Paul Quinn College (PQC), an HBCU in Dallas, Texas recently received a record-breaking donation in late July. An anonymous donor donated 20-million dollars to the institution, making it the largest donation in the school’s 152-year history. Paul Quinn College was founded in 1872, by a group of African Methodist Episcopal Church preachers in Texas. The school’s original purpose was to educate freed slaves and prepare them for life during Reconstruction. It is the first Urban Work College and the only minority-serving, federally recognized work college in America. To ensure that students are prepared for the workforce after graduation by providing them with real-world professional opportunities while in pursuit of a degree.
With the trend of acknowledgment of particularly more East Coast HBCUs, Dr. Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College mentioned, “We are a different HBCU period. We are proud to be the first Urban Work College, our goal is to eradicate generational poverty by preparing our students.”
With such a tremendous gift, Sorrell emphasized the meaning of this gift to him and the college by saying, “It was a validation of over a century of good and hard work. You pray for people to acknowledge your work and to have someone believe in you in that way, [through this donation] is special. It belongs to all of us, even those who were with us 100 years ago, and now.”
As the longest-serving HBCU president with 17 years under his belt, Sorrell has spent quite some time working at Quinn. He believes that this gift will serve not only the present students but the future generations to come saying, “We are most excited about what we are going to do next with these resources. We are using the 20-million dollars to position us for tomorrow. We have the ability to not only look forward but to plan forward.”
President Dr. Michael Sorrell Credit: Paul Quinn College
The college plans to use these funds to expand PQC’s ability to provide scholarship support for students, significantly increase the college’s endowment, establish an endowed Faculty Chair for the Banking & Finance Program, aid the Fundraising & Philanthropy Program, expand the Office of Development, and support the Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur Program.
With such a donation, more opportunities for students to grow professionally are now available. With Quinn College being an Urban Work College, Sorrel takes pride in his students and the commitment he has made to serve them. Instead of just “work-study” like most traditional institutions offer, Quinn College offers “Corporate Work Program Assignments” or specific internship opportunities that not only provide students with hands-on career-oriented opportunities but also ties into relieving student loan debt with a percentage of students who graduate debt free from Quinn College.
Adding, “This is beyond work study. It’s not even fair to put these students in the same discussion. This is about putting students from underserved communities into high-paying opportunities so that they can begin to close the gap [speaking on internships] and so they know the language and culture [of the professional realm].”
For Pell-Grant eligible students, with a 3.0 or higher, an even more impactful program is available, called the “Village Program” which extends the student’s admission status to up to two family members of their choice to promote a legacy of learning and fosters a support system for the student.
President Sorrell recognizes the struggle of many first-generation students and believes the “Village Program” is a great way to eliminate the pressure for them to solely succeed. He emphasized this by adding, “You know first generation college students, we ask them to be superheroes– but everybody needs a crew, everybody needs a team. We bring folks with you so you have that built-in support.”
The “Village Program” allows for the selected family members to pursue an online degree path or a shorter path in the direction of professional certifications. Either way, programs like this continue to push not only students to their greatest potential but their families as well, tying into the College’s motto. “WE over ME.”
President Sorrell candid in the interview. Credit: HBCU Since
Sorrell added to this stating, “We teach our students to leave places better than we found them, you want a better life for not just yourself or your family, but for the people who you may never come into contact with.”
The future looks bright for Paul Quinn University and for HBCUs that are benefiting from donations as such. Sorrell emphasizes the importance of giving by saying, “All our institutions need support and we are all better if we are all strong. Keep donating, I don’t care what HBCU you give to, just give to em!”
As more anonymous donors give to HBCUs across America, we can ensure that more programs and initiatives to serve the underprivileged and brown communities will ensue as many more students of the future receive opportunities of a lifetime through record-breaking gifts like this.
