Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Donating $500,000 to Bowie State University

Durant’s Donation Will Support Athletic Facility Upgrades and University Athletics Programs.

Prince George’s County native Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation have committed to joining the Bowie State University Athletics Department in the transformation of the university’s main basketball gym and supporting BSU athletics programs.

“We are dedicated to providing resources and possibilities to students for higher education, especially in Prince George’s County,” said Wanda Durant, who leads the Durant Family Foundation. “Bowie State was the perfect place to make a meaningful impact.”

The foundation has committed $500,000 towards renovations of the basketball arena in the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex at BSU. Renovations will include installation of a new basketball court, expansion of seating capacity and upgrades to the press box area. The gift will also provide financial support for men’s and women’s basketball and university athletics programs. It also will establish a scholarship for Durant Center College Track students who attend BSU.

Bowie State President Aminta Breaux expressed her gratitude for Durant’s generosity.

“We’re grateful for the resources that Kevin Durant and his family foundation have generously donated to Bowie State University to advance student success in achieving their academic goals,” said Breaux. “His contributions will go a long way towards updating our facilities and ensure a top-tier athletic experience for all of our students. The foundation has already built a network of community-centric services within the Durant Center in Prince George’s County that is exemplary.”

Durant’s donation to Bowie State is just the latest in the Seat Pleasant native’s philanthropic efforts in Prince George’s County. In 2019, Durant’s foundation partnered with College Track to establish College Track at the Durant Center in Suitland, MD, to help first-generation and low-income students pursue higher education.

Bowie State To Host Second Annual HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference

It began in 2021 and in one year the HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference has grown into one of Bowie State University’s (BSU) signature events attended by students, leaders from other HBCUs, foundation executives, entrepreneurs and others interested in furthering entrepreneurship and innovation.

Hosted by the BSU Entrepreneurship Innovation Center EIC), the hybrid conference is set for October 6, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Supported by lead sponsor Truist, registration is now open and free for all attendees. Conference participants will have the opportunity to connect with peers to share research and experience a new vision for experiential education in entrepreneurship beyond the classroom. Attendees will also help advance entrepreneurship education across HBCUs by sharing what institutions are doing in the entrepreneurship arena and discussing how to get more students to buy-in to the entrepreneurial mindset.

“Our conference takes entrepreneurship beyond the classroom and will help promote entrepreneurship education across all departments at HBCUs as fundamental to a students’ higher education experience,” said Johnetta Hardy, executive director of the EIC. “We want administrators from HBCUs to engage with successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, students, researchers and other conference participants to foster an entrepreneurial mindset that they will inject at their colleges and universities upon their return.”

Over 25 interactive virtual sessions led by HBCU faculty, administrators and business executives will be presented on experiential education in entrepreneurship; connecting communities to an entrepreneurial ecosystem; building strong university entrepreneurship ecosystems that remove silos and spawn closer working relationships; and measuring the success of entrepreneurship education based on competencies, skills, and other evaluative measures.

Keynote speakers include Philip Gaskin, vice president of entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Al Reynolds, co-host of FOX Soul’s TEA G-I-F and business development executive; and Clifton L. Taulbert, Pulitzer nominee, entrepreneur, and CEO. Reynolds will appear in person at the conference while Gaskin and Taulbert will make virtual presentations.

“This conference has something for everyone,” said Hardy. “Students will develop new contacts, find mentors and learn about entrepreneurship from experienced business owners. HBCU administrators and business executives will have the opportunity to share their knowledge on entrepreneurship and develop new relationships that will be beneficial for everyone.”

Several HBCUs received bomb threats Monday

For the second time this month, at least six historically black universities and colleges have received bomb threats.

Howard University, Bowie State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Southern University, Delaware State University and Albany State University have all reported potential threats Monday.

Maryland's HBCUs would get autonomy from state system under new bill

A Maryland delegate wants to give the state's historically Black colleges and universities greater independence by separating their governance from the University System of Maryland.

The proposal, if passed by the General Assembly, would grant autonomy to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Bowie State University and Coppin State University.

Delegate Julian Ivey, D-Prince George's County, said his bill would help correct funding disparities among state institutions. The HBCUs would remain publicly funded, but would have greater individual control, he said.

Ivey said his proposal would give Bowie State, Coppin State and UMES their own Boards of Regents, so that university leaders answer to "individuals who have attended HBCUs, who are invested in HBCUs."

"That would make it easier for presidents to advocate effectively for what the university actually needs, rather than just taking what the Board of Regents is willing to give them," Ivey said.

Each of the new Boards of Regents would have diversity goals, including a chair who attended an HBCU, at least five members who attended HBCUs, and a majority of board members who are Black.

Read more: Maryland's HBCUs would get autonomy from state system under new bill