Colorado Springs, COLO. — The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs will receive $150,000 from the Denver-based Daniels Fund to assist non-traditional students unable to afford a college education.
CU-Colorado Springs received the maximum allocation from a total of $2.16 million awarded Monday to public and private universities in a four-state region. Award sizes ranged from $25,000 to $150,000.
The awards will be distributed to the institutions and converted to scholarships to support non-traditional students such as adults pursuing education later in life, GED recipients, transfer students and children from the state foster care system.
“Students who most desire a college education are often least able to afford one,” Hank Brown, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, said. “The Daniels Opportunity Award initiative is intended to give a boost to students of all ages and at all levels of society seeking to secure the economic and social benefits of a college education.”
Jim Henderson, vice chancellor, Student Success, called the Daniels award a partnership where students benefit.
“Given the financial climate of the state, partnerships such as this are imperative to maintaining the dream of students to achieve a college education,” Henderson said. “The university is pleased to join with the Daniels Fund.”
Approximately 25 students are expected to benefit from this year’s award program.
In establishing the Daniels fund, cable television entrepreneur Bill Daniels wanted to help individuals overlooked by other scholarships programs but who have the potential to complete a college education if provided financial support, according to Carrie Besnette, Daniels Fund vice president.
“The Daniels Opportunity Awards honor his intent and will make a real difference in the lives of scholarship recipients, particularly in light of the economic challenges faced by higher education and low-income students and families in recent years,” Besnette said.
The Daniels Fund oversees the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program and the Daniels Fund Grants Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah. The fund was established in 1998 by Daniels. For more information, visit www.danielsfund.org.
CU-Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,600 students annually.