Mackenzie Scott’s mega gifts to three Maryland HBCUs will change lives

Imagine you are the president of a small college in Maryland. Most of the time, your institution goes along in its quiet way of helping students build better lives with relevant degrees at a comparatively low cost.

Now imagine that the institution is one of the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and you’ve just been given a donation that almost triples your endowment, the most important source of long-term revenue on your books.

That is the situation now facing Bowie State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. Together, they received $85 million from Mackenzie Scott, a billionaire philanthropist whose fortune is tied to Amazon.

To say that the donation can be transformative is an understatement. The question is, transforming these institutions into what?

The timing of the donations is significant.

Gov. Larry Hogan earlier this year vetoed legislation settling a 13-year-old lawsuit over historic underfunding for HBCUs by the state, a $577 million infusion over 10 years for Morgan State, Bowie State, Coppin State University and UMES. Hogan wanted to settle for $200 million, but the Legislative Black Caucus pushed him to fund the full $577 million.

The governor justified his veto in May by pointing to the coronavirus recession.

Scott’s money does not replace that state funding. Instead, it should highlight the potential of these universities and energize efforts by the governor and lawmakers to find a compromise. Now is the moment to resolve the state’s shameful legacy of segregation in higher education.

Aminta Breaux, president of BSU, predicts her institution’s $25 million gift will accelerate existing plans to expand programs and offer new degrees. Perhaps most importantly, it will significantly expand the amount provided in scholarships offered through the college foundation.

And that would increase the number of Black students who can attend college without amassing the debt that often makes a college degree something of a Faustian bargain.

Bowie State is Maryland’s oldest historically Black university, with 5,227 students this semester. It offers 22 undergraduate degree programs as well as graduate programs offering masters and doctoral degrees. Many students who want to attend struggle financially, Breaux said.

HBCUs comprise of 3% of higher education institutions in the country but produce 20% of the African American graduates and 25% of graduates in the STEM field.

Breaux is hoping the university can leverage the funding to enhance its infrastructure for upgrades and renovations tied to new programs. Often donations of this sort attract additional grants from philanthropists.

What that means for Bowie and the wider region is a stronger university that attracts more bright students. That’s an economic advantage as well as an educational asset.

Bowie Mayor Tim Adams already wants to build on cooperation between the city in Prince George’s County and the university, something county leaders for both Prince George’s and Anne Arundel County should be doing.

Of course, Scott did more than donate to colleges and universities.

She gave millions to the United Way of Central Maryland, the Y of Central Maryland and Meals on Wheel of Central Maryland. Her donations will help already established programs that address poverty, homelessness, hunger and efforts to stabilize families.

Scott’s generosity is an example of what those who benefit most from this nation’s opportunities can do to help others.

All of us, and not just the institutions receiving checks, be grateful for her decision to make her money count.