The University of Georgia has received a $4 million grant from The Goizueta Foundation of Atlanta to continue providing programs that enhance educational opportunities for Hispanic students in Georgia.
This is the second time in four years The Goizueta Foundation has given UGA a major grant for educational programming that primarily benefits Latino children and young people in Georgia. In 2002, UGA received $3.5 million from The Goizueta Foundation to launch a major initiative to improve education for Hispanic students in the state.
The new grant, awarded through UGA’s Arch Foundation, will expand several programs started by the 2002 grant. They include scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate students and the work of a center that helps schools, teachers and parents improve the academic success of Hispanic children in grades K-12.
The new grant also will start a new program called the Latino Pipeline Initiative that will try to impress on Hispanic students in middle and high schools the importance of graduating from high school and enrolling in college and help prepare them to do so.
“The University of Georgia is honored to continue to partner with The Goizueta Foundation to foster a multicultural society that opens doors of opportunity to everyone in Georgia,” says UGA President Michael F. Adams. “We are grateful for The Goizueta Foundation’s confidence, as evidenced by this grant, in UGA’s ability to provide resources that will help Hispanic students and all young people in Georgia attain education and skills to ensure a bright and successful future.”
Both of The Goizueta Foundation ‘s grants support UGA’s Latino Initiative, an effort started in 2001 to use the university’s expertise and resources to provide instruction, training and other assistance for Georgia’s booming Hispanic population. Estimates are that more than 600,000 Hispanics live in Georgia-nearly 7 percent of the state’s population. Georgia’s Hispanic growth is among the fastest in the nation.
“We are delighted with the support and investment by The Goizueta Foundation in our Latino Initiative,” says Art Dunning, UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach, who oversees the initiative. “These resources will allow us to ensure that we are able to sustain and strengthen our commitment to this rapidly growing population in Georgia.”
UGA will use the new grant for three primary purposes:
- To increase financial assistance provided through The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund, which gives need-based scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. UGA is making concerted efforts to recruit Hispanic students in Georgia and enrollment has climbed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels since the scholarship program started.
- To expand the work of the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education. Housed in UGA’s College of Education, the center provides professional development training and resources to help teachers, administrators, staff members and parents better educate Latino K-12 students in Georgia.
- To start the Latino Pipeline Initiative, an effort to reach Latino students as early as seventh grade with the message that college is vital to their future. The initiative, which will be operated through UGA’s public service and outreach program, includes two programs that bring Latino students to UGA for educational and leadership activities.