ATLANTA - A billionaire technology investor and philanthropist says he will provide grants to wipe out the student debt of the entire graduating class at Morehouse College - an estimated $40 million. Robert F. Smith, this year’s commencement speaker, made the announcement Sunday morning while addressing nearly 400 graduating seniors of the all-male historically black college in Atlanta. Smith is the Founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm that invests in software, data, and technology-driven companies. And my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.” The announcement elicited stunned looks from faculty and students alike, before the graduates broke into the biggest cheers of the morning. The pledge to eliminate student debt for the class of 2019 is estimated to be $40 million.

Source: thestar May 19, 2019 16:00 UTC