HOUSTON, TX — San Jacinto College received a donation worth $30 million from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, on June 15.
This donation was the largest private gift in the college’s history.
“The San Jacinto College Board of Trustees, the San Jacinto College Foundation Board of Directors, as well as our employees and students, both current and future, are deeply grateful for this very generous gift.
“We weren’t expecting it, and it came at just the right time so we could put programs like 21Forward in place to help the students in East Harris County who made it through their senior year. These students were impacted by COVID, yet they persisted and graduated. We are honored to be able to use a portion of this gift to help students stay on their higher education pathway. We look forward to announcing plans for the remainder of the funding in the future,” said Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer.
She added: “For now, we are stunned by this unbelievable gift and excited about the opportunities it provides for us to serve our community in new ways.”
Scott had announced on June 15 in a blog that she donated more than $2.7 billion to 286 organizations all over the country.
“Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved,” said Scott in her post.
Earlier this month, San Jacinto College announced the creation of the 21 Forward scholarship following the generous donation from Scott.