A school for seventh through 12 grade students in Delaware was recently named after the president & CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and his wife.
Dr. Harry L. Williams and his wife, Dr. Robin S. Williams, were in attendance at the dedication ceremony at the Delaware State University campus. The early college school, now formally known as The Williams Early College School, officially opened in 2014 during Dr. Harry L. Williams’ tenure as president of DSU. The renaming honors the impact the family had in creating the program.
“To see our names on this building is a deeply humbling moment,” Dr. Harry L. Williams said. “It’s the kind of milestone you dream about. Most importantly, it models the access to education and the exposure to our historically Black colleges and universities that the students deserve.”
The school was originally for ninth through 12th grade students, but later expanded to students as young as seventh grade.
Approximately 700 middle and high school students take college courses alongside DSU students, with the goal of exposing students to college early and allowing them to envision themselves pursuing higher education.
DSU reports that since opening its doors, the school has seen its students rack up over 18,000 college credits and secure more than $45 million in scholarship funding, with upwards of 70% of those graduates going on to attend Delaware State University.
The Williams family also announced a $1 million endowment for the school, intended to grow the school as part of the vision the Williams’ began more than a decade ago.
