Bowie State University learned late Friday it received a $50 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — the largest single contribution in the university’s 160-year history.
The former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is worth an estimated $42 billion, and she’s pledged to give away most of her fortune.
This is the second multimillion-dollar donation Scott has made to Bowie State and one of several she has made to local historically Black colleges and universities lately.
“I was truly at a loss for words, and it brought tears to my eyes,” Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux told WTOP. “I was overjoyed. I was so overcome. And it’s not often that a president is at a loss for words.
This donation follows a $25 million gift Scott gave the Prince George’s County university in 2020.
Breaux said, as was the case then, it will be used to help students with additional financial aid. With annual undergraduate tuition and fees at $8,999, Breaux said Bowie State is one of the most affordable universities in the country, but that more must be done to help students.
“We use a percentage of our endowment, with the top priority being scholarships,” she said. “We serve some of the highest-need students and this gift, first and foremost, will be used to help close in on the financial needs for our students. … We’re taking care of this generation of learners as well as future generations.”
