A federal grant worth $300,000 has been awarded to California State University of Long Beach (CSULB) today, according to a press release from Congresswoman Laura Richardson and confirmed to the lbpost.com by CSULB President F. King Alexander. The funds will be used to help minority students gain admittance to a teacher education graduate program, which President Alexander says is vital to the Southern California region as demand for bilingual teachers in local public schools has increased.
“We’re very excited to see this grant help increase the number of our minority graduate students,” President Alexander said today in a phone interview. “Any time we get grants in this economic environment, it’s an unexpected pleasure.”
Congresswoman Richardson issued the following statement this afternoon:
“In California, in Los Angeles County and in the 37th Congressional District, Hispanics account for 36.6 percent, 47.3 percent and 42 percent of our population, respectively,” Congresswoman Richardson said. “With huge educational challenges often due to language barriers, parental homework assistance and so on, difficulties continue to exist for the often first generation minority students. This grant makes possible a program that will serve as a gateway for them to enter a graduate school program, which should in turn increase their ability to work and benefit our communities.”
President Alexander said that the grant comes at the perfect time, as more students are looking to continue their education through graduate school to avoid joblessness in a recession. With more applicants than ever, many have been turned away. This grant will expand the number of students that will be admitted to the university’s graduate programs.
“It will certainly help us and it will eventually help the public schools,” he said.