Robert F. Smith just gave graduates the greatest graduation gift ever.
Today at Morehouse’s graduation, Vista Equity Partners’ CEO, Robert F. Smith, stepped up the microphone and gave the graduating class of 2019 the greatest graduation gift they could ever receive.
“My family is going to create a grant to eliminate your student loans!”
"My family is going to create a grant to eliminate your student loans!" -Robert F. Smith told the graduating Class of 2019 @RFS_Vista #MorehouseGrad2019 pic.twitter.com/etG8JhVA46
— Morehouse College (@Morehouse) May 19, 2019
Could you imagine the reaction of both students AND their parents? We can only assume that the loud noise we heard from the South was the cheering from the college’s campus.
So who is Robert F. Smith?
Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a technology investment firm. Per the company’s website, he has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School. He’s the Chairman of Carnegie Hall and the Chair of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, serves on the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School and has won numerous awards for his philanthropic work.
Smith, who had already donated $1.5 million to Morehouse, received an honorary doctorate from the college and dropped the exciting news to the almost 400 graduating seniors.
“This is my class,” the billionaire said, “and I know my class will pay this forward.”
The grant is estimated around $40 million, but to the graduates and their families, it’s priceless.
