ADA, Okla. – East Central University has been gifted a $17 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving, the philanthropic organization she established.
The gift comes at a pivotal time for ECU as construction continues on the new state-of-the-art Dan Hays STEM Center/School of Nursing and the university advances its ECU Forward Capital Campaign. The campaign aims to enhance campus facilities, strengthen academic programs and ensure students continue to have access to life-changing, affordable educational opportunities.
"We are profoundly grateful for this extraordinary gift to East Central University,” said Regent Jane McDermott of the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO). “This transformational investment affirms ECU's longstanding commitment to empowering students and strengthening the communities we serve."
Discussing how this unexpected gift will be used, ECU President Wendell Godwin said, “Our leadership team will be very strategic and intentional about how the investment will be utilized across campus. We launched our new strategic plan this year and have already identified a number of areas for improvement across campus. We are deeply grateful that Yield Giving chose to invest in ECU. Their belief in our mission and the leadership team gives us great momentum moving forward. As we move through the process, some of the funds will be used immediately to enhance critical campus infrastructure, while additional funds will be endowed to support the University’s mission and long-term vitality for generations to come.”
Godwin further stated, “ECU is proud to be ranked as one of the best values in higher education in Oklahoma and to have led the state’s four-year universities with a 9.3% enrollment increase this semester. We are a key workforce driver for Oklahoma. In 2024 alone, ECU generated more than $231 million in economic output for the state, and 82.4% of our graduates are working in Oklahoma five years after graduation.”
Yield Giving is a transformative philanthropic initiative founded by Scott and dedicated to accelerating equity and opportunity by directing substantial, unrestricted funding to high-impact organizations across the United States and beyond. Education is one of the many causes that the initiative supports. Since 2019, Yield Giving has distributed billions of dollars in largely unrestricted grants to organizations.
“We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary and transformative act of generosity from MacKenzie Scott and Yield Giving,” said ECU Foundation Board Chairman Jeremy Humphers. “The ECU Foundation is committed to stewarding these funds with great care, ensuring they are invested strategically and in full alignment with the University’s long-term goals. Working alongside President Wendell Godwin, we will focus on directing this support toward initiatives that elevate academic excellence, expand opportunities for our students, and strengthen East Central University’s mission well into the future.”
ECU is a thriving public university located in Ada, Okla., offering an affordable, high-quality education. The University provides a diverse selection of more than 65 academic programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as an EdD in Rural Education. ECU is proud to offer small class sizes and a vibrant campus life, supported by more than 35 student organizations.
For more information about East Central University, visit ecok.edu.
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