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Columns::June 17, 2002
Dunn, Institute of Higher Education director, is named VP for instruction
Two prominent scientists join UGA as Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars
Staff Council elects four new officers
Update: Private Giving
Big Man on Campus
Foundation Fellows meet Delta Prize recipient
Bulldog bests
Campus News
University receives $3.5 million grant from Goizueta Foundation to improve Hispanic education
By Larry B. Dendy
ldendy@uga.edu
The university will receive a $3.5 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation of Atlanta to launch a major effort to help Georgia  schools better educate children of the state’s booming Hispanic population.
The grant will create a center in UGA’s College of Education to improve education for Hispanics in the state. It will also establish an endowed faculty position for Hispanic teacher-education in the college, create a fund to support graduate students working on Hispanic educational improvements, and provide undergraduate scholarships for students fluent in Spanish.
The grant is a major step in an emerging initiative at UGA to provide educational and economic assistance to an estimated 450,000 Latinos living in Georgia. The state’s Hispanic population, which has climbed 300 percent in the last decade, is the third-fastest-growing in the country.
“As the world and the state of Georgia become increasingly connected, we must build strong communities that incorporate our needs as a multicultural society,” says President Michael F. Adams. “The University of Georgia is honored to partner with the Goizueta Foundation to help ensure that Hispanic children and young people in Georgia receive an education that prepares them for success in the future.”
“While the grant is targeted to Hispanic education, it provides the requisite cross-cultural competencies necessary for today’s leaders, and thus all students at UGA will benefit,” says Louis Castenell, dean of the College of Education and acting associate provost of the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity.
“Creating a culturally diverse and inclusive academic community is integral to the University of Georgia’s educational mission,” says Castenell. “The growing Hispanic population is creating significant and positive economic and social changes in Georgia, and this grant enables us to address one of that group’s most pressing needs--the educational achievement and advancement of children and young people.”
UGA already offers many programs focused on Hispanics. Last year the university’s public service and outreach office brought some 300 educators and community leaders to campus for a major conference on the economic and cultural impact of Latinos on the state. A second conference, on Latino health and nutrition, will be held in July, along with a professional seminar to train extension specialists to help Hispanic families.
UGA has an active Hispanic Student Association, and a number of academic and service departments offer seminars, cultural and social activities and other programs for Hispanics.
“As part of our public service mission, the university wants to provide a comprehensive range of assistance to Hispanics, and we are building a portfolio of programs to accomplish that,” says Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach. “The Goizueta programs will be a crucial part of this effort because they address a vital area of need.”
The Center for Hispanic Educational Advancement will pull together faculty expertise in the College of Education and other academic and service units to find ways to help Hispanic children succeed in school. Working with parents, educators and officials in areas with large Hispanic populations, the center will provide research data, resource materials and training to develop strategies for improving education for Hispanic students from kindergarten through high school.
The Goizueta Chair for Hispanic Teacher Education will be only the second endowed faculty position in the College of Education. The person holding the chair will work closely with the Center for Hispanic Educational Advancement and will provide leadership and guidance for the overall Hispanic educational outreach effort.
Roberto C. Goizueta established the Goizueta Foundation in 1992 to provide financial assistance to educational and charitable institutions. Goizueta was chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola Co. until his death in October of 1997. |
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