SUNO share of Coca-Cola Foundation grant to provide scholarships

Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO) Foundation, has been awarded $25,000 from The Coca-Cola Foundation (the Foundation), the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. The funds are part of a $4 million grant distributed to 38 organizations across the United States and Canada in keeping with the Foundation's commitment to build sustainable communities throughout North America and one Canadian province. The total scope of the grants includes water conservation, community recycling, active healthy living, and education.

The grant will provide first generation college scholarships to 20 students who are enrolled as full-time students at SUNO. To be eligible, students must have completed at least one semester at the University. The First Generation Scholarship Program provides scholarship support to full-time students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college, maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and demonstrate financial need.

The Southern University, New Orleans Foundation, is the fundraising arm of SUNO.

"The Coca-Cola Company should be commended for its support of education and its support of young people," said Emmett Bashful, chairman of the board of the SUNO Foundation. Bashful also is chancellor emeritus and the first chancellor of SUNO.

"These funds are important to helping SUNO maintain a commitment to its mission of providing access to a college education to students," said Victor Ukpolo, chancellor of SUNO. "The University wants to do whatever it can to ensure that first generation college students from everywhere have access to the affordable quality opportunity SUNO presents to help students advance their lives."

The Coca-Cola Foundation has contributed more than $23 million in First Generation Scholarship support since 1993.

"At the Foundation, our goal is to make a positive impact by promoting and creating sustainable communities around the world," said Ingrid Saunders Jones, senior vice president, Global Community Connections, The Coca-Cola Company and chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation.

Southern University, New Orleans, is an accredited four-year liberal arts teaching institution which serves more than 3,100 students. SUNO, known for its highly engaged faculty and personal academic support, offers undergraduate degrees in seventeen academic programs and graduate degrees in four academic programs. The University accepts students under the Louisiana Board of Regents regional admission criteria, and is a member of the Southern University System.

Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has donated more than $355 million to community projects and initiatives across the globe.