AIGC and Wells Fargo Collaborate to Support Native American Higher Education Program
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving cultural and economic wellbeing for individuals and tribes by supporting post-secondary education, has announced that it has received a grant from Wells Fargo to administer a comprehensive program of support for American Indians and Alaska Natives in higher education.
The San Francisco-based financial services firm is providing financial, human and other resources to support AIGC’s efforts to build, promote and honor self-sustaining American Indian and Alaska Native communities through education and leadership. With this support, AIGC is launching an outreach program to engage and encourage American Indian and Alaska Native students to seek scholarships and other educational services available through AIGC.
“Wells Fargo is committed to providing educational opportunities and resources to help develop the next generation of diverse leaders,” says Gigi Dixon, senior vice president and director of strategic partnerships for Wells Fargo. “Through our national relationship with AIGC, Wells Fargo is able to help Native American students achieve their academic dreams and experience success in their community and beyond.”
New AIGC programs funded by the Wells Fargo grant include scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Natives pursuing bachelor’s degrees. Outreach efforts for this new scholarship opportunity will include community-based events planned in December 2015 and through May 2016. These events will be hosted in four different regions of the United States for college bound students and their families.
“Wells Fargo is a long-time supporter of AIGC. We are deeply grateful for their new investment in our mission, which, in addition to scholarships, will enable AIGC to provide extensive resources to American Indians and Alaska Natives who are pursuing higher education. Additionally, we will be able to offer resources to those people who are helping students to access degree programs, in transitioning to higher education, and to identify the resources that will make them successful college students,” says Joan Currier, Acting Director of AIGC.
AIGC has given more than 17,000 scholarships over its 46-year lifetime to American Indians and Alaska Natives, many of whom now hold high-ranking positions.
For additional information about the Wells Fargo American Indian Higher Education Program and Scholarships, please visit aigcs.org.
About the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC)
AIGC is a national organization, based in Albuquerque, NM, providing educational support through scholarships since 1969. AIGC is a national provider of scholarships for American Indian and Alaska Native graduate and undergraduate students and has awarded more than $52 million in scholarships since its inception over 46 years ago.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, 12,800 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy.