By Rick Wolcott*

Through the generosity of laity and clergy supporting the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church, a new residence hall for female students is now a reality on the campus of Africa University. The Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence was dedicated on February 26. A team representing the pastors, congregations, and faith communities of the East Ohio Conference was on campus to participate in the dedication of the three-floor, state-of-the-art residence hall designed with a commitment to accessibility and inclusivity.

“As we stand on the threshold of history, I am profoundly moved by the significance of this moment, the official opening of the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence is not just about inaugurating a building it’s about honoring a legacy of compassion and unwavering dedication to the empowerment of young women. This Hall stands as a beacon of hope, offering a sanctuary and opportunity to those who dare to dream,” said Jeanette Dadzie, director of public affairs in the Africa University office of Advancement and Public Affairs.

In her opening prayer of the celebration Africa University Chaplain the Rev. Maudy Muchanyerei said, “Heavenly father, we come before you this afternoon with shouts of joy. This is amazing. This is only you. We cannot do this, oh God, outside you. But we have seen it, Father. You did it prior to this day and you have done it again at Africa University through the East Ohio Annual Conference.”

In addition to building the first three-story dorm on the Africa University campus in the mid-1990s, the East Ohio Conference has endowed more scholarships at AU than any other conference in The United Methodist Church.

“Today we gather because there are 92 female students who will – already there are 89 of them in this new hostel – who will, from semester to semester in the future of this university will continue to enjoy and to make a mention of the East Ohio Conference. Bishop Malone and the whole Conference we say, ‘thank you’,” said Reverend Professor Peter Mageto, Africa University Vice Chancellor.

When Bishop Tracy S. Malone, resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference and a member of the Africa University Board of Directors, learned of increasing enrollment at Africa University and unmet demand for on-campus housing it weighed on her heart. Many students had to find, and commute from, off-campus housing putting them at risk of living in and being subjected to untenable situations. Looking to make a difference in the lives of students and to empower their pursuit of education, Malone cast a vision in her 2019 Annual Conference Episcopal Address to build a new residence hall for female students on the campus of Africa University. The Teach • Reach • Bless campaign launched in January 2020.

“It all started with a dream – we’re the school of dreams – the dream of Bishop Tracy S. Malone,” said Dr. James H. Salley, Africa University president. “She laid out her vision. When there’s a clear vision, resources will come. She articulated that vision to thousands of persons in the East Ohio Annual Conference. In the time of COVID it was supposed to be a three-year campaign, but the vision was clear, and the people represented here caught that vision and they raised $1.5 million in not three years but, during COVID, in two years.”

New Residence Hall Designed for Accessibility and Community

The Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence was designed to provide a safe haven for female students, fostering an environment conducive to academic and personal growth. The rooms have two beds, two private work areas with a desk and shelf, two dressers, and closets. Three rooms on the first floor of the west wing have specially designed lower study desks and light switches ensuring ease of reach and access for all.

The residence hall has six student lounges, two on each of the three floors of the building. The lounges are designed for students to gather, socialize, study together, and relax. Named in recognition of special East Ohio Conference-related supporters of Africa University each lounge is equipped with couches, a television, a refrigerator, a microwave, a sink and countertop, a water cooler, and a large window providing plenty of natural light.

The lounges are named for Dr. Maggie Jackson and Rev. Bill McFadden, co-chairpersons of the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign; Martti Benson, an architect/engineer from Dallas, TX who volunteered his time and advice during the construction of the residence hall; Rev. Bill Harvey, a life-long advocate and supporter of The United Methodist Church in Africa; Bishop Jonathan Keaton, who as bishop of East Ohio was an advocate for the work of the church in Zimbabwe and of Africa University; and the East Ohio Conference in recognition of the hundreds of clergy and laity who made financial gifts to the residence hall campaign.

“Being among the first residents of this hostel has been amazing. Not only is it equipped to ensure students’ comfort but also their convenience. The smiles on my block mates’ faces as they enjoy the comfort and luxury of our rooms create a serene environment for all of us,” shared Rumbidzo Sande, a first-year Law student.

Business Management major, Jennifer Mbuvi, said, “Thank you Bishop Tracy S. Malone, for your donation for these accommodations. As an international student I am very blessed and privileged to be here as it gives me that sense of being at home without having to worry about other things.”

Thank you, East Ohio Conference

“East Ohio, thank you for your brilliant campaign which raised the funds for this project. I hope people will consult with you and learn how to do this and bring more good works to the University. We appreciate this,” said Lisa Tichenor, Board chairperson for Africa University Tennessee, Inc.

Thanking Malone on behalf of the Africa University Board of Directors, for which he is the chairperson, Bishop Dr. Mande Muyombo of the North Katanga Area of the Congo Central Conference of The United Methodist Church said, “Bishop Malone, you have shown us leadership, but also, you have shown us that this Church, The United Methodist Church, will continue to invest in social and personal holiness until Christ returns.”

Ground was broken for the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence in January 2023 and the project began two months later.

Mrs. L. Dhiki, CEO of Power Structure, which built the residence hall, said, “I am grateful to stand and hand over the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hostel as a complete project. A special mention goes to Bishop Tracy S. Malone and the entire East Ohio community for the generosity and your efforts in empowering a girl child. I am a girl child, too, and with that alone I feel greatly empowered.”

Education and Empowerment of Female Students Who Can Change the World

“Education has been and still is a core value of The United Methodist Church. Since the earliest days of the Methodist movement John Wesley believed that education was the key to a fuller, richer life, a pathway for ethical and responsible living. Knowledge for John Wesley was not so much a purely intellectual attribute, but rather a channel of self-understanding for which he believed, and I believe, is critical for salvation,” Malone said during the dedication celebration.

She shared about being in Mutare, Zimbabwe in August 1988, three months after General Conference approved the creation of Africa University, and, with classmates on a college mission journey, visiting the land on which the University would be built.

“Together we stood overlooking this holy ground where Africa University, the school of dreams in a valley of hope, is located today. And I can remember, as we stood around and we formed a circle as university students, and we prayed, and we claimed with The United Methodist Church the vision that Africa University will come soon. We prayed for the many generations of students, women and men, who would attend Africa University, who would be educated and developed as business leaders, religious leaders, civic leaders, educational leaders, nurses and doctors and lawyers and entrepreneurs. We prayed. And look at God.”

Malone said that as a member of the Africa University Board of Directors she looks forward to meetings on campus because it provides the opportunity to talk with students and hear their stories.

“I have witnessed first-hand how education at Africa University is unlocking these students’ lives and their future potential as transformational, innovative leaders in their families, in their villages, in their communities, across this continent, and throughout the world,” Malone said. “I am a living witness to the difference that Africa University is making in the lives of students, in the lives of this United Methodist Church. When I cast a vision to the Conference, it was this vision and this commitment, might I say, that kept us stayed on purpose; reminding us of who we are and whose we are, and who we are called to be. Thank you, Lord, for the vision. Thank you, Lord, for the commitment. Thank you, Lord, for Africa University.”

Campaign Co-Chairperson the Rev. Bill McFadden, sharing remarks during the dedication from East Ohio via Zoom, highlighted the long-time commitment of the East Ohio Conference to Africa University while applauding laity and clergy of the Conference for always doing what they know needs to be done.

“It became obvious that the need was for a new hall of residence,” he said. “We knew what the task was, and we set out to do it. There was born the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign. What we’re seeing today is the start of the transformation of the lives of some women who will change the world.”

Dr. Maggie Jackson, co-chairperson of the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign said, “What a journey this has been. East Ohio, thank you for your generosity for making this moment possible. This is a beautiful facility for women at Africa University. The completion of this dorm has made it possible for East Ohio to remain in partnership with Africa University. We have been involved with Africa University from the very beginning. We give thanks for Bishop Tracy Smith Malone for her vision and leadership to reach this milestone. We give thanks to Dr. Bill McFadden and Marty for their giving and leadership for this important effort for Africa University. We give thanks to Mr. Martti Benson for his loyalty and support of this effort. Thanks to the hardworking committee of the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign. Your loyalty made this possible. To all the people of East Ohio, for your generosity in making this dorm a reality. East Ohio you are awesome for the manner in which you participated in providing funds for this beautiful dorm. This awesome gift will continue to be a gift that keeps on giving as new students each year are able to journey through the educational process in safe surroundings.”

Zade Patel, president of Africa University Student Representation Council, said, “Bishop Tracy Malone, we thank you for your generosity. You and your East Ohio Conference, what you have done for Africa University words cannot explain how grateful we are. On behalf of the students, and on behalf of Africa University, we are truly grateful for everything you continue to do for this school. Thank you so much.”

To God Be the Glory

“I give thanks to God for each and every gift that was made to the Teach • Reach • Bless campaign from the laity, the clergy, the congregations, the matching gifts from the districts, the challenge gift from Rev. Bill and Marty McFadden,” Malone said. “I thank God for your faithfulness. I thank God for your resiliency. I thank God for your generosity and the success of this campaign reminds us – and I want us all to hear this – if God gives a God-size vision and if we trust God with the vision and if we commit to it wholeheartedly, giving it everything we’ve got, being all in, God will make the necessary provisions to bring the vision to a reality. To God be the glory for what God has done. To God be the glory for what God is doing. And to God be the glory for that which is even yet to come. Amen.”

View video of the residence hall dedication.

*Rick Wolcott is executive director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.