Giving Makes Good ‘Heart Sense’
If anyone asks Rosalynne Price (Ph.D. ’86) about Georgia State University, she can give them two big reasons why they should support the university: one is financial, the other comes from the heart.
Pick either reason and the outcome is the same.
“Georgia State is a good investment on your dollar,” said Price. “The university graduates high-quality students — many of whom would otherwise not be able to get an education. It’s been that way throughout its history.”
Price knows first-hand the impact of donor support on students; she received an unexpected scholarship when she was a GSU student working towards her doctorate in instructional technology.
“I was teaching full time and a mother of two — with a third on the way — slowly working toward my doctorate by taking one class at a time when my advisor, Skip Atkinson, asked ‘would it help you if you had a scholarship?’” said Price. “It provided me a real opportunity, allowing me to take two classes per semester. I didn’t even have to apply for it!”
Price had come to Georgia State with several years’ experience as a primary and secondary school teacher. Before moving to Atlanta with her husband William (Buddy) Price, she taught in underserved schools in Louisville, Ky. with Teacher Corps, a precursor to AmeriCorps, while earning her Master of Education at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
“Georgia State provided a wonderful place of discovery for me,” said Price. “I gained an international perspective — the university is a microcosm of the world — and it offered me a great environment to learn and explore, leading me to learn what I loved to do and become who I needed to be.”
After earning her doctorate, Price maintained vibrant, ongoing connections with Georgia State through her employers, first Equifax, then Cox Enterprises. She helped facilitate internships for GSU students and worked with her employers to secure financial support for the university where there were opportunities. Currently, Price serves as the vice chair for the board of the Atlanta SMART Academy and is working to foster meaningful relationships between the charter school and the university’s College of Education & Human Development.
Price was also a regular annual donor to the university through the years but began making significant investments in GSU student opportunity in 2020.
“I’m proud Georgia State is my alma mater, and I had seen the university’s growth and remarkable progress,” said Price. “I wanted to make a meaningful gift to the Emergency Assistance Fund, because there were students who were really working, trying to stay in school, and I wanted to help.”
“I’ll always give to Georgia State — it makes sense to me; someone else gave to Georgia State to open doors for me.”
A generous supporter of the Emergency Assistance Fund, Panther’s Pantry, Panther Retention Grants and university scholarships, Price most values Georgia State’s eclectic offerings, diverse and largely underserved student population, and commitment to student success.
“If you care enough to come to Georgia State for an education, Georgia State cares enough about you to help you graduate,” said Price. “The university is ever-growing, ever-changing, and not just good for its students, but for Atlanta.”
“From where I stand, it’s both a good financial investment and one of the best heart investments I can make.”