UPS supports First Opportunity Partners and anniversary celebration

The UPS Foundation has awarded two grants to the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE).  The first, for $ 75,000, will support FIHE in its work to expand access and improve rates of success for First Opportunity students – those that are first-generation, low-income, minority and new American students.  UPS has supported this work at FIHE for five years and provided most of the seed money for its development.

The second grant, for $ 50,000, will help fund FIHE’s 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting to be held in Jersey City, NJ, April 25-30, 2008.  The meeting will gather the presidents and some staff from the 34 state and regional associations of private colleges that comprise FIHE’s membership.

UPS has a long history of support for FIHE, beginning with major gifts in the early 70s to create the UPS Educational Endowment Fund.  That fund, which FIHE manages and from which it distributes earnings to 639 private colleges and universities, is now valued at over $ 46 million.  Over 13,000 students have received UPS Scholarships from the fund, which are distributed annually to campuses across the nation.

The Foundation for Independent Higher Education is the national partner in a network of state and regional associations that develop resources for private colleges and universities.  Approximately 640 institutions are affiliated with the FIHE network.  FIHE has offices in Washington, D.C.