Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife Patricia Quillin have donated $10 million to Tougaloo College, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“HBCUs have been vastly undervalued for a long time,” said Hastings and Quillin in a joint statement Monday. “They have an incredible track record of graduating so many Black leaders across the U.S.—doctors, lawyers, engineers, and more. By investing in the extraordinary students who attend Tougaloo and Brown, we’re investing in America’s future.”
According to the reports, half of the gift will provide aid for Tougaloo students who study medicine, public health, the sciences, education, business, and other community-focused fields. The remaining half will support the 58-years-long partnership between Brown-Tougaloo Scholarship as part of Brown University’s endowment to “provide support for Tougaloo students who come to Brown, whether to pursue a graduate or medical degree or through an academic exchange program.”
Carmen J. Walters, president of Tougaloo, shared her excitement about the generous donation.
“The remarkable personal gift to the historic Brown-Tougaloo Partnership from philanthropists Reed Hastings and Patricia Quillin will transform the lives of Tougaloo College students,” Walters said. “This donation, setting a new precedent as the largest gift to the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership, is a living testimony to their strong belief in the value of giving, the value of education, and the value of HBCUs. This transformative gift is a life-changing opportunity for our students, and the impact will be far-reaching.”
“Brown and Tougaloo share a deeply held commitment to preparing graduates to make a positive impact in their communities,” Christina H. Paxson, Brown University president added. “Our shared ideals serve as an unbreakable foundation for a 58-year-old partnership that has yielded important insights for students and scholars, infused both campuses with new perspectives, and provided life-changing experiences for Tougaloo and Brown students. This generous gift from Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin ensures that this truly one-of-a-kind partnership will continue to expand for many decades to come.”
According to Sandra Hodge, the college's vice president of institutional advancement, the gift is the largest philanthropic contribution to the Brown-Tougaloo Scholarship to date.
Hastings and Quillin's gift follows a combined $120 million donation the couple made back in June 2020 to Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the United Negro College Fund.
