NEWS RELEASE, 6/2/97 New UC Berkeley scholarship program targets community college transfer students

by Josefina Baltodano

Berkeley -- A new scholarship program has been created at the University of California at Berkeley, targeting outstanding Bay Area students transferring from community colleges who are from low-income backgrounds and first in their families to attend college. The scholarships will be funded by a donation from Bay Area philanthropist George A. Miller, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and will be named in his honor. The George A. Miller Scholars Program is one-half of a $1-million gift from Miller, who has a strong commitment to education and community activism. The other half of the gift will go to the Library Humanities Collection. For the next 10 years, beginning with the fall 1997 junior transfer class, 10 Miller Scholars will be selected each year from 26 community colleges in the nine Bay Area counties. The scholars will be chosen from among students who have shown academic excellence, leadership potential, commitment to community service, and are motivated to attend graduate and professional school. Each Miller Scholar will receive a combined scholarship and research stipend of $7,000 and will benefit from intensive mentoring programs and research opportunities on campus. They will be chosen by a UC Berkeley faculty committee chaired by Professor Mitchell Breitwieser, Director of the Center for the Teaching and Study of American Cultures. Vice Chancellor of Undergraduate Affairs Genaro Padilla is sponsor of the new program. "Mr. Miller's $500,000 gift for scholarships for community college transfer students is an affirmation of these students' contribution to Cal's intellectual and social culture," said Vice Chancellor Padilla. Through the program, the Miller Scholars will be provided with financial support to pursue sophisticated research and field learning experiences, and will receive intensive faculty and staff mentoring as they engage in research, study, and creative projects. Because the Scholars will be expected to give something back to the community, they will take part in field studies, mentor younger scholars in the program, and engage in outreach that supports and enhances their research activities. Field studies will range from work in community colleges or other academic centers to psychological counseling centers, programs for youth at risk, community art centers, and medical facilities. The Miller Scholars Program is a component of the Academic Achievement Division within Undergraduate Affairs at UC Berkeley. Initial applicants will be notified of their award by August 1, 1997.