Morgan State University President David Wilson addressed student, faculty and staff concerns during the university’s biannual town hall meeting Thursday, Oct. 30.
Wilson opened the meeting by acknowledging the success of homecoming and recent student accomplishments before reviewing tuition, the university’s endowment and campus expansion plans.
After the Oct. 20 announcement of a 2% tuition increase beginning in fall 2026, some students expressed frustration. Despite the increase, Wilson said Morgan remains the second least expensive public four-year institution in Maryland.
Wilson said the university will add 90% to 95% of philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s recent $63 million donation to Morgan’s endowment. The Morgan State University Foundation holds $103 million in unrestricted funds, primarily from Scott’s 2020 and 2025 donations.
Wilson said the university will use the interest from the endowment to support student financial aid, research centers, university enhancements, endowed professorships, and technology and infrastructure improvements.
“The expectation that I have is that in a few years, I want that to be half a billion dollars,” Wilson said. “So that 4% [interest], if it’s $500 million, would be $20 million a year. Then we’re talking about a return that can really make a difference.”
Wilson said the university will pause residential undergraduate growth until it builds more housing and will focus on graduate and online enrollment. After the spring 2026 semester, the university will demolish O’Connell Hall to make room for a new facility with 400 beds, gathering areas and a dining hall, scheduled to open in fall 2028.
Other projects include the 59-acre Lake Clifton property, which will host academic and residential facilities, and a new science building with an electric substation at Stadium Way and East Cold Spring Lane, also scheduled to open in fall 2028.
Wilson shared plans for Morgan’s new medical school, the first at a public historically Black college or university, funded by a $1.75 million gift from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Wilson described recent campus safety improvements, including hiring additional sworn police officers and implementing ZeroEyes, an artificial intelligence-based camera system that detects open and concealed weapons. The university also plans to launch Ask Benny, an AI platform designed to assist the campus community.
Students asked questions about financial aid, the federal government shutdown and access to campus resources. Sophomore business and marketing major Jabari Cosby said the university dropped his classes because it did not process his Veterans Affairs stipend for the summer semester.
“I called the school every day after that,” Cosby said. “It wasn’t until July 29, out of desperation, that I called your office and got the answers I needed.”
Wilson called the situation “a failure on the part of the university” and offered personal mentorship, along with Don-Terry Veal, vice president for state and federal relations, to help Cosby recover academically.
Wilson said the university will distribute $1 million of Scott’s donation to 2,100 students identified as experiencing severe financial need.
Senior political science major Michael Spann asked whether Scott’s donation will also support students affected by the pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Vice President for Student Affairs Letitia Williams encouraged students facing food insecurity to contact the university’s food resource center at [email protected] for assistance.
