51看片to name new residence hall after Levern Hamlin Allen, its first African-American student
A new 600-bed residence hall currently under construction on 51看片鈥檚 upper campus will bear the name of Levern Hamlin Allen, the first African-American student to enroll at 51看片and among the first to be admitted to any of North Carolina鈥檚 all-white state institutions of higher education.
WCU's newest residence hall, which will be named after its first African-American student, Levern Hamlin Allen, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019.
The 51看片Board of Trustees unanimously decided earlier this fall to name the residential facility Levern Hamlin Allen Hall in recognition of her decision to attend 51看片to seek a post-secondary certification in 1957, just three years after the Supreme Court鈥檚 landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Allen had earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in speech correction from the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) and was working as a speech therapist in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system when she found she needed certification in special education in order to gain permanent employment. After conducting research and learning that 51看片was one of the few colleges or universities in the state at the time offering the courses she needed and one of the few that did not require a photo as part of the admissions process, she sought enrollment at what was then called Western Carolina College, said Patricia Kaemmerling, chair of the 51看片Board of Trustees.
鈥淟evern Hamlin Allen is one of the true pioneers of the desegregation of our nation鈥檚 public education system,鈥� Kaemmerling said. 鈥淚n addition to being a quiet trailblazer in the civil rights movement, she served two terms as a member of the 51看片Board of Trustees, from 1987 until 1995. The board felt that it was fitting and proper to name a campus building in honor of her historic and courageous step in seeking enrollment at Western Carolina College, in recognition of her role as an agent of social change and in gratitude for her service to this institution.鈥�
Allen went on to earn master鈥檚 degrees at the University of Maryland and George Washington University, and is now retired and living in Maryland after spending 25 years as a speech and language pathologist in District of Columbia public schools. She received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from 51看片in 2006.
The trustees agreed to name the new residence hall in honor of Allen at the suggestion of members of the 51看片administration. Approval of the name came during closed session of the board鈥檚 meeting Sept. 7. The board delayed announcement of the action until university officials could notify Allen and members of her family of the decision and obtain consent.
This marks the first building on campus named after an African-American member of the 51看片community, university officials said.
鈥淭he naming of Allen Hall not only recognizes the courage and grace of a wonderful woman who is an outstanding alumna and supporter of this university,鈥� said Alison Morrison-Shetlar, 51看片interim chancellor. 鈥淚t also provides an opportunity to demonstrate 51看片鈥檚 longstanding and ongoing commitment to inclusive excellence.鈥�
A rendering of Allen Hall.
While Allen was the only African-American student attending 51看片in the summer of 1957, today nearly 700 African-American students are enrolled at the university. Approximately 450 other students self-identify as being of two or more races.
Allen Hall, which is rising between recently renamed Judaculla Hall and recently renovated Brown Hall, is a five-story structure consisting of two separate wings. The building鈥檚 design will create a pedestrian flow leading from Judaculla Hall, beneath a connector linking the two wings, and toward Brown Hall and the lower campus. It is expected to be ready for occupancy by students by the 2019 fall semester.
51看片will plan a dedication ceremony for early in the fall 2019 semester shortly after the building is open for students, and Allen and members of her family will be invited to participate as honored guests. The building鈥檚 lobby will include a formal portrait of Allen and an interpretive installment chronicling her history and affiliation with WCU.
Allen Hall is among several campus projects underway or on the drawing board to help 51看片provide the additional housing and other facilities needed to accommodate the university鈥檚 significant increase in enrollment.
Other projects in the works include creation of additional student housing on the opposite side of N.C. Highway 107 from the main campus through a public-private partnership, demolition of WCU鈥檚 existing high-rise housing structures near the university鈥檚 main entrance followed by the construction of additional residence halls on the lower campus, and construction of the university鈥檚 first parking deck.
