Bowie State president asks Prince George's delegation to accelerate funding for new library and help close student affordability gap

Bowie State University President Breaux told the Prince George’s County House Delegation on Feb. 6 that the university had ‘‘closed out our capital campaign at a record level, surpassing the goal of $75,000,000’’ and that the endowment will be boosted by a major gift from donor Mackenzie Scott. She said the university placed most of the large gift into the endowment to sustain scholarships in perpetuity while leaving a portion for current use.

Breaux said the university is seeing high application numbers but a slight decline in overall enrollment, which she attributed in part to affordability pressures affecting families in the Washington metropolitan area. ‘‘The number 1 obstacle for our students to enroll and graduate in a timely fashion continues to be affordability,’’ she said, adding that federal workforce reductions and contract losses have hurt many local households.

Breaux asked the delegation to ‘‘please continue to support the project, the capital project of the library and Academic Commons building,’’ noting the facility is ‘‘more than just stacks of books’’ and is designed to host wraparound services such as a military resource center and consolidated student supports. The project is currently designed to open in fiscal year 2031; Breaux said rising costs have made acceleration desirable to reduce total costs and better serve students.

Delegates pressed for details about how gift funds are being used for student support. Breaux said the initial large gift was $25 million, with $23 million placed into the endowment and a remainder for current use. She said the university maintains two emergency current-use funds that are ‘‘depleted before the end of each semester’’ and that the endowment spending policy is approximately 4% annually to support scholarships and financial need.

Breaux also described deferred maintenance and infrastructure needs on campus, including HVAC and boiler work, and said ‘‘the HVAC needs total about $1,000,000 across the campus’’ to help reopen closed residence halls and prevent further housing units from being taken offline. She warned that building closures and limited housing capacity can directly affect enrollment.

The president framed the funding request as part of a broader strategy to improve access and completion, saying fundraising and state support together help ‘‘open the door even wider to more opportunity for Prince George’s County youth.’’ She invited follow-up conversations with delegates and staff about capital timing and specific funding options.

Next steps: the delegation took no immediate appropriation action during the Feb. 6 meeting; Breaux’s requests were entered into the delegation record and delegates indicated staff follow-up would occur in advance of budget deliberations.