PAUL QUINN COLLEGE RECEIVES $3.5 MILLION GIFT FROM SIMMONS FOUNDATION
Dallas, TX – Paul Quinn College (“Paul Quinn” or “College”) announced today that it received a $3.5 million gift from the Harold Simmons Foundation (“Foundation”). The majority of the gift ($2.5m) will be used to help finance the construction of the first new building on the campus in almost 40 years. The remaining amount ($1m) is targeted to support the College’s Work Program.
The Foundation’s contribution further validates Paul Quinn’s remarkable transformation over the last ten years and brings the school one step closer to beginning construction on the Trammell S. Crow Living and Learning Center (“Crow Center”). The Center will address Paul Quinn’s need for additional student housing that has been created by the school’s rapid increase in student enrollment. Since the spring of 2010, the College’s enrollment has grown by more than 180% and by 55% alone from fall 2014 to fall 2015.
The remainder of the Foundation’s gift continues their strong support of the College’s transition to becoming a federally recognized Work College. Paul Quinn began this conversion process in the fall of 2013. When completed, Paul Quinn will become the nation’s first urban, and eighth overall, Work College. By implementing the Work Program format, the College was able to reduce student tuition and fees from $23,800 to $14,275 and reduce student debt.
“We at the Harold Simmons Foundation are very happy to be a part of the Work College Program at Paul Quinn College,” said Foundation President Lisa Simmons. “This innovative model takes up the national challenge to prepare students for successful work lives without the burden of crushing debt that puts so many dreams out of reach. The Harold Simmons Foundation is proud to invest in Paul Quinn because it is an institution leading the way.”
“We continue to be deeply appreciative for the support of the Simmons Foundation,” stated Paul Quinn College President Dr. Michael J. Sorrell. “The Foundation was one of the first institutions to believe in our vision for creating a new New Urban College Model, one that prepares students by providing them real world work experiences at an affordable rate. We vow to live up to their faith in us.”
“The Board of Trustees of Paul Quinn is incredibly grateful for the confidence that the Simmons Foundation continues to show in the College,” explained recently installed Board Chairman Don Clevenger, Senior VP of Strategic Planning for Oncor. “Their most recent gift is an excellent statement not only about the school’s vision for the future. A vision that has found a home both locally and nationally.”
