In the in heart of the City of Richmond sits Virginia Union University, a historically black college and university founded in 1865 to provide newly emancipated slaves an opportunity for education and advancement. Classes were first held in Lumpkin’s Jail, a former holding cell for runaway slaves.

Now tucked away on the city’s north side, VUU is a recipient of Dominion Energy’s six-year "HBCU Promise" which provides $25 million in funding to select historically black institutions.

Virginia Union’s President & CEO, Dr. Hakim Lucas, contacted Dominion Energy requesting our assistance with outdoor lighting on campus. Students would be returning to campus soon and the university wanted to make sure they were returning to a safe & secure campus especially during the current COVID pandemic.

Charlene Whitfield, senior vice president-Power Delivery and VUU alum, said, “I remember as a student how proud I was walking around what we called the hallowed grounds and dear old walls of Virginia Union. Now, I am proud to be back and part of the Dominion Energy team that is helping to ensure present and future students have a safe and well-lit campus. This partnership will provide the university with LED lighting that is more energy efficient and has lower maintenance costs. In addition, the LED lighting has a longer life span compared to the high intensity discharge technology, which will provide the university with quality lighting for years to come.”

We’ve had a number of colleagues from our Outdoor lighting team working alongside VUU staff to convert* the existing 130 high intensity fixtures throughout the campus to LED. The project took about a month to complete and will be Dominion Energy’s first college/university campus to be fully converted to LED lighting.