JCSU Places Third in 2023 Home Depot Retool Your School Competition

Group photo with check home depot

Charlotte, N.C./April 17, 2023 – Faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members once again secured a win in the annual Home Depot Retool Your School contest, placing third in the 2023 competition.


JCSU more than doubled its winnings from the prior year. Home depot presented the award, which totaled $80,000, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at an awards ceremony in Atlanta. Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Davida Haywood, Director of Student Life Anthony Brown and Assistant Director of Marketing in the University Communications and Marketing Department Khyla Dixon accepted the award on behalf of the University.


“The celebration is not just for one person, but it’s for everyone who participated and helped Johnson C. Smith University get to the top, stay at the top and now receive this award,” said Anthony Brown, director of Student Life at JCSU. “So, thank you to every alumni, faculty, staff, family members, supports and, most importantly, our students who never wavered during this process, but endured until the end.”


In 2022, JCSU won the fourth-place prize of $30,000, which was used to upgrade Greenfield Gardens into a space where students can relax, fellowship together or do their classwork.


This years’ funds, which more than double last year’s winnings, are set to be used to make needed upgrades to the Bull Pen, an area in the Mary Joyce Taylor Crisp Student Union. The area currently houses pool and ping pong tables as well as a small stage and seating area where students can relax between classes.


The hard work and dedication of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members helped JCSU make a mark in this year’s competition. Further updates on the project will be shared soon.


Read more about the award ceremony on HomeDepot.com. 

Related Articles

Panel during the Life After College: Navigating What Comes Next event
Mister JCSU Tyler Bowers hosted alongside alumnus Rashad Smith ’10 as co-host for a panel discussing Life After College: Navigating What Comes Next. Guest panelists Dr. Leonard Brock, National Systems Change leader, and Ms. Jontel Worrel ’07 and Mr. Anthony Brown ’07 spoke about their journey after graduation.
View Content
Invest Charlotte Panel
It was a rainy Thursday in September. Leaders in business, healthcare, and education descended on Blume Studios for Invest: Charlotte 2026. Johnson C. Smith University President Valerie Kinloch, Ph.D. ’96, served as moderator for the second panel of the day, “Leveraging the Development of Charlotte’s Anchor Institutions for Long-Term Growth.” A panel of experts broached topics of risk and resilience, investment and impact.
View Content
Back To Top