Denzel Washington has donated $2.25 million to the theatre department at Fordham University.

One lucky undergraduate theater student will be awarded $250,000 in the form of scholarship to help nurture and develop the craft. 

Television and Broadway actress Phylicia Rashad has already filled the chair position. She teaches a character class to 16 advanced seniors, and attends faculty meetings and sits down regularly with students.

“I wanted to create the Denzel Washington Endowed Scholarship and Chair in Theatre at Fordham in order to offer the next generation of students positive influences. Phylicia Rashad, as the inaugural holder of the chair, will provide the care, compassion and that extra push to help take students where they’re meant to go,” Denzel said in a statement.

Matthew Maguire, director of the Fordham theater program, said the actor was keen to rotate the working professional so students, “could get four different luminaries teaching in their training courses during each of their four years here” He also explained the interest from Denzel’s generous $2 million gift would cover the salary of each professor, but declined to reveal exact figures.

Denzel studied journalism at Fordham before switching to theatre and graduating in 1977.