Messenger - Vol. 2, No. 3, Page 15 Summer 1993 MBNA gift benefits minority students One of the nation's largest credit card companies, MBNA America, has made a $1 million commitment to the University to help fund a minority recruitment and scholarship program in the College of Business and Economics. In announcing the gift to the college's new Fortune 2000 program, President David P. Roselle said, "Once again, MBNA America has assumed a leadership role in our community, evidencing high degrees of social conscience and corporate citizenship with support for a program whose goals are to increase the number of minorities in the field of business, while enhancing ethnic diversity on our campus. "We are enormously grateful to the people of MBNA America, who now include more than 1,500 of our alumni and current students," he said. The college's Fortune 2000 features a comprehensive program of support services for African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latino/ Mexican-American and Native American Indian students who are majoring in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing and operations management on the campus. Students will receive academic and career-related assistance and take part in motivational activities. According to Kenneth R. Biederman, dean of the college, the MBNA America Minority Student Business Program will include the following special services: * Pre-college business academic enrichment and career development for minority high school students in grades 9-12 during the regular academic year and the summer months; * Financial support for scholarships and awards; * A five-week College Residential Summer Academic Bridge Academy to assist incoming minority business freshman and transfer students; * Close academic monitoring, such as meeting with special advisers every two weeks; * Professional development workshops and mentoring by business personnel and faculty to provide students with opportunities to enhance their leadership, social and interpersonal skills; and * Summer employment and cooperative education opportunities. Terry M. Whittaker, assistant dean of the college and director of Fortune 2000, was founding director of the RISE Program in the University's College of Engineering. Under his leadership, minority enrollment in that college rose from 5 to 12 percent within a three-year period.