Coppin connection pays off for elementary students
University offers free tuition to school sharing its name
Students at a Philadelphia elementary school received a surprise promise from the Baltimore university that shares its namesake: free tuition to Coppin State University — just so long as they graduate high school.
Fanny Jackson Coppin Elementary School, previously called Andrew Jackson Elementary, celebrated its namesake Monday with an event revealing the building’s new signage. At the event, Coppin State University President Anthony Jenkins said students would have their full tuitions covered should they complete high school and attend the historically Black university.
Jenkins called the award the “Philadelphia Pathway” scholarship, the idea being to create a pipeline for Philadelphia students to attend the university in Baltimore.
“Over the years, we have seen interest in Coppin State University grow in the Philadelphia area, and Coppin State University has graduated several students who have gone on to become teachers and principals in the Philadelphia school system,” Jenkins said. “We are always looking for ways to deepen our partnerships across Maryland and beyond, and I believe this is one way to build long-term sustainable pathways to grow our student population and increase access to higher education.”
Coppin State charges out-of-state students $11,266 in yearly tuition, more than double the in-state tuition cost of $4,741.
According to Robyne McCullough, communications director for Coppin State, there has been a Fanny Jackson Coppin Scholarship for both in-state and out-ofstate students at the university “for several years,” and it will pay for the Philadelphia Pathway. Students who receive this scholarship, which is supported by annual fundraising, are eligible for renewal should they have at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA by the end of the spring semester.
Coppin Elementary first established its name change July 1, 2021. According to WHYY, Philadelphia’s National Public Radio station, school community members spent several years trying to change the school’s name, which came at the same time as nationwide efforts, including in Baltimore, to remove Confederate statues and names from institutions. One petition from parents, students, educators and alumni to remove Jackson’s name from the school noted that Jackson enslaved countless people.
“Andrew Jackson is not someone we should teach Philadelphia students to honor and admire,” the petition reads. “He represents the worst of this country’s history of enslavement and genocide.”
The school community considered four names — all Black figures with Philadelphia connections — during the spring of 2021 and landed on Fanny Coppin Jackson. According to the school’s website, the School District of Philadelphia “recognizes that school names are an important part of students’ learning environments and should cultivate a sense of pride in the history and traditions, to ensure that all students, staff, and families feel respected, seen, and heard.”
Fanny Coppin Jackson was born enslaved in Washington, D.C. After being purchased by her aunt and pursuing an education, she commenced a career as an educator. Her ties to Philadelphia come from when she became a teacher at the Institute for Colored Youth in 1865. Four years later, she became the school’s principal.