Spelman College receives $100 million donation, largest ever to HBCU

By Hope Dean and Rebekka Schramm

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — On Thursday, Spelman College announced a “historic” $100 million donation from a billionaire businesswoman and school trustee.

The gift is the largest single donation ever given to a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) school. It also comes as the school marks 100 years since its official naming in 1924, the college said in a news release.

$75 million will go toward endowed scholarships for students, school leaders said. The other $25 million will be used to improve student housing, develop academics for public policy and democracy, and to “provide flexible funding” for other needs.

“We are invigorated and inspired by this incredible act of generosity,” Spelman College President Helene Gayle said. “This gift is a critical step in our school’s mission to eliminate financial barriers to starting and finishing a Spelman education.”

The donation comes from Ronda Stryker, who directs her family’s medical equipment manufacturing company, and her husband William Johnston, the chairman of wealth management firm Greenleaf Trust.

Stryker has been a Spelman College trustee since 1997.

“I know that she really cares about Spelman. She’s really dedicated,” said Spelman sophomore Zoe Shepard, a Cobb County native who graduated from Wheeler High School.

Shepard serves on Spelman’s board as a student trustee and has attended meetings and shared meals with Stryker.

“She’s been one of the longest-serving board of trustees members, and so I know that it meant a lot for her to give the gift,” Shepard said. “She loves Spelman, and we love her.”

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