What an exciting time for Paul Quinn College! Last month, Lyft rideshare corporation officially announced it’s  philanthropic partnership with the historically black college located in Dallas, Texas. Paul Quinn is a work college, meaning full time residential students are placed in on and off campus jobs as part of their mandatory graduation requirements. Lyft Corporation committed to donating 1% of all revenue earned from rides to and from campus to the school’s work program.

This designation has allowed Paul Quinn College to rank as the first college in an urban area and the only historically black college and university with this particular distinction. Since the college-wide launch in 2015, student tuition fees have been reduced by $10,000. Student are also no longer charged for learning materials or textbooks.

“We are incredibly excited to combine our innovative higher education practices with Lyft’s groundbreaking leadership in the transportation space” stated Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. “We are thrilled to partner with Paul Quinn College to provide students of the work program affordable and reliable on-demand rides when they need them,” stated Gyre Renwick, head of enterprise partnerships at Lyft.

According to Dr. Sorrell, the partnership will address four critical areas in higher education: students working jobs that compromise their academic pursuits; rising student debt; absence of relevant work experience by graduation; and lack of preparedness among college freshman.

It looks like this partnership will be the start of something amazing for fellow “Quinnites”. Sorrell’s ultimate goal is for each of his students to graduate with less than $10,000 in debt. What a presidential inspiration!

 

KS