Winston-Salem State University News February 8, 2016 Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation to Fund 150 Scholarships Winston-Salem State University has received a $205,000 grant from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation to fund scholarships for full-time female students for the 2016-2017 academic year. The grant is expected to provide approximately 150 scholarships with an average value of $1,400. "WSSU is committed to educating those whom privilege has passed over," said WSSU Vice Chancellor for Advancement Michelle Cook. "The percentage of female students who are in need of financial support for their education has increased by 21 percent over the past four years. Thanks to the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, these students will have the resources they need to graduate." Since the 1980s the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation has invested in scholarships at WSSU. In 2014-2015, the university awarded 147 scholarships thanks to a grant from the organization. As part of its strategic plan for 2016-2021, WSSU is committed to seeking out additional revenue to provide scholarships to students. Nearly 90 percent of WSSU students receive need-based financial aid; 33 percent are the first in their families to attend college; and 60 percent have no family assistance in paying for their college expenses. In 2015, the university distributed more than $900,000 in scholarships, a 49 percent increase over the previous year. The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation is a public charity that provides support for the education of women and for the care of elderly women in nine Southeastern states. The Foundation devotes most of its resources to the Lettie Pate Whitehead scholarship program, which provides scholarship grants for deserving female students with financial need at more than 200 colleges, universities and schools. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-592-4820 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.