The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) announced Wednesday it has awarded the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) the 2020 Community Partner of the Year award.

Each year, the NCCEP recognizes achievements by individuals and partners through its Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Leadership Awards. GEAR UP is a federal education grant administered through the U.S. Department Education and is intended to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter postsecondary education.

The VFIC was recognized for its achievements in strengthening 15 colleges and universities in Virginia through financial support, increased visibility, collaborative programming and initiation support. 

“The VFIC was quick to engage in a unique collaboration, with the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN) and GEAR UP Virginia, to bring Latinx students from across the state onto higher education institutions and provide a view of the college experience that is culturally sensitive to Latinx student populations in Virginia,” according to the NCCEP.

Video courtesy NCCEP

University of Richmond President Ronald A. Crutcher said that students at Richmond (one of the colleges that VFIC supports) receives funding for study abroad programs and research. He also said approximately three dozen students receive scholarship support from the VFIC.

“What’s equally as important is a group of trustees who are very interested in these schools. We’re very interested in the state of Virginia and the local communities,” VFIC Chairman Thomas E. Goode, regional private bank manager and senior vice president with Wells Fargo, said in the award announcement. “And we know that these schools have a lot of economic value to the state of Virginia.”

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