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Selma University will receive $750,000 from National Park Service to preserve Pollard Hall, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell announced .

The funding is part of a $9.7 million investment by NPS to preserve historic structures on the campuses of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“Each year, I’m proud to lead the effort in Congress to increase funding for the National Park Service Historic Preservation Civil Rights Grant Program to preserve Alabama’s Civil Rights sites and HBCUs,” Sewell said. “As Vice Chair of the Congressional HBCU Caucus, I will continue fighting for funding like this to ensure the vitality of Alabama’s HBCUs!”

Selma University President Dr. Stanford E. Angion said he appreciates a historic part of the school.

“The historic structures on Selma University’s campus are dear to us and tell the story of a people who banded their meager resources to build a better life for themselves and their posterity,” Angion said. “These structures must be preserved and shared with the public. I am tremendously grateful to Representative Terri Sewell and the National Park Service for helping us to move forward in our efforts to preserve the rich history of Pollard Hall.”

Pollard Hall, built in 1916 founded as the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School in 1878, served as an administrative center for visitors, a meeting place for major figures in Black education, such as Booker T. Washington, and a home for several university presidents. “These grants enable historic educational institutions to preserve the story of African American education and the campuses where new experiences and stories continue to evolve today,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams.