Fulbright Scholars Recommend Action on Equity

Thirty-six Fulbright New Century Scholars, comprised of leading research scholars and professionals from 25 countries, including the U. S., who have collaborated for the past 18 months to explore ways to improve equity and access to higher education worldwide, presented their final recommendations for action at a symposium at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The symposium, "Education in the 21st Century: Issues of Access & Equity," explored how obstacles can be overcome by improving financial mechanisms, removing social and cultural barriers and expanding models of higher education. The program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

Conference Explores Health Care Disparities

Leading institutes on race and diversity at the law schools of Harvard University and the University of California-Berkeley joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as honorary co-chairs of the first annual Community Voices conference, "Addressing Health Disparities and Inequities as a Social Justice Issue for Men, Women and Their Families." The conference, sponsored by Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., brought academic, political and advocacy leaders on health care, health care disparities, civil rights and successful prisoner re-entry together to discuss issues of health care disparities.

Brown Expands Financial Aid

The Corporation of Brown University (R.I.) has approved a new financial aid policy that eliminates loans for students whose family incomes are less than $100,000, reduces loans for all students who receive financial aid and no longer requires a parental contribution from most families with incomes of up to $60,000. The new policy also sharply reduces loan expectations for all students who receive financial aid, regardless of family income. The provisions apply to all current students who receive financial aid and the Class of 2012, which matriculates fall 2008.

MDC Receives $1 Million Upward Bound Grant

Backed by an Upward Bound grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Miami Dade College (Fla.) announced a new program to help improve the graduation rate for students in high school and postsecondary institutions. The college is slated to receive $250,000 each year for four years to develop a Project TRIO-Upward Bound Program at its Wolfson Campus. Participants are typically selected from low- to moderate-income households in which neither parent holds a college degree. The award is performance-based and renewable through November 2011.

ASU Plays Key Role in Security Project

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has selected Arizona State University (ASU), the University of Arizona and a team of other research universities to develop new technologies and training programs that will enhance the nation's security. The University of Arizona will lead the research efforts of the new Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration, and the University of Texas-El Paso will lead its educational components. ASU will play a key role on the research team. The center will receive $15 million over six years.

Upward Bound Returns to USF

The University of South Florida (USF) has been awarded a $3.5 million grant to re-establish its Upward Bound program. The federal program provides support to low-income and/or first-generation college students to succeed in high school, increase college readiness and enhance college enrollment, retention and graduation. USF operated a successful program for more than 40 years and was one of many programs that lost funding due to a change in the evaluation process. The efforts of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., and other members of Congress restored funding to USF, positioning the university to resume the program through the five-year grant.

Gates Foundation Grant to MDRC for Antipoverty Projects

MDRC, a research and social policy institute, was awarded $979,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support work in two projects addressing poverty. The first is a replication of its promising performance-based scholarship for low-income community college students, the other will explore interventions to help young men, particularly African-Americans, who are disconnected from the worlds of school and work. MDRC has a long history of projects targeting disadvantaged young men, including current studies of transitional jobs programs for ex-prisoners and of National Guard Youth Challenge, a national residential program for out-of-school youth.

CCNY, University of Puerto Rico Offer Joint Engineering Ph.D.

The Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY) announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) School of Engineering to establish collaborative Ph.D. programs in engineering. The program is the Grove School's first joint doctoral program with another institution. The new collaboration is an outgrowth of UPRM's participation in the NOAA-CREST (Cooperative Remote Sensing Science & Technology) Center, which is based at CCNY.

Texas Pioneer Foundation Renews Support of Caminos Camp

A grant from the Texas Pioneer Foundation will allow the Caminos Pre-College Leadership Camp at Texas State University-San Marcos to host students from two San Marcos junior high schools this summer for a fifth consecutive year. The Caminos project is a six-week program sponsored by the Texas State College of Applied Arts. Seventy-five youth of promise from Miller and Goodnight middle schools were chosen by their teachers as participants. They will have the opportunity to gain leadership skills and earn credits in algebra, English and technology.

CSUF Exhibit Features Latino Alumni

Motivating young people to attain a college education is the aim of "Querer es poder: 50 Examples," a traveling photo exhibit of 50 of California State University-Fullerton's successful Latino alumni. Querer es poder means "to desire is to achieve." Spotlighting the university's Hispanic-Serving Institution designation, the exhibit features alumni who exemplify the "Querer es poder" theme. The exhibition, part of the university's 50th-anniversary celebration, is currently on display at Fullerton City Hall.

UCC Gets $2.7 Million to Increase Success of Hispanic Students

Union County College (UCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Cranford, N.J., was awarded a $2,788,460 Title V grant ∆ largest single grant in UCC's history ∆ from the U.S. Department of Education to implement research-based strategies designed to increase the academic success and retention of low-income students. The grant will be used to develop programs in a college wide initiative within the Center for Student Success under the direction of Dr. Jose Adames, assistant vice president and provost, Plainfield Campus.

Marquette Law School Opens New Legal Clinic

Marquette University Law School (Wis.) has expanded its Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic to include a second site with bilingual Spanish/English services. Attorneys from Quarles & Brady, LLP have partnered with volunteer Marquette law students to provide free legal information and referral services to low-income individuals from the south side of Milwaukee.

UW Students Help El Salvadoran Communities

Members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of Engineers Without Border (EWB) spent their winter break in El Salvador, starting construction on a largely gravity-based wastewater system that will link two nearby communities to the sewer system in the larger city of Nejapa. Residents worked alongside the students digging trenches, laying pipe and packing soil to cover the pipe. EWB members also gave presentations to schoolchildren about sanitary habits and taught local community members how to set up hand-washing stations. Additionally, they took water samples that will be analyzed at the Wisconsin State Health Laboratory of Hygiene to further help community members identify and treat wastewater pathogens.