Daniels Fund Awards Colorado State University System $250,000 to Provide Scholarships for At-Risk Students

The Colorado State University System has been awarded $250,000 from the Daniels Fund to provide scholarships for non-traditional students who are at risk of otherwise not being able to afford a college education. The 2004 Daniels Opportunity Awards, totaling $2.16 million, were announced at a press conference in Denver today (May 24) at the Daniels Fund office in Denver.

Colorado State’s flagship campus in Fort Collins was awarded $100,000 and Colorado State University-Pueblo was awarded $150,000 in Daniels Opportunity Awards, a special initiative of the Daniels Fund to ensure college access and success to deserving non-traditional student populations. The awards will be used as scholarships at Colorado State to support non-traditional students.

"As a leading public research university with a strong land-grant tradition, the Colorado State University System takes very seriously its mission to make accessible the best learning opportunities to all students who have the ability and potential to earn a degree," said Larry Edward Penley, president of Colorado State University and chancellor of the university system. "On our Fort Collins and Pueblo campuses, we are committed to making college education a reality for all able students.

"The generous support from the Daniels Fund will greatly enhance our efforts to recruit, retain and graduate promising students who otherwise might not have the opportunity to obtain a world-class Colorado State University education."

Twenty-six opportunity awards, valued from $25,000 to $150,000 each, were announced to two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities in the four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Colorado State will use the Daniels Opportunity Awards specifically to recruit, retain and graduate students who are GED recipients, foster children, students transferring from two-year institutions and adult learners. Beginning in fall 2004, qualified students will be awarded the Daniels Opportunity Awards. Special recruiting efforts also will be launched for students who fulfill the criteria and can be admitted for fall 2005. The university’s goal is to recruit and graduate students who have developed leadership skills, participated in community service and are prepared to become citizen leaders.

Colorado State and the Daniels Fund have a longstanding partnership; the university has hosted summer workshops attended by 148 Daniels Fund students from 2001-2003. Additionally, 21 Daniels Fund Scholars are enrolled full-time in undergraduate degree programs at Colorado State.

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 Bill Daniels, a pioneer in cable television known for his personal philanthropy and concern for others.

"In establishing the Daniels Fund, Bill Daniels wanted to help individuals overlooked by other scholarship programs but who have every potential to complete a college education if given a chance and the necessary support," said Carrie Besnette, Daniels Fund vice president and director of the Daniels College Prep and Scholarship Program. "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," she added.

Visit www.danielsfund.org for more information.

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