Plano, Texas, June 28, 2010 — The Suder Foundation, dedicated to assisting first-generation college students, has selected The University of Alabama and Southern Illinois University Carbondale as the next two campuses to benefit from the First Scholars program. Each university will receive a $60,000 planning grant to fund the development and preparation of the program for groups of 20 students enrolling in the fall of 2011.
“We are delighted to present grants to these two exceptional universities,” said Eric Suder, President of the Suder Foundation. “Their combined expertise and the individual strengths each institution brings to the planning process will help us augment our high-quality program for the scholarship recipients.”
These grants will be used by the universities to fund a coordinator and other planning activities. Following successful completion of the planning process, additional multi-year grants will be awarded to start up First Scholar program operations, including funding a program director to assist scholars both during their transition to college and along their path to graduation.
The First Scholars program intends to dramatically increase the graduation rate of first-generation college students by providing academic and social support for first-generation students using assessment-based selection and customized student interventions along with $5,000 renewable scholarships. “What is remarkable is that both the institutions selected are as excited and interested in what we are trying to accomplish through this program as we are,” added Suder.
With today’s announcement, this year’s recipients join the University of Kentucky and the University of Utah as First Scholars program sites.
The Suder Foundation engages with selected public universities to provide a holistic support program, the First Scholars program, for first-generation college students. The foundation awards universities startup funding for program operations and renewable scholarships for cohorts of students at each program site. The program model uses data to support scholar selection and align resources to support specific student needs to promote persistence and retention and, ultimately, graduation from college. Established in 2008, the Suder Foundation is a private foundation with headquarters in Plano, Texas.
For more information about the Suder Foundation and its First Scholars program, visit www.firstscholars.org.
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