UCOP staffers help raise nearly $1.2M for scholarships | Welcome to the UCOP e-newsletter

Assistant Vice Provost Yvette Gullatt has already met her promise and raised her target amount of $1,100 for undergraduate UC scholarships through Promise for Education, UC's crowd-funding campaign that kicked off in mid-September.

About 30 UCOP "promisers" have helped raise nearly $1.2 million through the university-wide effort, with promises ranging from running a marathon to wearing a tutu to work. The campaign ends this Thursday, Oct. 31, so you still have time to donate to a promise that inspires you - and it all goes to support deserving UC undergrads.

Gullatt's promise is unusual in that she's not just helping raise funds for scholarships, but she's also helping students in another way: Her promise was to provide 20 high school seniors with individual assistance on the personal statement for their UC undergraduate application.

"I reached out to every parent I know who has a high school senior and put the word out through organizations like the Council of African American Parents and Destination College Advising Corps," Gullatt said.

The result? She now has about 50 kids lined up for help with their UC applications, and she's not turning anyone away. Each year she also conducts a workshop in writing statements for OP staff with children who are applying to UC.

Senior leaders lead the effort

Other OP promisers include CFO Peter Taylor, who also met his goal, raising more than $2,600 as part of a three-pronged promise: He will wear a tuxedo to a Regents meeting, grow a goatee for three months and play his cello at next year's Staff Appreciation Week talent show.

Several other senior leaders are among the UCOP staff who have made worthy and fun promises that deserve your support:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources VP Barbara Allen-Diaz has a two-tier promise; help her meet her $2,500 goal and she will wear a colony of bees. For $5,000 she promises to eat protein-rich insects. She raised more than $1,500 to date.


• EVP Nathan Brostrom promises to tutor in an Oakland school every month next year, grow a beard through the holidays and lead UCOP employees on a monthly run around Lake Merritt if he hits his $4,000 goal. He's about halfway there.


• External Relations EVP Dan Dooley already met his goal and has promised to get his fortune told and post the results on Facebook.


• General Counsel and VP Charlie Robinson has nearly met his $2,500 goal and promises to not only donate 40 hours of tutoring to an Oakland public school, but also wear a penguin costume to a meeting of the President's cabinet.

Through the Promise campaign, nearly 1,000 people across the UC system - from celebrities to students - have made promises and pledged to fulfill them if they reach their fundraising goals. More than 3,000 donations, averaging $75 each, have been made; all funds go to financial support for UC undergraduate students.

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Source: Ucop

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Scholarship helps students come back to graduate - News at OU - Oakland University

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Scholarship helps students come back to graduate

By Katie Williams, contributing writer

Oakland University knows that all students aspire to earn a degree and celebrate the rewarding experience that comes with graduation. The university also understands that sometimes life happens and plans change.

Some students are short a class or two, and for whatever reason - financial situations, illness, a job, family crisis, or some other unexpected circumstance - are unable to complete the requirements for the degree they've worked toward.

To support and encourage these students, the Office of the Registrar has developed the "Don't Be Late To Graduate" scholarship, which is offered to students who have completed at least 80 percent of their major coursework to earn a bachelor's degree.

"This scholarship tells students that Oakland values the degree and your education. We care about you and we want to remove those barriers, whatever they may be, between you and graduation," said Registrar Steve Shablin.

Brittani Burroughs, the first scholarship recipient, was at a standstill just 12 credits shy of a Bachelor's of Science degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in exercise science when she learned about the initiative.

Burroughs has returned to OU and is currently completing those credits, and expects to graduate in December.

"To me, this scholarship means that my university cares enough about their dedicated students, to meet a need and help them graduate," Burroughs said. "It means that I'm one step closer to becoming the first in my family to earn an undergraduate degree. It's a blessing to be awarded this scholarship."

The initiative was developed by Amy Lindsay, graduation project liaison, and Tricia Westergaard, associate registrar. They collaborated with Oakland's administration and academic advisers to make the scholarship a possibility.

"We focus on the student's future success and everyone needs encouragement," Lindsay said. "We're throwing students a line to come back and complete their degree."

Westergaard estimates that ten percent of the roughly 3,700 students who apply to graduate are not awarded a degree. The sooner a student is able to complete that degree, the less likely it is there will be major changes in requirement.

"There's a limited window of opportunity, and it's easier to keep working towards graduation sooner than later," she said. "We want to help students come back to Oakland."

The deadline to apply for the Winter 2014 Don't Be Late To Graduate scholarship is Friday, Nov. 1. The application can be found, along with more information about the award and readmission to OU, at oakland.edu/comeback.

Oakland University is a vibrant academic community with more than 20,000 students and more than 260 degree and certificate programs. To learn more about academics, achievements, and events at OU, visit the news site at oakland.edu/newsatou and follow the news team on Twitter at @OaklandU_News.

Source: Oakland

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