Jimmy Carter’s legacy lives on through education in the CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Jimmy Carter left behind an impact and legacy on education in the U.S. and Georgia.
The strides Carter made for education on a federal level are still being felt at colleges across the country, including here in Augusta.
‘He built hope’: How Jimmy Carter made a lasting impact through Habitat
While the former president from Georgia didn’t create Habitat, he was a huge piece of what the group does across the country, right up until he just recently entered hospice.
“I think that Jimmy Carter was a symbol of what we all could be,” says Dr. Mallory Millender, a Paine College historian.
Millender says Carter represented positive change through his humanitarian acts in and out of office.
Millender met Carter at Paine College when he was campaigning for governor. He says the mission has never changed for Carter.
“Jimmy Carter tried to be impactful for the poor nationwide at every level,” says Millender.
Millender says Carter did this through his efforts advocating for civil rights, helping with projects like Habitat for Humanity and education.
MORE FROM NEWS 12:
- Jimmy Carter is being mourned in his tiny hometown and around the world
- Jimmy Carter ‘embodied the very best of America,’ Biden says
- How Jimmy Carter brought Hollywood to the Peach State
- Where and when former President Jimmy Carter will be buried
- ‘He died very peacefully’: Jimmy Carter’s final moments
- Ga. sports community re ‘dedicated’ fan Jimmy Carter
- Reaction pours in after ing of Georgia’s Jimmy Carter
- Did you know about Jimmy Carter’s deep family roots in the CSRA?
- Local family shares memories of lifelong friendship with Carter
- Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s lifelong love affair
- Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter were a global power couple – and best friends
Carter was responsible for creating the modern U.S. Department of Education in 1979.
More than 40 years later colleges like Paine are still benefiting from his efforts.
“You could also look at things like the Title III program that he championed, and this is money that comes to black colleges,” says Millender. “Most of our students, over 95% of our students, are on financial aid, and that money comes through Title III.”
Jimmy Carter ed as a ‘sincerely religious man’ by local church
As we continue to take a look back at the life and legacy of Former President Jimmy Carter, faith is a common theme you might come across.
Millender says Carter is leaving a legacy and a path of what leaders should represent.
“That is a person who has dedicated his life to making the world better,” says Millender.
According to the U.S. Department of Education in fiscal year 2023, the department, through Title III programs, awarded more than $127 million to strengthen institutions of higher education.
The mission of equal opportunity for education still lives on under President Carter’s legacy.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
