USC GAINS AFFILIATION WITH PUEBLO HISPANIC
EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND DANIELS FUND
Pueblo, Colo. -- The Daniels Fund and the Pueblo Hispanic Education
Foundation (PHEF), two independent foundations, will establish offices on the
University of Southern Colorado campus this fall. The Daniels Fund, a
Denver-based foundation, will expand the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship
Program to include Pueblo School District 60. PHEF provides scholarships for
Hispanic students who attend USC and Pueblo Community College.
"The most successful universities forge active and
reciprocal partnerships with business, civic, and other non-profit
organizations," said President Ron Applbaum. "Our invitation to these
foundations to establish campus offices signals both USC's renewed commitment to
connecting with that broader community and to providing greater access and
opportunity for our students."
Both Foundations will be located in separate offices in
325 Administration. PHEF will occupy their office this week. The Daniels Fund is
expected to move in within the month. Cable entrepreneur Bill Daniels
established the Daniels Fund in 1998. When he passed away in March 2000, the
bulk of his estate passed to the fund. The Daniels College Prep and Scholarship
Program is the first major project to result from his philanthropic legacy. The
scholarship program gives students with financial need and the potential to
succeed the tools to attend college. Each year, 30 percent of the Fund's efforts
are dedicated to the College Prep and Scholarship Program. More than 450
students are currently participating in the program from partnering high schools
in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, and more than 220 Daniels Scholarship
recipients are attending colleges and universities throughout the nation. For an
application, students attending a District 60 high school should visit their
high school counselor's office. A grass-roots community organization dedicated
to ensuring the educational success of Hispanic students and the economic future
of the community, the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation was named the
Outstanding Foundation of the Year in Colorado for 2001. PHEF has awarded more
than $675,000 in scholarships to more than 675 worthy recipients in a little
over 12 years. Financial assistance from the foundation has helped many students
achieve their dream of obtaining a college degree.
"The Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation is pleased
to establish an office on the University of Southern Colorado campus," said
PHEF President Don Ortega. "The move will provide us with an opportunity to
work more closely with the Daniels Fund and the University of Southern Colorado,
partnerships that will better serve our scholars."
More than 80 percent of all money raised by the Foundation
directly benefits student scholarships and programs. The foundation has
sponsored and worked with other organizations to make educational programs
available to the Pueblo community including Dollars for Scholars Telethon, GRAD
(Grooming Role Models for Advance Degrees), Educator of the Month Awards,
Homework Hotline, summer math and reading programs, financial aid and ACT
workshops.
The University of Southern Colorado is a regional,
comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented and applied
programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging
in service and outreach, USC is distinguished by access, opportunity and the
overall quality of services provided to its students.
