Travelers Supports Diversity, Outreach Initiatives
(3/18/2008) - Two gifts totaling $425,000 from the Travelers Connecticut Foundation, the charitable arm of Travelers, are enhancing academic, outreach and diversity programs at UConn.The gifts strengthen the longstanding collaborative partnership between UConn and the insurance company. “Travelers has strong ties with the University of Connecticut. We have more than 700 alumni employees, and we continue to actively recruit at the University,” says Marlene Ibsen, president of the Travelers Foundation.
Travelers has committed $275,000 for the Education Access Initiative to improve access to higher education for underserved populations and build awareness about careers in insurance and finance.
"This gift is a source of support for a number of things that are critical to our mission, including expanding access and equity for underrepresented students in the state through a variety of activities designed to enhance recruitment, retention and the success of these students," says Ronald Taylor, vice provost for multicultural and international affairs.
The comprehensive initiative will support a wide range of efforts such as mentorship and scholarships in addition to youth outreach in greater Hartford school districts.
"Research shows that first-generation and non-traditional college students are much more likely to achieve success if they have access to a broad range of supportive programs. Travelers and UConn are structuring a comprehensive approach that we believe is a formula for success for underserved students," says Ibsen.
The lion's share—$140,000—will support leadership scholarships for students who demonstrate a commitment to multicultural diversity through leadership in activities at UConn or in the community. Additionally, Travelers will offer scholarship recipients opportunities for mentorship, internships and summer work.
Another $105,000 will go to the School of Business to support the Multicultural Business Club, faculty mentoring and outreach to high schools in predominantly minority areas. Expanding efforts to promote diversity is important to the school's future, says Dean Christopher Earley.
"This gift is a critical building block in our strategy to enhance diversity. As we push forward to become a globally recognized business school, we will be judged according to the strength, breadth and depth of our students and alumni, and we see this gift as a way to create momentum along these lines," he says.
The funding also includes $25,000 for the National Middle School Science Bowl, which is co-sponsored in the Northeast by UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Lastly, $5,000 will support the Science, Engineering and Health Professions Collaborative Symposium for minority students considering careers in those fields.
Ibsen notes that partnering with UConn in these efforts was a logical choice: "As Connecticut's flagship public university, UConn is uniquely positioned to help Travelers remove barriers to higher education and careers that underserved students face."
In addition to funding the Education Access Initiative, Travelers has given $150,000 to expand the highly successful Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Minds developed by the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the Neag School of Education.
"Travelers has a special interest in fostering mathematics skills in young people because they're skills that directly relate to our business. These students are our future workforce, and we will look to them to keep Hartford a thriving community for insurance and financial services," says Ibsen.
Project M3 was kicked off in 2002 with a $3-million federal grant to develop math curriculum for talented students in grades three through five, provide professional development for teachers and implement field tests in schools.
"These are the first curriculum units nationwide that are research-based, developed specifically for talented elementary students, and explore math concepts in depth," says Katherine Gavin, Ph.D., program director and associate professor at the Neag Center.
The curriculum, which is now being used in 42 states and several other countries, targets children with high potential who are often bored by traditional curricula. Results have shown strong quantitative and qualitative evidence of student achievement, according to Gavin. That success attracted Travelers to fund the implementation of the research findings in a new year-long, after-school enrichment program, called Project M3 Enrichment Math Club, for underserved students in Hartford.
"We believe that the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development has the expertise to implement and monitor a program like the math club," says Ibsen.
Eighty third- and fourth-grade students from four elementary schools will take part. Additionally, a teacher from each participating school will receive support through professional development at UConn.
Pleased with the record and growth of Project M3 thus far, Gavin anticipates positive results from the new enrichment program.
"Most after-school programs are designed as intervention strategies, meaning remediation help for students. This program is unique in that it first recognizes that there are many students in Hartford who have mathematics potential, and second that it affords them the opportunity to study high-level mathematics—one to two levels above their grade—with fun, motivational activities," Gavin says.
From the winter 2008 issue of UConn Momentum.
PHOTO: The Multicultural Business Club offers students a variety of activities such as professional development workshops.
School of Business Pressroom
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