(Posted 3-30-00)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Service Contact: Steve Gilliam, 336-334-5371
 

Dr. Ruth DeHoog (right) and Cemala Scholarship Holders

CEMALA FOUNDATION GRANT FUNDS NEW PROGRAM OF
SCHOLARSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS IN UNCG MPA PROGRAM

GREENSBORO--Two grants from the Cemala Foundation of Greensboro totaling $114,000 have created a special program for professionals who work with nonprofit organizations.

One of the grants, for $90,000, creates the Cemala Nonprofit Fellows Program, to be administered through the Master of Public Affairs (MPA) program in the Department of Political Science at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The second grant, for $24,000, establishes the Cemala Nonprofit Scholarship Program in the Duke Certificate Program for Nonprofit Management, being offered through the Glenwood Public Library's Nonprofit Resource Center. Both grants are for three-year periods, running through the 2001-2002 year.

At UNCG, the Cemala funds will provide one graduate fellowship for a full-time graduate student, along with paid internship opportunities and scholarships for part-time students in the MPA program. Nonprofit employees who are seeking short-term, non-academic classes will enroll in the Duke Program, for which the Cemala funds will provide scholarships.

Funding also has been provided for a survey of the training needs of 50 Guilford County nonprofit agencies, to be carried out this summer by an MPA class.

"The Cemala Foundation is delighted to be a partner with UNCG and the Glenwood Library in this program which will strengthen the management capacity of the non-profit community in Guilford County," said Priscilla Taylor, executive director of the foundation. "Greensboro is very fortunate to have a University and a public library that are so committed to meeting the needs of the nonprofit sector."

Graduate students who hold Cemala Scholarships of $1,000 for the current semester at UNCG are Marian Franklin of the Women's Resource Center of Greensboro; Sandy Leonard of Hospice of Greensboro; Veronica Evans of the Imani Institute/Family Focus Inc;  Kimberly Floyd, a volunteer with the Advocacy Project for Persons with Disabilities; and Robert Nunn of One Step Further.

"This fellowship program will bring bright young people to the nonprofit management profession," said Dr. Ruth DeHoog, director of the MPA program at UNCG. "It will allow them to gain experience through a paid internship in a county nonprofit agency and encourage them to work in a leadership role in this community.

"The Cemala Foundation recognized the need for better management, evaluation and communication skills. We are delighted to be developing this project, in cooperation with the Glenwood Library's Nonprofit Resource Center, which will improve management in Guilford County agencies."

The program has two goals: to advance the professionalism and enhance the management capabilities of Guilford County nonprofit employees, and to ease students' financial burden and allow them to continue in their commitment to work in the nonprofit sector. Future scholarship awards will be for $2,000 over the course of an academic year. The first graduate fellowship, valued at $8,000, will be awarded this fall. Two graduate students will receive summer internships, valued at $4,000 each.

The Cemala Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1986 by Ceasar Cone II, president and chairman of Cone Mills from 1956-73, and his wife, Martha. The foundation's purpose is to continue the family's philanthropic tradition of enhancing the community's quality of life through grants to charitable organizations. For the 1999 year, the foundation awarded 62 grants totaling $1,642,750.

The MPA program, which has a 40-hour curriculum, enrolls a mix of approximately 60 full- and part-time students. In addition to DeHoog, five other full-time faculty and approximately 10 adjunct faculty teach in the program. The nonprofit management concentration is the primary concentration in the degree. The MPA program also will begin offering a new 15-hour graduate certificate program this fall in nonprofit management.

The grant will make it possible for Greensboro residents to take a variety of courses through the Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit management. Course topics include grant writing, board development, using the Internet, public relations, budgeting and planned giving. The classes, which run from four to eight hours in length, are taught by experts who have practical experience in nonprofit management. Completion of a certificate  requires 50 classroom hours.

The Glenwood Library is a branch of the Greensboro Public Library. In 1996, the Friends of the Library received a grant from the Kathleen Price Bryan Foundation to develop a nonprofit resource center. The center is now used by nonprofit organizations throughout the Triad. In 1998, the library formed a partnership with the Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management, and began offering 45 classes per year in the Triad area. From 1993-98, the partnership was with UNCG.

Back to the Latest News Releases
Return to the University News Service Home Page