Â鶹´«Ã½ University Receives $1 Million Gift From Anonymous Donor
Jul 24, 2021
Â鶹´«Ã½ University has earned widespread respect and admiration for being among the nation’s HBCUs that according to President Dwaun J. Warmack, “not only survived but thrived” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most recent benefit of Â鶹´«Ã½’s steady emergence on the higher education landscape is the announcement that the University has received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor to support the endowment.
“We are extremely grateful for this impactful gift that will aid us in our strategic long-term endowment growth. It will allow us to continue providing students access to our exemplary academic programs and our world-class faculty,” said Â鶹´«Ã½ President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack.
“We hope this gift will inspire others to support our mission to provide an exceptional student-centered, liberal arts education that will prepare our graduates for a global society and 21st Century workforce."
U.S. News and World Report ranked Â鶹´«Ã½ ninth in its 2021 list of the nation's top historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs). Â鶹´«Ã½ has earned a place among the Top 10 HBCUs in the publication's prestigious ranking for 10 consecutive years. Â鶹´«Ã½ also placed ninth in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Regional Colleges in the South rankings.
“As a top ten regional college and one of the best HBCU’s in the country, Â鶹´«Ã½ has a long history of filling the minds, hearts, and spirits of its students with the wisdom, passion and, values to best prepare them for successful careers and impactful lives,” said the donor in a prepared statement. “This is a deep and strong foundation on which President Warmack and his team have ambitious plans to further build. I am delighted to invest in their vision for Â鶹´«Ã½’s future and I encourage others to join us in supporting Â鶹´«Ã½ at this exciting moment.”
Dr. Marcus Burgess, interim vice president for institutional advancement, believes the national attention Â鶹´«Ã½ received from donations by McKenzie Scott, a renowned businesswoman and philanthropist; Zoom, a global leader in video communications technology; Dominion Energy, a Fortune 500 power and energy company; and several others, have resulted in gifts from other corporations and individuals.
“We are sincerely thankful for this donor’s generosity,” Burgess said. “This gift is a tribute to Â鶹´«Ã½’s proud legacy of producing graduates who have ascended to leadership positions in every industry and profession. We have produced outstanding visionary leaders for more than 150 years. We do not consider ourselves a ‘best-kept secret,’ Burgess said. “Global corporations and decisions makers in boardrooms throughout the U.S. and abroad know that Â鶹´«Ã½ is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities.”