| University of Florida Foundation, Inc. | |
| Christopher Brazda | 352-392-1633 |
| Public Relations | 100 NW 20th St |
| cbrazda@uff.ufl.edu | Gainesville, FL 32603 |
| For immediate release | Monday, December 08, 2008 |
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA PRESIDENT PLEDGES ANNUAL BONUS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- University of Florida President Bernie Machen and his wife, Chris, pledged today a donation equal to the president's $285,000 annual bonus for a scholarship program for students who may not otherwise get the opportunity to attend college.
Machen told the university's Board of Trustees during its quarterly meeting of his intentions to give the money to the Florida Opportunity Scholars program. Created by Machen in 2006, the program provides financial assistance to Florida students admitted to UF whose annual household income falls below $40,000 and whose parents don't hold bachelor's degrees. The state later created a similar program modeled on UF's.
"It is extremely important to me to ensure all students, no matter their financial circumstances, have the opportunity to earn a quality education," Machen said. "Our Florida Opportunity Scholars are finding great success here in Gainesville."
About 1,100 UF students are attending UF on Florida Opportunity scholarships this year. About 1,500 students are anticipated to be involved in the program next year if funding becomes available.
Florida Opportunity Scholars are awarded full scholarships that cover tuition, room and board, and books. This year's cost is about $6 million, which comes from a combination of state, university and University Athletic Association funds.
To provide for the long-term success of the scholarship program, the UF Foundation began raising private funds two years ago and to date has raised about $5.4 million. In October, UF head men's basketball coach Billy Donovan and UF head football coach Urban Meyer became the leaders of a drive to raise $50 million for the program.
Scholarship recipients are identified through UF's Student Affairs office and must maintain satisfactory academic progress. More information on the Florida Opportunity Scholars program is available at www.uff.ufl.edu/FOS.
Earlier this year, Machen declined a 2 percent pay raise provided to eligible university employees. The raise would have amounted to about $8,300.
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