Media Alert
ANONYMOUS DONOR GIVES SPELMAN $17 MILLION FOR INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES
ATLANTA (Aug.18, 2008) To strengthen and expand international programs at Spelman College, an anonymous donor has generously given a $17 million gift to establish the Gordon-Zeto Endowed Fund for International Initiatives.
Named after Nora A. Gordon, C’1888, the first Spelmanite to teach in the Congo, and Flora E. Zeto, C’1915, among the first Congolese to study and graduate from Spelman, the gift will be used to infuse the curriculum, campus environment, and extracurricular offerings with an international component.
“In the context of an increasingly global economy and a world made smaller by technology, it is more important than ever that students, faculty and staff are prepared for active engagement with the international community,” said Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., president of Spelman College. “This generous gift will help expand our global emphasis, ensuring that we remain competitive in a ‘flat world.’ ”
Since 2002, the number of Spelman students participating in study abroad programs has doubled. However, unlike study abroad, there has been no real growth in the international student population at Spelman. Therefore, a scholarship will be established to bring students from Africa to study and graduate from the College.
“The 21st century transformation of the College includes not only sending our students out into the world, but welcoming students from other countries to Spelman,” said Tatum. “The addition of students from Africa will serve to further educate and prepare the Spelman community for global engagement.”
Other initiatives to be funded by the Gordon-Zeto Endowment include the:
o Gordon-Zeto Dean for International Initiatives to provide senior leadership and oversight of Spelman’s international program offerings.
o Nora Gordon Scholars program to support study abroad opportunities for Pell grant eligible students, with first priority given to those interested in studying in Africa.
o Gordon-Zeto Fund for Faculty/Student International Travel to support short-term study abroad opportunities for students and faculty.
The fund will also be used to strengthen existing programs. The endowment will help support a faculty position in the “Africans in the Diaspora and the World” first-year seminar program. The gift will provide travel funds for Spelman’s Model United Nations team and support for the International Relations program. Allocations will also be made to the Office of Student Activities to support new and existing initiatives with an international focus, and the division of Enrollment Management will receive support for international recruiting efforts.
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in
the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top
75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges — Undergraduate," 2005. Located in Atlanta,
Ga., this private, historically Black women's college boasts outstanding
alumnae, including Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman;
U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and
Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the
full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the
student-faculty ratio is 12:1. Annually, nearly one-third of Spelman
students receive degrees in the sciences. The students number more than
2,186 and represent 43 states and 34 foreign countries. For more
information regarding Spelman College, visit: www.spelman.edu.
