‘A generational impact;’ rural NC college receives $24M donation

LUMBERTON, NC (WWAY) – A community college in Robeson County is celebrating an unexpected multi-million dollar donation this week.

The generous gift came from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, the former spouse of amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos.

“There’s a space where words just don’t adequately describe what you feel, and I find myself in that space,” said Melissa Singler, president of Robeson Community College. “There just… there just aren’t words.”

Robeson Community College, located in Lumberton offers a unique approach to what classes it offers from utility pole linemen to law enforcement courses.

“The courses that we offer are in direct correlation to what is needed in our communities and in our region,” Singler said.

Now, this school was gifted a bigger and brighter future from Scott’s donation. Scott gave out more than $7 billion in donations this year to non-profits and higher education institutions.

Robeson Community College received $24 million unexpectedly. Singler said they didn’t even know their college was being considered.

“This gift is going to create a generational impact, it may as a matter of fact, I believe its going to have an impact on my current students children,” Singler said.

Singler said Scott’s foundation didn’t share why Robeson was chosen, but she has a hunch why.

“I believe that their gift demonstrates that geographic location is never a barrier to excellence,” Singler said. “I believe that they see in us that rural community, rural colleges can be transformative forces.”

What would Singler like to say to Scott?

“Thank you for investing in Robeson Community College and Robeson County, thank you for investing in a rural college. I think we have a lot to offer,” Singler said.

Singler said that they will meet with stakeholders to determine how to use the donation.