UHV receives $100,000 grant for first-generation college students
The University of Houston-Victoria recently received a $100,000 grant from the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation to fund scholarships for students who are the first in their families to attend college.
“We are deeply grateful to the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation for this generous commitment, which continues the family’s legacy of support for higher education in Victoria,” said Jesse Pisors, UHV vice president for advancement and external relations. “It’s hard to fathom the scale of good that the foundation does across Texas and how it has affected positive change for individuals and communities. We’re encouraged and honored by the foundation’s continued support.”
Mr. Albert B. Alkek first donated $1 million 30 years ago to UHV to create an endowment that provides annual scholarships to UHV students. Victoria was Albert Alkek’s hometown. In 2016-2017, the foundation gave 93 students scholarships. Once fully funded, the additional $100,000 grant will generate funds specifically for college students who are the first in their families to attend college.
“My grandparents knew how important it was for people to attain the highest level of education possible so they could be successful in whatever field they chose to pursue,” said Charles Williams, president of the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation and the couple’s grandson. “They recognized that many families couldn’t afford to pay the cost of higher education, so they helped by providing scholarships to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.”
UHV consistently has served a large percentage of first-generation college students, many of whom have families with limited resources to pay for college, Pisors said. About a third of UHV’s undergraduate students’ parents did not attend college.
“UHV is appreciative of the continued support from the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “The grant fulfills a critical need to provide higher education opportunities to first-generation college students in our region, and we want to continue being a university that provides opportunities for all.”
The first-generation college student scholarship will begin to be awarded in the fall of 2019. UHV students must submit the FAFSA to be considered for scholarships offered at UHV, along with a UHV Scholarship Application. Required documentation should be completed by each spring, fall and summer priority deadline to ensure award determination by the appropriate term.
To learn more about this gift, contact Pisors at 361-570-4812 or pisorsj@uhv.edu. For more information about the financial aid process, contact the Financial Aid Office at 361-570-4125 or finaid@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
