On the last Sunday, Donald M. Stewart, who was accredited with reviving the Spelman College and who also served as the president of the college board, died of a heart attack in Chicago.
He took over the presidentship of Spelman College, one of the popular black women’s colleges in Atlanta, in 1976. In the beginning, he had a very rocky start, owing to the protest by students who wanted a black woman as their president. But later on, the ride went on smooth till 10 years later, when he retired from the college.
He had done a great deal to the college. Around 50% of the professors at college had doctorates when Dr. Stewart joined. And till the time he left, this percentage rose to 74%. The growth was seen in the SAT scores too. When talked about this to a private SAT and math tutor in NYC, he also shared how Dr. Donald Stewart’s presence rose the average SAT score of the entering freshmen by 100 points.
Some other contributions by the president included addition of a Chemistry department, a Research and Resource Center for Women, and a comprehensive writing program.
Even after leaving the presidentship, he continued monitoring the growth of college, by taking over the College board. This board is responsible for administering the SATs as well as the scholarships. After taking over, the board revised the SAT exam, making it comfortable to all the candidates. Along with that, the board also started programs to better prepare minority students for such exams.
Dr. Donald Stewart dedicated his whole life in betterment of the individual potential.
