Johnson C. Smith starts 10-day ‘emergency aid campaign’ due to highest enrollment in years

Johnson C. Smith University started a blitz Monday to raise $250,000 in 10 days because more students plan to enroll this fall than the historically Black college has seen in years.

There were 1,102 students at JCSU in fall 2023. This semester, 1,378 students are looking to enroll, including 604 new freshmen. This marks the highest enrollment the school has seen since before the pandemic. However, many students have difficulty affording the total cost of attending school. Without being cleared financially, students cannot register for classes — and the school is at risk of exactly that for hundreds of them.

“When we talk about an average gap for students, you’re looking at anywhere between $6,000 to $10,000,” said Davida Haywood, JCSU vice president of student affairs and enrollment management. “After whatever federal financial aid they receive or merit-based scholarships they may receive, what’s left is the responsibility of students and their families. We’re trying to help our students with that gap.”

JCSU announced early Monday it is asking community members donate to its emergency aid fund to help the influx of new students afford to attend.

“We are pleased to announce that we have accepted a record number of incoming students across all classifications for the fall 2024 semester,” JCSU Director of Communications and Marketing Cheryl Butler-Brayboy wrote in an email to the JCSU community. “We need to financially clear 300 students by Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.”

Classes begin Wednesday. Students must be “financially cleared” – meaning they have all the funding they need to attend, including from scholarships – by that Aug. 30 deadline in order to continue to be enrolled.

JCSU President Valerie Kinloch was in Chicago attending the National Association of Black Journalists Convention about two weeks ago when she saw enrollment skyrocketing for the 2024-25 school year. She immediately began thinking about how to help students who had financial limitations.

“I thought, if we’re really committed to eliminating financial barriers for students who have done everything we’ve asked them to do, we need to exhaust every resource we can,” Kinloch told The Charlotte Observer. “So, this emergency aid campaign was an idea we came up with.”

The campaign launched Monday, and Kinloch said she’s not yet sure how much has been raised toward the $250,000 goal so far.

Those interested in contributing can do so here.