Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662
edmondsk@aascu.org
WASHINGTON, June 17, 2021 – “On behalf
of the American Association for State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), I am
deeply grateful to philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott for her continued
generosity to a range of educational institutions, including eight AASCU
members—all of which are Hispanic-serving institutions.
The AASCU members that received a gift are
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; California State University
Channel Islands; California State University, Fullerton; California State
University, Northridge; Florida International University; University of
California Merced; University of Central Florida; and University of Texas Rio
Grande Valley.
Last year, Ms. Scott pledged $4.1
billion in donations to a range of high-impact nonprofits and higher education
institutions, with a focus on broadening access for underrepresented students—‘the
new majority’ that includes the underserved, students of color, low-income
students, and/or working adults. For many of these institutions, Ms. Scott’s
donation has been the largest single-donor gift in their history. By our count,
an additional dozen AASCU member institutions benefitted from her initial
commitment in 2020. With these additional gifts, the total number of AASCU
institutions benefitting stands at nearly two dozen.
The AASCU institutions that received a
gift in 2020 are Alcorn State University (Miss.); Bowie State University (Md.);
Delaware State University; Elizabeth City State University (N.C.); Lehman
College, City University of New York; Norfolk State University (Va.); North
Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Prairie View A&M University (Texas); Texas A&M
International University; University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Virginia State
University; and Winston-Salem State University (N.C.).
Ms. Scott continues her extraordinary
legacy of philanthropy with her latest gifts of more than $2.7 billion to
nearly 290 organizations. Her philanthropy will enable institutions to invest
critically needed resources into building endowments, funding new student
programs, and ensuring students from ‘the new majority’ are well positioned to
succeed.
I commend Ms. Scott for her focus on
institutions that serve underfunded communities and build pathways for diverse students
to enter the middle class
and beyond.”
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The American
Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based
higher education association of nearly 400 public colleges, universities, and
systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a
historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to
research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and
cultural development. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise.