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Mary Williams
703-205-2041
Mary.Williams@gmsp.org
Kelley Reed
703-205-2047
Kelley.Reed@gmsp.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS (GMS) PROGRAM ADDS FOUR MEMBERS TO ADVISORY COUNCIL
FAIRFAX, VA (March 30, 2012) – The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program – a program of UNCF (United Negro College Fund) – announces the addition of four new members to the GMS Advisory Council, effective March 2012. The GMS Program, which has awarded over 15,000 good-through-graduation scholarships since its inception in 2000, enlists the expertise of individuals in higher education to inform Program policy decisions. Ralph Amos, Karl W. Reid, Ed.D, Curtiss Takada Rooks, Ph.D., and Frank D. Sanchez, Ph.D. have a combined total of over 70 years of experience in higher education. Their areas of interest include alumni relations; low-income and minority student educational access, opportunity, success and attainment; and research methods and design.
Ralph Amos has progressive experience in alumni relations and marketing communications. He has been a leader in alumni relations nationally and internationally, currently holding the positions of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Chief Executive Officer of the UCLA Alumni Association. He is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and has served on its Committee on Opportunity and Equity, Commission on Alumni Relations and the CASE International Board of Trustees.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Amos received his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Ohio State University in 1986. He received a Master of Public Administration from Ohio University in 2004 and is pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Ohio University.
Karl W. Reid, Ed.D., Senior Vice President of Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives at UNCF, leads the Office of Academic Affairs that awards over 400 scholarship, fellowship and internship programs, and supports the Institute for Capacity Building, the newly launched Social Entrepreneurship Programs and the Frederick Patterson Research Institute. Prior to his current position at UNCF, Dr. Reid served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Director of the Office of Minority Education. In this capacity, he was responsible for the academic performance and leadership development of over 800 underrepresented minority (URM) students. Dr. Reid also held the title of Assistant to the MIT Chancellor for Student Diversity, where he delivered institutional and programmatic solutions for increasing URM graduate student matriculation. His research interests explore the relationships between racial identity and self efficacy, and their influence on the academic achievement of African American males in higher education.
Born and raised in New York, Dr. Reid earned both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, and his Doctorate of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Curtiss Takada Rooks, Ph.D. is Associate Dean at Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. His portfolio includes interdisciplinary and teaching initiatives, curriculum initiatives, assessment, college/community initiatives, general operations (including facilities, RMP and space/construction) and budget management and support. Dr. Rooks is an applied cultural anthropologist whose academic research interests include ethnic community health and wellness issues and multiracial Asian American identity. Dr. Rooks is currently working on various Asia outreach projects including development of a Seoul Center at Sogang University and faculty exchange opportunities in China, Japan and Korea. Dr. Rooks has more than 20 years of experience in program development, administration and evaluation. He has worked with nonprofit, community based agencies, American Indian tribes, state agencies, policy and research institutes, and civil rights law firms. He specializes in research design, qualitative research methods and cultural competency issues.
Dr. Rooks received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Comparative Culture from the University of California Irvine, Master of Arts in Public Policy from Trinity College and Bachelor of Arts in Economic and Asian Studies from Dartmouth College.
Frank D. Sanchez, Ph.D. currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Students Affairs at the City University of New York (CUNY) – the largest urban, public university in America. For over 20 years, Dr. Sanchez has worked to advance campus student services, programs and policies aimed at increasing student success and degree completion. Prior to his CUNY appointment, Dr. Sanchez was the chief student affairs officer and Associate Vice Chancellor at the University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Center.
In 2007, Dr. Sanchez was selected to the National Association of State and University Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) National Taskforce on the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA). The following year, Dr. Sanchez was appointed to the Governor’s P-20 Education Council in Colorado and assisted with legislative recommendations aimed at increasing college degrees and certificates while also reducing the high school drop-out rate. Dr. Sanchez has presented at numerous national conferences and consulted on content areas including student recruitment, retention and diversity with a devoted emphasis on serving low-income and first-generation students. In June of 2012, Dr. Sanchez will be a faculty member for the NASPA Mid-Level Managers Institute at Montclair State University.
Dr. Sanchez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Communication and Chicano Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Science in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Colorado State University and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration with a minor in Learning, Cognition and Instruction from Indiana University-Bloomington.
The GMS Advisory Council now has a total of eight members. Previously appointed GMS Advisory Council Members are:
· Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, University of California Los Angeles
Copeland-Morgan has held numerous leadership positions in student financial aid and admission and has been honored for her commitment to sound enrollment management and financial aid policy that affects access, equity, and minority participation in higher education. Copeland-Morgan also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the College Board and also Chaired the Task Force on College Access for Students from Low-Income Backgrounds, which formed the nationally recognized CollegeKeys Compact. Copeland-Morgan earned her bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and her Master of Business Administration from the University of La Verne. Copeland-Morgan was appointed to the GMS Advisory Council in March 2010.
· Carmen D. Lopez Ed.M., Executive Director, College Horizons Inc.
Lopez assumed the directorship of College Horizons in 2009 after having served for five years as the Executive Director of the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At HUNAP she oversaw the operation of the university-wide Interfaculty Initiative which focused on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian recruitment and student support, interdisciplinary teaching and research projects on Native issues and community outreach. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History modified with Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and her Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Lopez joined the GMS Advisory Council in March 2010.
· Dr. Raymund Paredes, Commissioner of Higher Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Dr. Paredes has served as Commissioner of Higher Education since 2004. His primary focus has been on closing the education gaps in student participation and success. Prior to coming to the Coordinating Board, Dr. Paredes was Vice President for Programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) where he was responsible for scholarship and outreach programs. He attended The University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a 14-month tour with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. After separation from military service, he resumed his education, receiving a Doctorate of Philosophy in American Civilization in 1973 from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Paredes became a member of the GMS Advisory Council in 2010.
· Allyson Leggett-Watson, Ph.D., Interim Assistant Dean at Northeastern State University, College of Education
Dr. Leggett-Watson joined the faculty at Northeastern State University in 2003. During her seven year tenure at Northeastern State, Dr. Leggett-Watson has focused her research on urban education, faculty of color in higher education, and urban school and university partnerships. She is also a Gates Millennium Scholar from the 2000 inaugural class and currently serves as President of the GMS Alumni Association. Dr. Leggett-Watson’s baccalaureate degree is in Elementary Education from Bethune-Cookman University and her graduate degrees are from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Leggett-Watson has been a member on the GMS Advisory Council since March 2010.
The GMS Advisory Council met on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana on the campus of Xavier University of Louisiana, a UNCF-member institution.
About GMS
The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding low income African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline they choose. Continuing Gates Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential.
About UNCF
UNCF—the United Negro College Fund—is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.
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