‘Tis the season.
A few Georgia colleges and universities last week received major contributions and commitments for their academic operations.
Student loan borrowers also got some good news last week from the federal government that should temporarily help financially.
Here are some details in the latest edition of AJC On Campus.
Chick-fil-A gives UGA $10 million
The Atlanta-area fast food giant last week announced it’s pledging $10 million to the University of Georgia for its Institute for Leadership Advancement.
UGA officials said the gift will be used to expand its Fellows Program to a new group of students each fall and spring semester, instead of each year. Currently, two programs — the Leonard Leadership Scholars and ILA Leadership Fellows — operate within the institute, and they have annual cohorts of around 30 and 65 students, respectively, who earn an academic certificate in personal and organizational leadership.
UGA will also expand its leadership class offerings to all students starting next year. Additionally, the university will start an annual professional development symposium for the broader business community beyond the university.
The institute has graduated nearly 1,500 leaders since it began in 2001, many of whom have joined Chick-fil-A.
KSU’s big gift
A prominent couple last week gave Kennesaw State University one of its largest gifts ever, $9 million for its College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Here’s our report on the donation and how it will be used.
DeVos announces loan forbearance extension
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Friday afternoon the extension of the federal student loan administrative forbearance period, the pause in interest accrual, and the suspension of collections activity through January 31.
Federal student loan borrowers will not be expected to make payments through January of next year, though they will continue to be able to do so and benefit from the 0% interest rate as they pay down principal. Non-payments will continue to count toward the number of payments required under an income-driven repayment plan, a loan rehabilitation agreement, or the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
In March, DeVos told employers to halt wage garnishments for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans. That instruction remains in place, and any defaulted borrowers who continue to have their wages garnished will receive refunds.
Spelman College tops student loan debt borrowing
Spelman College parents are borrowing more money for their children to attend the Atlanta college than any other school, an analysis of federal data released last week has found.
Spelman parents borrowed a median $112,117, according to news outlets that reviewed the data. Tuition, on-campus housing and fees for a student at the four-year, private college this year is about $45,000. The national average last year for a four-year, private college was $37,650, according to the College Board.
Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell wrote in a detailed response posted on the school’s website Monday night that she was not surprised by the numbers. While Spelman, which is often ranked as the nation’s top historically Black college and university, has raised tens of millions of dollars this year from several organizations, many of its students come from low-income households. Campbell cited Brookings Institution data showing the typical white family net worth is $171,000, which is 10 times greater than African American families at $17,150.
“This wealth gap continues to make it difficult for Black parents to pay for college today without amassing sizable debt,” she wrote.
Higher education leaders of all political stripes have raised concerns in recent years about rising student loan debt. President-elect Joe Biden has discussed a plan to cancel some debt, including for HBCU students.
University of West Georgia’s “bark-chelor” degree recipient
Credit: UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
Credit: UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA
A labradoodle named Mona was the center of attention at one of the University of West Georgia’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, receiving a honorary degree. Click here to read more about this unique dog.
Mona, the canine companion of nursing student Maggie Leptrone, was honored by university administrators for being alongside the student in classes and labs, serving in an unique role as Leptrone’s caretaker.
Georgia Tech early admissions
Georgia Tech on Friday announced it’s accepted 2,330 in-state students for early admissions for the fall 2021 semester, the largest number of Georgia students admitted during the early round, a 15% increase from last year, officials said.
About 40% of applicants were accepted.
Georgia Tech leaders have talked in recent years about their desire to increase the number of female, Black, Latinx and rural students on campus. About 50% of the early accepted students were women in comparison to about 30% of its current enrollment. Eighteen percent of those accepted were Black or Latinx in comparison to about 13% of its current enrollment. Twelve percent are from rural areas.
College & the coronavirus, Part 3
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
It’s been a busy senior year for Spelman College senior Kayla Smith. She’s managing a podcast she created, applying for fellowships, she’s on the homecoming court and she’s applying for graduate school fellowships. Read more here about how she’s juggling it all while taking a full load of classes at home in our ongoing series about students and faculty are managing through the pandemic.
White Spelman student gets cold shoulder on social media
A young white woman who posted a message on social media last weekend expressing her joy over enrolling at Spelman College, a historically Black school near downtown Atlanta, did not a warm welcome from others who felt some of her remarks were disrespectful.
Her reference to attending the “home of Black girl magic” was not well-received. She later apologized.
Read more about it here.
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