JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Edward Waters University has new leadership, but it’s also been making changes that can be visibly seen through the community.
News4JAX spoke with students who said they see the same.
Tenaj Davis is a 4th year senior and Travales Woodard is a 3rd year biology major. Both have fallen in love with Edward Waters University.
“So Edward Waters University was not my first choice but but coming here and being here for all four my years it has become a home away from home and it has made me grow as an individual as a Black woman in society and has pushed me to greater heights honestly,” Davis said.
It’s that kind of feedback that Dr. Ivana Rich wants to hear. Rich is the Associate Vice-President of the University and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Edward Waters University has the highest enrollment, in relation to growth, from all the HBCUs in the state of Florida.
“So, we are growing, we’ve had record growth over the last three years, since the arrival of our fearless leader [A. Zachary] Faison Junior, and a lot of our growth has been in athletics,” Dr. Rich said.
The university wrote in a statement that reads in part:
“Edward Waters University’s enrollment has skyrocketed by 30% since 2019, having welcomed its largest ever class of new students (540) in 2023 and achieving its highest enrollment in almost two decades at nearly 1200 students (1187) in fall 2022. EWU’s recent remarkable growth has made it the fastest growing college or university in Jacksonville, and the fastest growing historically black college or university (HBCU) in the State of Florida per published reports.”
One of the biggest changes at the educational institution is its name, from college to university. Davis was there for the change.
“It was so fun to see everyone start calling us, we are a university now, we are not a college anymore. Start seeing EWU signs go up and taking down EWC signs. That transition just made us love our university even more,” Davis said.
Student Travales Woodard said, “It’s been tremendous. I think after our class, fall of 2021, we were the largest enrollment class in the school year. This last class that came through, they took it by the wind, they came in from all over the place, different countries, ethnicities and cultures.”
When we visited the campus, students were preparing for graduation and the end of the semester, but the changes were obvious.
The university is working on getting NCAA membership, they are expecting a call July 11. EWU has also added 5 new athletic programs including men’s and women’s basketball.
The school also launched its first season of women’s tennis.
Dr. Rich says she hopes the program will be even better by maintaining a small supportive community for students.
“When I talk to moms and aunts that bring their sons and daughters to campus, I say we are like the moms and aunties on campus. We are going to take care of your babies when you bring them here. That’s a part of the selling point that is what we offer here. It’s a family environment,” she said.