Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

The Jess & Mildred Fisher College of Science at Mathematics at Towson University in Maryland has received a gift from Barbara Hill and Ancelmo Lopes to launch the Hill-Lopes Scholars Program. The scholarship will support the success of women in STEM majors and careers. Each year, cohorts of 10 women will be provided with stipends and financial support to attend professional scientific meetings and career-building conferences, workshops, and field trips. Additionally, the participating women will receive research opportunities and one-on-one mentorship from faculty.

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago will continue to receive corporate funding from Microsoft, Qualcomm, Intel and others for its BRAID (Building, Recruiting, And Inclusion for Diversity) program. The program works to address specific issues that affect women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. The initiative includes modifying computer science courses to make them less intimidating and more appealing to minority students, building pipeline programs for minority high school students, and promoting joint majors in areas like computer science and biology. Since UIC started receiving BRAID funding the percentage of women enrolled in the university’s computer science program has increased from 12 percent to 18 percent.

Women in Philanthropy and Leadership (WIPL) for Coastal Carolina University has received a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. The grant supports WIPL’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference and Celebration of Inspiring Women, which empowers women by offering opportunities for business networking, powerful engagement, inspiration, and personal and professional growth. The annual conference is regularly attended by more than 800 people and features speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and the Tidelands Health Expo.