The University of New Mexico was among five state institutions awarded scholarship funding from the 2004 Daniels Opportunity Awards, a $2.16 million partnership to get scholarship funding into the hands of non-traditional students at risk of being unable to afford a college education.
Besides UNM, New Mexico institutions that received funding included: Clovis Community College, College of Santa Fe, College of the Southwest and New Mexico Junior College. The five schools will share $185,000 with UNM receiving $50,000.
The Daniels Opportunity Award (DOA) is a special initiative of the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program (DCPSP). The initiative was designed to ensure college access and success to several deserving and non-traditional student populations not targeted by the fund’s flagship program, the DCPSP.
The awards were distributed to the institutions and converted directly into scholarships to support non-traditional students — those pursuing education later in life, GED recipients, transfer students and those from foster care. Colleges and universities, both public and private, two and four-year schools across the fund’s four-state region — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — received awards from $25,000 to $150,000 each.
“Students who most desire a college education are often least able to afford one,” said Hank Brown, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “The Daniels Opportunity Award initiative is intended to give a boost to students of all ages and at all levels of society seeking to secure the economic and social benefits of a college education.”
The Daniels Fund was established in 1998 by cable entrepreneur, Bill Daniels. Each year, 70 percent of the fund’s community investments are made through the Daniels Fund Grants Program in the areas Daniels identified to guide the fund’s grantmaking activities.
“In establishing the Daniels Fund, Bill Daniels wanted to help individuals overlooked by other scholarship programs but who have every potential to complete a college education if given a chance and the necessary support,” said Carrie Besnette, Daniels Fund vice president and director of the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program.
“The Daniels Opportunity Awards honor his intent and will make a real difference in the lives of scholarship recipients, particularly in light of the economic challenges faced by higher education and low income students and families in recent years.”
For more information visit: www.danielsfund.org.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821