$5 Million ACT Scholars Program to Benefit Grad Students
October 21, 2009
ACT Inc., Iowa City, IA, has committed $5 million to the UI Foundation to endow the ACT Scholars Program at the University of Iowa, which will support development of selected UI graduate students, including those in the College of Engineering.The gift launches one of the most significant, university-wide initiatives in support of graduate students--especially those from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds--in UI history, said UI and UI Foundation officials.
The ACT Scholars Program will allow qualified UI students to earn graduate degrees in a variety of areas such as engineering, liberal arts and sciences, education, business, communications, information technology, mathematics, and statistics. During their studies at the UI, ACT Scholars also will be assigned to a business unit at ACT to gain experience in projects related to their graduate area of study. The ACT Scholars Program will provide students with full tuition and a stipend.
Initial plans call for annually enrolling up to eight scholars, with the first group beginning in the fall 2010 semester.