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The following is a statement released March 12, 2025, by the Task Force appointed by Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones and Christopher Newport University President William G. Kelly that is studying decisions concerning the location and growth of the University:
“Since our last update in October, we have made progress on two fronts.
First, we have moved much closer to our goal of documenting properties that are immediately adjacent to the approximately two-square-mile core of the Christopher Newport campus. Working on behalf of the Task Force, CNU Professor Dr. Johnny Finn and student Sanithia Tucker ‘26 have mapped the expansion of the University from 1963 to 2022, and they have retraced property acquisitions from 1961 to 2002 by William & Mary, CNU, and its precursor, Christopher Newport College.
We are also continuing our effort to directly engage and meet with the families impacted by the expansion of Christopher Newport University.”
The Task Force’s next steps include making the maps and property transaction information available to the public through a website. The Task Force is also planning to conduct community forums and will share details as soon as possible. Any community members who want to speak with the Task Force about their experiences living in the Shoe Lane community may call 757-837-2843 or email shoelanetaskforce@gmail.com.
The co-chairs of the Task Force offered presentations on these developments at two public meetings in February: a meeting of the Newport News City Council and a meeting of the CNU Board of Visitors. The co-chairs also made a presentation in January 2025 at a public meeting of the Virginia General Assembly’s Commission to Study the History of the Uprooting of Black Communities by Public Institutions of Higher Education.