April 19, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received $100,000 from the William Randolph Hearst Foundations to establish a scholarship endowment for minority graduate students.

“The Hearst Foundations’ grant making in education focuses primarily on the establishment of endowed scholarships for undergraduate students at private, liberal arts colleges and universities,” said Ligia Cravo, program officer for the Foundations. UAB's School of Public Health — a public, graduate school — is an exception to the policy.

"These are especially competitive grants," says Cravo. "The UAB School of Public Health is an outstanding school."

“The Foundations’ realize the value of public health education in Alabama and saw a real need here, especially since we receive limited state funding,” says Mark Haney, development director for the UAB School of Public Health.

Philanthropist William Randolph Hearst established The Hearst Foundation, Inc. in 1945 and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1948 as independent, private foundations, operating separately from the Hearst Corporation. The Foundations' charitable goals reflect the philanthropic interests of their founder — education, health, culture, and social service — and seek to provide opportunities to under served populations nationwide.

UAB's School of Public Health is recognized for improving the health of people in Alabama and around the world. The school ranks second in extramural support among UAB's 12 schools. Its 60 faculty members instruct 22 graduate study programs in various fields of public health aimed at developing, disseminating and applying knowledge to prevent disease and promote human health.