Press Release

The Goizueta Foundation Awards $1 Million to Oglethorpe University
Grant Expands Scholarship Program for Hispanic/Latino Students

ATLANTA – The Goizueta Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to Oglethorpe University toward the existing Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund. This program provides scholarship funds to outstanding Hispanic/Latino students who reside in the United States.

"We are incredibly proud of this endorsement of Oglethorpe’s mission to provide a superior education in the liberal arts and sciences by this important institution and friend of the university," said President Larry Large. "Through this generous gift, generations of deserving students will have access to an Oglethorpe education."

Last year, 3% of Oglethorpe’s students identified themselves as Hispanic/Latino. The university hopes that opportunities for scholarships such as those offered through The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund will serve to attract a greater number of Hispanic/Latino students. Increasing the Hispanic/Latino student population will help create a more diverse community that in turn enriches the educational experience for all.
"The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund will be crucial in our efforts to recruit exceptional Hispanic/Latino students to Oglethorpe University. This program provides the financial means for these qualified students to experience a rigorous academic environment with the support of our dedicated faculty," remarked David Rhodes, VP for Enrollment.

The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund at Oglethorpe University was established in 2000 with an initial grant of $500,000 from the foundation, and the university’s first two Goizueta Foundation Scholars, Luis Dominguez and Diego Sebastiani, were enrolled in the fall of 2001. Oglethorpe will begin recruiting its newest Goizueta Foundation Scholars during the coming academic year for enrollment beginning in the fall of 2005.

Roberto C. Goizueta established The Goizueta Foundation in 1992 to provide financial assistance to educational and charitable institutions that promote sustainable change and have a long-term impact in the community. Mr. Goizueta was Chairman, Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company until his death in October 1997. He was a native of Cuba and a graduate of Yale University.

In keeping with a long tradition of civic service at The Coca-Cola Company, Mr. Goizueta also served as a trustee of several educational institutions and on the boards of a number of national charitable and civic organizations. Mr. Goizueta felt deeply that the nation's future and the future of our country's youth depended on the strength of the American family. In creating The Goizueta Foundation, he sought to acknowledge his indebtedness to this country and to continue the commitment to philanthropic endeavors that has symbolized the leadership of The Coca-Cola Company for more than a century.

###