HBLI receives $75,000 grant to inform Latino students and parents about going to college.

Maricopa County, AZ-The Hispanic Border Leadership Institute at ASU has won a $75,000 grant from Lumina Foundation for Education to provide early information to Latino students and parents about going to college. Middle school, high school, and first-year community college Latino students along with parents will gain information about planning and preparing to enter college.

The "Getting Started to Go to College" project will provide over the next year and a half basic but essential early information to first-generation and low-income Latino students currently in middle and high schools about college academic preparation, selecting a college to attend, admission requirements, and application process. Parents will be given information in Spanish or English about how to find money to support their child's college education.

On accepting the Lumina grant, Leonard A. Valverde, executive director of HBLI said, "The McCabe funds will allow HBLI to work directly with Latino parents and students in South and Central Phoenix. Lumina support helps HBLI to start a new intervention to increase opportunities and hopefully result in a better future for Latino youth."

This grant was awarded as part of Lumina Foundation's McCabe Fund. The McCabe Fund supports organizations that enable students-particularly first-generation college students, low-income students and students of color-to broaden and make the most of their opportunities in postsecondary education.

The McCabe Fund provides modest, competitive grants for programs that work directly with students to improve access to postsecondary education. These programs expand successful models or propose new approaches that are ready to be tested in the field. Grant proposals were requested from a select group of organizations from across the country. The McCabe Fund grant program plans to award grants totaling $2 million between October 2002 and March 2003.

"We are optimistic that these grassroots initiatives supported by the McCabe Fund will help reduce the nation's college attainment gap by assisting organizations, such as HBLI, that help students achieve their potential by expanding access to an education beyond high school," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation.

About HBLI

The Hispanic Border Leadership Institute (HBLI), established in 1996 by four U.S. Southwestern institutions of higher education, promotes the improvement of the education of Hispanics in the United States. The HBLI consortium comprises Arizona State University, California State University at Bakersfield, Maricopa Community Colleges, New Mexico State University, Southwest Texas State University, University of California-Riverside, University of Texas-Brownsville, and University of Texas-Pan American. HBLI was born of the realization that while Hispanics have made some progress in achieving access and success in education, their status is not much improved over what it was in the past. Thus, the Institute seeks to address issues that affect the education of Hispanics at all levels, K-16, particularly in settings located on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The consortium, headquartered at Arizona State University, recognizes that in order to significantly improve the educational conditions of Hispanics, bold new approaches must be taken. Also, the Institute seeks to bring about systemic change in education by designing new approaches to the doctoral preparation programs of education leaders, relevant leadership and policy training for trustees of public schools and community colleges as well as universities of the Southwest, and to examine and influence public policy directly impacting Hispanic education in the Southwestern United States.

About Lumina Foundation

Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses issues surrounding financial access and educational retention and degree or certificate attainment-particularly among underserved student groups, including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people. For more details on the Foundation, visit its Web site at www.luminafoundation.org.

LUMINA : FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION