Braman Family Completion Scholarship Fund will support college completion for neediest students in our community
MIAMI, Aug. 18, 2017 — The Braman Family Foundation is making a $1 million gift to Miami Dade College (MDC) and Florida International University (FIU) as an incentive for students to enroll full-time during their last year of studies at the institutions to facilitate and accelerate college completion.
Leadership from the Braman Family Foundation, MDC and FIU will make the announcement on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 11 a.m., at MDC’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami.
“At the Braman Family Foundation, we value education and want to do our part to ensure that the young people of this community achieve their goals,” said Debi Braman Wechsler, director of the Braman Family Foundation. “We know that there are many students who are unable to complete their education due to financial limitations and, with this gift, we are excited to see more students graduate on time in the coming year.”
The Braman Family Completion Scholarship program will support 1,000 students each year – 500 from each institution – who are in their last year of studies. A $1,000 scholarship will be given to students to expedite the completion of their degrees.
“This gift advances MDC’s mission of providing quality, accessible and affordable higher education to all who seek it. I am extremely grateful to the Braman Family for this important contribution and honored to once again collaborate with FIU,” said MDC’s President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón. “At MDC, we believe opportunity changes everything.”
Nationally, approximately 15 percent of college students drop out with 75 percent of their credits completed, mainly for financial reasons. These additional funds, especially in the final year, give students the opportunity to more closely focus on their courses and complete their degrees. Furthermore, the scholarship reduces the financial pressure for students to work full-time.
“The Braman family has had a lasting impact on South Florida – and now they are helping our students become successful, achieve their dreams and make a difference for their families and future generations,” said FIU’s President Mark B. Rosenberg. “This transformative gift will remove financial barriers and also provide critical coaching opportunities, so that our students receive the support they need to graduate – and then go on to find and create great jobs.”
In order to qualify for the scholarship program, each institution has requirements that will ensure that the Braman scholars find success in their final year. For more information on the requirements and how to apply, visit MDC Financial Aid and FIU Academic Works.
Free parking is available at the MDC garage (Building #7) located on N.E. Fifth Street, between First and Second Avenues.
FIU Media-only contacts: Maydel Santana, director of media relations, 305-348-1555, santanam@fiu.edu; Madeline Baro, associate director of media relations, 305-348-2234 mbaro@fiu.edu; Jessica Drouet, senior account executive, 305-348-6944, jdrouet@fiu.edu.
About MDC:
Miami Dade College is the nation’s largest, campus-based institution of higher education with an enrollment of more than 165,000 students. It is also the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to minorities than any other college or university in the country. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including several baccalaureate degrees in education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film, engineering, and others. In fact, its academic and workforce training programs are national models of excellence. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair International, Miami International Film Festival, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, a sculpture park and a large art gallery and theater system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960.
About FIU:
Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a “R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity” and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy. The university is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine’s “America’s Best Employers” list and received honors in all categories of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2017 “Great Colleges to work for” survey. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU’s Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.