In 2021, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand committed over $1 million to Morehouse College for scholarships and academic programming for students studying journalism and sports-related fields. Five years later, it has taken physical form in the Morehouse Multimedia Center, a facility built to give students hands-on experience in digital storytelling, sports broadcasting, podcasting, filmmaking and emerging media. The center officially opened on September 23, 2026, within the Journalism in Sports, Culture, and Social Justice department. Students were already using equipment purchased for it, and content produced with that equipment drew more than 1 million social-media views in August. Morehouse also says training associated with the center contributed to a Maroon Tiger interview that won a regional student Emmy.
Jordan’s $1 million commitment
The investment dates to May 2021, when Jordan and Jordan Brand announced their commitment to Morehouse. The funding was part of the Black Community Commitment, a pledge announced in 2020 to give $100 million over 10 years to Black communities, including for education. The gift paid for scholarships and for the center itself. Harris said 32 scholarships were awarded, and the rest went to purchasing equipment, designing the space and building it out. She said filmmaker and alumnus Spike Lee helped build the relationship with Jordan Brand that led to the gift.
Morehouse opens its multimedia center
Morehouse held a program launch and ribbon-cutting for the center on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. The college describes it as a hub for creative production and digital storytelling, where students can work on sports broadcasts, podcasts, films, digital stories and emerging media projects. The center includes a modular production studio, editing bays and about $250,000 worth of equipment. Students work with industry equipment and receive instruction from working content creators. Faculty can also use the tools to digitise their research and share it beyond the classroom.
Students were using the equipment before the opening
The center began with a soft launch last year, when it started renting equipment to students. Director Emani Saucier says more than 65 to 70 reservations saved students over $25,000 compared with local rental prices. Reservations are due to open to the rest of campus soon. Morehouse says content produced with equipment purchased for the center generated more than 1 million social-media views in August 2026. The college also says the center’s training contributed to a Maroon Tiger interview, “State of the House: An Inside Look With Dr. F. DuBois Bowman,” which won the Emmy in the interview and discussion category at the 2026 Southeast Regional Student Production Awards. The award was presented earlier this year, before the grand opening.
The center builds on Morehouse’s journalism program
Morehouse’s journalism and sports program dates to 2007, when filmmaker Spike Lee and the late ESPN columnist Ralph Wiley helped establish it. The college launched its journalism major in 2022, with a focus on sports, culture and social justice. Mikki Harris, chair of the Journalism in Sports, Culture, and Social Justice department, said Jordan’s generosity made it possible to expand the curriculum and build the center as its practical complement. She called the center “the bridge between critical thinking and professional practice.”
A growing pipeline of media graduates
Morehouse says nearly 120 alumni from its journalism program work in media and sports, and more than 60 graduates have earned advanced degrees in the field. Saucier, the center’s inaugural director and co-founder, said its training and resources will strengthen students’ storytelling and Morehouse’s position in media education. Jordan Brand’s Shauncey Mashia Stelly, senior director of Global Purpose, said the brand is pleased to support Morehouse and its students as they prepare for the next chapter of their careers.