WASHINGTON, March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the country's largest and most successful minority education organization is celebrating its 75th anniversary at its national UNCF "A Mind is…" Gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, DC. The event, whose title echoes the organization's iconic motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste,"® will celebrate the 1944 founding of the organization by Tuskegee Institute's (now Tuskegee University) president, Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson, with initial backing from a group of corporate leaders headed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Coca-Cola president Robert W. Woodruff.
Joining UNCF and an audience of luminaries and supporters in celebrating the anniversary will be notable 2019 honorees. The UNCF President's Award will be presented to business leader and philanthropist Robert F. Smith, founding director and president of the Fund II Foundation, for his multi-million dollar backing of a STEM scholarship program at UNCF. Senior executives from Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil and JPMorgan Chase will be honored as Legacy Partners for each of their 75-year histories of giving to UNCF. The Ray Charles Foundation will be recognized for its many years of support for both UNCF and HBCUs. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), will accept UNCF's highest honor, the Frederick D. Patterson Award, on behalf of the CBC for its long and effective support of African American education.
"Our notable list of honorees tells a story," said UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax. "It tells a story of leaders from across American society who came together to help students get to and go through college, leaders who succeeded beyond anyone's expectations and are still investing in better futures today."
Since its founding, UNCF has raised more than $4.8 billion and has helped nearly half a million students earn degrees at UNCF-member HBCUs and other institutions.
"There's another message in UNCF's 75th anniversary celebration," Lomax added. "In a country whose population is rapidly trending majority-minority, and at a time when a college education is more important—and more expensive—than ever, UNCF's biggest challenges are ahead." He noted that UNCF annually awards more than 10,000 scholarships. But for every scholarship it awards, it must turn away nine other potential leaders due to a lack of funding. "We owe—and our country owes—those students the support they need to earn a college degree," Lomax said. "As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we commit to fulfilling that obligation."
For media credentials, send contact information to cynetra.mcmillian(at)uncf.org.
Follow this event on social media @UNCF #UNCF75 #UNCF.
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 updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
SOURCE United Negro College Fund, Inc.
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