Concordia University Receives $58K from United Way

Grant will boost local education partnership between Concordia U. and Faubion School

A $58K community investment grant from United Way of the Columbia-Willamette will boost student success and teaching excellence, helping local student and establishing a national partnership model.

The grant significantly expands joint-programming and collaboration between Concordia University, a nonprofit liberal arts university, and Faubion School, a PK-8 school in the Portland Public School District that receives Title I funding.

"United Way's support of the Faubion-Concordia partnership creates an opportunity to engage the broader community around educational outcomes for all young people," said Gary Withers, executive vice president at Concordia University. "By combining the efforts and resources of universities with local public schools, we can create a national model for collaboration, modern learning environments, and increased student success." The grant is part of $4.84 million in total funding issued last month by United Way of the Columbia-Willamette to support projects in the Portland-Vancouver area that aim to enhance education, reduce poverty, improve community health and meet families' emergency needs.

Faubion School is also in the queue to be fully rebuilt as part of the proposed Portland Public School capital bond measure approved for the November 2012 ballot. Faubion was the only K-8 school selected in the first phase of PPS facility upgrades, in part, because of the potential to strengthen the public-private partnership between Faubion and Concordia.

The joint mission of the Concordia-Faubion partnership is to work together to promote life-long learning within a diverse community. It will be achieved by creating opportunities for students, families and teachers to transform education by increasing academic achievement of all students, as well as deepening the services offered to students, and preparing post secondary-ready students through immersion in a "culture of college."

For more about Concordia University's community engagement and community service, visit www.cu-portland.edu/community.

This event was posted by dthomas@cu-portland.edu.