Human Services News

From Carnegie Corporation:

Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation of New York, announced today that the foundation has committed $14 million to help New Orleans build and retain the intellectual capital necessary to participate and succeed in the global knowledge economy.

The Corporation's investment in the city's intellectual infrastructure-its institutions of higher education and K-12 teacher pool-is intended to underscore the importance of education to the city's economic revitalization.

Carnegie Corporation has awarded grants of $2 million to Dillard University, $5 million to Tulane University and $4 million to Xavier University of Louisiana.

Each of the universities incurred significant hurricane-related damage and losses and will use the new funds to focus on development, retention and hiring of displaced and new faculty; recruitment and retention of new students; resumption of critical strategic planning initiatives; and ensuring the availability of adequate financial aid.

"New Orleans' universities are a powerful engine of intellectual, cultural and scientific innovation and growth for the city and the nation," said Vartan Gregorian.

"Dillard, Tulane and Xavier represent tangible manifestations of the recovery of New Orleans.

They also are powerful symbols of the extraordinary value that the city and the nation place on human intellect, culture, education, learning and knowledge," said Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education in the Clinton Administration and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Corporation.

Faculty, students and staff at Tulane, as at other institutions of higher education in New Orleans, have been deeply involved in rebuilding and recovery on their respective campuses and within the broader community.

Read more from this post.