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Billionaire Pledges to Pay Student Debt for 2019 Morehouse Graduates

FILE - Members of a graduating class take pictures at their graduation ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, May 19, 2013.
FILE - Members of a graduating class take pictures at their graduation ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, May 19, 2013.

The nearly 400 graduating seniors of Morehouse College in the southern U.S. city of Atlanta received an unexpectedly generous graduation gift Sunday.

Billionaire technology investor and philanthropist Robert Smith told the graduates that he will pay off the student debt of the entire class.

Smith, this year's commencement speaker, is the founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in software, data and technology-driven companies.

"On behalf of the eight generations of my family that have been in this country, we're gonna put a little fuel in your bus,'' Smith told the graduates of the all-male, historically black college. "This is my class, 2019. And my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.''

At first, students and faculty appeared stunned, but once the gravity of the news sunk in, graduates and faculty rose to their feet, cheering.

Smith had already announced a $1.5 million gift to the school before the ceremony. The pledge to eliminate student debt for the class of 2019 is estimated to cost about $40 million.

In return for the magnanimous gift, Smith said he expects the recipients to "pay it forward.''

"Many of my students are interested in going into teaching, for example, but leave with an amount of student debt that makes that untenable,'' Morehouse College President David Thomas said. "In some ways, it was a liberation gift for these young men that just opened up their choices.''

Morehouse later said it is the single largest gift to the school.

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Ohio Public Colleges Told to End Race-based Scholarships

FILE - Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
FILE - Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio’s attorney general has ordered public colleges and universities to end merit scholarships that incorporate race-based criteria, saying they are unconstitutional.

The attorney general advised education officials that compliance with a 2023 Supreme Court decision on race-based admissions extends to scholarships, according to the Columbus Dispatch. (March 2024)

Greek Parliament Approves Branches of Foreign Universities   

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is applauded by members of his government during ahead of a vote on a bill which allows foreign private universities to set up branches in Greece, at the Greek parliament in Athens, March 8, 2024.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is applauded by members of his government during ahead of a vote on a bill which allows foreign private universities to set up branches in Greece, at the Greek parliament in Athens, March 8, 2024.

The Greek parliament voted to allow foreign universities to establish and operate branch campuses in the country.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the move was made to encourage Greek students to stay in the country for advanced studies, instead of going abroad for an education. (March 2024)

Virginia Bans Legacy Admissions

FILE - In this April 28, 2016, photo, students walk by the James Branch Cabell Library on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.
FILE - In this April 28, 2016, photo, students walk by the James Branch Cabell Library on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

The state of Virginia has banned legacy admissions to public colleges and universities.

The New York Times reports the state has outlawed the practice of giving preferential admissions status to students based on connections to alumni and donors. (March 2024)

New Texas Law Prohibits Public Colleges, Universities From Having DEI Offices

New Texas Law Prohibits Public Colleges, Universities From Having DEI Offices
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A new Texas law prohibits public universities from having special programs supporting minority and LGBTQ students. Critics say these diversity, equity and inclusion programs are discriminatory and divisive. But many students say they are needed. Deana Mitchell has the story from the Texas capital.

Here’s What It Feels Like to Find Home Between Two Cultures

FILE - The University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va.
FILE - The University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va.

Cynthia Jia, a student at the University of Virginia, writes about how Chinese literature helped reconcile her to being part of two cultures. Read her story in The Cavalier Daily. (February 2024)

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