The executive committee of the Southern University System Foundation will convene at 3 p.m on Friday to open and review proposals from four companies seeking to be the design-builder for The Valdry Center for Philanthropy, a roughly $4.5 million academic research center that will offer both support to nonprofit organizations as well as degrees in nonprofit management.
The center—located along Harding Boulevard—will focus on philanthropic studies and nonprofit management, says Alfred Harrell, CEO of the Southern University Foundation.
Once a proposal is accepted, the foundation expects to break ground on the center in March. Construction should last about 10 to 11 months.
Plans drawn up by Baton Rouge-based GraceHebert Architects show the center will be between 12,000 to 15,000 square feet, Harrell says.
The foundation’s idea for the center was spurred by a desire to raise more private dollars and educate individuals on the impact of philanthropic contributions, he says.
Included in the academic offerings will be Masters and Ph.D. programs in nonprofit management and philanthropic studies offered through the Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences. The center also will have a fellowship in social entrepreneurship, also known as conscious capitalism, to support business ideas intended to have a social impact. It also will provide assistance to faith-based organizations.
The center will offer a variety of programs and technical assistance to nonprofits, and Harrell adds another goal is to assist historically black and predominantly white colleges and universities seeking to strengthen their fundraising capacity.
The Valdry Center for Philanthropy—named after a family of alumni who are the university’s largest donor and that has committed $1 million toward the project—will help advance the university’s master plan, Imagine 20,000. The plan, funded in part by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, seeks to increase Southern’s enrollment to 20,000 by 2027.
—Alexandria Burris
