Alumni Couple Donates $5 Million Gift To Howard University. Howard alumni couple Eddie C. Brown and C. Sylvia Brown have donated $5 million to their alma mater. Photo: Courtesy of Howard University
Alumni couple Eddie C. Brown and C. Sylvia Brown have donated $5 million to their alma mater, Howard University. The generous gift will go towards the Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant, which supports Howard students who have financial difficulties, according to a news release from the university.
“We are extremely grateful to Eddie and Sylvia for making this historic gift to Howard University,” university President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick said. “The GRACE Grant has helped to eliminate financial barriers to education for Howard students, and I am thrilled that the Browns were inspired to commit such a generous gift to this important fund. My hope is that students will be inspired by their story and generosity and that others in our alumni community will consider the many ways they, too, can impact current and future generations of Howard students.”
Eddie and Sylvia met in 1957 on Howard’s campus. They graduated in 1961 and 1962, respectively, with degrees in engineering and liberal arts. They were married in 1962 and Eddie went on to found Brown Capital Management, he said is the second-oldest Black-owned investment management firm in the world. They are also the owners of the Baltimore-based Ivy Hotel.
The Browns were inspired to make the donation to their alma mater because of their life experiences and hearing something a minister once said.
“We were very fortunate to be able to go to Howard,” Sylvia said. “I had student loans, and I know how hard that is. Being from a family of four, my parents did the best they could, but that was never enough to pay for all the fees. And that’s been our mantra, to give to others and help them at least be able to get an undergraduate degree so they have a good foundation.”
“I remember a minister of ours said something that we never forgot,” Eddie added. “That those who are blessed should be a blessing to someone, especially those less fortunate. We always remember that. I was blessed to receive my college education debt free, and I think it’s important to offer those less fortunate the opportunity to do so as well.”
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According to Eddie, a caring teacher and anonymous “angel” donor made it possible for him to attend Howard debt-free. Sylvia sees the donation as “paying it forward” rather than giving back. “Our only hope is that students who benefit from our contribution do their best,” Sylvia said.
According to Howard’s press release, students who receive the GRACE Grant have an average graduation rate of 78 percent, which is 32 percent higher than those in the same financial position who don’t receive the grant. It was created in 2014 and provides a 100-percent match for students who receive the maximum Federal Pell Grant.
The Browns’ donation is the largest alumni donation in history thus far. Some people on social media celebrated the act of generosity. Twitter user @DanetteHoward16 said the Browns were “among the most humble & generous people I’ve ever met,” adding that seeing their donation was a “very proud Bison moment.”
“Thank you and continued blessings to the Browns for giving forward. Your example shows us how each of us, as alum, can make a difference for our alma mater and those who follow behind us,” Instagram user @b.anthonycampbell commented.
Others called on Howard to use the funding to address the unsanitary housing conditions students have been protesting about. “And the timing couldn’t have been better! Those students tired of sleeping in those living conditions,” Twitter user @JehSquared wrote. “My daughter went there, she’s now 33, do the math how long this shyt been going on?”
“I hope you hold your funds until the housing crisis is resolved,” Instagram user @findingclaudia wrote. “Where is all the money going? Not one student should be protesting about living conditions,” agreed Instagram user @glamstar14.
