NEW ORLEANS (PRWEB) February 27, 2018
Dillard University is pleased to announce it has been awarded a 2017 Walmart Foundation mini grant of $20,000. Administered through UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB), Dillard is among 12 grant recipients this year to receive funds to assist with reaccreditation efforts.
Of the 12 institutions, Dillard is among six selected by UNCF to use its $20,000 grant toward preparation for its reaffirmation of accreditation, a customary ten-year process required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Dillard’s regional accrediting body. The remaining seven selected institutions will use a $10,000 grant for their five-year interim readiness reviews. The mini grants will provide technical assistance from content-area experts, which will better prepare Dillard to document its success in educating students, maintain full accreditation upon completion of its review.
“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation for consistently supporting UNCF and its member institutions, including Dillard. Offering this critical capacity-building grant will further strengthen our university, preserve its historic legacy, and will ultimately benefit the deserving students we serve,” said Dr. Christopher Jeffries, Dillard University Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and SACSCOC Liaison.
Dillard remains a premier private undergraduate university in the world of historically black colleges and universities. The designation of physics and film as signature programs adds to the tradition of excellence. Dillard has also seen major milestones in fundraising including its first alumni million-dollar donor, and in 2017 the university reached a new record for alumni giving at 21.3 percent. This grant provides yet another opportunity for Dillard to enhance its students’ experience as they prepare themselves to become global leaders.
Over the last decade, the Walmart Foundation has granted more than $4 million to UNCF, which includes the recent announcement of $500,000 to support UNCF’s ICB, a network-wide initiative that helps strengthen member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Through the Walmart Foundation’s support of ICB, funds and technical assistance can help institutions with its accreditation reaffirmation.
“Once again, the Walmart Foundation has made a significant investment in UNCF’s HBCUs, which in turn results in an investment in America’s future workforce and economic development,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. “Through the continued investment in UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, which supports our member HBCUs including Dillard, Walmart is ensuring that our institutions are given the proper tools to function, to train and equip faculty and staff, and to best serve students who will become leaders of tomorrow.”
As a result of targeted implementation activities, anticipated outcomes include improved fiscal operations and processes, improved staff competencies and capacities, timely report submission and full compliance with the accrediting body. Taken together, these help to ensure that an institution is providing a quality education and has
sufficient facilities, faculty, staff and other resources to accomplish its mission. Since the beginning of the Walmart Foundation’s support of ICB, the entire network of UNCF’s 37-member HBCUs have received grants to assist in various areas of the accreditation process.
About Philanthropy at Walmart: By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores in 27 countries, employing more than 2.2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit http://www.foundation.walmart.com.
About UNCF: UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter, @UNCF.
About Dillard University: Founded in 1869 with support from the American Missionary Association of the Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ) and the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (now the United Methodist Church), Straight University and the Union Normal School were founded. They were subsequently renamed Straight College and New Orleans University, respectively. In 1935 New Orleans University and Straight College merged to form Dillard University. In 2019 Dillard will celebrate 150 years of educating some of the country’s richest minds. Located in New Orleans at 2601 Gentilly Blvd., Dillard is a private four-year liberal arts historically black institution that is keeping the tradition alive of not only scholarship and service, but being a hub of intellectual activity. Under the leadership of its seventh president, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, Dillard hosts the Brain Food Lecture Series bringing in an array of notable influencers such as Michael Eric Dyson, Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, Issa Rae, Misty Copeland, Malcolm Nance, Benjamin Crump and Iyanla Vanzant, to name a few. For more information, please visit http://www.dillard.edu. Also, follow Dillard on Twitter, Facebook: @DU1869 and Instagram: Dillard University.