Spelman College received a $100 million donation – the largest single donation to any historically black college and university ever.

The January donation to the women’s college marked the 100th anniversary of Spelman’s official naming in 1924. This donation came from Ronda Stryker – who has been on the board of trustees for Spelman College since 1997 – and her husband, William Johnston, who is the chairman of Greenleaf Trust. 

Zoe Shepard, Spelman sophomore and student member of the Spelman Board of Trustees, is excited about the donation’s implications for Spelman.

“This is such an exciting time to be a student at Spelman,” Shepard said. “We know this gift will not only impact those who are on campus now; it will impact everyone who comes to this campus and enrolls at Spelman for the next 100 years. We’re looking forward to seeing how this money helps students and improves the campus. The future is bright at Spelman.”

Stryker hopes the money will help provide Spelman students with new opportunities.

“I feel strongly that education can be both powerful and transformational, especially for women,” Stryker said. “I have seen first-hand the enormous impact financial investment has generated for Spelman’s highly-talented students. It’s important to me that all women be provided an opportunity to explore their talents, challenge their self-doubts and realize the power of achieving individual success.”

Out of the $100 million, $25 million will go towards providing flexible funding for critical needs, such as student housing. Spelman alumna and former APS teacher Latriecia Brown said the money could positively impact dormitories.

“Had there been such a major gift like this during my time at Spelman, things like upgrades to the dormitories would’ve been beneficial and made my time on campus even more enjoyable,” Brown said. “I attended Spelman College from Aug. 2004 to May 2008. I stayed in one of the older buildings that had no AC, and it was hot some days.”

Midtown teacher Millicent Green attended Spelman College from 1985-1989. She hopes this donation will allow Spelman to continue to improve.

“This donation will bring more notability to this already prestigious institution,” Green said. “With more eyes on Spelman, there is an opening to enhance the lives of every student whether that entails financial support or increased academic opportunity. Spelman will be able to further invest in their infrastructure, allowing for a better quality of life for students, faculty and staff.”

The other $75 million is meant for scholarships for future students, aimed to remove financial barriers for qualified applicants.

“I fortunately attended Spelman College on a full scholarship, thanks to the United Negro College Fund,” Brown said. “Many of my Spelman sisters would have benefited from the financial assistance. Some that had to leave due to financial constraints may have been able to stay and fully matriculate.”

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges report listed Spelman College as the number 1 HBCU in the nation for the 17th consecutive year; it also listed Spelman as the number 39 liberal arts college in the nation. 

Green wants HBCUs to continue to grow, and hopes, like Spelman, the schools will have increased funding.

“I can only hope that this donation will open people’s eyes to the value and necessity of HBCUs,” Green said. “I believe witnessing Spelman College continue to prosper with generous support from others will encourage people to pour into other HBCUs.”

Brown believes this historic donation marks a turning point for HBCUs and hopes more people can see the talent HBCUs produce.

“HBCUs have been underfunded for a long time,” Brown said. “Most students need financial aid to attend these institutions. Hopefully, more support is allocated – especially to student scholarships – and will help those students that get accepted to these schools also graduate from these institutions. There’s so many bright and gifted students at each of these schools, and money should never be a barrier to their dreams coming to fruition.”