Morgan State University is in the middle of a transformation–one that may alter the look of the university for generations to come.

The school’s administration has laid and followed plans to construct new buildings, update its older structures and systems, and demolish certain structures near campus to make room for new developments. Since at least 2018, the university has been an active construction site, beginning with changes to Spencer Hall.

As of this academic year, Morgan has nearly 10,000 students enrolled–an increase the university hadn’t expected until 2030 according to Kim McCalla, Morgan’s vice president of facilities, design and construction. The sudden influx of students has pushed Morgan to build more housing to accommodate the newcomers.

“There will always be construction as well as renovation going on,” McCalla said. “Every existing building will either be renovated or demolished.”

Students have voiced their concerns and frustrations about the current state of the academic quad, which has been an active construction zone for more than a year. There have also been concerns surrounding the availability of university housing and many of Morgan’s other construction projects. 

The quad, home of the school’s many academic buildings, is an intersection of foot traffic at the university. However, certain areas of the quad have been closed for construction for more than a year, creating a bottleneck effect for foot traffic during busier times of the day.

Recently, students have turned to various social media apps to voice their opinions on the aforementioned topics. Fizz, known for preserving user anonymity, is one of them. One student wrote, “Every time I come to the quad, the construction moves from one spot to the other.” Another complained, “The construction in the quad just made me late.”

One of the major setbacks of the school’s construction progress was the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.  “It affected a lot of our mechanical systems, causing them to deteriorate quicker,” McCalla said.

Morgan’s housing crisis has also been an issue for years, causing the university to place many students in hotels throughout Baltimore City.

Within the past year, Morgan has closed both Baldwin Hall and Cummings House for renovations. The two dorms combined formerly housed nearly 200 students. Once completed, university administration plans for the buildings to resemble Thurgood Marshall Apartments, which has double suites, single rooms, lounges, and study areas.

The university is also building a second tower for Thurgood Marshall Apartments, which will hold 604 beds. Contractors are scheduled to finish construction by fall 2024, which will add more than 800 new beds to on-campus housing upon its completion.

But O’Connell Hall, an on-campus residence hall, is reportedly on Morgan’s chopping block–it’s scheduled for demolition in either 2025 or 2026 according to McCalla. 

The assistant vice president explained that the reason for many of the building closures is the university’s needs to replace the existing air conditioning infrastructure and, more specifically, prevent water infiltration in Truth Hall. Morgan’s Memorial Chapel shares the same issue and is also on the school’s list of future renovation projects.

McCalla says the buildings are older and the university needs to constantly maintain them to ensure that they’re preserved. Next year, Morgan administrators have planned to begin renovations on buildings in the quad. 

Construction on all steam pipes, which contribute to air conditioning infrastructure, is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2024. 

But construction has caused students to have to physically adjust to construction obstacles in their daily commute as of late; during this semester’s first week of classes, the bridge connecting Morgan’s main campus to the School of Global Journalism and Communications and the Center for the Built Environment and Infrastructure Studies was suddenly closed.

“It’s very inconvenient as a student,” said Kimmy Wongsing, a sophomore multimedia journalism major. “The communications bridge closure made me late to many of my classes.”

McCalla said that in a nutshell, university leaders have plans to expand the campus, construct new buildings, renovate older dorms, and update the University Student Center. The  Earl S. Richardson Library will also be updated among other buildings in an effort to maintain and accommodate the growing student population.

She noted that the university also plans to demolish Lake Clifton High School as part of a “master plan” to guide the Morgan’s campus development. Also on the horizon is the renovation of Truth Hall and the demolition of both the old Jenkins Behavioral Science Building on main campus and Montebello Complex. University leaders expect this to take place in the next 15 to 20 years.

“The goal of the administration is to have Morgan express itself…that everything blends together and talks to each other,” McCalla said. “We want to make Morgan a fun place to come to, to learn, teach, and work.”

Spokesman staff have updated the story to reflect Kim McCalla’s current position at Morgan State University and the appropriate name of the Jenkins Building. We regret the mistake. This story was updated on Sept. 14, 2023