DECATUR, Ga. — The Delta Air Lines Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Agnes Scott College to support its global learning programs for first-year students.
The surprise grant was announced during the college’s seventh annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Decatur.
The grant funds Global Journeys, a component of the college’s Summit undergraduate curriculum that provides every first-year student with a semester-long study of global themes paired with travel to an international or domestic destination.
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Agnes Scott College President Leocadia Zak accepted the gift during the event.
Zak told the attendees about the impact of experiential learning on student career paths.
“This is such an incredible investment in Agnes Scott students,” Zak said. “Today, we asked everyone in attendance to consider their own leadership journeys and the ways they can use their experience, perspective and influence to shape what comes next for each of them.”
The contribution brings the foundation’s total investment in the Summit program to $2 million.
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Zak said the grant would ensure Agnes Scott can continue giving life-changing learning experiences to its students.
Gail Grimmett, president and CEO of the Delta Flight Museum, presented the grant at the conference, highlighting the role of international exposure in student growth.
“At Delta, we believe that seeing the world firsthand changes how you lead in it,” Grimmett said. “The Delta Air Lines Foundation is proud to help ensure that every Agnes Scott student has that experience in their first year, regardless of their ability to afford it.”
Through the Global Journeys program, undergraduates can pursue further language study and additional study abroad during their remaining three years.
Zak said universal access to international programs shapes the institution’s national reputation.
“Our innovative curriculum, combined with real-world, universal experiences such as Global Journeys, prepares our students to claim their places in the community, workplace and the world,” Zak said. “Universal experiences like these, shared by every undergraduate student, are one reason U.S. News & World Report has named Agnes Scott the No. 1 most innovative liberal arts college in the nation for nine consecutive years.”
Grimmett added that the grant aligns with corporate leadership needs.
“The leaders our communities and companies need are curious, adaptable and comfortable working across cultures,” Grimmett said. “Agnes Scott builds those qualities into every student’s education from the start and that is exactly the kind of preparation The Delta Air Lines Foundation wants to invest in.”
The announcement took place during the college’s annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference, which featured the theme “Innovation Inspiration.”
The gift will go towards funding Ring Leaders: The Campaign for Agnes Scott, a $120 million comprehensive fundraising campaign for the college. So far, it has raised $87 million toward that target.
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