Claflin receives Gates Foundation grant

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Claflin University is one of nine historically black colleges and universities nationwide receiving a grant from the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation to help chart a new model for higher education.

The Orangeburg university announced the $75,000 grant will be used to help develop ways to insure success for both students and institutions. Claflin has established a planning team to determine what changes can be made.

The foundation is working to create an education system that resolves a number of challenges that college students face including not enough academic and personal support, courses that don’t meet their needs and having a lot of debt to pay for their educations.