Seminole State College has received a $17 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott through her foundation, Yield Giving, the largest single donation in the college’s 94-year history.
The gift will be managed by the Seminole State College Educational Foundation, the college’s nonprofit fundraising arm, and will be used to expand scholarships, strengthen student success initiatives, reward employee performance and advance key priorities outlined in SSC’s 2023-26 strategic plan.
“This is a once-in-a-generation moment for Seminole State College,” SSC President Lana Reynolds said. “MacKenzie Scott’s extraordinary generosity is a powerful vote of confidence in our students, our mission and the communities we serve. This gift will allow us to remove financial barriers, build new pathways to degrees and careers, and ensure that more students from our region can thrive here at SSC.”
Reynolds said the gift will touch nearly every part of the college’s work, from affordability and academic quality to outreach and workforce development.
“Every decision we make with these dollars will be filtered through our strategic plan and our commitment to student success,” Reynolds said. “This gift will not replace the hard work of annual fundraising or state support, but it will give us the flexibility to act more boldly and more quickly on opportunities that change students’ lives.”
The $17 million gift will be placed under the stewardship of the Seminole State College Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1972 to provide scholarship support and other resources to the college. The foundation supports SSC students through scholarships, economic development initiatives and facilities such as the Brian Crawford Memorial Sports Complex. The new gift will significantly increase the foundation’s capacity to invest in students and campus priorities over the long term.
“MacKenzie Scott’s generosity will reshape what is possible for our students and our community,” said Mark Schell, chair of the SSC Educational Foundation Board of Trustees. “With this gift, the foundation can think in terms of decades rather than years. Our responsibility now is to steward these funds carefully, in a way that honors this donation, advances the college’s mission and ensures that Seminole State College remains strong for future generations.”
Schell said the foundation expects to blend long-term endowment strategies with short-term investments in high-impact projects. He said the board will focus on balancing immediate student needs with building permanent resources that will sustain SSC well into the future.
SSC Board of Regents Chair Marci Donaho said the gift reflects outside partners’ confidence in the college’s leadership and direction.
“On behalf of the Board of Regents, I am deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving for investing in rural Oklahoma. These funds will help us keep a college education within reach, support innovative teaching and learning, and strengthen the pipeline of talent that our communities and employers depend on.”
Donaho said the Board of Regents will work closely with the Educational Foundation and college leadership to ensure the funds are used transparently and responsibly.
Across the country, Scott has become a significant donor to higher education, particularly at institutions that serve large numbers of first-generation and low-income students. Since 2019, she has distributed billions of dollars in largely unrestricted grants to organizations through Yield Giving.
Reynolds said SSC’s strategic plan calls for investments in enrollment growth, technology, student support and community engagement.
“Whether it is a high school student earning concurrent credit, a parent finishing a degree or an adult learner retraining for a new career, this gift will touch the lives of learners across our region,” Reynolds said. “It will allow us to live out our mission on a bigger scale — empowering people for academic success, personal development and lifelong learning.”
Founded in 1931, Seminole State College is a public, two-year institution located in Seminole, Okla. The college offers associate degrees and certificates that prepare graduates to transfer to four-year universities or enter the workforce. SSC’s service area includes Hughes, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Seminole and Pottawatomie counties.
The Seminole State College Educational Foundation provides scholarship support and capital resources that enhance the college’s ability to serve students and the surrounding region.
For more information about Seminole State College, visit sscok.edu.