Coca-Cola Foundation Awards Grant to Support Programs
 Aimed at Black Male Recruitment and Retention at Xavier University  
 

New Orleans LA – Xavier University of Louisiana has been awarded a $250,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation in support of programs aimed at Black male recruitment and retention.

The goal of the project, “The Obligation of Excellence: Black Male Recruitment and Retention at Xavier University of Louisiana,” is to help in the University’s ongoing efforts to improve Black male recruitment, enrollment and retention rates and to provide supplemental scholarship funding that will lessen the financial burden for Black male students enrolled at Xavier.

“We know education opens the door to opportunities,” said Helen Smith Price, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “The Coca-Cola system believes that it is critical to support the next generation of leaders and is proud to support educational opportunities at Xavier University through scholarship support.”

Specifically the grant will fund three areas: the University’s XScape Fund, general scholarships, and a new special campus event, the Magnificent Male Weekend.

The scholarship funds will help Xavier provide competitive financial aid packages to prospective students in order to recruit and retain high performing students and decrease the financial burdens of tuition and expenses. The XScape fund is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to students who experience unforeseen or unusual circumstances.

“As the local Coca-Cola bottler in Louisiana, we know the value of Xavier and its students in New Orleans, and we are proud that our company can be a part of something that impacts lives for years to come,” said Susanne Hall, West Region Vice President, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United.