UMatters

[The following was provided by the Office of Community Affairs and Public Relations.]

UMKC recently hosted the 2012 Greater Kansas City Hispanic Scholarship Fund Awards, and 45 of the 229 scholarship winners have chosen to attend UMKC - up from 34 students last year. The fund will provide more than $350,000 to the award recipients. In collaboration with the Hispanic Development Fund, UMKC matches the scholarships of Hispanic Scholarship Fund recipients who choose to attend the university.

The university has worked to increase its Hispanic/Latino student population, and the awards ceremony is a key component in the university’s strategic efforts to partner with the Latino community.

For the 45 students who have chosen to attend UMKC, the matching scholarship is just one of the ways that they can expect to be supported. In addition to student support groups, the university also has started Avanzando, a mentorship program which pairs Hispanic/Latino students with a community and faculty member.

Avanzando is the result of a partnership between UMKC’s Division of Diversity, Access and Equity and the Hispanic Development Fund. Avanzando marries academic support with mentoring and enhanced access to resources.

Over the past few years, UMKC has made significant strides in its efforts to increase its Hispanic student population. Overall Hispanic/Latino enrollment increased by 55.8 percent from Fall 2007 to Fall 2011. In that same four-year span, the number of Hispanic/Latino students receiving scholarships and grants from UMKC has increased 78 percent.

For more details on the awards, visit University News.