Spelman College students are looking forward to a new chapter in their college’s history. Presidential leadership will change hands this summer, from outgoing Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum to the recently selected Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, current dean emerita of the Tisch School of Arts at New York University.
“We embrace Dr. Campbell like a sister at Spelman,” said Mary Pickard, Spelman senior and Student Government Association (SGA) president. “We’re welcoming her with open arms and we’re excited to have her.”
Long been a respected institution, Spelman has been on a roll under Tatum’s guidance. As a woman’s college, Spelman occupies a niche within the already small HBCU network, but it is consistently ranked among the top 10 of all women’s colleges nationwide. While other single-sex institutions express trepidation about their viability, a concern that was recently enhanced by Sweet Briar College’s abrupt announcement that it would close, Spelman has been able to raise significant funding and increase alumnae giving to 41 percent even in the midst of the recession.
Tatum set a goal of raising $150 million by 2015 back in 2009. The campaign, which ended this academic year, netted $156.8 million for the school. Although the endowment has dropped somewhat from more than $351 million in 2010 to $327 million in 2014, its endowment is still only second to Howard University’s in the entire HBCU community.
In other words, Spelman is in a comfortable place, although not impervious from financial concerns. The tuition is kept low, compared to other private four-year liberal arts colleges, and many students are recipients of scholarships funded by the school itself.
“I think [Tatum] will really be missed,” said Amoni Thompson, a Spelman senior. “She’s done a lot, as far as building up revenue for the college goes.”
But students, or Spelmanites, as they call themselves, have high hopes for what Campbell will contribute to the school. “Everybody seems to have a positive view of Dr. Campbell, and her extensive background, and her qualifications, especially her arts background,” Thompson said, adding that she would like to see a more equal emphasis on the arts, since in her view the STEM fields were promoted so heavily in recent years.
