Couple gives $100M to Atlanta’s Spelman College, in largest single gift to a Black college

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A billionaire couple is giving $100 million to Atlanta’s Spelman College, which the women’s school says is the largest-ever single donation to a historically Black college or university. Thursday’s donation is by Ronda Stryker and her husband. She’s the billionaire granddaughter of the founder of medical device maker Stryker Corp. Spelman says it will use $75 million to endow scholarships. The rest of the money will be used for other purposes, including developing an academic focus on public policy and democracy and improving student housing. While most historically Black colleges and universities have small endowments, Spelman has been comparatively well-funded.