BIRMINGHAM Ala.
Historically black Miles
College has raised $19 million for
an expansion that would double the size of its Fairfield
campus.
Most of the expansion would be on 41 acres just north of the
existing 35-acre campus, said Miles spokesman Ricky Lee.
The college, affiliated with the Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church, plans to add new student housing, a performing-arts center, a
health center with an Olympic-sized pool and gymnasium, and a new School
of International Studies that would
teach Homeland Security courses and Arabic and Farsi.
Miles President George T. French Jr. said Friday that
contributions from business and alumni have exceeded expectations, and the
school likely will meet its $30 million fundraising goal much sooner than
initially anticipated.
“We kind of underestimated our abilities,” he said.
Miles has 1,735 students and expects to have 2,000 in the
fall, when work on the expansion could begin. Within five years the student
population is expected to be 2,500 to 3,000, Lee said.
Information from: The Birmington News
– Associated Press
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