Morehouse College Honorary Degree Recipient Robert F. Smith did an extraordinary thing: he announced that he and his family would pay the debt of every graduate. He said he was part of the Class of 2019 and they all needed to start the next phase on a level field. Wow! How remarkable, especially given that there was apparently no knowledge ahead of time that Mr. (now Doctor) would make that promise. What a gift. What an act of grace. What a way of paying it forward. And Mr. Smith wasn’t a Morehouse alum! Forget how high the bar is for honorary degree recipients moving forward. Forget the feelings of relief so many there experienced. Don’t forget that Morehouse is an HBCU that has struggled financially. Don’t forget the powerful message of belief in graduates and their promising future as leaders. If I had a magic wand or billions of dollars (I don’t), I would repay the debt of every 2019 graduate of a college that is closing this year. Talk about a remarkable end. I understand the “last” Southern Vermont College graduation this weekend was moving and forward looking. I’m glad the event was so memorable. Now, here’s my other hope: that this will not be SVC’s last Commencement because other donors will see the value of small colleges. That would be a remarkable gift. …see more