Spelman College receives $100 million gift believed to be single-largest donation to an HBCU

(CNN) – Spelman College, a private women’s college in Atlanta, will receive a $100 million gift, which the school says is the largest single donation to a historically Black college or university. The donation comes from longtime Spelman trustee Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston, the chairman of the wealth management fund Greenleaf Trust, the college announced in a release. Related Stories “We are invigorated and inspired by this incredible act of generosity,” said Spelman president Dr. Helene Gayle in a statement. “This gift is a critical step in our school’s mission to eliminate financial barriers to starting and finishing a Spelman education.” The historic $100 million gift comes as Spelman marks 100 years since its naming in 1924. The college is one of only two historically black women’s colleges and is a part of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of four HBCUs in the city. Stryker has been a trustee of the college since 1997 and also serves as the director of the medical technology company Stryker Corporation, which was founded by her grandfather. The school noted that $75 million of the donation will be used for endowed scholarships, helping the college “continue to attract the best...