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Official Seal of Georgia State University

Ga. State University gets $4M gift from art school alum

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

Official Seal of Georgia State University
Official Seal of Georgia State University

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia State University’s school of art and design has received a $4 million donation from the school’s namesake, who died in December at 103.

Ralph Gilbert, associate dean for fine arts at Georgia State, says the money will be invested through the university’s endowment so that it can provide annual support to the school, which was named for Ernest G. Welch in 2003. Welch and his late sister, Frances, left a large portion of their estate to the school.

Gilbert says faculty will research ways to use the money to start new initiatives and programs.

Welch got a business degree from Georgia Tech in 1928, but after a long career decided to enroll in Georgia State’s art school in his 80s to study photography.

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