And if things couldn’t get better, Scott returned to VSU to give an additional $50 million in unrestricted funds. “Our endowment has grown thanks to our wonderful alumni and all givers who give to Virginia State, including Ms. MacKenzie Scott,” said Abdullah. “Our endowment is now higher than it was in 2023. The $50 million gift made a significant contribution to it, helping us to have a legacy for years to come. We’re very excited about the growth.” A ‘HEALTHY HINT OF SKEPTICISM’ When Dr. Abdullah was first contacted about the donation, he initially thought it was too good to be true. In fact, he thought it was a scam. While VSU receives outreach from donors regularly – alumni, foundations, corporations – the amount of Scott’s 2020 gift was the first of its kind for VSU and Abdullah took the news with a grain of salt, careful not to get too excited in case it was, in fact, some sort of a joke. “The first thing I was wondering was whether it was real,” he recalled. “It was so outside of the scope of the kind of gifts that we get that there was a part of me that was very, very skeptical about who I was talking to and whether it would happen. There was a healthy hint of skepticism. It became real when resources hit the bank. They’re very adamant about making sure that the resources get to the campus. I didn’t believe it until then. I said, ‘OK, this is real.’” Scott, a novelist, committed to give away much of her fortune following her divorce from Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos. Toni Morrison, the late Nobel Laureate and Howard alumna who taught at
Princeton, Scott’s alma mater, had a great impact on Scott’s writing and life view. In fact, at a 2017 dedication ceremony when Princeton named a building after Morrison in 2017, Scott said, “She has given me a real example of a life of passionate devotion to more than one calling.” Three years later, Scott began her philanthropic spree under her foundation, Yield Giving. To date, she has donated $26 billion dollars – more than 2,700 gifts – to organizations committed to underserved communities. In addition to social justice organizations, 24 HBCUs and the UNCF made her giving list, totalling $1.1 billion. The most exciting part about Scott’s gifts is that they are unrestricted, allowing recipients to do anything they want with them - update technology infrastructure, create scholarships, add a wing to an existing building, create an endowment. The sky’s the limit. Abdullah knows the importance of giving to HBCUs. So much that he exercises his own altruistic actions to give – and not just his own alma mater Howard University, and current university. His philanthropy and leadership garnered him the 2025 HBCU Pillar Award during the UnPoliticized Blackness brunch hosted by I Love My HBCU?, a podcast that amplifies the diverse voices of Black students, founded and hosted by Dr. Tosin Adegbola Richard. “I know that Dr. Makola Abdullah has found a way to give money to all, if not most HBCUs,” said Adegbola Richard who is also Dean of Morgan State University’s Clara I. Adams Honors College. “That’s commendable. I don’t know how many people can say the same. To HBCUs, money means something, whether it’s $10 or $75
for textbooks, $175 for graduation, or $4,000 for last semester’s bill.”
ALUMNI SUPPORT STILL & ALWAYS NEEDED While it may seem like donations are no longer needed when monumental gifts like this come in, that’s the furthest from the truth, according to Abdullah and other university presidents. In fact, in order to be considered by foundations and enter financial partnerships, universities are asked about alumni giving. It is imperative for potential supporters to see that a university’s main audience – its students and alumni – are fully vested and invested in the institution that afforded them an education. “There's always a potential for some to see [news of Scott’s donation] and say, ‘you got this money, so my money must not matter,’” explained Abdullah. “Alumni giving is terribly important. It’s probably one of the most important metrics for people to know that those who have an affinity for the institution and those who have benefited the most from the institution feel it’s a worthwhile investment. It doesn’t even matter how much they give. As President, we want them to give a significant amount, but it matters more that alumni give.
HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2026 | 3 1
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