic program for high achieving students in all ﬁelds of study that creates community, emphasizes critical and creative thinking, crosses disciplines, and fosters top-quality undergraduate research and creative activity through three pillars: Academics, Community, and Service.ACADEMICS – The Honors curriculum seeks to create a well-rounded, intellectually stimulated, and highly qualiﬁed graduate. The goals of the Honors courses and curriculum are to foster strong critical thinking skills, independence of thought and research, outstanding written and oral communication abilities, and mastery of the student’s chosen discipline. Additionally, the Honors College oﬀers interdisciplinary seminars each year.COMMUNITY – The Honors College provides students with a family-like atmosphere where they can be themselves and also be challenged to grow. The heart of this community is the Ted Baker Honors Village, where many Honors students live and learn. However, students living in on-campus housing is not the only way to experience all that Honors College has to oﬀer. Oﬀ-campus co-curricular activities, on-campus lyceums, use the study rooms and computer labs, or simply meeting friends at the student union are all ways the holistic student experience is reinforced.SERVICE – The Honors College supports its participants’ highest academic achievement with a service component. At some point in our students’ journey, the expectation is that they will lead to serve. The program encourages students to become involved with student leadership in the Honors College, participate in the service-learning opportunities, study abroad, or become an ambassador. The most critical focus for Honors College students is to become involved and to represent scholarship and leadership in all of their endeavors.THE HONORS COLLEGE EXPERIENCEEdward Waters University’s (EWU) population serves the majority of underrepresented college students in a hub zone area in Jacksonville, Florida. Moreover, many of the students are ﬁrst generation college students with a wealth of exposure to real life experiences growing up in poverty and struggles. Yet, their backgrounds are rich in information, which many apply to their research interest in their ﬁelds of specialization. A plethora of the students are passionate and highly knowledgeable in their academic work, for they have discovered a way to use education as a gateway to emerging eminence in academia and the global community. Moreover, they realize that their life experiences add a rich sense of humanity and insight from diverse perspectives in the academy.Edward Waters University provides academically high-achieving, well-rounded students unique opportunities designed to maximize their time at Edward Waters University. The EWU student body reﬂects intellectual and social interests, covering the entire spectrum of degree programs available.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 31OUR GENEROUS BENEFACTOR: THE JESSIE BALL DuPONT FUNDIn February 2019, Edward Waters University (EWU) became the recipient of a $100,000 gift from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund to support the establishment of the ﬁrst Honors College at EWU, and in November 2020, Jessie Ball duPont Fund expressed continued support for the EWC Honors College mission by further investing an additional $150,000 gift. This most recent gift further underscores EWU’s forward moving trajectory and substantial progress towards heightening its academic proﬁle and institutional competitiveness by supporting high academic excellence, scholarly achievement, and overall student success. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund works to expand access and create opportunity by investing in people, organizations and communities that were important to Jessie Ball duPont.Across its work, the Fund organizes its resources around these focus areas: 1) Building the Capacity of Eligible Organizations- so that they can accomplish the most with the resources at hand; 2) Building the Assets of People, Families and Communities-helps those communities and people that were important to Mrs. duPont increase access to essentials of healthy, productive living: education and job preparation, housing, health care and vibrant communities; and 3) Promoting Civil Society -works to support a strong independent sector, robust civil society and informed and engaged citizenry.

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32 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Additionally, the institution was granted approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to deliver its ﬁrst bachelor’s degree program by distance learning in 2019. This, ﬁrst of its kind, new program delivery platform at EWU gave students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree with a concentration in Organizational Management via an exclusively online environment. With this approval by SACSCOC, EWU now had the ability to deliver any approved program by distance learning with no further review by the Commission. The ﬁrst cohort for the online B.B.A. program began on March 15, 2021. The new online degree program operates to stimulate a new academic experience at EWU as it looks to meet the growing needs of adult learners as well as millennial and post-millennial students positioning Edward Waters to become a leading model institution amongst its peers for providing innovative and cutting edge solutions to students seeking access and convenience to high-quality academic programs. One year later, on October 1, 2020, Edward Waters prepared and submitted the SACSCOC Accreditation Fifth-Year Interim Report. The review was accepted and approved without any required follow up and sealed the institution’s accreditation until its next reaﬃrmation review by the SACSCOC in 2025.In 2020, the institution began to shift its focus within academic aﬀairs to not only curricular advances, but also classroom and academic facilities upgrades. Completed in spring 2021, all 46 classrooms were outﬁtted with state of the art technology, panels, podiums, and tablets which will allow faculty to teach face-to-face and at sites remote from the campus simultaneously. This technology was critical as the institution moved to adjusted teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Further, in February 2021, a $250,000 investment was made to renovate the scientiﬁc laboratories located in the Hatcher-Stewart Academic Building. This signiﬁcant update to the facilities not only allows EWU students access to state-of-the-art, contemporary equipment to ensure a competitive academic edge as aligned with peer institutions, but also creates a healthy and comfortable classroom space for students to study and engage in learning activities. These upgrades were additionally consequential as such physical updates had not occurred since the original construction of the building.EWU now has the ability to deliver any approved program by distance learning.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 33Regarding student engagement within the academic sector since 2018, Edward Waters has established two new National Honor Societies: Alpha Lambda Delta and Alpha Kappa Mu. Both organizations were chartered to establish excellence within the academic enterprise by honoring students and the institution on a nationally recognized level among the institutions of higher learning.The EWU chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society was established on October 30, 2020 in a virtual ceremony. The chapter installed its charter members that included seventeen (17) of the institution’s brightest freshman students and members of the Honors College. Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Aﬀairs, Dr. Donna H. Oliver, served as the keynote speaker and two oﬃcers from the National Headquarters of Alpha Lambda Delta attended to preside over the induction ceremony. The 2020 charter members of the Alpha Lambda Delta Chapter at EWU are:Additionally, there were six honorary members installed:Two months later, Edward Waters conducted an installation for the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, Incorporated that was held virtually on December 7, 2020. This organization is an American collegiate honor society that recognizes academic excellence in all areas of study. It was founded at Tennessee A & I College (now Tennessee State University) in Nashville, Tennessee on November 26, 1937, by Dr. George W. Gore, Jr., then Dean of Tennessee A & I College. This organization currently has 67 College Honor Societies which is the Nation’s only certifying agency for college and university honor societies. Membership is open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3. There are six (6) students who chartered this organization on Campus, advised by Dr. Felicia Wider-Lewis and Dr. Andrea Cummings: Onecia AdamsJ’len BrownNa'im BrownAsiah Cheek Asia GirardIsaiah Matthew GrahamKaylin GuilloryJada HarveyArmani HayesSteven HopkinsDevin HunterAniah JackmanTyiliyah JacksonBest OlunusBrianna PendergrassCaleb O. Ramirez Rivera Annik Tamar SegreeGustavo Guzman, Psychology Daquon Mack-Williams, Mathematics Brandon Mercer, Mathematics Annik Segree, Biology Winston Timmons, Music Kenya Trice, PsychologyMost recently, the institution made history when it oﬃcially transitioned from Edward Waters College to Edward Waters University. This change is a reﬂection of the leadership in the rapidly changing higher education marketplace through its innovative programs and workforce-ready education. The announcement came after the SACSCOC approved the institution’s level change from a baccalaureate to master’s level degree-granting entity allowing Edward Waters the opportunity to oﬀer graduate programs for the ﬁrst time in the school’s history. Additionally, the school was approved to operate a new, fully accredited Online Master of Business Administration degree. “In the 155 year history of Edward Waters, this most auspicious and transformative occasion reaﬃrms the forward and upward moving trajectory of our storied and illustrious institution."Mr. Christian Bowers, EWU Honors College Faculty Chair, Alpha Lamda Delta Student AdvisorDr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., President and CEODr. Donna H. Oliver, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Aﬀairs Dr. Stephanie G. Campbell, Former Associate Provost for Student Success, Research Initiatives, and Faculty AﬀairsDr. Pamela S. Wilks, Former Chief of Staﬀ and Assistant to the President for Strategic InitiativesTakhia Gray-Levi, Administrative Specialist for Academic Aﬀairs– Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., Press Conference, June 2021

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34 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023As part of the strategic growth of Academic Aﬀairs, three new undergraduate degree programs have been developed for submission to SACSCOC: Computer and Information Science, Forensic Science, and Social Work. A prospectus for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Science was submitted to SACSCOC on July 1, 2021 and was subsequently approved by SACSCOC in December 2021. Meanwhile, signiﬁcant work is being done to upgrade the Forensic Science laboratory facilities in the James Weldon Johnson (JWJ) Building and the Center for Criminal Justice and Forensic Science to support the new forensic science degree program.The future of Edward Waters University’s forensic science STEM degree program starts now with the newly reorganized Center for Criminal Justice and Forensic Science in the current space occupied by the program in the James Weldon Johnson (JWJ) Building. This space was created to stimulate collaboration and creativity between students and faculty. It is a mixed use space for conferences, club meetings, faculty oﬃces and student collaboration space. The center will be located in JWJ - across from the state-of-the-art DNA and criminalistics labs. The concept for this space was taken from professorial and professional experience while working in detective squad rooms throughout New York City. The open oﬃce space allows for free thinking and collaboration with faculty and students. A library for forensic and criminal justice journals will provide students with potential research ideas and a safe space to promote those thoughts. This center is another step towards emerging eminence at EWU. In January 2021, Edward Waters announced its partnership with Propel Center, a new global campus headquartered in Atlanta that will support innovative learning and development for Historically Black Colleges and Universities bringing leadership and career development programming to its students at Edward Waters. On February 2, 2022, representatives from The Propel Center and Apple, Inc. visited the EWU campus and presented a check in the amount of $300,000 to President Faison in support of academic programming, research, and learning opportunities particularly in the areas of the arts and entertainment industries. “As Florida’s ‘Destination Institution’ of Emerging Eminence, we are honored to accept this signature gift from our partners at The Propel Center, which will also support the continued advancement of our institution’s mission to provide expanded and relevant high quality academic and experiential opportunities to under gird the comprehensive success of our students,” said President Faison.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 35Looking to the future, Edward Waters University will become a Community Center for Coding and Creativity as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative and Tennessee State University’s HBCU C2 Program. Apple provided the university with $91,000.00 worth of equipment to support the Center. The equipment has been delivered to the campus, and the logistics have been worked out for center installation.The Community Center for Coding and Creativity will be housed in the James Weldon Johnson (JWJ) Building. A meeting with Apple took place on Friday, September 24, 2021 to ﬁnalize the timeline for installation, implementation, and training in the use of equipment. The center on the EWU campus is part of the HBCU C2 initiative, which is housed at Tennessee State University and brings coding and creativity experiences to all 100-plus HBCUs. Tennessee State University now serves as a national hub for training educators and supporting its peer institutions as HBCUs expand coding and creativity opportunities to their own communities. Upon completion of the laboratory and training of the trainers on the use of equipment, a formal Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will be planned and information on the Center will be widely disseminated to the university community, including a schedule for training sessions.In September 2021, the University held the Third Annual EWU Undergraduate Virtual Research Conference. This year’s conference focused on research conducted by EWU students, under the mentorship of faculty researchers during their research internships. All student research presenters received a Certiﬁcate of Participation from Dr. Hyo Kyung Woo, Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research, for their conference participation.While the spring boasted the Third Annual EWU Undergraduate Virtual Research Conference, sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research, fall 2021, witnessed programmatic growth when the institution submitted yet another substantive change to oﬀer the new Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Advocacy. Further, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved the new Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Forensic Science during their December 2021 convening. This makes the second new academic program approved during the Faison Administration. Work continues to ensure that the new degree program is prepared to admit its ﬁrst students in fall 2022. Laboratory spaces are being upgraded and renovated, and meetings are taking place with the Oﬃce of Institutional Advancement, Development, Marketing, and Communications to develop marketing materials for the program. Information sessions for students have been developed and prepared to implement to establish a pool of qualiﬁed student applicants for the program. The administrative team continues to push forward an agenda of expanding the academic and research oﬀerings at the institution that are aligned with Strategic Goal I: Enhance the academic proﬁle of Edward Waters University by comprehensively inaugurating a competitive 21st century academic program of superlative excellence.While the University continues to grow and evolve, the Division of Academic Aﬀairs remains committed to the Eminence 2025 Strategic Vision. New policies, procedures, programs and people are positive signs of progress at Edward Waters University. The Division of Academic Aﬀairs will continue to advance innovative, creative and collaborative services that will beneﬁt current and future students while always remaining true to EWU’s roots and history.

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36 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESSUpdated Learning Management System - Moodle To ensure a heightened academic and student experience as the insti-tution continues to oﬀer expanded virtual instruction, Edward Waters purchased an upgraded learning management system (LMS) on the Moo-dle platform. Edward Waters had previously used a version of Moodle for the insti-tution’s learning management software but with the growth of the University, the Division of Academic Aﬀairs saw it was necessary to upgrade the system.Moodle is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and stu-dents with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create personalized learning environments. As the university continues to grow, Moodle can be scaled to support the needs of Edward Waters. Moodle is committed to safeguarding data se-curity and user privacy to protect against unauthorized access, data loss and misuse. This upgraded platform included modern integrations and increased usability, new course formats that allow for easier course design, enrollment integration and more. There are new reporting capabilities including standardized reports from eThink that are frequently used by similar institutions. Also included in this upgraded package are updates to the enrollment integra-tion to allow more seamless integration with PowerCAMPUS including passing midterm and ﬁnal grades and attendance data entered into Moodle directly into PowerCAMPUS. All Moodle fea-tures are available to students and faculty through a fully optimized mobile app. Every Edward Waters faculty member will be trained on the upgraded Moodle software and become moodle-certiﬁed. Training ensures end users are familiar with all new functionality and using the system as eﬃciently as possible. Colleague SAAS by EllucianEdward Waters made a multi-million dollar tech-nological investment into the institution’s data and information technology infrastructure that will move Edward Waters University beyond the scope of its current operational eﬀec-tiveness, producing results and eﬃciency through more automated and structured process optimization. The Ellucian Colleague SaaS implementa-tion - the new Enterprise Resource Platform revolutionizes the data governance and operational eﬃciency of the institution by allowing for a single sign-on auto-mation of institutional processes and procedures and enhances the student and employee experience. Ellucian replaces the old TigerNet web based access model. A COMMITMENT TO

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 37The cloud-based system allows students one-stop access from the point of applica-tion to graduation, including:Employees will now also have access to cloud-based business and ﬁnance processes and access to student information for ease of student servicing and assistance, such as: SACSCOC AccreditationEdward Waters’ Fifth-Year Referral Report was submitted to SACSCOC in March 2021 and was approved in June 2021. The institution was notiﬁed of its success-ful demonstration of full compliance with all twenty-two of the SACSCOC standards pursuant to the accreditors Fifth-Year Institutional review. Therefore, Edward Waters remains fully accredited and under no sanction from SACSCOC with no other reports due until the institution’s regular 10-Year reaﬃrmation of accreditation which will occur in the fall of 2025. Simultaneous to the SACSCOC Fifth-Year Referral Report, the Division of Academ-ic Aﬀairs worked to complete and submit the Substantive Change Prospectus for Institutional Level Change from a Level II, Baccalaureate Degree Granting Institu-tion to a Level III, Master’s Degree Granting Institution. The application for Level Change and New Program Prospectus was submitted to SACSCOC prior to the March 15, 2021 submission deadline. On June 17, 2021, SACSCOC sent written oﬃcial notiﬁcation authorizing Edward Waters to be accredited to a more advanced degree level. Therefore, per this record, Edward Waters oﬃcially moved from a Level II baccalaureate degree granting in-stitution to a Level III master’s degree granting institution. This allows the insti-tution to oﬀer programs and degrees, but also submit application to SACSCOC for additional graduate programs at the master’s level. As a part of the institution’s Level Change from Level II-Baccalaureate to Level III-Master Degree granting, EWU hosted a SACSCOC Substantive Change Com-mittee Visit. This visit was a required step in the approval process for the Level Change and the related MBA Program that were approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees on June 18, 2021. The committee completed their visit and provided an Exit Conference, during which the EWU administration was notiﬁed of the Site Visit Committee’s feedback and subsequent Approval with No Recommenda-tions. Because the visit was virtual, an in-person veriﬁcation visit to the campus will occur later in the 2022 calendar year as a follow up conﬁrmation.Subsequently, the institution’s prospectus to oﬀer the Master of Business Adminis-tration (MBA) degree was also approved. Additionally, documentation was submit-ted to SACSCOC oﬃcially aﬃrming the nomenclature change of Edward Waters College to Edward Waters University. • Student Schedules• Advising• Real-Time Conversion of Grades and Information from the Learning Management System (Moodle)• Personal Information Updates, such as Address and Phone Numbers• Human Resource/Payroll, such as Tax Documents, Beneﬁts, Time-Oﬀ Requests/Tracking• Billing and Requisitions• Mobile App Accessibility• Self-Service and Ease of Course Registration• Real-Time Student Accounts and Billing• Financial Aid Award and Acceptance, Including Submission of Documents and One-Click Acceptance• Academic Early Alert Actions• Final Grades Submission• Transcript Requests• Degree Audit for Graduation Conﬁrmation through Colleague Degree Works™)• Personal Information Updates, such as Address and Phone Numbers• Change of Major and Real Time Update• Mobile App Accessibility“The 2021-2022 Academic Year marks a period of signiﬁcant transition for Edward Waters University. To keep up with these changes, the institution has invested in tools to most eﬀectively handle the analytics and data governance associated with a growing institution. These tools can be scaled to the evolving programs and oﬀerings of Edward Waters University.”- Dr. Michael T. West, Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Operations, Systems Management & Process Optimization

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38 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023ONLINE MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMINAUGURALThe Online MBA program was approved by SACSCOC in June 2021, with an implementation date of August 2021. Overall, the program is intended to facilitate a global experiential learning opportunity that will prepare students for ﬁelds that expand beyond the scope of the traditional business landscape. The program boasts a 36 credit hours graduation requirement, with the ability to be completed in three academic semesters, including the summer (one calendar year). Oﬀered in an accelerated format, the online pedagogical premise allows students the opportunity to work at their pace, without imposition on their employment. June 2021Online MBA program approved by SACSCOCAugust 2021Enrollment exceeds initial goal by nearly 63%Spring 2021Edward Waters approved to participate in NC-SARA“Edward Waters will continue to emerge as the state of Florida’s premier destination institution of higher education through the growth of its academic programs and strengthening of its ﬁscal viability as we continue to implement the strategic vision Eminence 2025."– Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. August 2021First cohort of students began coursework123TOP 3 STATESBY ENROLLMENTFloridaOhioTexas

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GIVING YOU A STRONGER TOMORROWtodayThe ﬁrst cohort of graduate students began their 8-week formatted coursework on August 16, 2021. Over reaching the initial goal for the cohort by nearly 63%, the students come from a diverse curricular background, ranging from Business Administration to the Liberal Arts and Natural and Behavioral Sciences. Additionally, the institution’s approval in spring 2021 to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) allowed students outside of the state of Florida to register and enroll in distance education courses and programs oﬀered by Edward Waters. NC-SARA provides national leadership over the reciprocity agreements for distance education regulation among U.S. member states. In collaboration with four regional compacts and a broad array of higher education stakeholders, NC-SARA helps ensure alignment on core elements and requirements of SARA, supports quality assurance and consumer protections for students, and increases the value of credits earned through distance education program.Looking AheadThe University is already considering additional programs to enhance the graduate experience at Edward Waters62.5%Over Initial Enrollment GoalAverage GPA of Entering Student3.06Students Enrolled in First Cohort3258% Male 42% Female

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40 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023FACULTY GRANTSMANSHIP, ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENTEven more signiﬁcant, twenty new partnerships have been established for Edward Waters University by the Division of Academic Aﬀairs. The Division continues to establish external partnerships to enhance the academic standards and competitiveness of the university and to provide enriched opportunities for students.MOU between the California State University (CSU) Oﬃce of the Chancellor-Merlot Project and Edward Waters College (EWC) November 2020 This partnership will assist Edward Waters College with the design and deployment of Edward Waters College’s Aﬀordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Initiative. CSU-Merlot and EWC will work collaboratively to enable EWC to develop a strategic plan for an Aﬀordable Learning Solutions (AL$) initiative that includes a faculty development program to support faculty and student adoption of no cost and low cost course materials.MOU between Education Farm (“Ed Farm”) and Edward Waters College (EWC) January 9, 2021The purpose of this partnership is for Ed Farm to work with EWC to design, develop and implement certain aspects of one or more of the following elements of Ed Farm’s Propel Programming - Propel Now, Propel Talent, Propel Impact, Propel Startup, Propel Arts, Propel Agri-Tech and Propel Justice. Propel/Ed Farm seeks to encourage, inspire and ignite children and adults to discover and explore technology, learn to code, and pursue STEM careers. In 2020, Ed Farm launched Propel to become the world’s ﬁrst-ever physical and virtual campus committed to innovation through HBCUs.Reinhardt University International Studies Consortium of Georgia April 1, 2021-March 31, 2022 Edward Waters College has joined this consortium to assist faculty with integrating global/area studies /international perspectives—concepts, ideas, methods, techniques, illustrations, comparisons, etc. into the various courses they teach. The ultimate goal is to help students pursue careers of their choice and to adapt and succeed in a dynamic and highly interdependent global economy.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 41EWU Students Invited to Participate in the University of Miami’s UStart ProgramEdward Waters University students have been invited to submit applications to participate in the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School UStart Program. The program is described as an “Entrepreneurship Immersion Program”, and will bring students from across the country to the Coral Gables, FL campus for a week-long experience that will include class sessions, development of a business idea, competitions, and community engagement. Sponsored scholarships for students selected to participate will cover all but $150.00 of the $5,000.00 cost of participation. During the program, students will participate on Pitch Competition Teams that will present business ideas and compete for awards, including a $5,000.00 cash award. The UStart Program will take place January 9-15, 2022.Cybersecurity Education Diversity Initiative partnership with Edward Waters University and the University of North Florida (UNF) The Center for Cybersecurity at the University of North Florida (UNF) is part of a multi-university coalition (led by Fordham University) labeled as Cybersecurity Education Diversity Initiative (CEDI), which is funded by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C, located within the National Security Agency). They are all collectively charged to reach out to as many MSis as possible to, ﬁrstly promote awareness of CEDI and, ultimately, identifying synergy between each MSI’s existing or planned cybersecurity education activities and the services and resources that CEDI can provide.Apple’s Community Education Initiative Community Center for Coding and Creativity Edward Waters University will become a Community Center for Coding and Creativity as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative and Tennessee State University’s HBCU C2 Program. Apple provided the university with $91,000.00 worth of equipment to support the Center. The Community Center for Coding and Creativity will be housed in the James Weldon Johnson (JWJ) Building. The center on the EWU campus is part of the HBCU C2 initiative, which is housed at Tennessee State University and brings coding and creativity experiences to all 100-plus HBCUs. Tennessee State University now serves as a national hub for training educators and supporting its peer institutions as HBCUs expand coding and creativity opportunities to their own communities. Upon completion of the laboratory and training of the trainers on the use of equipment, a formal Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will be planned and information on the Center will be widely disseminated to the university community.2U/Netﬂix Virtual Pathways Boot Camp Marketing LaunchThe EWU Marketing Launch of the application process for the 2U/Netﬂix Virtual Pathways Technology Boot Camps provided links to Bootcamps that will be oﬀered to EWU students. Following the EWU Marketing Launch of the application process for the 2U/Netﬂix Virtual Pathways Technology Boot Camps on Thursday, September 23, 2021, EWU was informed at its regular meeting with 2U/Netﬂix representatives on September 30, 2021 that ﬁfteen students had already applied to participate in the UX/UI Boot Camp, which starts on January 10, 2022. In addition to Edward Waters University, Marymount University, Norfolk State University, and Talladega College are also participating in the UX/UI component of the program. According to Matt Price, Director of Enterprise Services for 2U, the responses for EWU have exceeded those of the other institutions in the program at this point in the process.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 43Council of Independent Colleges Course Sharing Consortium April 26, 2021 Edward Waters College has joined a course-sharing consortium that will give its students access to classes oﬀered at hundreds of colleges and universities (about 250) throughout the country. By joining the consortium, EWC immediately makes more classes available to students to enrich their college experience. Course sharing allows students at EWC to enroll in courses as they need them, which may not be at the time the courses are oﬀered at the home institution.Quality Matters MOUApril 8, 2021 This partnership consists of a consortium of public and private academic institutions in the state of Florida ("Member Institutions") that was formed (among other purposes) to identify, evaluate and coordinate the negotiation of statewide licensing for products and services licensed on behalf of the Member Institutions. Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) serves as a negotiating and licensing body for Member Institutions, and the Aﬃliate (EWC) hereby appoints FLVC as a representative for negotiating and licensing selected statewide products and services.MOU between Edward Waters College & IBMApril 8, 2021 The purpose of this partnership is to enhance and expand opportunities in the research skills and curriculum development space by making available select software, course ware, and other resources of the IBM Academic Initiative. This partnership will also provide EWC faculty and students the opportunity to explore educational resources, tutorials, and experiment with quantum devices through the IBM Q Experience.Partnership with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to launch the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Law, Race, Social Justice, and Economic Policy August, 2021 Launched in Fall of 2021, the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Law, Race, Social Justice and Economic Policy serves as a center for social research and advocacy that bridges the academy with global accessibility and policy engagement. Memorandum of Agreement for A Nursing Pathways, BS & BSN Degree Partnership in Biology/Nursing October 12, 2022A Collaborative Academic Agreement between the University of Florida (UF) and Edward Waters University (EWU): The purpose of this partnership is to facilitate expedited enrollment of highly qualiﬁed EWU biology majors into the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at the UF Jacksonville location. The expectation is that the ﬁrst group of EWU students will begin the full-time nursing accelerated program at UF in summer 2024. EWU President, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., joined UF President, Dr. Kent Fuchs, for the historic Nursing MOU signing on the Edward Waters Campus.Agreement between Trilogy Education Services, LLC and Edward Waters College June 1, 2021 The purpose of this agreement is to launch certain programs designed to prepare students for high growth careers in the digital economy by providing a suite of services including proposed program curricula and course materials, identiﬁcation of qualiﬁed instructors, and student support for each 16-week program. The ﬁrst program to be oﬀered at EWC is UX/UI Design Foundations. Student tuition for these courses will be paid by Trilogy Education Services who will work with 2U and Netﬂix.

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44 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Edward Waters University entered into an understanding with the EPA to implement program activities that will advance the development of the full human capital of this Nation, promoting equal opportunity in higher education. The focus is to collaborate in various ways such as the advancement of environmental education to improve awareness of national employment opportunities and other opportunities for individuals with disabilities. [Awaiting Signatures]Academic Service-Learning Affiliation Agreement with the American Red CrossEdward Waters University and the American Red Cross will develop a plan to provide practical learning opportunities and/or community experiences in the Academic Service-Learning program of the Red Cross to students in the Department of Natural, Social and Behavioral Sciences.Articulation Agreement with Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM)September 2022 - September 2026: Edward Waters University (EWU) entered in an articulation agreement with OCOM to develop a priority candidate program for students and alumni of EWU to enter into medical school at OCOM. If students meet the qualiﬁcations, OCOM will accept 10 students or more each year.Memorandum of Understanding with Morris Brown CollegeAugust 10, 2022 - December 10, 2027: Edward Waters University (EWU) entered into a formal agreement with Morris Brown College (MBC) where MBC will serve as a feeder institution into the graduate programs at EWU.IBM Cybersecurity PartnershipIBM has identiﬁed Edward Waters University as a partner institution to create and sustain a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. This is in response to a commitment of $25 million by the Biden Administration to build up cybersecurity education at HBCUs and to diversify the ﬁeld of cyber security, and IBM, likewise committed to that White House initiative to partner with 20 historically black colleges and universities to establish cybersecurity leadership centers to help grow a more diverse cyber workforce.NLP Logix Summer Program at Edward Waters UniversityNLP Logix held their 8th Data Science Boot Camp on the historic campus of Edward Waters University. This 8-week boot camp ended with a ﬁnal set of presentations by student participants. Students were exposed to Qualtrics, SAS, SPSS, Tableau, Python and other software programs. This Boot Camp ﬁnal presentation event occurred on August 5, 2022. This is a partnership that is in the infancy stage with NLP Logix, but they are a well-known Artiﬁcial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning company that is well known in the AI and machine learning community.Tennessee State University and Edward Waters Subaward - Subrecipient Agreement The purpose of this agreement is to assist EWC with designing an eﬀective and eﬃcient Open Education Resources (OER) Aﬀordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Pilot Project. EWC will be awarded $8,000.00 per year for three years for a total of $24,000.00 to develop this project.

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46 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023UNIVERSITY GRANTSMANSHIPEWU Faculty Member Receives $1.6 Million DHHS GrantEWU Professor of Psychology Jacqueline Conley, received notiﬁcation from the Department of Health and Human Services that her grant proposal had been approved for funding. The total amount of Federal Funds obligated for the ﬁrst year is $575,051.00 to support an Education and Training Program. The Federal Award Project Title is, Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program. This project will provide training for EWU Psychology students leading to Certiﬁed Addiction Professional (CAP) certiﬁcation as part of their degree program, and training to professional counselors in the addiction ﬁeld leading to Certiﬁed Addiction Counselor (CAC) certiﬁcation. The full funding period for the grant is September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2025. Year 2 Award $345,737.00Year 3 Award $349,938.00Year 4 Award $349,767.00 Note: funding for subsequent years will be based on the availability of funds and progress of the project. Total funding award: $1,620,493.00EWU Receives Sub-Award from University of Florida Sea Grant Edward Waters University will be a sub awardee on the University of Florida Sea Grant project Prioritizing Spatial Justice in Neighborhood Revitalization: Adaptation and Resilience Building in Jacksonville. Co-PI Dr. Jacqueline Conley will lead the Community Psychology and Health sub-group across the UF/EWU research team and Co-PI Dr. Brian Seymour will coordinate health disparity-related activities as required during the research cycles taking place within the community. The EWU Co-PIs will also participate in student recruitment for the project scholarships within EWU, and mentor those students as needed. They will also help to oversee the work of the Community Facilitator, hired by EWU, alongside project Principal Investigator Dr. Jason von Meding. The total amount of the Sub Award for the two years of the project is $84,094.00.Dr. Jacqueline Conley

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 47EWU Faculty Members Receives NSF Grant AwardsDr. Prabir Mandal, Professor of Genetics, recently received notiﬁcation of a $75,000.00 National Science Foundation (NSF) award for the project, RCN-UBE Incubator: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences for Students Underrepresented in Biology. The funding period for the project is September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2022. In addition to notiﬁcation of the award, Dr. Mandal received a note of congratulations from Dr. Sophie George, Program Director, Research Coordination Networks for Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE), Research Experiences for Teachers Sites in Biological Sciences (BIORETS).Dr. Brian Seymour, Biology Professor and Director of the Center for Health Disparities, has been awarded $75,000.00 for the second year of a two-year grant from the National Science Foundation for his grant proposal entitled, “Characteristics of the Annual Airborne Pollen Spectrum in Northeast Florida.” This is the ﬁrst step in the establishment of the ﬁrst ever pollen station certiﬁed by the National Allergen Bureau (NAB) of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in Northeast Florida. EWU will also receive approximately $37,000 for indirect cost from this funding. Total funding award: $150,000.00EWU Researcher to Serve as Lead Evaluator for COVID-19 Health Literacy GrantDr. Brian Seymour, Professor of Biology at Edward Waters University will serve as the Lead Evaluator for a $3,295,342 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Oﬃce of Minority Health (OMH) awarded to the City of Jacksonville to enhance equitable community response to COVID-19 and advance health literacy among vulnerable communities and under-served populations. Over the next two years, the City will work with local community-based partners like Edward Waters University, Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, UF Health Jacksonville, Population Health Consortium and Duval Safety Net Collaborative to develop a health literacy plan for these under-served populations. Edward Waters University will receive $226,392.00 for its participation in the grant project.Dr.Brian SeymourDr. Prabir Mandal

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48 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023FACULTY ENGAGEMENT &DEVELOPMENTInstitution of New Faculty Awards and Recognition The faculty at Edward Waters University (EWU) play an integral role with respect to the university achieving its mission, vision, and overall goal. Accordingly, the administration at Edward Waters University has developed the EWU Faculty Awards of Excellence to recognize faculty who provide stellar teaching, research and service, and whose achievements exemplify the University’s mission. The categories for the EWU Faculty Awards of Excellence will recognize superlative performance and achievement in the areas of: • Teaching and Service • Research and Scholarship Winners are announced and recognized publicly during the annual Commencement Exercises and receive: • Cash Award of $1,250.00 • Presidential Plaque EWU Scholarly Development Fund Faculty development is an intergal component of oﬀering relevant and relatable content to our student body. As such, all full-time Edward Waters University faculty who do not possess a terminal degree are eligible to pursue the same through the EWU Scholarly Development Fund. This $100,000 annual grant empowers up to ﬁve selected members of the EWU Faculty and Staﬀ towards completion of terminal degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., DBA, J.D., etc.) within the academic discipline in which they currently teach or administrative function for which they currently serve. A major priority of this administration has been the recruitment and retention of world-class faculty and staﬀ from across the nation. These leaders oﬀer a wealth of knowledge and experience that is paramount in the development and growth of Edward Waters’ students and the institution itself. Chat & Chew with President Faison: Faculty Listening and Learning SessionsThrough the partnership of the Division of Academic Aﬀairs and the Oﬃce of the President, and the desire to further cultivate a culture of community, quarterly ‘Chat & Chew’ sessions were held to allow the faculty and insitutional leadership to provide an intimate platform for discussion, innovation, and ideation across the talented contributiors shaping the landscape of the academic enterprise. First Across-The-Board Salary Increase In 17 yearsLastly, understanding the increased cost-of-living and inﬂation, in August of 2022, this administration authorized a 7% salary increase for all full-time EWU Faculty. This is the ﬁrst such across-the-board salary increase accruing to faculty to occur for Faculty at Edward Waters since FY 2006 (17 years). We remain committed to the regular assessment of faculty compensation as we desire to be both relevant and competitive amongst our peer institutions in support of recruiting and retaining world-class faculty. These initiatives are all a result of the hard work of the entire campus enterprise to grow enrollment, aggressively pursue grantsmanship, and expand philanthropic eﬀorts to the betterment of Edward Waters.

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50 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023FIRST COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY AS EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYEdward Waters made history again as the class of 2022 became the ﬁrst to graduate from the institution under its new status of “uni-versity.” The institution conferred its ﬁrst university degrees after one-hundred and ﬁfty six years on May 7, 2022 in the Nathanial Glover Community Field and Stadium. A total of nearly 130 graduates received their degrees before an appropriately masked and socially/physically distanced audience. Attorney and Political Inﬂu-encer Yolanda Cash Jackson, Esq. delivered the commencement address – a power-ful message on the necessity to plan, perform, and persevere as the new graduates embark upon a new unknown outside of Edward Waters University. Attorney Jackson also mentioned she and two other alumni of the University of Florida Levin School of Law, created an endowed scholarship to serve as a pathway for HBCU graduates into the Levin School of Law. Though she did not reveal the student’s name, it was during her address that she announced an Edward Waters graduate was the ﬁrst student from a private HBCU to be awarded this prestigious award. Amidst the fanfare, students were allowed to revel in a celebratory exchange cus-tomary with President Faison and his recognition of accomplishments as well as paying homage to our religious aﬃliation with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church through song and dance. Additionally, the University featured two valedictorians, who oﬀered words for their fellow graduates at commencement. Ms. Shaneaka Anderson, a biology major from Jamaica, and Mr. Na’im Brown, a business administration major from Tampa, Florida, both completing their institu-tional requirements with perfect grade point averages, gave co-valedictory speech-es. Ms. Anderson shared that she earned admission to the University of Pennslyva-nia where she will pursue her Ph.D. in Immunology on a full academic scholarship. Additionally, Ms. N’Aaliyah Jno-Baptiste, a biology major from the island of Domi-nica and Student Government Association President, was recognized and honored for her scholastic achievements as Salutatorian, having earned admission to Lou-isiana State University to pursue her Masters Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, where she will simultaneously serve in the United States Army Reserve as a Cargo Specialist.

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52 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Edward Waters Rising It should, therefore, come as no surprise that Edward Waters University continues to extend its growing edge through frequent assessment of processes, procedures, policies, and programs for better business continuity and capacity building. As President Faison embarks upon his ﬁfth year, a milestone year for his tenure at the institution, so becomes this iteration of the institution – taking those baseline activities to create moments and milestones that not only build upon the legacy of those Presidential leaders gone before him, but establishing a historical instance that will transmogrify the very existence of Edward Waters University into tomorrow. In that vein, this section entitled, Edward Waters Rising, looks into the future of the institution. Whether aspirational objectives, or projects in progress, the next few pages seek to highlight the vigor and rigor of the socio-academic experiences of not only our students, but those experiences our faculty, staﬀ, and alumni can look forward to in the near to not-so-near future. Nevertheless, whether the promulgation of new academic programs, to new opportunities in living and learning, to increasing the ﬁscal longevity of the institution and expanding the physical and infrastructural footprint, Edward Waters University is indeed rising, thriving, and growing as we ﬂourish into the next apex of the Faison Administration.Enriching AcademicsMaster of Arts in Educational Policy & AdvocacyIn Fall 2022, EWU experienced another signiﬁcant milestone in its programmatic growth when the institution launched the new Master of Arts in Educational Policy and Advocacy (MEPA). The Master of Arts in Education Policy and Advocacy (MEPA) utilizes an interdisciplinary and culturally relevant approach to prepare educational advocates and non-educational leaders as change agents for leadership in sundry contexts. The MEPA fuses traditional and contemporary theory, technology and experiential learning to give students pursuing the Education Policy and Advocacy degree a holistic and innovative perspective. Completion of this program helps fortify and empower intergenerational leaders for positions of responsibility as K-12 Administrative Policy Inﬂuencers, Higher Education The full scope and complement of the Faison Administration has only begun to be realized. From his introduction to the Edward Waters family in June 2018, to oﬃcially beginning his tenure in July 2018, President A. Zachary Faison, Jr., J.D. has strategically positioned the institution to not only reimagine the possibilities present at his Presidential inception, but to actualize those possibilities into realities. As a change agent, advocate, and zealot within the HBCU, President Faison continues to reimagine, reshape, and refocus the institutional vision in an eﬀort to not only set forth into action the mission of Edward Waters, but also reaﬃrm its place as a viable, sustainable, and credible institution within the greater higher education space.ACADEMIC AFFAIRSEminence in

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 53Administrators & Professionals, as well as Leaders in Educational Non-Proﬁt and For-Proﬁt sectors. Academic Degree Program Expansion Edward Waters University continues its upward trajectory within the academic enterprise of the institution. Maintaining a solid commitment to educational excellence and eminence, the academic proﬁle of the institution continues to be reﬁned through the promulgation of new degree programs. As such, a degree program proposal for the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree has been developed and recommended for approval by the Edward Waters University Curriculum Committee and Faculty Senate. The resulting SACSCOC Substantive Change Prospectus for the BSW was submitted to SACSCOC this past summer for December 2022 review and planned implementation and launch In Fall (August) 2023. To further explore the academic growth of new degree program development for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the Division of Academic Aﬀairs has created a timeline of new degree submission for implementation through August 2023. Below is the timetable for the development and submission for SACSCOC review and approval, and implementation of the following new academic degree oﬀerings at EWU:*Pathway Program (B.S. Biology - EWU | B.S.N. Nursing - University of Florida Program NameSubmission DateImplementation DateRulingDateForensic Science (B.S.) July ‘21 Dec ‘21 Aug ‘22Educational Policy and Advocacy (M.A.)July ‘21 Dec ‘21 Aug ‘22Social Work (B.S.W.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Computer/Info Science (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Public Health (B.P.H.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug ‘23Cybersecurity (M.S.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug‘23Public Administration (M.P.A.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug ‘23Accounting (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Sports Management (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Nursing (B.S.N)* – – Aug ‘23

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As a primary point of contact for interested students, the administration set out to increase the pool of identiﬁable student applicants in order to yield a larger new student population to the institution. Second, the administration sought to eliminate barriers to recruitment and retention, particularly those economic impediments that led to stoppage and transfer. Third, the administration addressed the need for better communication tools to ensure adequate touchpoints to move individuals from applicant to enrolled student. The strategic goalsetting of this three-fold student servicing approach began with the development of a comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan. The SEM plan development process began with a University-wide process mapping event, which closely examined current policies, procedures and practices in the following areas related to the enrollment process: recruitment, marketing, admissions, registration, academic advising, ﬁnancial aid, and retention. Each group mapped the current and desired enrollment processes associated with each designated area. Then the processes were compared to identify challenges, gaps and needed improvements. Long and short term goals were then identiﬁed that addressed deﬁcits in the related areas associated with the enrollment process. Once goals were identiﬁed, the Enrolment Management leadership team prioritized four goals and identiﬁed 11 strategies and 43 objectives. The leadership team then assigned responsible owner(s), impacted and supporting departments, timelines, and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). The four goals developed were to; increase new student enrollment by 4%, annually; increase fall to fall retention by 3%, annually; decrease manual enrollment related processes; and increase student success through enrollment management strategies.Next was a re-visioning of the admissions criteria and process. Understanding the impact of student inputs on the institutional outputs became a critically important part of addressing completion and graduation rates at the onset of student admission to the institution. As such, and per President Faison’s recommendation, the University’s Board of Trustees adopted new admissions criteria, raising minimum SAT/ACT, GPA, and other standards and ending the “open admissions” policies that governed student inputs. Thus, the student proﬁle of the institution shifted in terms of the level of academic preparedness in order to garner student success throughout matriculation to graduation. Nevertheless, the institution also remained steadfast and committed to its mission of granting access to students who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend a four-year institution due to high school performance or other hindrances to the admissions process. Therefore, the Reverend Charles H. Pearce Institute was established in 2019 to allow students a summer experience that would prepare them for academic rigor in the President Faison’s assumption of the leadership helm in 2018 came with an understanding of the critical role enrollment plays in the ﬁnancial and organizational stability and viability of Edward Waters. Relatedly, one of the key priorities as the newly minted President was to ensure a strong student enrollment that would not only provide ﬁscal reliability, but also recognize the importance of student preparedness at the onset of admission and those institutional outcomes upon graduation. As such, the Division of Enrollment Management and strategic Matriculant Services was envisioned as a three-fold student servicing platform to provide enhanced services from a student’s point of interest in the institution to their transition as an oﬃcial student and graduation. Dr. Jennifer PriceVice President for Enrollment Management & Strategic Matriculant Services

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 57classroom, as well as social and leadership skills necessary for a holistic student success. Conversely, Edward Waters also welcomed its ﬁrst cohort of academically gifted and talented students in the new Honors College program. As such, Edward Waters began to diversify its student population through an intentional admissions process that continues to be inclusive of all students who choose to attend college, regardless of their level of preparedness, but continually raising the standards of the cadre of students it attracts.Another part of increasing the pool of identiﬁable students was to increase the number of applications the institution received in order to increase the enrollment yield. The current EWU administration conducted a year-long study during the ﬁrst year of its tenure at the institution, assessing and evaluating the enrollment management structure and practices. After an extensive conversation and negotiation between the senior administrative team and representatives from the Education Advisory Board (EAB), Edward Waters began the implementation of a new strategic enrollment partnership that had strong potential to change the dynamics of the admissions and recruitment functions.Specializing in working with colleges and universities throughout the country to assist them in supporting students from enrollment to graduation and beyond, what makes EAB unique is that they are rooted in research and in helping institutions to pragmatically address enrollment concerns and position them for future growth. Thus, in 2020, the partnership with EAB was established, allowing Edward Waters access to previously untapped prospective students via recruitment networks and channels, while acting on behalf of the institution to market to those prospects, encouraging them to apply to the institution. The resulting outcomes proved the investment in the EAB recruitment services paid for itself in the increased number of applications through strategic, national branding and marketing of the institution. This new partnership allowed the Oﬃce of Admissions to grow the total applicant pool from what has been approximately 3,500 applicants annually to nearly 10,000 annually, leading to an overall increase in new student enrollment. Further, the institution implemented a deposit model to determine a more accurate depiction of student interest in enrollment. Because of the strategic admissions planning that has occurred, the fall 2022 enrollment cycle now boasts high quality, academically prepared students where Edward Waters is their ﬁrst institution of choice, with an increase in the average new GPA from 2.6 in 2018 to 2.92 in 2022. Additionally, , the number of fall 2022 enrollment cycle applications received far exceeded the total number of overall applications received at the close of the fall 2019 application cycle by roughly 170%. Interestingly, while admissions numbers were a priority for enrollment management, so was another priority: student retention. Such information proves that Edward Waters is well on its way to another record year of not only new student enrollment, but also to overall enrollment, seeking to top the record breaking fall 2021 enrollment of 1110 – the highest number of students enrolled in twenty years.

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58 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Towards that end, the Faison administration had a ﬁrm understanding that while new student admissions were critical, retention of current students was just as important to growing the institution’s enrollment. One critical reason for student attrition was the economic feasibility of attending Edward Waters. As a private, tuition-driven institution, the cost of attendance was found to be an impediment to student retention and completion. Students were stopping out of the Univeristy because they could not aﬀord to attend. One solution to student indebtedness to the institution was realized when President Faison and the Edward Waters administration successfully lobbied the Florida Legislature to approve a $3.5 million dollar increase of reoccurring state appropriations in 2020 that led to a gap-funding initiative entitled We Got You. The #WeGotYou Program enabled Edward Waters to cover student costs associated with attendance that were not covered by federal and other ﬁnancial aid outlets. As such, beginning fall 2020, students were able to begin their academic year with no outstanding balances owed to the institution, eliminating economic barriers to continuing education. This program has continued annually, with the institution expending approximately $6.6 million towards student balances since its inception (2020, 2021, and 2022 academic years). Further, because of the recurrent nature of the funding, the institution was able to facilitate the program during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 years, with ongoing plans to continue as it was not and is not contingent on CARES Act/COVID-19 Federal government funding. Thus, as a retention program, #WeGotYou,#WeGotYouAgain and #WeStillGotYou, is a viable and sustainable way to increase student retention, persistence, and ultimately, graduation at the onset of student enrollment, a model that is more economically sustainable for both the student and the institution.Additionally, in 2021, the institution implemented the #CashMeOut program, using federal funds received as a result of impacts from the COVID-19 global pandemic to grant $2000 stipends to every registered student meeting speciﬁc enrollment requirements during both the fall and spring semesters. The result, an increase in the overall student retention of all students of 5% over fall 2019. It must be noted that student retention for ﬁrst-time in college students is up 5% over fall 2019. Outside of attracting and retaining greater numbers of students, the institution found that the operations and systems that created opportunities for synergies within the enrollment management area needed to be address. In particular, at the onset of the administration’s entry into the institution in 2018, there was a gap in the communication between not only the institution and its prospective students, but also its students in general.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 59Therefore, as a part of the enrollment management plan, the university made the investment to purchase a Customer Relationship Management (CRM--Sales Force) system that would allow admissions and enrollment staﬀ the opportunity to communicate more eﬀectively with prospective applicants and students, increasing the enrollment yield by creating more touch points for student engagement. This would become even more necessary as the number of applications exponentially grew and required a more robust automation of processes to generate letters, forms, and documents necessary to convert students from prospective applicants to enrolled students. The success of the CRM system is in the quantitative results – new student enrollment is up 53% over fall 2019, with applications up 170% over fall 2019. To further support increased communication to new and current students the institution partnered with the Department of Education and the Trellis Company, a non-proﬁt organization and student loan guaranty agency, to implement the Project Success program. Project Success is a no-cost program to assist select Minority-Serving Institutions with institutional consulting and direct student services that help students successfully start the EWU experience, persist towards graduation, and manage their personal ﬁnances and student loans. The institution joined 40 schools already partnered with Project Success, including a number of HBCUs and EWU was one of the ﬁrst schools in Florida to become a partner. The ﬁrst text campaign kicked oﬀ on October 9, 2020 with a message geared towards completion of the 2021-2022 FAFSA. It was followed by other messages focused on spring 2021 registration, preparing for ﬁnals, the November 3rd election, EWU’s Handle Your Business events, ﬁnals motivation, and end of the semester preparation.Services to EWU Students include: Integrated Communications Plan for Student Outreach, which includes enrollment and retention support, FAFSA completion/renewal, and stop-out re-engagement through a series of text messages, outbound phone calls and print mail; Student Financial Literacy Support, which includes iGrad online ﬁnancial education platform to engage EWU students in programs and services to strengthen their ﬁnancial literacy; Default Prevention, which includes managing students in all stages of student loan repayment through outbound calls to students in the grace period or to students who have past due student loan accounts.; Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Veriﬁcation Support, which Includes communication plans to promote and encourage student FAFSA completion and submission of all necessary supporting documents; virtual FAFSA nights for EWU students and families; and support for EWU students throughout the ﬁnancial aid process. Services to the Institution include: Research and Analytical Services, which includes the development of retention proﬁles, implementation of student ﬁnancial wellness, and exit surveys; Staﬀ and Faculty Professional Development Training, which includes training related to customer service and communicating with students, retention analysis, student ﬁnancial wellness brieﬁngs, and FAFSA completion; Institutional Policy, Procedure, and Process Consulting, which includes topics such as enrollment strategic planning, stop-out engagement, communicating ﬁnancial aid oﬀers and clearance, ADA, Website analysis, and social media.

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60 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Edward Waters (EWU) received nearly 10,000 applications for the 22-23 academic year.Fall 2022 enrollment represents the highest overall institutional enrollment EWU has achieved in nearly two decades. Relatedly, in 2021 EWU welcomed it’s largest class of new students (540) on record.As of the 2022-2023 academic year, Edward Waters University is Jacksonville’s fastest growing 4-year college or university and Florida’s fastest growing HBCU per published reports over the last four years.Total Enrollment9329691,110Fall 2019Fall 2020 Fall 202127.4%Increase in FallEnrollment53%Increasein NewStudents44%Increase in Students in College for the First Time23%Increase in Transfer Students170%Increase in Applications ReceivedIncrease in Student Retention Rate2022 vs. 201927.4% 540Increase in overall student enrollment since Fall 2019new students enrolled in 2021EDWARD WATERS BY THE NUMBERS1,187Fall 20225%

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 61Enrollment CounselorsCounselors are responsible for reviewing admissions applications, rendering admissions decisions, managing the communications plan to their assigned students, and developing and implementing on-campus programming that focuses on enrollment of new students and the re-enrollment of current students. RecruitersEWU recruiters spend 100% of their time traveling to high schools, college fairs, community events, and other recruitment related activities.Development A strategic enrollment management plan and a recruitment plan were developed to help achieve our goal of 500 new students for the incoming fall 2022 class.Division of Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services - Admissions RestructuringSERBIASPAINDOMINICAN REPUBLICCHILÉBELIZEBAHAMASNIGERIAJAMAICAUSAEWU SCHOLARS REPRESENT A WORLDLY COMMUNITY.TOP 5 STATES1 | Florida2 | Georgia3 | Texas4 | Illinois5 | Mississippi1,187 STUDENTS + 9 COUNTRIES

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62 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EMINENCE INENROLLMENT MANAGEMENTThe following pages give more insight into the eminence found in the area of Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services. Strategic enrollment management has been an extraordinarily high level priority of the institution under the Faison Administration.A part of this strategic prioritization is understanding the need to positively change the institutional paradigm as it relates to a more serious focus upon achieving de-monstrably high student success outcomes and a commitment towards shifting the business and operational culture of the institution to support that laudable aim. Due to the overwhelming success of 2020 enrollment, the institution, for the ﬁrst time in a decade, was able to conduct a timely registration close on September 4, 2020. At this time, enrollment stood at 969 students with an FTE of 943, the highest institutional enrollment at Edward Waters in 15 years. Relatedly, Edward Waters saw a fall 2020 new student class of 417 students – an in-crease of 22.6% from the previous year. Further, of the 668 spring students eligible to return and register, 552 returned for fall 2020, a spring to fall retention rate of 82.6% - up from 72% in 2019. Thus, the institution was able to increase both its overall enrollment and FTE en-rollment by 4% over fall 2019 – despite the global pandemic – this achievement made Edward Waters one of a few of the total 37 UNCF member institutions to achieve overall enrollment growth in fall 2020. Such an achievement allowed the Oﬃce of Admissions to begin recruitment for the next academic year with an ag-gressive focus on recruiting for fall 2021. Enrollment growth did not wain, yet ﬂourished, continuing into the 2021-2022 ac-ademic year. In fall 2021, EWU witnessed a 15% increase in single year enrollment growth. With 1,110 students, Edward Waters welcomed its largest class of new stu-dents on record: 540. The institution’s tremendous growth momentum continued into 2022 as overall enrollment at Edward Waters increased for the third consecu-tive year reaching its highest overall enrollment in nearly two decades in fall 2022 at nearly 1,200 students. Accordingly, as of the close of its fall registration period on Friday, August 26, 2022, EWU’s phenomenal multi-year, overall double-digit percentage enrollment increase culminated in a ﬁnal fall 2022 enrollment count of 1,187 students—a 6.4% increase over last fall (1,110), and a whopping 27.4% increase in overall student en-rollment since 2019 (932). Edward Waters continues to demonstrate its ability to succeed in a highly com-petitive and dynamically shifting higher education landscape by enrolling more students over the past four years than in any four-year period since 2005, and the most students in a single fall semester since 2004. Additionally, Edward Waters’ fall 2022 enrollment was bolstered by its highest fall-to-fall student retention rate since 2015, and its highest rate over the past four years. Clearly, Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services as a division is working hard to ensure the viability and continued success of Edward Waters University as a premiere destination institution of higher education in not only Jacksonville and the state of Florida, but globally as well. Since 2019, the division continues to address the challenges that come with limited resources, both human and economic. However, with the transition from the current student information system, PowerCampus, to Ellucian Colleague, greater automation will take place within the areas of the Oﬃce of the Registrar and Financial Aid, allowing students access to resources online at the click of a button.

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66 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Thus, in September 2018, as a part of this administration’s ongoing assessment of the overall ﬁnancial position, it was discovered that there was a $1.95 million-dollar net cash deﬁcit from the prior ﬁscal year ending June 30, 2018.This signiﬁcant cash shortage portended a forthcoming exigency for the institution regarding the ability to meet payroll and other ﬁnancial obligations. The overall business model of Edward Waters when the Faison administration assumed leadership was unsustainable, tenuous, and placed the institution in a signiﬁcantly weak ﬁscal position. Since the beginning of President Faison’s Administration, the Division of Finance, Administration, and Business Innovation (FABI) has worked to develop a new business model that focuses on achieving overall institutional growth through high-impact best practices related to student retention and persistence. Relatedly, the institution committed to cultivating an environment that places high priority on ﬁscal eﬃciency and accountability though a data-informed ﬁnancial decision-making. Changes in Edward Waters’ operations made at the beginning of the Faison Administration were successful in generating additional revenue and increasing net operating cash thereby increasing the funds available to cover prior and existing obligations. From FY18 to FY22, the net operating cash increased from -$1.95 million to $8.78 million during the Faison Administration representing a $10.7 million dollar overall positive net operating cash turnaround. In the eﬀort to completely eliminate the deﬁcit and realize the institutions ﬁrst operational surplus in over a decade, the Faison administration implemented an immediate solution that promoted growth in revenue through the following channels:• Implement eﬀective enrollment management and retention practices• Increase funding opportunities• Incrementally raise tuition and fees • Control costs and re-engineer the institution As a result of the institutions apparent lack of existing revenue streams, it became important to the EWU Administration to expand the academic footprint, reinvent academic programs and create new high-end demand degree programs. Furthermore, as of 2018 Edward Waters’ Composite Financial Index (CFI) reﬂected a materially weak ﬁnancial position score ranging from .8 in 2015 to 5.6 in 2021. A score between -1 and 2.5 indicates that the institution should take actions or seek guidance towards re-engineering and consider substantive programmatic adjustments. As one of the ﬁrst steps to begin to improve the ﬁnancial resources of the institution, a tuition increase was approved by the Board of Trustees during its February 2019 meeting. As a small, private, almost exclusively tuition-dependent institution of higher education, the work of the Division of Finance, Administration & Business Innovation, like Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services, serves as a critical building block that undergirds the University’s long-term ﬁnancial viability. As such, the collaborative eﬀorts across institutional divisions in conjunction with Finance, Administration, and Business Innovation are imperative to achieve a sustainable and progressively strong business model for the University. Upon the arrival of President Faison and his assumption of the institutional helm in 2018, a comprehensive assessment of the overall institutional health and sustainability swiftly began in order to evaluate, adjust, and plan with data and intentionality. Dr. Sharron T. BurnettExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating Ocer

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68 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Thus, as one of many measures to improve Edward Waters’ ﬁscal position, the institution began discussions with The Reinvestment Fund, Inc. A program through the U.S. Department of Treasury, The Reinvestment Fund has been designed and established to assist in making investments in non-proﬁts and educational entities that often operate in low-income and distressed communities. On March 31, 2020, Edward Waters was notiﬁed that it was unanimously approved for Reinvestment Fund capital and subsequently closed on ﬁnancing in June 2020.This resulted in the reinvestment of all Edward Waters existing accounts payables and guaranteed a net operational end of year surplus of approximately $1.7 million, evidencing an over $3.65 million positive ﬁnancial transformation between FY19 and FY20.Accordingly, Edward Waters ended the 2019-2020 ﬁscal year with a positive net cash ﬂow for the ﬁrst time in over a decade, an incredibly signiﬁcant and noteworthy achievement.The structure of the partnership with the Reinvestment Fund accomplished the following objectives: • Restructure long-term debt – to allow the college the ability to improve cash ﬂow by reducing its existing indebtedness annually on average by 50% over the next ﬁve years. • Pay oﬀ operational payables Due primarily to extraordinary enrollment results achieved over the 2020-2021 academic year, Edward Waters exceeded the projected 800 FTE ﬁscal year budget by over 112 FTE’s having reached 915 FTE students in the 2021 ﬁscal year, creating a positive seven ﬁgure budget windfall for the institution with regard to overall FTE enrollment.Additionally, the institution received an increase in the recurrent appropriations funding from the Florida State Legislature. This unprecedented increase in funding was in the amount of $3.5 million, leading to a total of $7.4 million slated to support the institution. This additional funding represents a 72% increase in state support for Edward Waters over the prior budget year. As a result of Edward Waters’ #WeGotYou student ﬁnancial support program to facilitate the gap found in student semester charge balances during both Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, student balances were paid in full at the onset of the semester. This signiﬁcantly reduced the delinquent accounts receivables from student fees which has traditionally presented signiﬁcant ﬁscal challenges for the institution. Further, the program was the ﬁrst of its kind established to eliminate ﬁnancial barriers to student retention as well as reduce accounts receivables, and became the impetus for other institutions to follow in the elimination of student institutional indebtedness. However, EWU contributes to this elimination as the student matriculates through the institution, not at the point of graduation and completion. Accordingly, each of the aforementioned factors have combined to allow $3.65Mjust under two years$1.7Moperational end of year surplus for the institutionFor the ﬁrst time since FY08, the University did not rely on its $1.5 million dollar line-of credit to meet its operational obligations; ending FY20 with a surplus of $3,775,921 for the ﬁrst surplus in over a decade.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 69the institution to realize a multi-million dollar ﬁscal year end increase in net assets for the past three consecutive ﬁscal years (FY 2019; FY 2020; and FY 2021). The change in net assets for these years were $686,062; $3,816,251 and $10,270,840, respectively. Another primary focus of the Faison Administration has been the implementation of business partnerships versus vendor relationship business model. Fortunately, many of the university’s vendors were coming up to the point of contract renewal or engaged in a month-to-month agreements with the institution. This model resulted in increased philanthropic support with University business partners through increased ﬁnancial or in-kind support to the institution. It was therefore determined that Edward Waters would engage in a Strategic Vendor Partnership model to ensure an additional layer to the institution’s ﬁnancial solvency and increase the non-reliance of student tuition dollars as the primary economic driver. This model seeks to engage partners in equitable reinvestment of capital into the operations of the institution by its business partners. Relatedly, on April 21, 2022, Edward Waters University (EWU) announced the launch of a long-term partnership with a new campus dining service provider SodexoMAGIC. The new agreement will deliver $2.2 million in campus dining facility renovations including a comprehensively re-imagined student dining space (with elevator access), a separate after hours/late night new student dining grill, as well as a new faculty, staﬀ, and presidential dining room. The impending dining facility overhaul will be the ﬁrst major multi-million dollar student dining renovation undertaken on the campus since the dining hall was ﬁrst constructed. Additionally, SodexoMagic will be the institutions ﬁrst new food services provider in over a decade with the new contract which began on July 1, 2022. The historic partnership also marks SodexoMAGIC’s ﬁrst with a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Florida. “The best part about the on-boarding of this new dining service provider is that we, as student leaders, had a primary part in selecting the vendor,” said Naliyah Baptiste, graduating senior and President of the University’s Student Government Association. “I’m thankful to President Faison and the entire administration for how they turned our comments, critiques, and suggestions for change into a reality that will support our entire campus community and especially the student body.”

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70 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023SUSTAINABILITY THROUGHENHANCED FINANCIAL VIABILITYFurther related to ﬁnancial viability, the university’s total assets increased as a result of the completed comprehensive renovation of the former Tiger Landing (now Richardson Hall) – the institutions largest student residence facility – and construction of The Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium resulting in an increase In total assets of $8,915,015 or 31%. Additionally, the resulting signiﬁcant increased cash ﬂow was made possible in large part by signiﬁcant increases in overall student enrollment (up 26.6% since 2019), increased fundraising, along with indirect cost fees, which as of June 30, 2021 stood at $6,624,249 as compared to the prior year of $4,573,822. This represents an increase of $2,050,427 or 44%. In addition, in FY 2021 the university did not utilize its $1.5M line-of credit for the ﬁrst time in over a decade (since FY 2008). The university achieved another cash surplus and net increase in assets as of June 30, 2022. Related to the increase in assets, in FY 2021 the institution achieved a net increase of $10,270,840 as compared to the FY18 of $1,209,221. Additionally, the net operating cash history shown below increased from $(1,949,798) in FY 2018 to $ 8,777,081 in FY 2022. This represents an increase of $10,726,879 or 550%. For the last 5 years consecutively, Edward Waters’ CFI has indicated the need to: 1.) Consider substantive programmatic adjustments, and/or 2.) Re-engineer the institution 3.) Focus resources to compete in the futureThe Composite Financial Index (CFI) is an index that shows the relative ﬁnancial health of colleges and universities. The CFI provides a broader measure of the institution’s overall ﬁnancial performance compared to the Us. Department of Education’s composite score. The CFI is derived using four ratios: Primary Reserve Ratio – A measure of the level of ﬁnancial ﬂexibilityNet Operating Revenues Ratio – A measure of the operating performanceReturn on Net Assets Ratio – A measure of overall asset return and performanceViability Ratio – A measure of the ability to cover debt with available resourcesThis method was derived from the Strategic Financial Analysis for Higher Education (6th and 7th Editions) developed by KPMG .

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 71Edward Waters University ended the ﬁscal year as of June 30, 2021 with continued positive developments. The institution received emergency relief funds for student aid – directly supporting 469 students. Full time enrollment increased 14.5% over the prior year and the university’s total assets have increased by 31%.2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022(0.01)1.002.50 2.501.001.004.10Target Actu-1.501.602.701.902.200.09Composite Financial Index (Financial Health)Score Range Action/Guidance(-4) to (-3) Consider whether ﬁnancial exigency is appropriate(-3) to (-2)Consider structured programs to conserve cash(-2) to (-1)Assess debt and Dept. of Education compliance and remediation(-1) to 1Consider substantive programmatic adjustments1 to 2.5 Re-engineer the institution2.5 to 4Direct resources to allow transformation4.5 to 6Focus resources to compete in future state6.6 to 7.5Allow experimentation with new initiatives7.5 to 10Deploy resources to achieve robust mission5.602.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.502.802.50

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76 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYSUSIE E. TOLBERTBUILDINGBorn in Chicago, Susie Ella Middleton Tolbert moved to Jacksonville following the Great Fire of 1901. A mother of seven, Tolbert was a lifelong educator who taught music and applied social etiquette at then, Edwards Waters College. Known for her generosity, she often supported needy students by providing free room and board and lobbying for better facilities and equipment for Black children across the city.Tolbert was a pioneer who developed several clubs and organizations, including the Willing Workers Club, the Christian Endeavor Organization for her church, New Bethel AME, and a renowned Garden Club, which focused on beautifying Black neighborhoods throughout the city. After her passing, her estate gifted her residence to Edward Waters College, where it serves the campus community as the University’s Oﬃce of Institutional Advancement, Development, Marketing, and Communications.The residence, built in 1912, serves as one of the many historic landmarks on campus, and, has been fully renovated with fresh landscaping, painting, and structural enhancements. Additionally, the parking lot was paved to create a better experience for visitors, and an enhanced security system was put in place to buttress the safety of and ease of use for its visitors and oﬃce residents alike.

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The ﬁrst of these structural changes was to bifurcate the Student Aﬀairs and Enrollment Management oﬃce into two distinct divisions of the institution. As these were both nuanced areas that required specialized focus on student recruitment, retention and development within the socio-academic spaces, it was ﬁtting that these two areas could focus singularly on the aspects most beneﬁcial to the revision of the institutional vision. As such, the Division of Student Success and Engagement was formalized to realize an intentional student experience that supported the academic experience through a comprehensive holistic programmatic platform. Focused on student leadership while reducing the achievement gap, Student Success and Engagement embarked on an ambitious mission to increase student self-awareness while supporting academic retention and completion. As such, in fall 2018, President Faison introduced the ﬁrst two major co-curricular engagements, the Edward Waters College Shared Reading Experience and Stay Woke: The Edward Waters College (University) President’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Further, the ﬁrst year of the Faison administration allowed institutional leadership to assess the current structures for student support and address stop-gaps in student achievement. In particular, student retention became a priority to support the institutional business and structural model. In reviewing student retention and graduation data during the 2018-2019 academic year, in fall 2019, the Faison administration after a review of Edward Waters’ student support services arm, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) was re-envisioned and subsequently renamed the Tiger Center for Academic Persistence and Success (T-CAPS) for the sole purpose of creating programming related directly to retention, persistence, and increased graduation rates. However, as a part of continual process optimization and internal evaluation and assessment, it was determined that T-CAPS needed to be even more intentional and the growth capacity evident to support an oﬃce that would be focused not only on retention, persistence, and graduation, but also best practices that will facilitate students’ matriculation in various instances of the institution – from the point of access to the ﬁnal walk across the stage. In fall 2020, the Oﬃce of Retention and Student Success was developed, with T-CAPS and the Reverend Charles Pearce Summer Bridge Institute being moved from the Division of Academic Aﬀairs to Student Success and Engagement under this new oﬃce, with the addition of a ﬁrst- and second-year experience program. This oﬃce not only became responsible for the intrusive advising of all ﬁrst and second-year students, as well as undeclared majors and for retention of the campus at large, including early alerts for all student populations. As President Faison embarked on his ﬁrst several months of service to the Edward Waters community, it became evident that his plan be intentional assessing the landscape, addressing challenges, and aﬀecting the level of change management necessary to begin strategic and successful implementation of operational structures and eﬃciency of processes to ensure viable institutional outcomes. Therefore, upon his arrival in 2018, President Faison decided to use his background and experience in student aﬀairs to reiterate and transmogrify the student experience and advocacy platform at EWU. This resulted in organizational and programmatic changes that would prove advantageous towards advancing the institutions access mission while simultaneously creating synergies to better support overall student leadership, development, and success, correlating with our student-centered philosophy.Dr. Jame’l R. Hodges Vice President, Student Success and Engagement

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 83Such a shift was important for the continued success and viability of the institution through the support of students and the transitions they face throughout their career, while retaining a sense of continuity from the freshman/transfer experience to graduation. This includes a mentorship program as well as academic advising and support, and a revised Week of Welcome. Student success was not the only priority of the Faison administration. The student experience was also viewed as critical to the retention and development of the whole student. Therefore, president Faison began an intentional eﬀort in creating an on-campus student experience that would be competitive with peer and aspirant institutions alike. This began with the restructuring of the City of Jacksonville’s agreement to renovate Tiger Landing, the institution’s largest residential facility. In fall 2019, one year after the arrival of president Faison to the campus of Edward Waters, the terms of the agreement were restructured from a reimbursement model to an appropriations model that allowed for the upfront payment of costs associated with the construction and renovation of not only Tiger Landing, but the new community ﬁeld and stadium. As such, in spring 2020, planning and construction began on the renovation of the facility, with minimal student displacement, resulting in the completion, ribbon cutting and dedication of the facility taking place in January 2021. Tiger Landing was oﬃcially renamed the Adam J. and Connie S. Richardson Residence Hall in honor of the magnanimous support of Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., former Chairman of the Edward Waters College Board of Trustees and his wife, Supervisor Connie S. Richardson. The Oﬃce of Housing and Residence Life not only saw changes to the new Richardson Hall, but also cosmetic upgrades to Salter Hall, the Morris Cone Towers, and the Blue Honors Village Apartments throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, with murals, new furniture, renovated restrooms, interior and exterior upgrades, and accents to residential common spaces. Under the leadership of President Faison, the administration continued to be diligent in providing a best in-class student experience for the EWU scholars with a nearly $500,000 investment into the transformation of the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Annex space into the new Tiger Student Activities Center. A former cafeteria, turned athletic weight room, the abandoned facility had become a storage space for institutional materials and unused furniture. In an eﬀort to provide additional programming and engagement space for students, President Faison decided to repurpose the aforementioned space.Though the Student Union Building provided opportunities for student programming, it was not conducive to the level of student activity and shared engagement that aligned with the vision put forth in the Eminence 2025 plan. president Faison envisioned a space that would allow students to study, meet, watch movies, play games, and socially interact in meaningful and productive spaces and ways conducive to their social and intellectual development. Thus, in spring 2020, the conceptualization of the Tiger Student Activities Center was conceived, with construction on the renovation beginning in the fall of 2021. Construction was completed in late 2021, and on February 16, 2022, the EWU Student Activities Center was formally dedicated and opened with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony inclusive of Board of Trustee members, community partners, alumni, faculty, staﬀ, and students. This ribbon-cutting resulting in much fanfare and student delight. However, this is only a brief overview of the expansion of Student Success and Engagement at Edward Waters University. With transitioning the Campus Safety and Security oﬃce to the division of Student Success and Engagement we created a dedicated institutional position in the Director of Campus Safety and Security, on boarded a new vendor to provide on-campus security servicing, and implemented a new electronic security system for better monitoring and on-campus building access. Whether implementing new safety measures, or increasing student mentoring and institutional participation in national programs for retention and diversity – student life at Edward Waters University continues to brim with exciting ideas, changes, and innovations to confront the challenges associated with this 21st century student experience. Though the following pages give more insight into some of the initiatives and progress made to improve the student lifecycle, know that the best is yet to come in the expansion of the living and learning experience that will support a best-in-class socio-academic practice for the Edward Waters’ scholar.

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84 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Edward Waters University envisions a comprehensive range of student-centered programs and services conducive for creating a campus culture that promotes the overall academic achievement and personal, civic, and spiritual development of all students while simultaneously advocating on behalf of students and leading in fostering collaborative relationships amongst university students, faculty, staﬀ and administration. As such, The Division of Student Success and Engagement at Edward Waters University is committed to developing students holistically in alignment with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education through the following methods: Student Leadership and Development, Student Success and Service, and Student Engagement and Achievement. At the core of this approach is the development of programs, policies, and practices designed to improve student outcomes through indicators that measure engagement, retention, persistence, graduation, and post-graduation employment rates. Accordingly, the Division of Student Success and Engagement (DSSE) has grown to include the following areas since President Faison assumed leadership: With regard to student engagement, one of the ﬁrst initiatives launched by President Faison in 2018 was the Edward Waters College Shared Reading Experience. This program was developed as a way to provide primarily ﬁrst-year Edward Waters students with a common educational experience, share new perspectives, and introduce them to the Edward Waters family. The program is designed to engage ﬁrst-year students in an enjoyable and positive scholarly activity to reinforce the message that reading is an integral part of the college experience and to foster a sense of community among students. Another early initiative launched by President Faison’s administration in connecting student engagement and academic aﬀairs was the inception of Stay Woke: The Edward Waters College President’s Distinguished Speaker Series which debuted in fall 2018. This speaker series is a student and campus-wide academic and experiential engagement initiative intended to present a robust and varied collection of distinguished and scholarly speakers to the Edward Waters campus • Black Male College Explorers Program• Campus Safety and Security• Campus Ministry and Church Relations• Career Development & Placement Services• Counseling & Tele-Health Services• Disability Services• Residence Life & Housing• Student Activities and Leadership• Student Conduct & Integrity• Tiger Center for Academic Persistence and Success • Academic Advising • Charles Pearce Institute • First and Second Year Experience • Mentoring • New Student Orientation & Week of Welcome • Tutorial Services EMINENCE IN STUDENT SUCCESS &

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 85community. Through this series, the University seeks to engage the views, ideas, and espoused ideals expressed by national thought leaders, authors, entertainers, activists, advocates, athletes, educators, business leaders, and opinion shapers are featured as part of the series. More exclusively related to Student Success and Engagement activities, the University continues to make a concerted eﬀort to provide its student leaders with opportunities that will develop their leadership, development, and social skills. As such, there has been an intentional focus on providing a world class experience for the Edward Waters Royal Court and Student Government Association, including professional and personal development and training opportunities, travel engagements, speaking engagements, and recognition in regional and national organs, such as Ebony Magazine and Collegiate Kings and Queens. The number of Registered Student Organizations (RSO) have increased from 9 organizational upon President Faison’s arrival to currently 32 organizations to include a focus on academic, performing arts, and international organizations.STAY WOKE: THE PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES Dr. Nikki GiovanniInternationally Renowned Author, Poet, and ActivistTamika MallorySocial Justice Leader, Movement Strategist, Author, Leading Organizer of the 2017 Women’s March and Time 100 Most Inuential PersonsDr. Eddie Glaude Princeton University James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the African-American Studies Program, Author, Time Magazine Columnist, and MSNBC ContributorMr. David Banner Grammy Award Winning Hip-Hop Artist, Producer, Activist, and PhilanthropistMr. Michael "Killer Mike" Render Grammy Award Winning Hip-Hop Artist, Producer, Activist, and PhilanthropistDr. Marc Lamont Hill Temple University Steve Charles Professor of Media, Author, Activist, and Television PersonalityYvette CarnellFounder of ‘Breaking Brown’, Co-founder of the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) Movement, Writer and Commentator on Policy, Race, and Wealth, Howard University AlumnaDr. Cornell WestDietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary, Ph.D. in Philosophy, Priceton - M.A., Harvard, Author of over 20 books, appeared in over 25 documentariesDr. Tommy Curry2018 Recipient of the American Book Award and Recognized as one of America’s Top 15 Emerging Scholars by Diverse MagazineCharlamagne Tha GodRadio and Television Personality, Activist, Actor, and AuthorDr. Johnnetta B. ColePresident Emerita of Spelman College and Bennett College and President of the National Council for Negro WomenDr. Regina BradleyHarvard University Nasir Jones Hip-hop Fellow, Author, and Assistant Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State UniversityClifford Joseph "T.I., Tip" Harris, Jr.Rapper, Actor, Producer, and EntrepreneurENGAGEMENTTezlyn FigaroHost of the “STRAIGHT SHOT, NO CHASER” podcast, Political Contributor, Political Strategist, and EducatorJeffrey RobinsonAttorney, Activist, Documentarian, and Former Deputy Legal Director (ACLU) Rick RossGrammy Award-Nominated Multiplatinum Superstar, Business Magnate and Entreprenuer and Two Time New Your Times Best Selling AuthorDr. Bernice A. KingAuthor, Attorney, Civil and Human Rights Activist, Non-Violent Change Agent, Minister, and Cheif Executive Ocer of the King Center for Nonviolent Social ChangeNia LongThree Time NAACP Image Award-Winning Actress, Director, Writer, and Pop Culture IconDesmond MeadeAuthor, Attorney, Voting Rights Activist, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and MacArthur Genius Fellow

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86 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Accordingly, Greek life and student organizational presence is a critical component of the student success and engagement experience as Edward Waters currently has active chapters of all nine National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations. The goal of the NPHC, also known colloquially as “The Divine Nine” is to unite as a single body under the ideals of sisterhood, brotherhood, scholarship, and service to the community. The forthcoming Greek Row will aid in the Greek life experience.One intentional action of the Faison Administration was addressing enrollment through the lens of retention. During the ﬁrst year of institutional evaluation, student retention was found to be a critical area of focus after a careful review of institutional research data regarding student attrition and the ﬂux in graduation rates. As a result, in 2019, the institution moved from the model of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) to The Tiger Center for Academic Persistence and Success (T-CAPS). As a student-centered, intrusive model to increase retention, T-CAPS was designed to support the academic and experiential success of students at Edward Waters. Roughly one year later, the institution grew T-CAPS to encompass a one-stop shop model within the program, with an expansion to not only ﬁrst and year students, but to the overall institutional retention through to graduation. This new area, the Oﬃce of Retention, was developed as an expansion of the more intentional T-CAPS center to create programmatic thrusts that enhance the student experience with a concentration on retention, persistence, and increased graduation rates.FRATERNITIESSORORITIESGREEK LIFE

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 87Most recently in the spirit of transformation, in spring 2021, The Oﬃce of Retention, formerly housed in the Division of Academic Aﬀairs, transitioned to the Division of Student Success and Engagement to provide increased engagement between the student’s academic journey and their social, psychological, and spiritual well-being. As a result, several branded signature events and workshops focused on academic improvements and retention eﬀorts in collaboration with Academic Aﬀairs, Athletics, Residential Life, and Counseling Services. Furthermore, T-CAPS in its commitment to supporting the academic and experiential success of students provided essential support to the challenges presented by the shift to virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Additionally, in 2021, the Oﬃce of Student Retention established The Roaring Tigers Mentoring Program to provide encouragement, motivation, inspiration, and additional academic support to all students. Administrators, faculty, staﬀ, and student leaders make up a total of 33 mentors who volunteered to serve 924 students from freshmen to senior level. The Oﬃce of Retention expanded beyond the campus to establish and engage in external relationships with various entities. One such program sponsored by the Jessie Ball DuPont Foundation called The Complete College America Program (CCA) brings together cohorts of higher-education leaders from across the country together so they can learn from one another as they work to transform policy, perspectives, and practice within their institutions. The work begins with identifying shared challenges and crafting a singular vision for student success. CCA helps participants turn those insights into actionable steps, oﬀer guidance on their implementation, and help as members of each cohort continue to learn and reﬁne their approaches. As a member institution of this national program, Edward Waters University is able to clearly deﬁne ways in which the institution can retain and graduate students within a set time frame consistent with increasing four-year completion rates. To further assist in educating administrators and staﬀ, a comprehensive group consisting of members from Student Success and Engagement, Academic Aﬀairs, Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant Services, and Institutional Eﬀectiveness partnered to participate in the Equity in Retention Academy sponsored by the Gardner Institute. Edward Waters was selected from over 100 applicant institutions as one of twelve teams to participate in the academy. The team from Edward Waters was the only group from a HBCU to attend and was one of three teams selected to present its comprehensive Retention Plan at the Academy’s ending session. Members of the team included: Dr. Jennifer Price,Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Matriculant ServicesDr. Stephanie Campbell,Associate Provost for Academic Student Success and Research InitiativesDr. Andrea Cummings,Director of TRiO Programs and Student Support ServicesMs. Velma Rivers,Assessment Coordinator, Institutional Eﬀectiveness33mentors volunteered to serve 924 students from freshman to senior levelEdward Waters was selected from over 100 applicant institutions as one of twelve teams andTHE ONLY HBCU TO ATTEND.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 89Not only is retention through the lens of Student Success and Engagement critical to providing a best-in-class experience for Edward Waters University students, but that vested interest includes the safeguarding of the entire campus community through campus security.Relatedly, to ensure and support student safety throughout our campus community, EWU completed the full installation of digital security alarm panels in Richardson Hall, Ted Baker Apartments, and Honors Village Houses during Spring 2021. The security alarms were completed in conjunction with Vector Security as an ongoing strategic measure to increase student safety and security.Most signiﬁcantly within the Division of Student Success and Engagement is the renovation of the institution’s largest residential facility, Tiger Landing. The renovation was completed as a result of the partnership between Edward Waters and the City of Jacksonville. Though initialized during the administration of Dr. Nathaniel Glover, President Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., restructured agreement terms in order to bring to fruition the project scope and guidelines, including design, construction, and oversight. As a result, in January 2021, the building was completed and ready for occupancy after a ribbon cutting and naming ceremony recognizing not only the public-private partnership and community uplift, but also the renaming of the complex in honor of now immediate past Chairman of the EWU Board of Trustees, Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., and his wife, form Supervisor Connie S. Richardson of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) 11th District. Similarly, the institution also made signiﬁcant structural and cosmetic updates and upgrades to the Blue Honors Village Apartments, while addressing aesthetic updates to Salter Hall and the Morris Cone Towers.

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90 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023In 2021, the Division of Student Success and Engagement continued to make strides with regard to increasing student engagement despite challenges present-ed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The institution operated in a largely virtual activity environment but was still able to engage students in a variety of ways. Most notably, in early March 2021, Edward Waters held a live-streamed, physi-cally distanced, and fully masked Royal Coronation celebration in honor of the 2020-2021 Miss and Mister Edward Waters. Ms. Monya Bishop, se-nior, Biology major, and Mr. Robert Thomas III, senior, Business major, and their Royal Court were honored in an event that included pre-recorded remarks from members of the Division of Student Success and Engagement as well as the tradi-tional ﬁnal walk from the outgoing 2019-2020 King and Queen.Another way the Division of Student Success and Engagement engaged with Ed-ward Waters students throughout the pandemic was with the establishment of The Roaring Tigers Mentoring Program in early 2021. This program created by the T-CAPS Oﬃce of Student Retention provides encouragement, motivation, in-spiration, and additional academic support to all students. Thirty-three mentors consisting of administrators, faculty, staﬀ, and student leaders volunteer to serve students from freshman through senior level. In early 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis and President Faison announced a perma-nent COVID-19 vaccination site at Edward Waters to reach Jacksonville’s under-served communities. This move signiﬁcantly increased access to the vaccine for res-idents in six counties across the state. In an eﬀort to stop the spread of COVID-19, Edward Waters also hosted monthly free testing for all faculty, staﬀ and students who were interested. The institution continued to cultivate new opportunities for student leadership development with the appointment of the ﬁrst two Edward Waters students to serve as members of the UNCF National Pre-Alumni Council Executive Board of Directors. Mr. Chauncy Whaley was appointed as Chaplain and Mr. J’von Keene was appointed Editor of the Torch. In August 2021, two Edward Waters Universi-ty students were selected to be among 86 students recognized in the 2021 White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They joined undergraduate, graduate and professional students at two oth-er historically Black schools in Florida as the White House recognized them for their accom-plishments in academics, leadership, civil en-gagement and more.Edward Waters University honoree Naim Brown is from Tampa, FL, studying business and law as senior class president, presidential scholar and captain of its Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) team. The second local honoree is Brianna Pendergrass of Albany, Ga., the reigning Miss Edward Waters University with a

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 914.0 GPA as a biology major, a presidential scholar as well a member of the EWC Honors College Alpha Cohort. To further ensure and support student safety throughout Edward Waters’ campus, the institution completed full installation of digital alarm panels in Richardson Hall, Ted Baker Apartments and Honors Village Houses in early 2021. These secu-rity alarms were installed in conjunction with Vector Security as an ongoing mea-sure to increase student security and safety throughout campus. Additionally, the institution made strides to increase student retention through initiatives such as the #WeGotYou campaign. This campaign took place in 2020 and again in 2021. The institution committed to paying the ﬁnancial semester charge balance of eligible students who returned for the fall semester. In fall 2020, Edward Waters provided nearly $2.1 million dollars to assist nearly 500 returning students with much needed ﬁnancial support to aid their continued persistence and progress toward completing their degree programs. The institution intends to increase this support in Fall 2021 by nearly $500,000. The University also developed the #CashMeOut program to award students with $2,000 who meet the eligibility criteria for emergency grant funding. This money was given directly to qualiﬁed students during the second week of the fall 2021 semester. In total, four hundred and sixty-nine students received this grant.Other student retention programs include the continuation of The Reverend Charles H. Pearce Summer Institute. The Institute was introduced as an early-start program that in-cludes a robust scaﬀolding of student support services such as intensive study strategy/skills seminars, time management workshops, tutoring services, and more. A new student orientation and week of wel-come was conducted in Fall 2021 to ensure new undergraduate students have a successful transition and integration into the Edward Waters University experi-ence as well.Other student retention programs include the continuation of The Reverend Charles H. Pearce Summer Institute. The Institute was introduced as an early-start program that includes a robust scaﬀolding of student support services such as in-tensive study strategy/skills seminars, time management workshops, tutoring ser-vices, and more. A new student orientation and week of welcome was conducted in Fall 2021 to ensure new undergraduate students have a successful transition and integration into the Edward Waters University experience as well. Homecoming 2021 welcomed students to the Edward Waters University campus for the ﬁrst ma-jor in-person activity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Held October 17-23, 2021, events of the week included a Gospel Concert featuring John P. Kee, Comedy Show featuring Darren Brand, and Tiger Experience featuring DJ Envy in addition to the Homecoming Parade, Homecoming Game, and a host of other extraordinary events. The Tigers played their ﬁrst Homecoming Game in the Glover Community Field & Stadium against the Central State University Ma-rauders winning 56 - 13.With the restructuring of the divisional structure, Career Services, Religious Life, and Counseling Services all became aligned with the unit vision, in particular that of Career Services that has an intentional focus on the student career pathway ex-perience, include post-graduation opportunities as well as student internships.As such, the Division of Student Success and Engagement is con-tinuing to expand its oﬀerings in order to engage students and create a campus culture at Edward Waters that promotes the aca-demic achievement of its students.

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92 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS CELEBRATES FIRST UNIVERSITYHOMECOMINGPresident Faison named Dr. Jame’l R. Hodges, Vice President for Student Success & Engagement as chair of Homecoming 2021. A week full of activities and programs that brought top notch celeb-rities to the campus of Edward Waters University as well as a host of alumni, returning and new community partners and of course our EWU faculty, staﬀ and students. Despite the uncertainty of the ever changing pandemic, we remained vigilant in providing a top notch Homecoming schedule for all. One of our most notable events, the Coronation of Ms. Brianna Pendergrass and Mr. J’Von Keene served as our kick-oﬀ event. The resplendent event included reﬂections from the 2020-2021 Miss EWC, Monya Bishop and Mr. EWC, Robert Thomas, a performance from Yo-hannas Performing Arts Company of Jacksonville, a trumpet fan fair performance by our very own Triple Threat Marching Band, a song performance by our EWU Concert Choir and a waltz performed by all of our student leaders within the Royal Court. In addition, the formal crowning and oﬃcial installation of our campus king and queen by President A. Zachary Faison, Jr. and First Lady Tyciee Faison served as a program highlight culminating in a Royal Reception to end the evening. Imagina-tive new events were also added to the Homecoming Schedule including the Tiger Derby, co-sponsored by the Pre-Alumni Council and EWU Alumni Association as well as our inaugural Tiger Glide Skate Jam, where we transformed the James Wel-don Johnson Gymnasium into a new age skating rink. This year, despite the Pandemic, and other major city-wide events taking place, we were able to have one of the largest parades with over 80 participants.

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94 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNVEILS NEWSTUDENT ACTIVITIES CENTEROn February 16, 2022, the Edward Waters University Student Activities Center was formally dedicated and opened with much fanfare and student delight. President Faison continued to be diligent in providing such a best-in-class student experience for the EWU scholar. This was evident by the nearly $500,000 investment in renovating the Martin Lu-ther King, Jr. Annex. A former cafeteria turned athletic weight room; the abandoned facility had become a storage space for institutional materials. However, President Faison understood the need for a dedicated student activity space. Though the Stu-dent Union Building provided opportunities for student programming, it could have been more conducive to the level of student activity and shared engagement aligned with the vision in the Eminence 2025 plan. President Faison envisioned a space that would allow students to gather and game – a work hard and play harder environment where students could study, meet, watch movies, play games, and socially interact in meaningful and productive spaces and ways. Thus, in the spring of 2020, the conceptualization of the Student Activities Center was conceived, with construction on the renovation beginning in the fall of 2021. Construction was completed in late 2021, and on February 16, 2022, the EWU Stu-dent Activities Center was formally dedicated and opened with much fanfare and student delight.

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96 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS RENOVATESRICHARDSON RESIDENCE HALLMost signiﬁcantly within the Division of Student Success and Engagement is the renovation of the institution’s largest residential facility, the Adam J. and Connie S. Richardson Residence Hall.Formerly named Tiger Landing, the renovation was completed as a result of the partnership between Edward Waters and the City of Jacksonville. Though initialized during the administration of Dr. Nathan-iel Glover, President Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., restructured agreement terms in order to bring to fruition the project scope and guidelines, including design, construction, and oversight. In late 2019, the College broke ground on a comprehensive $4.4 million renova-tion of its largest student residence facility due to a special partnership with the City of Jacksonville. The newly renovated Bishop Adam J. and Connie S. Richard-son Hall has 176 beds and includes new furnishings throughout the entire facility including a computer lab, lounge and study areas and high-speed internet. The apartment-style units are outﬁtted with a furnished common area, bathroom fur-nishings and kitchenette. A courtyard has been created with greenery and other features for the students to enjoy. As a result, in January 2021, the building was completed and ready for occupancy after a ribbon cutting and naming ceremony recognizing not only the public-private partnership and community uplift, but also the renaming of the complex in honor of now immediate past Chairman of the EWU Board of Trustees, Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr., and his wife, form Supervisor Connie S. Richardson of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) 11th District.

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98 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS CELEBRATES ITSANNUAL TIGERFESTAPRIL 6 - 10, 2022Though the Second Annual TigerFest returned in April 2022, it was the ﬁrst as Edward Waters University. TigerFest functions as a week-long series of activities to engage students in a multi-tude of programs related to not only festivity, but also academic and social inspiration. Created under the leadership of President Faison, Tiger Fest was developed to provide a spring ﬂing type of atmosphere to EWU. After a two year Pandemic, we were able to bring Tiger Fest back while intention-ally aligning it with Alumni Weekend in providing a life net of career and personal development for students as well as fun and engagement for all while focusing on alumni giving and student accountability in handling their business through ﬁnancial aid clearance, class registration and housing application and payment completion. As students were required to have the aforementioned completed as their com-plimentary ticket to the Tiger Fest events, this proved to serve as one of our most impactful retention tools for the semester. One of the most notable events during this “Channel Orange” themed week was the return of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show combined with a concert featuring rapper Trina and R & B artist, Jacquees.

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100 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023With the goal of improving the overall aesthetic appeal, the Student Union building was revamped to provide a more engaging, welcoming and student centered ambiance. Poles were wrapped with high impact practices such as “community service”, “empowerment”, “engagement”, and “leadership” and the walls were wrapped with “emerging eminence”, “#1866”, “Go Tigers” and “We are EWU”. A locker box was also added to provide students and their families with a student friendly and convenient way to send and receive large packages. The locker box quickly became the photo back drop for many students, visitors and potential EWU scholars!As part of our commitment to improving the overall student experience on the campus of Edward Waters, a new campaign titled “Pardon Our Progress” was introduced to the campus community in July 2022 highlighting the many changes and updates introduced for the 2022-2023 academic year. These updates included renovations to the in-person dining experience through our new food service provider, SodexoMagic; the university-wide fencing project, renovation of the Hatcher Stewart Academic Building, and renovation of our residence halls including fresh paint, bathroom ﬁxtures and tiling, new premium laminate ﬂooring, refreshed outside porches and new furniture in our Women’s residence hall, Salter Hall, with others soon to follow.

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In 2019, and with the commitment and support of the Board of Trustees and the collective campus community, President Faison committed to achieve the expansion of Edward Waters Intercollegiate Athletics as a critical component in the catalyzation of the institution’s overall growth and sustainability model. Speciﬁcally, President Faison and the athletic administration embarked on an audacious mission to move the institution from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Conference, to achieve membership in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II for the ﬁrst time in the institutions history. As such, in the summer of 2020, Edward Waters was formally accepted and supported by the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) to submit application to the NCAA Division II for membership. Later, in February 2021, Edward Waters successfully submitted application to the NCAA for Division II membership, achieving provisional membership as an oﬃcial member in July 2021. The institution has met all the requirements for the ﬁrst-year part of the process and in July 2022 the university was successful in earning admission into year two of the three-year full NCAA membership process. As an NCAA member we look forward to continuing to successfully engage not only the association and its member institutions, but also the athletic competition and fan experience associated with such a monumental and pivotal achievement and aﬃliation.One part of the growth and successful move to NCAA Division II was the addition of sports oﬀerings at Edward Waters. At the onset of President Faison’s arrival, the institution oﬀered seven sports, split between men’s and women’s oﬀerings for a total of eleven sports – ﬁve women’s sports and six men’s that included junior varsity baseball. In 2020, that number rose to seven women’s sports, adding softball and soccer, and indoor track and ﬁeld, while men’s sports climbed to eight – adding indoor track and ﬁeld and junior varsity basketball. Interestingly, cheerleading, which had been traditionally a women’s sport, was transitioned as a co-ed competition sport squad in 2020. As of 2022, the institution now has nineteen sports oﬀerings, with the additions of women’s golf, women’s junior varsity basketball, and men’s volleyball. Of the nineteen sports, ﬁfteen are varsity sports with eight women’s, seven men’s, and now competitive co-ed cheerleading. However, that 36% increase in sports oﬀerings since 2018 is set to rise as the institution looks at facilities and opportunities for partnerships within the national athletic space, as well as nuanced opportunities for oﬀerings currently not available in the state of Florida and other HBCU counterparts.Further growth of Intercollegiate Athletics stemmed from the construction and renovation of athletic facilities. One major addition within this division changed the footprint of the Edward Waters campus: the addition of the institution’s ﬁrst on-campus The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics was at the forefront of the Faison Administration in 2018. prior to the arrival of President Faison, Athletics at Edward Waters was viewed as a viable space for institutional growth opportunities. As a part of the President’s ﬁrst-year strategy in assessing and evaluating the various institutional units, Intercollegiate Athletics was no exception to this process, undergoing a close inspection of its processes, policies, and procedures as related to operations, capacity, and subsequent expansion. One year after his assumption of the Presidential helm, Faison not only grew to understand the important impact Athletics had on resource and student development at Edward Waters, but also the ability to expand the division as, per his phrase, “The front porch of the institution.” Dr. Ivana M. RichAssociate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 105stadium: the Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium. As with the Tiger Landing renovation project, achieving the construction of the new stadium began with the restructuring of the city of Jacksonville agreement to renovate Tiger Landing, the institution’s largest residential facility. In fall 2019, one year after the arrival of President Faison to the campus of Edward Waters, the terms of the agreement were restructured from a reimbursement model to an appropriations model that allowed for the upfront payment of costs associated with the construction and renovation of not only Tiger Landing, but the new community ﬁeld and stadium. As such, in spring 2020, planning and construction began on the construction of the facility. With funding provided by the city of Jacksonville, as well as private donor gifts, the Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium was completed in late spring 2021, with a ribbon cutting and naming of the facility taking place in July 2021. Along with the dedication of the new stadium, the institution also dedicated a new space for vendor and social gatherings. Tiger Plaza, located in the vacant lot between the stadium entrance and the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex, was dedicated in a separate ribbon cutting immediately following the stadium ceremony. The plaza features space established for stadium vendors with re-constructed, removeable tents, and will feature a National Pan-Hellenic Council “Greek” Row of permanently ﬁxed commemorative memorials with information relative to the nine nationally recognized historically black Greek letter organizations. However, the centerpiece of the plaza is a bronze sculpture of the EWU Tiger. This 15-foot work of art, from nose to tail tip, displays the elegance and prestige of the University and its recognition within the athletic space and serves as the crown jewel of those entering the ﬁeld to play or spectate for not only football and soccer, but also for other institutional events, such as Commencement Exercises. Additionally, “Future Tigers” in children and adults alike, ﬁnd the Bronze Tiger a favorite place to take pictures and to touch for ﬁnding “good luck” in the stroke of its metal fur. This was no more evident than when Edward Waters University hosted its ﬁrst football game in its own campus stadium on August 28, 2021, winning its season opener against the Florida Memorial University Lions in a 24-20 competition of the Big Cats.Additionally, athletics facilities witnessed a face lift in several areas. The front façade of the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Athletics Complex received new full color wraps for its street facing public, as well as the interior vestibule was repainted. These wraps were also incorporated into the front façade of the stadium to cover the exposed steelwork of the stadium underbelly in fall 2020. In April 2020, the bleachers in the main basketball arena were replaced, including the motors, to allow for not only safety and full closure for ﬂoor access, but also featured the EWC lettering within the seating arrangement. Further, throughout the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years, the institution saw upgrades to the baseball team and basketball team locker facilities, as well as the women’s basketball locker rooms and the football oﬃces and student areas. No greater enhancement to the athletics facilities, outside of the new stadium, than the renovated Adams-Jenkins Basketball Court and Arena. Beginning fall 2021, President Faison and Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design, Mr. Justin Walker, developed the concept for a new state-of-the-art basketball court and scoreboards that would not only enhance student-athletic performance, but also oﬀer an aesthetically stimulating opportunity for spectators. Construction on the renovation of the facility began late fall 2021, with the ﬁnal completion and dedication ceremony taking place in April 2022. The ﬂoor features rich hues of purple and orange in the Tiger stripe motif with the words “Welcome to the Jungle” etched in the ﬂooring along with the signature EWU Athletic Logos. The renovation also included the revision of the lettering on the seating to reﬂect Edward Waters move from College to University.These are just some of the ways in which Edward Waters Athletics has moved from 2018 to the present. While Intercollegiate Athletics has made great strides and accomplishments on and oﬀ the court and ﬁeld, the work in which the division completes is much greater than the physical manifestations of change. Those changes are also taking place in the establishment of Athletic Academic Support Services, the provision of nutritional enhancements through the opening of the Tiger Den Nutrition Stand in spring 2020, and the formation of various processes, strategic plans, councils, and committees to ensure compliance and best practices for a world class athletic experience. Given the best is yet to come, the following pages will spotlight some of the more exciting transformative changes within the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

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106 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to furthering the mission and vision of Edward Waters University and accomplishing the strategic goals and priorities of the strategic plan. In an eﬀort to increase recruitment, retention and graduation rates through student engagement across curricula and co-curricular programs, athletics worked to recruit and retain its student-athletes. In July 2021, Edward Waters became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for the ﬁrst time in its 155-year history. The University will play at the Division II level of America’s premiere collegiate athletic association.Edward Waters submitted its application to the NCAA in February 2020 and has worked to secure full membership into the NCAA by continuing to improve the athletics departments. Relatedly, EWU also oﬃcially accepted an invitation to become a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after an 86-year separation. Edward Waters was previously a member of the SIAC from 1930-1935. Notably, this announcement marks Edward Waters University as the only NCAA Division II Historically Black College or University in the state of Florida. As a new NCAA Division II member, Edward Waters began the ﬁrst year of a three-year provisional process in August. When all benchmarks are met by the University it will be eligible for full membership in the NCAA in August 2021. Nevertheless, the recent announcement and acceptance of EWU by the NCAA into the transitional process aﬀords the university and its student- athletes the ability to compete at the NCAA Division II level in all sports eﬀective immediately. The addition of Edward Waters will increase the SIAC’s membership to 15 institutions. The conference’s current membership includes:In another exciting step forward for Edward Waters Athletics, the University unveiled and dedicated the new Dr. Nathaniel Glover Community and Field Stadium in August 2021. The $4.3 million dollar project broke ground in February 2020 as a public-private partnership between Edward Waters University and the City of Jacksonville, as well as private donor gifts, providing a permanent home to the University’s Football and Soccer programs. EMINENCE ININTERCOLLEGIATE230new student-athletes recruited for the Fall 2021 semester481student-athletes enrolled by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics“This incredibly signiﬁcant achievement is yet another important milestone in our continued ascendancy and transformation towards becoming one of America’s “best-in-class” higher educational institutions of choice. This is a truly watershed moment for our entire university community, athletics program and our dynamic student-athletes.”– Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., President and CEO

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108 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023The Community Field and Stadium includes a state of the art artiﬁcial turf playing surface, a new digital scoreboard, and media suites. As the institution faces growth, the capacity of the stadium is anticipated to allow for an upgraded fan experience. Subsequently, the institution played the inaugural game at their new stadium on August 28th at 4pm against Florida Memorial University. The Tigers defeated the Lions 24 – 20 to win the season opener for the ﬁrst time since 2012. This game ushered in a new era of Tigers football under a new head football coach, the ﬁrst as an NCAA Division II institution and member of the SIAC and the ﬁrst at Nathaniel Glover Community Field & Stadium.Among the monumental transformations in athletics since President Faison assumed leadership was the signing of a multi-year agreement with Nike and BSN Sports in July 2019. Under this agreement, Nike became the exclusive provider of all Tiger uniforms, apparel and accessories. The partnership continues to serve in building a heightened sense of conﬁdence and pride in the student athletes and campus community. Nike branded Tigers gear is available through online stores hosted by BSN. This was transformational for the Edward Waters Athletics community and the overall institution as a chance to maximize athletic apparel spending and receive a cash rebate at the end of the year.As of Fall 2021, Edward Waters has a total of ﬁfteen varsity sports with eight women’s athletic programs and seven men’s athletics programs. There are also junior varsity men’s basketball and baseball teams. Since 2019, the teams added to the athletic oﬀering at Edward Waters were Men’s Volleyball, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Golf and Indoor Men & Women’s Track. With the expanded athletics programs updates were made to campus infrastructure to support these new sports and enhance the experience of the other athletics departments. In April 2020, the bleachers in the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex were replaced including the motors that allow for them to be completely retracted toward the wall. Additionally, the nearly $100,000 upgrade now meets ADA Compliance standards as well as remediated safety risks to spectators.Infrastructural updates include the James P. Smalls Baseball Park upgrades to the Baseball team’s locker room with new lockers and ﬂooring, providing a more professional look for the team. This project was at no cost to the institution. Equally, the Edward Waters Softball program was provided a location for its own private locker room speciﬁcally designated for its players at the James Weldon Johnson Academic Complex. Further improvements have been made to the Softball ﬁeld, bleachers, and scoreboard. Related upgrades to aﬃliated student-athletic facilities include, the men’s basketball locker facility retroﬁtting new custom-built lockers on-site as well as re-painting the entryway of the women’s basketball locker room to reﬂect the University’s colors. Additionally, the facade of the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex received a face-lift when the lettering was added to the building, as well as cascading roof to ground full-color banner wraps added to the front-facing, Kings Drive side of the building. This along with the newly painted vestibule and gymnasium areas provide an aesthetic complement to the re-imagined Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. These similar wraps were added to the grandstand/home team side of the stadium to address the steel welding that was visible to outfacing public.Furthermore, in Spring 2020, Intercollegiate Athletics unveiled the new Student-Athletes Tiger Den Nutrition Stand. The food stand, located in the underutilized rear concessions area of Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex, is intentionally designed as a place where student-athletes can come and refuel on healthy snacks and drinks before or after practice and class.As of 2022, Edward Waters University now oﬀers a total of nineteen sports

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 109and allows students to compete at the Division II level in the NCAA. Programs for student-athletes are continuing to grow each year and the institution has shown commitment to its student-athletes by investing in facilities to best support them now and in the future. In December 2021, history continued to be made at Edward Waters, as Women’s Basketball graduate student guard/forward La’Quanza Glover became the ﬁrst EWU student-athlete and female HBCU student-athlete to sign a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreement. Glover has signed with Global Freight & Commerce, a veteran owned and operated transporting company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Glover’s historic NIL deal marks the ﬁrst for a student-athlete from an HBCU in the State of Florida, as well as for a student-athlete from an SIAC member institution. To note, Glover’s deal includes her assisting Global as a recruiter and spokesperson, helping people achieve their CDL licenses. She will also promote Global at several events around the area. For the ﬁrst time in the history of Edward Waters University, sixteen men donned the Purple & Orange taking part in the ﬁrst men’s volleyball match in program history. The Tigers hosted NCAA Division III powerhouse and national championship participant, Lancaster Bible College in an exhibition match at Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Association on the evening of Tuesday, January 11, 2022.Along with the dedication of the new stadium, the institution also dedicated a new space for vendor and social gatherings. Tiger Plaza, located in the vacant lot between the stadium entrance and the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex, was dedicated in a separate ribbon cutting immediately following the stadium ceremony. The plaza features space established for stadium vendors with re-constructed, removeable tents, as well as will feature a National Pan-Hellenic Council “Greek” Row of permanently ﬁxed commemorative memorials with information relative to the nine nationally recognized historically black Greek letter organizations. However, the centerpiece of the plaza is a bronze sculpture of the EWU Tiger. This 15-foot work of art, from nose to tail tip, displays the elegance and prestige of the University and its recognition within the athletic space and serves as the crown jewel of those entering the ﬁeld to play or spectate for not only football and soccer, but also for other institutional events, such as Commencement Exercises. Additionally, “Future Tigers” in children, and adults alike, ﬁnd the Bronze Tiger a favorite place to take pictures and to touch for, ﬁnding “good luck” in the stroke of its metal fur. “This is a historic accomplishment for LaQuanza and for Edward Waters University.” – President and CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. .

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110 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS BECOMES A MEMBER OF NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONSIAC MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:For the ﬁrst time in its 155-year history, Edward Waters University became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Edward Waters worked toward this full membership into the NCAA through a partnership with Strategic Edge Ath-letic Consulting. Strategic Edge has a perfect record in leading its contracted schools to acceptance into the NCAA. Notably, this historic announce-ment distinctively marks EWU as the only NCAA Division II Historically Black Col-lege or University (HBCU) in the State of Florida. As a new NCAA Division II member, Edward Waters began the ﬁrst of a three-year provi-sional process in August 2021. When all benchmarks are met, the University will be eligible for full membership in the NCAA in August of 2024. Nevertheless, ac-ceptance into the NCAA transitional process aﬀorded the university and its stu-dent-athletes the ability to compete at the NCAA Division II level in all sports ef-fective Fall 2021. Edward Waters also oﬃcially accepted an invitation to become a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) after an 86-year separa-tion. The institution was previously a member of the SIAC from 1930-1935. The addition of Edward Waters increased the SIAC’s membership to 15 institu-tions including:The SIAC sponsors 14 championship sports, including six women’s sports (Basket-ball, Cross Country, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball) and eight men’s sports (Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball).• Albany State University• Allen University• Benedict College• Central State University• Clark Atlanta University• Fort Valley State University• Kentucky State University• Lane College• LeMoyne-Owen College• Miles College• Morehouse College• Savannah State University• Spring Hill College• Tuskegee University.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 111Relatedly, EWU also oﬃcially accepted an invitation to become a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Notably, this announcement marks Edward Waters University as the only NCAA Division II Historically Black College or University in the state of Florida. As the second oldest historically black college and university athletic conference, the SIAC has one of the most sto-ried histories in all of the NCAA. Many of the conference’s former athletes and coaches have transcended to larger-than-life characters that continue to be monumental in the world of sports. Furthermore, the chronicles of many SIAC programs have been vital to the foundation of American society.The SIAC has a rich history on the gridiron, as some of the biggest names in college and professional sports began their careers in the conference. Headlining the list are Pro Football Hall of Famers “Bullet” Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), David “Deacon” Jones (South Carolina State), Larry Little (Bethune-Cookman), Shannon Sharpe (Savan-nah State), John Stallworth (Alabama A&M) and Rayﬁeld Wright (Fort Valley State). Overall, the conference has produced more than 300 NFL players.

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112 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNVEILS NEWNATHANIEL GLOVER COMMUNITY FIELD & STADIUMThe Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium was completed in late spring 2021, with a ribbon cutting and naming of the facility taking place in July 2021. Further growth of Intercollegiate Athletics stemmed from the construction and renovation of athletic facilities. One major addition within this division changed the footprint of the Edward Waters campus: the addition of the Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium. As with the Tiger Landing renovation project, achieving the construction of the new stadium began with the restructuring of the city of Jacksonville agreement to renovate Tiger Landing, the institution’s largest residential facility. In fall 2019, one year after the arrival of President Faison to the campus of Edward Waters, the terms of the agreement were restructured from a reimbursement model to an appropriations model that allowed for the upfront payment of costs associated with the construction and renovation of not only Tiger Landing, but the new community ﬁeld and stadium. As such, in spring 2020, planning and construction began on the construction of the facility. With funding provided by the city of Jacksonville, as well as private donor gifts, the Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadium was completed in late spring 2021, with a ribbon cutting and naming of the facility taking place in July 2021.

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116 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023NEWLY RENOVATED ADAMS-JENKINS SPORTS AND MUSIC COMPLEX MULTI-SPORT COURT &DIGITAL VIDEO BOARD The next major enhancement made to the athletic facilities came in the form of the transformation of the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex Beginning fall 2021, President Faison, and Director of Creative Services & Graphic Design, Mr. J. Allen Walker, developed the concept for a new state-of-the-art bas-ketball court and scoreboards that would not only enhance student-athletic per-formance, but also oﬀer an aesthetically stimulating opportunity for spectators. Construction on the renovation of the facility began late fall 2021, with the ﬁnal completion and dedication ceremony taking place in April 2022. The ﬂoor features rich hues of purple and orange in the Tiger stripe motif with the words “Welcome to the Jungle” etched in the ﬂooring along with the signature EWU Athletic Logos. The renovation also included the revision of the lettering on the seating to reﬂect Edward Waters move from College to University. University president Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. said the new court helps to establish an identity for Edward Waters athletics. “We want this place to be a proverbial jun-gle,” Faison said. “When opposing teams come into this venue, they know they’re entering a jungle-like environment where it’s going to be intimidating, and certain-ly supportive for the student-athletes here.”The new project is the latest step in a series of moves aiming to build the proﬁle of EWU athletics, which moved into NCAA Division II during the summer. “We want to be at the forefront in terms of being able to recruit and retain the very best athletes in the world,” Faison said. “And we believe that this facility is the next step in us being able to do that.”

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120 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EMINENCE IN ATHLETICS: CULTIVATING A CULTUREOF CHAMPIONS18/19 - GCAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Runner-Up18/19 - GCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Runner-Up18/19 - GCAC Mens Track & Field Champions20/21- GCAC Women’s Basketball Regular Season Co-Champions20/21- GCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Runner-up21/22 - SIAC Men’s Volleyball Tournament Runner-Up21/22 - SIAC Men’s Volleyball Regular Season Co-Champions 21/22 - HBCU Baseball National Champions 21/22 - HBCU Softball National Champions21/22 - GCAC Women’s Volleyball Regular Season Champions 21/22 - GCAC Women’s Volleyball Tournament Champions 22/23 - SIAC Women’s Volleyball Eastern Division Champions22/23 - SIAC Women’s Volleyball Tournament Runner-Up22/23 - SIAC Women’s Volleyball Regular Season Co-Champions3x Defending Champions – AME Football Classic23/24 - SIAC Women’s Softball Eastern Division Champions23/24 SIAC Men’s Volleyball SIAC Tournament ChampionsCHAMPIONSHIPS WON FROM 2018 - 2023

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122 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS WELCOMESDR. IVANA M. RICH: FIRST WOMAN TO LEADEWU INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICSEdward Waters University named Dr. Ivana Rich as its new Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics during a press conference in the Adams-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex.“We engaged our student-athletes, coaches, alumni, athletic administration, as well as our faculty and staﬀ to be a part of listening sessions to help guide us through this process,” remarked EWU President and Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. “What really resonated with me the most is the feedback from our student-athletes and Dr. Rich connected with them in a phenomenally positive way.”Dr. Rich comes to Edward Waters after a seven-year stint at NCAA Division I and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member Norfolk State University, serving in a number of roles within the Athletic Department. Most recently, Dr. Rich served as the Acting Athletic Director at NSU, while also serving as as the Associate AD for external relations and Senior Woman Administrator, after joining the NSU student-athlete support staﬀ in the spring of 2016. After initially serving the department’s learning specialist, Rich was promoted to assistant athletics director for academic support in the fall of 2017. She was later promoted again to associate AD for academic support prior to the start of the 2019-20 academic year and Associate AD for administration/SWA during fall of the 2021 – 2022 academic year.“I am excited to take this role here at Edward Waters, especially in the 50th anniversary of Title IX to show that there is a need for women leaders and to show that we can do this and we can sit in that seat, I believe that is critically important,” remarked Dr. Rich.

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126 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EMINENCE INOptimizing philanthropic support and advancing Edward Waters’ image, resources and relationships is key to expanding the ﬁnancial resource base of the institution. Immediately after assuming leadership of Edward Waters, President Faison and members of his administration began meeting one-on-one with key leaders and organizations in the Jacksonville community to establish and further develop relationships. The Division of Institutional Advancement, Development, Marketing and Communications (IADMC) is committed to furthering the mission and vision of the institution and increasing private and public ﬁnancial support for Edward Waters. In an eﬀort to build a culture of giving within the institution, IADMC launched the Annual Giving Campaign for Emerging Eminence at Edward Waters during the Faculty/Staﬀ Institute on January 4, 2019. This initiative is aimed at enhancing its relationships with the institution’s existing philanthropic partners while simultaneously expanding eﬀorts toward developing and cultivating new philanthropic supporters. The Executive Cabinet led the eﬀort with a gift of $10,000 and the faculty and staﬀ at Edward Waters quickly followed suit in their giving. On October 4, 2019, the Executive Cabinet presented a second check in the amount of $13,689 to the Board of Trustees, furthering their commitment of reinvestment in the institution and bringing their total giving to $23,689 since their on-boarding in 2018. With regards to faculty and staﬀ, Edward Waters closed the 2019 ﬁscal year with 100% participation in the Level Up Campaign that was announced in January 2019. Contributions through this campaign totaled $20,957 for the 2019 ﬁscal year. Moreover, the rate of participation has stayed at 100% for three consecutive years.President and First Lady Faison also donated $25,000 to support a newly established Edward Waters Professional and Scholarly Development Fund. This fund is created to support and expand opportunities for professional and scholarly development among faculty and staﬀ at Edward Waters. Philanthropic Support during the First 18 Months of GivingJuly 1, 2018 – January 31, 2020$1,436,962$1,056,000$2,492,962Cash, Pledge PaymentsIn-kind, Pledges TotalADVANCEMENT

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 127& DEVELOPMENTAdditionally, Edward Waters will beneﬁt greatly from new endowment gifts established by individual members of the EWU Board of Trustees. The institution is grateful to the following members who have committed to establish a named endowed scholarship fund at a minimum level of $25,000 or more: • Immediate Past Board Chairperson, Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Jr. and his wife, Mrs. Connie S. Richardson• Trustee Demetria Merritt-Bell• Trustee Reverend Dr. R.B. Holmes, Jr. • Trustee Dr. Freddie Groomes-McClendon• Trustee Pamela Prier• Trustee Reverend Clarence A. Williams February 2020 marked an 18-month milestone for the new leadership at the helm of Edward Waters during that period the historic Jacksonville institution raised just over $3.1 million dollars in private gifts, pledges and in kind-support from a variety of stakeholder sources including its own academic community of faculty, staﬀ, students, alumni, and board of trustee leaders as well as local and national business and philanthropic supporters, partners, and friends of the college. The $3.1 million-dollar ﬁgure represents an overall 30% increase in private gifts, pledges, and in-kind support received over the previous 18-months.State Legislative AppropriationsThere has also been a dramatic increase in funding from the state legislature. At the close of the 2020 state of Florida legislative session, Edward Waters had a prospective allocation of $7.4 million. This represents a 220% increase over the previous year allocation of $2.9 million. The end result was a historic increase which included an additional $3.5 million to Edward Waters College leading to a total of $7.4 million slated to support the institution. This additional funding represents a 72% increase in state support for EWC over the prior budget year. The additional $3.5 million in recurrent funding enabled the institution to quickly deploy resources to create new academic programs, upgrade infrastructure and technology and hire critical personnel. In particular, plans to utilize some of the additional support towards bringing new academic programs to the institution such as Computer & Information Science, Forensic Science, Social Work, and the advent of Edward Waters College’s ﬁrst graduate degree program (i.e., Master of Business Administration) ultimately led to Edward Waters College becoming Edward Waters University. Relatedly, this increased support allowed the university to ease the ﬁnancial burden of returning EWU students and their parents during the 2020-2021 academic year. Speciﬁcally, the institution committed to paying the ﬁnancial balances of eligible returning student’s Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semester charges which include tuition and fees, room and board, and activity fees. The new EWC hashtag themed student support initiative titled, “#WeGotYou,” was aimed at increasing student retention and promoting student persistence at Edward Waters, as students lack of ﬁnancial wherewithal has traditionally acted as the most signiﬁcant impediment in their progression towards completing their programs of study at the University. Made possible by the recurrent allocation of funding geared at closing the ﬁnancial gap of students, the 2021-2022 academic year continued this student support and retention program with #WeGotYouAgain. As such, undergraduate students can attend Edward Waters University without the ﬁnancial ramiﬁcations that might impede their continued progress towards obtaining a degree. $3.1M 30%raised in private gifts, pledges, and in-kind supportIncrease over the previous 18 months

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128 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Cultivating a Philosophy of Strategic Philanthropy Other philanthropic cultivation and fundraising eﬀorts and accomplishments of President Faison’s administration include gifts from Thompson Hospitality, the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, Florida Blue, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and others that were integral in furthering academic aﬀairs and student experiences on the Edward Waters campus. In Spring 2019, Edward Waters was gifted $244,000 for the construction of the Tiger Stripe Café. In an eﬀort to enhance the student experience and further develop a student-centered culture, the new student café features Starbucks Coﬀee, on-the-go meals and more. In addition, Thompson Hospitality agreed to complete design and construction for an updated reconﬁguration of the main dining hall to allow students to receive hot food items via a “Grab-N-Go” dining arrangement.Later, in February 2019 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation (EAF), pledged an endowment of $100,000 to Edward Waters as part of the organization’s AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund.Subsequently, in February of 2019, Edward Waters College received a $100,000 gift from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund to support the establishment of the ﬁrst Honors College in the history of the institution. The Honors College at Edward Waters intends to support the enhancement of the College’s overall academic proﬁle and serve as a vehicle for recruiting and retaining more high achieving and academically gifted students. The gift furthered the ability of the College to not only educate students with academic promise but also educate students with academic prowess.The new Honors College at Edward Waters oﬀered students an opportunity to participate in an academic program that oﬀered a heightened level of intellectual rigor undergirded by a curriculum focused in research, high scholarship, and various opportunities for co-curricular engagement.Relatedly, in November 2020, the College received an additional $150,000 from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund in support of the Honors College at Edward Waters. This gift brings the cumulative investment from the Fund in support of this initiative to $250,000 since the establishment of the Honors College.Furthermore, Edward Waters received notiﬁcation on May 3, 2021 that the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund approved $200,000 in initial funding towards the establishment of the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Law, Race, Social Justice, and Economic Policy at Edward Waters. In Spring 2020 and again in Spring 2021, The National Park Service awarded consecutive $500,000 grants leading to a current total of $1 million dollars to Edward Waters University for the restoration of Centennial Hall. The grant was part of the $9.7 million awarded to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in ten states for the preservation of historic facilities on campus through the Historic Preservation Fund. Projects funded by the grant include a window restoration project for Centennial Hall. Housing the university library, Centennial Hall contains approximately 13,000

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 129print volumes and provides access to over 250,000 electronic books and more than 60 print periodicals. Additionally, the historic Susie Tolbert House received numerous renovations. The Susie Tolbert House is a two-story wood structure built in 1912. The house is a locally designated historical site, and previously served as a museum. Currently, this building houses the Division of Institutional Advancement, Development, Marketing, and Communications, servicing alumni, corporate, and community development engagements. The house was in need of signiﬁcant repairs due to its aging structure. As such, Edward Waters made an investment of approximately $88,000 to complete repairs related to restore the facility’s exterior façade on all sides and surrounding features and the rear entrance decking. Relatedly, new landscaping accompanied the paving of the driveway and parking lot, which was once a gravel lot. This increased not only the aesthetic value of the property, but also safety and security of the facility.Additionally, new signage that outlined the location, division, and areas of oversight with the new University logo was added to the front of the building for informational and aesthetic appeal.Continuing into 2021, in partnership with Florida State College at Jacksonville, Edward Waters worked to submit the Helping Out People Every Day (H.O.P.E.) Food Pantry Initiative application to Florida Blue Foundation’s 2020 Food Security Grant Program. This grant was approved and FSCJ Foundation received its ﬁrst disbursement of $100,000 in early 2021. This grant allows for a mobile food pantry to service Edward Waters’ students.Vendor Related PhilanthropyAlso on the rise during the Faison Administration were vendor giving partnerships with the institution. When contacts with vendors were at the point of contract renewal, Edward Waters sought to engage in a strategic vendor philanthropic initiative to catalyze ﬁnancial reinvestment from the third-party partners and generate additional support for the institution. Consequently, in 2019 Edward Waters entered into a ﬁve-year strategic partnership with Kelly Tours, Inc. valued at $100,000. The partnership included a new Van Hool CX45 Autocoach wrapped in orange, purple, and white, scholarships and other institutional gifts. The partnership was oﬃcially announced to the public during an unveiling and check presentation ceremony, in which the bus traveled down Kings Road to the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex to a robust and full audience of students, alumni, faculty, staﬀ and community supporters.Other vendor donations include Sissine’s Printing, who committed $150,000 to the Edward Waters Annual Fund and Follett Bookstore who, through a new contract will provide $1,023,000.00 in potential ﬁnancial support to the institution over the ﬁve-year term agreement. Giving at the institution has also been inspired by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. For instance, in July 2019, the College signed a multi-year agreement with Nike & BSN Sports that partnered with the EWC Athletic program to have an exclusive apparel agreement with Nike. Under the agreement, Nike became the exclusive provider of all Tiger uniforms, apparel and accessories. The partnership, which oﬃcially started on July 1, 2019, serves to build a heightened sense of conﬁdence and pride in the EWC student athletes and campus community. Nike branded Tigers gear is now available through online stores hosted by BSN. This was transformational for the EWC Athletics community and the overall institution as we were able to maximize our athletic apparel spending and receive a cash rebate at the end of the year.

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130 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023A FIRST OF ITS KIND PARTNERSHIP EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY AND THE FOLLETT HIGHER EDUCATION GROUPIn April 2022, then Edward Waters College (EWC), and Follett Higher Education Group (Follett) ﬁnalized an innovative and progressive new partnership aimed at reducing overall student costs while also signiﬁcantly enhancing student access to relevant technology necessary to promote optimum student academic performance and support overall student success. The new collaboration called the EWC/Follet ACCESS Program will not only continue providing students access to course materials via an e-textbook platform but will now provide those materials at a reduced cost thereby further enhancing the College’s already existing extraordinarily high value as the State of Florida’s most aﬀordable private Historically Black College or University (HBCU).The EWC/Follett ACCESS program launched in the Fall 2020 semester with every new ﬁrst-time-in-college full-time EWC student will be issued a new laptop computer along with the preloaded Microsoft 365 software suite. The multi-year partnership also includes annual scholarship support for EWC students as well as a ﬁnancial commitment towards capital and programmatic enhancements of the on-campus retail store experience for EWC faculty, staﬀ, students, and Tiger alumni.Follett has been a trusted partner to college campuses for more than 140 years and serves over half of the students in the United States. The Westchester, IL based company works with 80,000 schools as a leading resource provider of education technology, services, print and digital content and course materials. As the nation’s largest higher education campus retailer and a hub for school spirit and community Follett operates nearly 1,200 local campus stores and over 1,600 virtual stores across the continent.

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132 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Other contributions to athletics include a gift agreement in the amount of $50,000 that was executed in February 2021 with The Players Championship to help reinstate the women’s golf program at Edward Waters. This program is one of only two dedicated women’s golf programs at HBCUs in the state of Florida. The Players’ grant will assist in recruiting, selecting a coach and will fund student-athlete scholarships and assist with overall operational expenses. Additionally, in October 2020, the First Point Volleyball Foundation contributed $100,000 to Edward Waters to start a Men’s Volleyball program. Edward Waters College President & Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Paul A. Bryant announced the launch of the new men’s volleyball program, a 2021-2022 initiative that was supported in part by the grant from First Point Volleyball Foundation and the national governing body of volleyball in the United States, USA Volleyball. The new Edward Waters men’s volleyball program is part of a national eﬀort to bring the sport to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). Branding Emerging Eminence: Advancing Institutional Marketing Eﬀorts Further, the institution has launched many new marketing initiatives including several digital billboards that were on display across various locations managed by Clear Channel through the Jacksonville area including inside the terminal of the Jacksonville International Airport through beginning spring 2021. Additionally, a 30-second radio spot was developed that ran on WJBT and WSOL from February 1st through March 15th. In total there were 120 spots promoting Edward Waters on the radio for the ﬁrst time. Another part of the aesthetic enhancement of the institution came in the form of updating its digital presence through the commissioning of a newly designed website and campus logo. The new campus website features a completely refreshed look, with a focus on usability, structure, and accessibility. “Our new college website is an example of our continued commitment to innovation and EWC’s steps to be bold and audacious towards becoming a “best in class” institution of higher learning on the cutting edge for the future.” said President and CEO Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.Also, for the ﬁrst time in the history of Edward Waters, the institution features a full-length, 30 second commercial, advertising the Online MBA program. Beginning June 2021, this commercial was featured during the prime time morning, noon, and evening news. During the ﬁscal year 2020, the Division of Institutional Advancement, Development, Marketing, and Communications surpassed its ﬁscal year revenue goal with signiﬁcant increase in unrestricted and restricted dollars to the institution, as well as potential revenue. It is through the continued intentional philanthropic engagement, institutional branding, and innovative business modeling that contributions received during the 2021 ﬁscal year continued to exceed the goal that was outlined in the fundraising plan. The private giving goal for this period was $511,388.33 and as of April 19, 2021, private giving contributions totaled $889,497.94. Further, for the 2022 ﬁscal year the

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134 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023UNCF AND EWU HOST INAUGURAL MAYOR’S MASKED BALLThe inaugural Mayor’s Masked Ball supporting Edward Waters University was a smashing success, held at the Prime Osborn on Friday, March 18th, and emceed by ActionNews Jax’s Courtney Cole. The event raised nearly $500,000 and featured various speakers, a presentation of the Champion of Education Award to Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, and entertainment by the Hamiltones.Participants included Mayor Lenny Curry, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., CEO, and President of Edward Waters University, Maurice Jenkins, Chief Development Oﬃcer of UNCF, and a host of other donors and supporters. One highlight of the evening was the impassioned speeches from Edward Waters University Presidential Scholar and Honors College students Ms. Brianna Pendergrass (junior Biology major) and Davon Davis (freshman Criminal Justice major).“It was an honor to work with the UNCF and Edward Waters University to bring the inaugural Mayor’s Masked Ball to Jacksonville. I look forward to continuing to grow this event and beneﬁt students throughout our community.” said Mayor Lenny Curry.“We needed to secure the enthusiastic backing of perhaps the most indispensable element for bringing this kind of event to life—that being the support of our outstanding Mayor here in the City of Jacksonville: The Honorable Mayor Lenny Curry,” Dr. Faison said.“For more than 77 years, UNCF has fueled HBCUs with vital resources to educate generations of African American and other minority students,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “During the continuing unprecedented health and racial pandemics we’re all living through, our students and institutions need support now more than ever. We are at risk of washing away a generation of talented and deserving African American and minority students. We are asking for as many donations as possible right now because the students we help now will be our next generation of doctors, nurses, biologists, virologists, epidemiologists—the pandemic frontliners of the future. We thank everyone in Jacksonville that participated in the Mayor’s Masked Ball to help ensure better futures for us all.”PRIMARY EVENT SPONSORS

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138 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS RECEIVES$300,000 IMPACT GRANT FROM THE PROPEL CENTEROn February 2, 2022, representatives from The Propel Center and Apple, Inc. visited the campus of Edward Waters University (EWU) to present a check in the amount of $300,000.00 to EWU President & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. in support of academic programming, research, and learning opportunities particularly in the areas of the arts and entertainment industries. “As Florida’s ‘Destination Institution’ of Emerging Eminence, we are honored to accept this signature gift from our partners at The Propel Center which will also support the continued advancement of our institution’s mission to provide expanded and relevant high quality academic and experiential opportunities to under gird the comprehensive success of our students,” President Faison said.In an afternoon ceremony Dr. Charles Gibbs, President of The Propel Center, made the award presentation to President Faison along with current EWU students and staﬀ. “We at The Propel Center proud to make this investment at Edward Waters University as we are excited to become a partner in the positively transformative work being achieved by EWU under the dynamic visionary leadership of President Faison,” Dr. Gibbs said during the gift ceremony.Upon careful consideration of the 44 impressive proposals submitted, Edward Wa-ters University was one of ten HBCU’s nationally chosen to receive a grant focused on the Arts and Entertainment. Relatedly, through this support from The Propel Center, EWU will work towards developing its D.R.E.A.M. program (i.e., Devel-oping Resources for Entertainment, Arts, and Music) which aims to establish an incubator of future music and arts executives from amongst EWU students. The new grant also seeks to support the production of a pipeline of EWU students with music industry experience upon graduation.“I am deeply grateful to ‘The Propel Center’ its partners, and Dr. Gibbs for their demonstrated leadership in the collective eﬀort to accelerate opportunity and cata-lyze equity not just here at Edward Waters University, but at these collective high-er educational treasures—known as HBCUs—from throughout the nation,” said President Faison.The new D.R.E.A.M. program looks to target 10-20 students who will participate in a monthly programs and seminar featuring current music moguls as facilitating teachers and instructors. While enrolled at EWU students and staﬀ will have an opportunity to visit The Propel Center in Atlanta, GA to network and collaborate with other HBCU Propel member institutions and students.

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140 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYGOVERNMENT RELATIONS:LOBBYING EFFORTSThe Faison Administration has experienced banner results through legislative advocacy at Edward Waters. The University continues to be engaged with Ms. Yolanda Cash-Jackson, the Becker ﬁrm, and the Florida state legislature’s Duval delegation regarding initiatives and projects that support the institutional mission. Not only has President Faison visited the State Legislature yearly with various institutional constituents representing a broad spectrum of the EWU experience, the collective Florida Private HBCU Presidents met with various State Representatives and Senators to lobby for increased support of our students and institution. In January 2020, Edward Waters student representatives had the privilege of being recognized on the ﬂoor of both the House and Senate Sessions, meeting Representative (and EWU Alumnus) Tracie Davis ‘92, Senator and Minority Leader Audrey Gibson, and Senator Rob Bradley, as well as the rare honor of witnessing the approval of House Bill 4329, EWU’s request for appropriations to fund the institution’s Summer Bridge Program – The Rev. Charles H. Pearce Institute, which passed the House Subcommittee unanimously. Additionally, the collective Florida HBCU presidents held an audience with the Governor’s Oﬃce and were able to address concerns related to budget cuts and the need for approval of appropriations that would ensure a more secure future for Florida’s private HBCU institutions. These Presidents continue to meet regularly and work collectively to secure the future of HBCU funding within the state of Florida.Edward Waters University: State Legislative Funding • $3.5 million in New Funding (recurring) • $2,929,526 in Previously Existing Access & Retention Funding (recurring) • $1,000,000 in Previously Existing Institute on Criminal Justice Funding (recurring)Summarily, the most signiﬁcant action achieved for the University pursuant to the 2020 state legislative session represented a total 72% increase in state funding to the insti-tution over its previous allocation (from $4.3 million to $7.4 million) of operating funds received from the state legislature. This additional funding accelerated our eﬀorts in actualizing the programmatic evolution of EWU with regard to advancing the academic and institutional proﬁle. Most importantly, this is the highest allocation ever documented in state legislative funding support to EWU from the state of Florida. As such, Senator Audrey Gibson and Representative Tracie Davis ‘92 visited the institution in July 2020 for a formal check presentation to the campus community attendant to the receipt of this the record-break-ing state funding.

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142 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYRECORD $2,500,000 GIFT TO NEARLY DOUBLE INSTITUTIONAL ENDOWMENT In a ceremony at the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex, Faison shared his vision for the future of Edward Waters with a crowd of faculty, students, alumni, family, friends, trustees, and delegates from colleges and universities all over the country. “There’s still work to be done,” Faison said after sharing a list of major changes in the last four years that range from infrastructural improvements and a renewed focus on athletics to increasing enrollment and developing new community collaborations. After the ﬁrst few times that Faison said, “check” after talking about a particular accomplished goal, attendees got the hang of it, and joined in by saying “check” each time Faison talked about his staﬀ reaching another goal.But soon afterwards, Faison said as proud as he is at how far they’ve come, he knows that the university can improve in multiple areas. Increasing the univer-sity’s endowment tops the list, because that’s what sustains an institution long-term. An endowment is money that’s set aside for a variety of things including operational support, scholarships, upgrading facilities and hiring professors.Colleges with larger endowments can often give students bigger ﬁnancial award packages. Faison pointed to a chart that showed how Edward Waters is at the bottom of the endowment list when compared with other colleges and universities nationwide. The school has an overall goal to double its endowment by 2025, but that goal was accomplished at the inauguration when long-time EWU supporters and philanthropists Michael Ward and Jennifer Glock announced a $2.5 million partnership gift to the endowment fund.Ward made the announcement after sharing how he was initially apprehensive concerning Faison’s audacious agenda when he ﬁrst took on the job, becoming the nation’s youngest HBCU president at 37. Ward said he’s been involved with EWU since 2007. The former CEO of the Jacksonville-based railroad said he’d like to donate more time to EWU including joining the board of trustees if they will have him.

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148 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023INAUGURATIONA HistoricDr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. was oﬃcially installed as president and CEO at Edward Waters University, nearly four and a half years after taking on the role of leading the ﬁrst private independent institution of higher learning and ﬁrst historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the state of Florida.Technically, Faison is the 30th president, but he’s also the ﬁrst since he led the institution from being a college to a university last year. Edward Waters level change from a baccalaureate to a master’s level degree granting entity, has allowed the opportunity to oﬀer graduate programs for the ﬁrst time in the school’s 156-year history. In a ceremony at the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex, Faison shared his vision for the future of Edward Waters with a crowd of faculty, students, alumni, family, friends, trustees, and delegates from colleges and universities all over the country. “There’s still work to be done,” Faison said after sharing a list of major changes in the last four years that range from infrastructural improvements and a renewed focus on athletics to increasing enrollment and developing new community collaborations. After the ﬁrst few times that Faison said, “check” after talking about a particular accomplished goal, attendees got the hang of it, and joined in by saying “check” each time Faison talked about his staﬀ reaching another goal.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 151A HISTORY OF EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE AND ITS ASCENSION TOEDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYFounded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), Edward Waters University (formerly Edward Waters College) is dis-tinctively the state of Florida’s ﬁrst independent institution of higher learn-ing and Florida’s ﬁrst institution established for the education of African Americans. Edward Waters University (EWU) began as an institution founded by Afri-can Americans, for African Americans. In 1865, following the Civil War, the Reverend Charles H. Pearce, a presiding elder of the African Methodist Epis-copal (AME) Church, was sent to Florida by Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne. Observing the fast-paced social and political changes of the Reconstruction Era, Rev. Pearce immediately recognized the need for an education minis-try, as no provision had yet been made for the public education of Florida’s newly emancipated African Americans. Assisted by the Reverend William G. Steward, the ﬁrst AME pastor in the state, Pearce began to raise funds to build a school. In 1866, EWU was initially named “Brown Theological Institute” by Rev. William G. Steward, the ﬁrst AME pastor in the state. In 1874, the institu-tion’s name changed to Brown University. The school experienced some ﬁ-nancial diﬃculties and was forced to close for nearly a decade. In 1883, the school reopened under the name of “East Florida Conference High School” and later, “East Florida Scientiﬁc and Divinity High School” under the di-rection of Rev. William Preston Ross. Within a decade, the educational pro-gram was extended and in 1892, the school’s name was changed to Edward Waters College (EWC) in honor of the third bishop of the AME church. Through the years, EWU has withstood the test of time. In 1901, the City of Jacksonville was destroyed by ﬁre and EWU was reduced to ashes. In 1904, the Board of Trustees purchased the present site of the school on Kings Road with the imperative from Bishop M. B. Salter that EWU should be rebuilt. The school was ﬁrst accredited as a junior college in 1955 under President William B. Stewart, and by 1960 the University had restored its four-year curriculum. In 1979, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Com-mission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accredited the College as a four-year insti-tution and the University remains accredited by SACSCOC. With a history beginning in the dark yet hopeful days of Reconstruction, today’s EWU is living, thriving proof of the power of education and the resilience of deeply rooted educational institutions. Under the continued visionary leadership and direction of great Bishops of the AME Church and twenty-nine focused presidents, Edward Waters University was indeed “re-built.” On July 16, 2018, the Edward Waters College Board of Trustees, unani-mously elected Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. as the 30th president of EWC in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Faison is a visionary and proliﬁc higher education leader having set an audacious vision for EWC as a destination institution of Emerging Eminence. President Faison has led in the development and implementation of an exceptional strategic plan and agenda for the insti-tution, titled Eminence 2025. Under the leadership of President Faison, the institution has undergone a dynamic and historic transition being au-thorized in June 2021, by its accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), to move from a baccalaureate to master’s level degree-granting entity, thereby ascending from Edward Waters College (EWC) to Edward Waters University (EWU). This signiﬁcant achievement resulted in Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. becoming the First President and Chief Executive Oﬃcer (CEO) of the Edward Waters University. The inauguration of Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. as the First President, and CEO of Edward Waters University, marks a historic milestone and achieve-ment in the history of the institution. With a distinguished higher educa-tion lineage spanning over 155 years, EWU is primed to continue its Emerg-ing Eminence as a premier urban, private, Christian, Historically Black, and Liberal Arts University oﬀering high-quality academic programs.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 159“We’re putting actions behind our aspirations... We have much work left to do.” - Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. | Investiture Ceremony Address | November 2022Pictured L to R: 1.) Rev. Victor D. ColeTrustee, Edward Waters University2.) Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. and First Lady Tyciee L. Faison 3.) Miss Brianna Pendergrass ‘23 Miss Edward Waters University 2021-2022 4.) Miss LaQuanza Glover ‘21 & ‘23EWU Women’s Basketball Jersey Retiree5.) First Lady Tyciee L. Faison First Lady, Edward Waters University1.) Dr. Morgan Z. Faison Sister of Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.2.) Councilman Samuel C. Newby ‘84 Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 5 3.) Florida State Rep. Tracie Davis ‘94 Florida House of Representatives, District 134.) Dr. Jewel J. Faison Mother of Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.5.) Dr. Archie Tucker, II Senior Vice President of University Advancement,The University of Texas at Tyler4 554

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168 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC PROGRAM EXPANSION Academic Degree Program Expansion Edward Waters University continues its upward trajectory within the academic enterprise of the institution. Maintaining a solid commitment to educational excellence and eminence, the academic proﬁle of the institution continues to be reﬁned through the promulgation of new degree programs. As such, a degree program proposal for the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree has been developed and recommended for approval by the Edward Waters University Curriculum Committee and Faculty Senate. The resulting SACSCOC Substantive Change Prospectus was for the BSW was submitted to SACSCOC this past summer for December 2022 review and panned implementation and launch In Fall (August) 2023. To further explore the academic growth of new degree program development for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the Division of Academic Aﬀairs has created a timeline of new degree submission for implementation through August 2023. Below is the timetable for the development and submission for SACSCOC review and approval, and implementation of the following new academic degree oﬀerings at EWU:*4+1 Pathway Program (B.S. Biology - EWU | B.S.N. Nursing - University of Florida Program NameSubmission DateImplementationDateRulingDateForensic Science (B.S.) July ‘21 Dec ‘21 Aug ‘22Educational Policy and Advocacy (M.A.)July ‘21 Dec ‘21 Aug ‘22Social Work (B.S.W.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Computer/Info Science (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Public Health (B.P.H.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug ‘23Cybersecurity (M.S.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug‘23Public Administration (M.P.A.) Dec ‘22 Apr ‘23 Aug ‘23Accounting (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Sports Management (B.S.) July ‘22 Dec ‘22 Aug ‘23Nursing (B.S.N)* – – Aug ‘23

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170 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS LAUNCHES NEW CAMPUS DINING PARTNERSHIP WITH SODEXOMAGICOn April 21, 2022, Edward Waters University (EWU) announced the launch of a long-term partnership with a new campus dining service provider SodexoMAGIC. The new agreement will deliver $2.9 million in campus dining facility renovations including a comprehensively re-imagined student dining space (with eleva-tor access), a separate after hours/late night new student dining grill, as well as a new faculty, staﬀ, and presidential dining room. The impending dining facility overhaul will be the ﬁrst major multi-mil-lion dollar student dining renovation undertaken on the campus since the dining hall was ﬁrst constructed. Additionally, SodexoMagic will be the institutions ﬁrst new food services provider in years with the new contract set to begin on July 1, 2022. The historic partnership also marks SodexoMAGIC’s ﬁrst with a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Florida. “The best part about the on-boarding of this new dining service provider is that we, as student leaders, had a primary part in in selecting the vendor,” said Naliyah Baptiste, graduating senior and President of the University’s Student Government Association. “I’m thankful to President Faison and the entire administration for how they turned our comments, critiques, and suggestions for change into a re-ality that will support our entire campus community and especially the student body.”EWU’s new partnership comes following an engaged RFP and nearly 12-month se-lection process where a cross section of university stakeholders including students and university employees had an opportunity to throughly assess and vet the se-lected vendor last Fall. The winning vendor, SodexoMAGIC, is universally known for its chairman, NBA Hall of Famer, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and its service to a growing number of corporate and university/college clients that include Delta Airlines, Toyota, the Walt Disney Company, and sister HBCU’s Morgan State Uni-versity, Grambling State University, and Tennessee State University respectively. “Our students are at the very forefront of our Emerging Eminence at Edward Wa-ters University,” said University President & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. “We can hardly contain our excitement for this groundbreaking new partnership with Sodex-oMAGIC that promises to bring a signiﬁcant positive transformation to our campus community and most pertinently to the overall experience for our Tiger students.SodexoMAGIC’s investment in capital renovations and new modern fa-cility additions coupled with its oﬀering of a state-of-the-art new dining program promises to bring an incredibly heightened new experience to students at Florida’s ﬁrst HBCU.“As a corollary to our continued growth and history making development as Flori-da’s newest university we are cognizant that our student experience must simulta-neously match the expansion of our academic proﬁle,” said President Faison. “This exciting partnership with SodexoMAGIC is recognition of that fact and serves as a substantial additional step in our continuous and ongoing eﬀort towards that end.”

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174 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNVEILS NEW SAMUEL C. NEWBYFITNESS & WELLNESS CENTEREdward Waters remains committed to its engagement with the city of Jacksonville, in particular the New Town Community. As such, during its January 2022 meeting and with EWU alumnus Samuel C. Newby, ‘84 serving as the City Council President, The Jacksonville City Council awarded Edward Waters University a grant of $500,000 to renovate and purchase equipment for a community wellness and ﬁtness center on the campusThis facility will be used by faculty, staff, and students. The center will be open to the community for twenty hours a week, Monday through Friday, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The grant terms stipulate that the insti-tution will cover the operating expenses for 10 years, and afterward, any restrictions to the grant will expire accordingly. The EWU Community Fitness and Wellness Center location that has been identified is the James Wel-don Johnson Building cafeteria. At approximately 6,000 square feet of space, the Wellness Center will provide access to state of the art equipment to be used by EWU Athletics, students, faculty, staff, and the local community. Such a comprehensive wellness experience that is not currently available in the New Town Community will now be provided by EWU.

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180 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS CELEBRATESCREATING A BEST-IN-CLASS ONE-STOP SHOP EXPERIENCEAs a part of the institution’s commitment to a progressive institutional business model, a genuine student-centered culture, and best-in-class student services, the Faison Administration has determined a need to provide an experience for prospective Tigers. Thus, a signiﬁcant investment has been made to upgrade and expand the current Tiger One-Stop, a two-story converted structure that now facilitates ﬁnancial aid, advising and registration, housing, and student accounts. The initial concept of the One-Stop was to provide a centralized location for current students to take care of their administrative services. However, the Tiger One-Stop will now expand to include new students and prospective students who are interested in learning more about EWU. As such, admissions will now be included as a part of the struc-tural and operational infrastructure of the Tiger One-Stop.As a part of this expansion project, the University purchased and demolished the house owned by the institution next to the Tiger One-Stop. With the houses demolished, a gravel parking lot was built to increase parking on campus, while overgrown trees were removed because they were blocking the staﬀ’s view from the windows and to allow natural sunlight into the oﬃces. However, the removal of the trees, brush, and inclusion of the gravel lot began the preparation to ex-pand the physical footprint of the building. Not only will the physical footprint of the building be expanded by more oﬃce spaces and mixed-use presentation ar-eas, the entirety of the Tiger One-Stop will be renovated to provide a cutting-edge multi-media experience for new and returning students. Such an experience will increase the institutional capacity by expanding its recruitment and retention ac-tivities through innovative best practices that make an impactful ﬁrst and lasting impression. Construction of the new Tiger One-Stop is planned to begin in 2023.

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184 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023HATCHER-STEWART ACADEMIC BUILDING UPGRADESIn keeping with providing a more robust student academic ex-perience, the Faison Administration assembled a team of faculty and administrators to develop a comprehensive plan to renovate the Hatcher-Stewart Building. After several meetings, a walk-through, and deliberation, the team developed a plan to provide upgrades to the building. A comprehensive renovation began in May 2022 and is scheduled for completion in Spring 2023.The results of these discussions for proposed renovation/modiﬁcations of the Hatcher-Stewart Building are as follows: • Redo the front entrance of the building• Change out the windows around the building• Change the look of the stairway• Renovate the faculty lounge• Remove all carpet from the faculty oﬃces and tile • Redo ceiling tile throughout and light ﬁxtures throughout• Remodel restrooms• Check HVAC systems• Check to see if new roof is needed• Parking lot for faculty parking pave• Landscape • Put name on the building• New desks, chairs, and furniture• Repaint removing the purple and oranges color in areas

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186 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYCAMPUS FENCING & FACADE PROJECTHistorically, Edward Waters has existed as an open campus intermingled into the community. Such intermingling made it diﬃcult to not only diﬀerentiate campus property from local residential and commercial property but also protect the various members of the on-campus community. Notably, public sidewalks are a few feet away from many of the buildings due to the placement of buildings and city streetscapes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, protection of the campus community was made ever more complex given the public’s access to the campus and limited ability to monitor unvaccinated and COVID-positive commu-nity members. Additional concerns faced by the institution are persons coming onto the campus as won-derers, using the campus as a shortcut to other streets, and their COVID-19 status. This in itself exposes the campus environment to issues related to overall safety and wellness. The Faison Administration takes seri-ously the protection of its campus community, thus electing to make a multi-million dollar investment to enclose the campus in an eﬀort to institute strict temperature checkpoints and protect the students, faculty, and staﬀ from those that do not adhere to the University’s COVID-19 protocols.Beginning January 2022, campus fencing began and included wrought iron fencing, pedestrian gates, brick columns, surveys, permits, and gateway entrances. Each of the institutional properties will be fenced with the appropriate access to on-campus locations according to zone. Ease of access has been taken into con-sideration, with that ability to ensure the safety and wellness of faculty, staﬀ, and students as they enter, tra-verse, and exit the campus. As such, the fencing project will indicate the institutional property lines, clarify-ing an oﬃcial entry to the campus on Kings Road from either direction as new EWU marquees will provide a clear demarcation of campus proper – whether walking or driving.

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188 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYLAUNCH OF NEW TENNIS PROGRAMS& FACILITY RENOVATION AND EXPANSION The University’s commitment to athletic diversity and exposure is made evident through the launch of its men’s and women’s tennis programs and renovation of the existing tennis facilities.The existing tennis courts were demolished in late Fall of 2022 and began to take shape before the close of the year. The new construction will feature an expansion from three courts to four, allowing for multiple concurrent uses, and boasts new, state-of-the-art lighting, new fencing, newly-laid asphalt painted proudly in Eminence Purple and EWU Orange, and will allow for competition at the NCAA Division II level within the coming year. This facility will also feature beautiful landscaping and seating areas to allow specta-tors to enjoy, and enhancing the overall aesthetic of the area. Construction is antici-pated to be completed by early Spring 2023, allowing for use shortly thereafter. This addition creates the ninth sport offering for both our male and female athletes, and can additionally serve as alternative workout and practice space for our first co-ed sport - Competitive Cheerleading. Digital rendering of the completed tennis court renovations

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190 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY UNVEILS NEWOUTDOOR CAMPUS MULTIPURPOSE VENUEIn the overall eﬀort to enhance on campus student activity space and oﬀer attractive experiential campus amenities the University began construction on a new outdoor multi-purpose venue in September 2022. This new venue primarily serves as an outdoor basketball court, and will also oﬀer student activity space, which will oﬀer a modern, professionally landscaped and manicured space for students to enjoy recreational activities ranging from pick-up basketball games to outdoor block parties and various social and student activity related gatherings and events. Previously located between the George N. Collins Student Union Building and the University Greenway - aﬀectionately known as ‘The Back 40’ by students and alumni, this facility has been re-imagined in its new home next to the Morris Cone Residential Complex and will be comple-mented by portable bleacher-style seating, covered picnic area with pergolas and ﬁxed seating, as well as lighting and security to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students and other visitors to the space – enhancements previously not available due to space constraints in the former loca-tion. Students are eager for the grand opening ceremony which is slated to take place in the early Spring. Digital rendering of the completed basketball court renovations

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192 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITYLIVING & LEARNING RESIDENTIAL CENTERPreliminary plans have begun to construct the institutions ﬁrst new residence hall since 1982 as the University has received a term sheet with a ﬁnancial partner to explore attendant site planning for the new approximately 350-bed living and learning student residential and campus community multi-use facility. In October 2021, the Edward Waters University Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with execution of a term sheet with a ﬁnancial partner to explore the potential construction of a new student residential and campus multi-use facility on the Edward Waters campus. Prospectively, and once completed, the new living and learning student residential facility would be the ﬁrst new construction of an on-campus student residence hall in forty plus years (since 1982) at the institution. Planing and exploratory eﬀorts remain ongoing and the construction of a new student residential facility will remain one of the foremost priorities for the Faison administration and the university until completed.

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194 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023DR. A. ZACHARY FAISON, JR. MODELING EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN LEADERSHIP magaizine feature (vol 35, no. 21) | diverse: issues in higher education40 under 40 – nation’s best lawyers | national bar association40 under 40 | university of georgia40 under 40 | jacksonville business journalrising stars 100 awardee |business journals influencers featured panelist | hbcu impact summittop newsmakers of 2020 | jacksonville record and observermembership | rotary club of jacksonvilleboard of directors appointment | wjct board of directors appointment | jea virtual trivia winner |presidents and chancellor’s triva | the hbcu traiva gamefeatured panelist | hbcu pre-law summitcontributing author | lessons from successful black attorneys featured guest | this week in jax with kent justice featured article | bizjournals.com featured panelist |leadership institute | higher education leadership foundation (helf)convocation speaker | virginia union university featured president | united negro college fund – new generation hbcu leadersfeatured panelist | higher education leadership foundation (helf)featured president | the reinvestment fund, inc. 2020 annual report hbcu presidents roundtable | the links, inc.virtual hbcu presidents roundtable | southern poverty law center featured presenter | hcu smarttv - smart sundayfeatured panelist | preparing for an ever changing future | chronicle of higher education ultimate ceo awardee | jacksonville business journalfeatured guest | saturday soul - featuring hbcus and black education | the liberation movementevaluation committee chair | southern association of colleges and schools commission on colleges ( sacscoc)featured guest | tcr dialogues | the christian recorder guest speaker | hall of fame induction ceremony |albany state university alumni association program feature | follett access | follett higher education group excellence in service awardee | edward waters university national alumni associationtop 10 most dominant hbcu leaders awardee | hbcu campaign fundfeatured panelist | ideation conference | higher education leadership foundation ( helf)featured panelist | state of the hbcu: florida edition | the lion’s den board of directors appointment | visit jacksonvilleboard of directors appointment | jacksonville symphony AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, AND APPOINTMENTS2018 2018 2019201920192019202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202021202120212021202120212021202120212021202120222022202220222022

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196 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements This timeline features the accomplishments of the Faison Administration. It does not address all achievements but is a comprehensive overview of the most important milestones in the context of this document.NULLI SECUNDUSApril '18Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. is selected to become the 30th President and CEO of Edward Waters.July '18Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. takes the helm of Edward Waters, Florida’s ﬁrst inde-pendent institution of higher education and ﬁrst Historical-ly Black College or University in July 2018 as the nation’s youngest HBCU President or Chancellor. September '18Edward Waters hosted An Eve-ning of Emerging Eminence at Ep-ping Forest Yacht Club as part of the institution’s initiative to expand student success and emphasize transformative giv-ing through philanthropy. August '18During the annual Edward Waters Fall Faculty & Staﬀ Institute, President and First Lady Dr. A. Zacha-ry Faison Jr. pledged $25,000 to the institution to support their newly established Ed-ward Waters Professional and Scholarly Development Fund.

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 197October '18Stay Woke: The President’s Distinguished Speaker Series debuted with special guess Nikki Giovanni. This new initiative seeks to engage the views, ideas and espoused ideals as expressed by nation-al thought leaders, authors, entertainers, athletes, edu-cators, and business leaders who will be featured as part of the series. December '18Edward Waters students, faculty, administrators, staﬀ, and special guests gathered on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of the Centen-nial Building of the Main Li-brary for the oﬃcial launch of the inaugural Edward Waters’ Center for Undergraduate Research.January '19Edward Waters launched its ﬁrst ever two peer reviewed, refereed journals in Spring 2019, Edward Waters College Journal on Historically Black Col-leges and Research Initiatives for Faculty and the Edward Waters College Journal on Research Across the Disciplines. January '19With a fresh look and feel, the new Edward Waters web-site was designed to provide a user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality, allowing visitors to easily access perti-nent information relating to Edward Waters.

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198 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023February '19Edward Waters became the recipient of a $100,000 gift from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund to support the estab-lishment of the ﬁrst Honors College at the institution. This supported the enhance-ment of the College’s over-all competitive proﬁle and served as a vehicle for recruit-ing and retaining more high achieving and academically gifted students.February'19Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA), in partner-ship with the Educational Ad-vancement Foundation (EAF), has pledged an endowment in the amount of $100,000 to Ed-wards Waters College as a part of the organization’s AKA-HB-CU Endowment Fund.April '19Edward Waters hosted its ﬁrst ever annual HBCU Under-graduate Conference on Re-search Across the Disciplines featuring keynote speaker Dr. Morgan Z. Faison, Associate Professor of Educational The-ory & Practice, University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education.April '19President Faison received rec-ognition for his outstanding leadership and achievements by being selected for Jackson-ville Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40.SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements NULLI SECUNDUS

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 199April '19Edward Waters received approval by the Southern Asso-ciation of Colleges and Schools – Commission on Colleges to oﬀer its ﬁrst online degree pro-gram. Students will now have the opportunity to earn a Bach-elor of Business Administration (B.B.A..) degree with a concen-tration in Organizational Man-agement in an exclusively on-line virtual environment.May '19Edward Waters was gifted $244,000 for the construction of the Tiger Stripe Café from Thompson Hospitality. In an eﬀort to enhance the student experience and further devel-op a student-centered culture, the new student café features Starbucks Coﬀee, on-the-go meals and more.After a year-long listening ses-sion with stakeholders, the Eminence 2025 strategic vi-sion was granted and adopted by the Board of Trustees. This vision is embodied by four distinctive, progressive, and collectively conceived institu-tional goals: Enhance, Create, Foster, and Engender.July '19Edward Waters signed a multi-year agreement with Nike through BSN Sports to become the oﬃcial supplier of apparel and athletic equip-ment for all Edward Waters sports. Under the agreement, Nike will become the exclusive provider of all Tiger uniforms, apparel, and accessories. June '19The Reverend Charles H. Pearce Summer Institute was introduced as an early-start program that includes a ro-bust scaﬀolding of student support services such as in-tensive study strategy/skills seminars, time management workshops, tutoring services, and more. The Institute is de-signed to maximize the pro-pensity for student academic and personal success at the College. A total of 30 students enrolled for the Summer 2019 session. Of those students that completed the program, 100 percent enrolled as fresh-man students at Edward Wa-ters for the Fall 2019 semester and 52 percent earned a 3.0 GPA or higher.

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200 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023September '19Edward Waters announced a partnership with Kelly Tours, Inc. in September 2019. The strategic partnership is valued at $100,000 and this investment will support student scholar-ships, the expansion of the insti-tution’s brand by way of an Ed-ward Waters graphic designed 45-foot motor coach, and the enhancement of the institution’s transportation ﬂeet. In September 2019, The HBCU Campaign Fund listed Edward Waters as number two of the top ten smaller HBCUs that are rising. August '19Through the establishment of the Edward Waters Honors Col-lege, Edward Waters heightened its academic proﬁle and institu-tional competitiveness. Twenty students from throughout the nation are participating in the Honors College’s Alpha Cohort beginning in Fall 2019. October '19Florida Blue made a ﬁnancial investment in Edward Wa-ters’ “Level Up” Annual Giv-ing Campaign for Emerging Eminence. This campaign provides a range of critical support to the college’s schol-arship, programmatic and op-erational initiatives. Edward Waters received a signiﬁcant $150,000 gift from Sissine’s Oﬃce Systems that was used to support the An-nual Giving Campaign for Emerging Eminence. This gift will ensure that Edward Wa-ters is able to meet its commit-ment to academic excellence. October '19President Faison selected to a national list of inﬂu-ential young executives - The Business Journals’ Inﬂu-encers: Rising Stars. This list spotlights 100 executives who are having an impact early in their careers on business be-ing done in cities across the nation.Edward Waters hosted the inaugural AME Football Clas-sic, featuring a contest be-tween Edward Waters and Al-len University. The game saw record attendance, selling out to a crowd of over 6,000 patrons.NULLI SECUNDUSSECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 201February '20At the 18-month milestone for the new leadership at the helm of Edward Waters the institution has raised just over $3.1 million dollars in private gifts, pledges, and in-kind support from a va-riety of stakeholder sources in-cluding its own academic com-munity of faculty, staﬀ, students, alumni, and board of trustee leaders as well as local and na-tional businesses and philan-thropic supporters, partners and friends of the college. April '20President Faison appointed by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry to serve as a member of the JEA Board of Directors (the eighth largest publicly owned electric utility in the United States and largest in Florida).Follett Higher Education Group and Edward Waters ﬁnalized an innovative and progressive new partnership aimed at reducing overall student costs while also signiﬁcantly enhancing student access to relevant technology necessary to promote optimum student academic performance and support overall student success.March '20EWC secures Reinvestment Fund Partnership, result-ing in the reinvestment of all EWC existing accounts payables and guarantees a new operational end of year surplus. Additionally, the college will end the ﬁscal year with a positive net cash ﬂow for the ﬁrst time in over a decade.December '19Edward Waters began the implementation of a strategic partnership with the Educa-tional Advisory Board (EAB) that will change the dynam-ics of the admissions and recruitment function at the institution. EAB specializes in working with colleges and universities to assist them in supporting students from en-rollment to graduation and beyond.

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202 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023July '20The College sponsored a Stay Woke event entitled, “Chaos or Unity? Centering Black Male Voices: Where Do We Go From Here – A Conversation Towards Action” featuring panelists from a cross-section of political, civil, and academic spaces. Given the expanded use of wire-less technology on campus, the college upgraded its network infrastructure to accommodate increased bandwidth by install-ing 300 Meraki wireless access points across campus.July '20In July 2020, Edward Waters re-ceived a historic increase of $3.5 million in state support. The total slated to support Florida’s ﬁrst Historically Black College or University, Edward Waters, totaled $7.4 million, represent-ing a 72% increase over the prior year budget. A new partnership between Ed-ward Waters and Reinvestment Fund signiﬁcantly strengthened the institution’s ﬁnancial stand-ing and positioned Edward Waters for increased long term ﬁnancial stability. This deal led to Edward Waters eliminating a longstanding operating bud-get deﬁcit leading to closing the most recent ﬁscal year with its ﬁrst institutional operating net cash surplus in more than a decade.July '20In an eﬀort to ease the ﬁnan-cial burden of returning Ed-ward Waters students and their parents, the institution committed to paying the ﬁnancial balances of eligi-ble returning students Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 se-mester charges through an initiative titled #WeGotYou. This initiative is aimed at in-creasing student retention and promoting student per-sistence and is the ﬁrst of its kind in the nation.August '20The institution ended the 2020 ﬁscal year with a sur-plus of $3,775,921 million for the ﬁrst surplus in over a decade. This was the ﬁrst time since 2008 that Ed-ward Waters did not rely on its $1.5 million dollar line-of credit to meet its operation-al obligations.Edward Waters’ partnership with Follett Higher Educa-tion Group will provide all ﬁrst-time college students with a brand-new Chrome-book laptop.NULLI SECUNDUSSECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 203August '20The Edward Waters Board of Trustees unanimously ap-proved the extension of Pres-ident & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr.’s contract until July 2025. September '20Edward Waters purchased an upgraded learning manage-ment software (LMS) on the Moodle platform to ensure a heightened academic and student engagement expe-rience in preparation for the expanded and continued use of virtual instruction and learning platforms.President Faison named to Board of Trustees for WJCT, a community-owned and operated public media orga-nization serving Jacksonville, Florida and the First Coast since 1958. September '20The college purchased its ﬁrst ever Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Salesforce/TARGET X. This software will allow the college to interact and communicate with prospective students throughout the recruitment, admissions, and enrollment processes as well as a brand-new online application for ad-missions with an interactive checklist.October '20Edward Waters announced the launch of the new men’s volleyball program, a 2021-2022 initiative that will be supported in part by a $100,000 grant from First Point Volleyball Foundation. This new program will be the 14th varsity sport at the insti-tution and is the ﬁrst and only HBCU in Florida with men’s collegiate varsity volleyball. The university also launched the ﬁrst ever Women’s Soc-cer and Indoor Track & Field programs.

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204 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023November '20In November 2020, Edward Waters received $150,000 from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund to support the contin-uation of the Honors College at Edward Waters. This latest gift brings the cumulative in-vestment from the Fund in support of this initiative to $250,000 since the establish-ment of the Honors College in 2018. December '20Edward Waters chartered a new chapter of Alpha Kappa Mu Hon-or Society, and nine students were inducted as charter members in a virtual ceremony. EWC successfully submitted its Fifth-Year Interim Report to The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Col-leges (SACSCOC).President Faison named one of Jacksonville’s Six Top Newsmak-ers of 2020 by the Jacksonville Record & Observer.January '21To enhance the living and learning environment for stu-dents that reside on campus, Edward Waters unveiled and dedicated the new Bishop Adam J. and Connie S. Rich-ardson Hall located at 1780 Pearce Street - a $4.4 million investment in the largest stu-dent housing facility on cam-pus. The newly renovated residence facility has 176 beds and includes new furnishings throughout the facility includ-ing a computer lab, lounge area, and high-speed internetJanuary '21Edward Waters named one of the top small HBCUs rising for the third consecutive year by the HBCU Campaign Fund.The college submitted it’s ap-plication to the National Col-legiate Athletic Association for Division II membership.Edward Waters announced its partnership with Propel Center, a new global campus headquar-tered in Atlanta that will sup-port innovative learning and development for Historically Black Colleges and Universities bringing leadership and career development programming to its students at Edward Waters. NULLI SECUNDUSSECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 205February '21For the ﬁrst time in program history, Edward Waters’ Wom-en’s Basketball Team clinched a share of the 2020-2021 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Reg-ular Season Championship. Edward Waters became one of six permanent COVID-19 vaccination sites in Florida es-tablished by Governor DeSan-tis to provide greater access to vaccines in underserved pop-ulations in Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, and Osce-ola counties.In the ongoing effort to en-sure student safety through-out campus, Edward Waters selected Vector Security as the vendor for campus security. The institution also installed burglary and fire-monitor-ing systems in all campus buildings and electronic door swipes.March '21A newly renovated state-of-the-art biology laboratory was unveiled after the insti-tution invested $250,000 to provide for the comprehen-sive renovation of the space which now has modern workspaces, SMART class-room features, microscopes, and other equipment. May '21THE PLAYERS Champion-ship announced a $50,000 donation to Edward Waters to help reinstate the women’s golf program at the institu-tion. Edward Waters is one of only two HBCUs in Florida to oﬀer a dedicated women’s golf program. Edward Waters established the A. Philip Randolph Insti-tute for Law, Race, Social Jus-tice and Economic Policy pur-suant to a multi-year six ﬁgure grant from the Jessie Ball Du-Pont Fund providing oppor-tunities for students, scholars, practitioners, and community members to examine and ex-change ideas related to race, law/criminal justice, and so-cioeconomic policy matters through research, lectures, symposia, and scholarship.April '21Edward Waters launched its ﬁrst ever marketing campaign in April 2021 that included digital billboards, airport bill-boards, radio, and television commercials. These adver-tisements helped promote the new Edward Waters Uni-versity MBA Program. The institution continued to work on capital improve-ments such as removing dilapidated and vacant buildings to elevate campus aesthetic, improving parking for faculty, staﬀ and students, and installation of new light-ing around campus.

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206 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023June '21Edward Waters was notiﬁed of its successful demonstra-tion of full compliance with all twenty-two of the SACSCOC standards pursuant to the accreditors Fifth-Year Institu-tional review. The institution’s related responses and docu-mentation were fully accepted by SACSCOC with no further follow-up or monitoring re-ports requested or due. There-fore, Edward Waters remains fully accredited and under no sanction through fall of 2025.June '21Edward Waters joined the Council of Independent Col-leges (CIC) Course Sharing Consortium, giving its stu-dents access to classes at hun-dreds of colleges and univer-sities throughout the country and removing one of the potential barriers to on-time graduation for its students.The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Com-mission on Colleges (SAC-SOS) approved Edward Wa-ters to operate a new, fully accredited Online Master of Business Administration De-gree. The institution can now oﬀer graduate programs for the ﬁrst time in the school’s history.July '21For the ﬁrst time in its 155-year history, Edward Waters University was granted mem-bership to the National Col-legiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II lev-el. The university has also of-ﬁcially accepted its invitation to become a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Ath-letic Conference after an 86-year separation.June '21The institution oﬃcially tran-sitioned from Edward Waters College to Edward Waters Uni-versity in June 2021. NULLI SECUNDUSSECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 207August '21Ms. Brianna Pendergrass, a Junior Biology major, Presi-dential Scholar, Honors Col-lege Alpha Cohort member, and current Miss Edward Waters University along with Mr. Naim Brown, a Se-nior Business major and Pres-idential Scholar were named earlier today as White House HBCU Scholars – making history as EWU’s ﬁrst ever duo selected in the same year. August '21The National Park Service awarded a $500,000 grant to Edward Waters for the res-toration of Centennial Hall Library. This grant is part of the $9.7 million awarded to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in ten states for the preservation of historic facilities on campus through the Historic Preserva-tion Fund (HPF).August '21Edward Waters University unveiled and dedicated the new Dr. Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadi-um, continuing its trajectory to transform the landscape of the campus community and provide premier facilities that enhance the student univer-sity experience. The $4.3 mil-lion dollar project provides a permanent home to the EWU football and soccer programs.August '21Edward Waters University played in its debut game as a member of the NCAA and SIAC at Dr. Nathaniel Glover Community Field and Stadi-um on Saturday, August 28, 2021. The Edward Waters Ti-gers won 24-20 over the Flor-ida Memorial Lions. This was also the ﬁrst game for coach Toriano Morgan who joined Edward Waters in April 2021 as the 15th head coach of the football program.

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208 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023September '21Edward Waters University will become a community cen-ter for Coding and Creativity as part of Apple’s Communi-ty Education Initiative and Tennessee State University’s HBCU C2. The teaching and learning initiative is designed to empower Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to expand technolo-gy and creativity experiences within their institutions and broader communities.September '21In partnership with Ellucian, Edward Waters invested $2.2 million to accelerate digital transformation and modern-ize its technology operations. Leveraging Ellucian Col-league SaaS, a comprehensive and cloud-based ERP, the uni-versity will optimize process-es, empower faculty and staﬀ with greater access to data, and support student success with a better user experience.NULLI SECUNDUSSeptember '21Announcement of the 1st ever UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball Jacksonville, hosted by Presi-dent Faison and Mayor Curry. This premier fundraising gala and major social event focus-es on raising awareness of the need and beneﬁts of a college education, the students UNCF serves and the contributions of historically Black colleges and universities.August '21Fall 2021 enrollment reached a count of 1110 students at the close of its fall registration period, an increase of 14.5%. This marks the institution’s highest overall enrollment in nearly two decades. Simul-taneously, Edward Waters welcomed its largest class of new students on record with a total of 540 new students enrolled. SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 209October '21Edward Waters University welcomed students to campus for the ﬁrst major in-person activity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Held October 17-23, 2021, events included a Gos-pel Concert featuring John P. Kee, Comedy Show featuring Darren Brand, and Tiger Expe-rience featuring DJ Envy in ad-dition to the Homecoming Pa-rade and Homecoming Game. September '21To enhance the area that most students frequent, a new Emerging Eminence Tower was constructed that contains three digital message board, two of which can be seen from Kings Road. This tow-er not only creates ambiance within the campus landscape, but it also serves as an im-portant communication tool on campus.October '21President Faison named a 2021 ‘Ultimate CEO’ by the Jack-sonville Business Journal. The ‘Ultimate CEO’ is awarded to an exclusively selected cadre of Jacksonville area CEOs who have led their companies or or-ganizations to notably remark-able success and made im-pactful contributions to their organization, the community, and the overall economic fab-ric of Northeast Florida.November '21Edward Waters University be-gan the replacement of the Ad-ams-Jenkins Sports & Music Complex Floor. This $225,000 will accommodate the insti-tution’s Men and Women’s Volleyball and the Men and Women’s Basketball teams. Renovations are expected to be completed in early 2022.

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210 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023December ‘21Edward Waters University President Announces ‘Winter Week of Respite’ Marking Pe-riod of Remarkable Progress. In eﬀect, the university’s ﬁrst ever ‘Winter Week of Respite’ granted all full-time 12 month university employees an addi-tional full work week of paid time oﬀ leading into the insti-tution’s annual winter break. January ‘22For the ﬁrst time in the histo-ry of Edward Waters Univer-sity, sixteen men donned the Purple & Orange taking part in the ﬁrst men’s volleyball match in program history. The Tigers hosted NCAA Division III powerhouse and nation-al championship participant, Lancaster Bible College in an exhibition match at Jackson-ville Juniors Volleyball Associa-tion on the evening of Tuesday, January 11, 2022.NULLI SECUNDUSDecember ‘21The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commis-sion on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved the new Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Forensic Science during their December 2021 convening. This makes the second new academic program approved during the Faison Adminis-tration. Work continues to en-sure that the new degree pro-gram is prepared to admit its ﬁrst students in fall 2022.December '21Women’s Basketball gradu-ate student guard/forward La’Quanza Glover became the ﬁrst EWU student-athlete to sign a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreement. Glover has signed with Glob-al Freight & Commerce, a veteran owned and operated transporting company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Glov-er’s historic NIL deal marks the ﬁrst for a student-athlete from an HBCU in the State of Florida, as well as for a student-athlete from an SIAC member institution.SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 211February ‘22President & CEO, Dr. A. Zach-ary Faison, Jr. was named to the HBCU Campaign Fund’s (HCF) ‘Ten Most Dominant HBCU Leaders of 2022’. The organization identiﬁed na-tionally ten chancellors or presidents currently serving an HBCU or MSI, who ex-emplify a prominent and in-ﬂuential role in leadership and model the characteristics of progression necessary to-wards eﬀectively moving an institution forward.February ‘22Representatives from The Propel Center and Apple, Inc. visited the campus of Edward Waters University (EWU) to present a check in the amount of $300,000.00 to EWU President & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. in support of academic programming, re-search, and learning opportu-nities particularly in the areas of the arts and entertainment industries.February ‘22On February 16, 2022, the Ed-ward Waters University Stu-dent Activities Center was for-mally dedicated and opened with much fanfare and stu-dent delight.February ‘22Internationally renowned scholar, thought leader, au-thor, documentarian and educator Dr. Cornell West visits the campus of Edward Waters University as a part of #StayWoke: The Edward Wa-ters University President’s Distinguished Speaker Series

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212 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023Spring ‘22State-of-the-Art Forensic Science Lab completion. April ‘22Edward Waters University continues its mission to pre-serve the rich history of Flor-ida’s “Destination Institution” and African American educa-tion after Emancipation. The African American Cul-tural and Historical Grants Team, a division of the Florida Department of State, awarded Edward Waters University $500,000 to help preserve three historical buildings on campus: the Centennial Hall (library), the Lee Cousins Building, and the Susie E. Tol-bert House.NULLI SECUNDUSApril ‘22The best NCAA Division II Historically Black College or University basketball court in America has been unveiled at Jacksonville’s higher educa-tional crown jewel. Edward Waters University’s (EWU) new basketball court was un-veiled at the Adam-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex on April 1st, 2022. March '22The inaugural Mayor’s Masked Ball supporting Ed-ward Waters University was a smashing success, held at the Prime Osborn on Friday, March 18th, and emceed by ActionNews Jax’s Courtney Cole. The event raised nearly $500,000 and featured vari-ous speakers, a presentation of the Champion of Educa-tion Award to Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, and entertainment by the Hamiltones. SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements

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The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023 | 213August ‘22Edward Waters remains com-mitted to its engagement with the city of Jacksonville, in particular the New Town Community. As such, during its January 2022 meeting, The Jacksonville City Council awarded Edward Waters Uni-versity a grant of $500,000 to renovate and purchase equip-ment for a community well-ness and ﬁtness center on the campus.September ‘22In the overall eﬀort to en-hance on campus student ac-tivity space and oﬀer attractive experiential campus ameni-ties the University began con-struction on a new outdoor multi-purpose venue, opened February 2023. October ‘22January 2022, campus fencing began and included wrought iron fencing, pedestrian gates, brick columns, surveys, per-mits, and gateway entrances. Each of the institutional prop-erties will be fenced with the appropriate access to on-cam-pus locations according to zone. Ease of access has been taken into consideration, with that ability to ensure the safety and wellness of faculty, staﬀ, and students as they enter, tra-verse, and exit the campus. November ‘22Our commitment to equity within our intercollegiate sports programs, coupled the desire to enhance the aesthetic and visual impact of our sto-ried campus, led to the com-plete renovation of our cam-pus tennis facility, which will soon be home to the Edward Waters University Women’s Tennis team - with a Men’s team soon to follow.

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214 | The President’s Report – Chronicling Five Transformative Years of Institutional Impact | 2018–2023March ‘23Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of the new, State of the Art, Samuel C. Newby Fitness & Wellness CenterThe campus also welcomed 3x NAACP Image Award-Winning Actress, Director, and Writer - Nia Long for a panel discussion with our Women Leaders duing the Stay Woke President’s Dis-tinguished Speaker Series April ‘23Edward Waters Earns SACSCOC Approval to of-fer eight new high-demand academic programs - nearly doubling the overall degree oﬀerings in support of contin-ued programmatic and enroll-ment growth at Florida’s ﬁrst HBCU. Eﬀective Fall semester 2023, EWU students will have eight new academic degree options to consider. NULLI SECUNDUSFebruary ‘23Edward Waters welcomes civil and voting rights activist, Dr. Ber-nice A. King as guest speaker for the Spring 2023 iteration of Stay Woke: The Edward Waters Uni-versity President’s Distinguished Speaker SeriesDecember '22EWU Submits substantive change agreement to SACSCOC to prospec-tively add new degree programs in: - Accounting (B.S.)- Computer & Information Science (B.S)- Public Health (B.S.)- Sports Management (B.S.) - Social Work (B.S.W.)- Cybersecurity (M.S.)- Public Administration (MPA)SECOND TO NONE A Timeline of Signiﬁcant Developments and Milestone Achievements