Wells Fargo Grants $300,000 to Create Scholarship for Native American College Students
October 13 2005 - 12:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Partners With American Indian Graduate Center to Fund Qualifying
Students From Tribal Nations ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 13
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ .- Wells Fargo announced today the creation
of a $300,000 endowment to support Native American college and
graduate students nationwide. The Wells Fargo Scholarship for
Native American College Students will be administered by the
American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC), the only national
non-profit organization dedicated to aiding Indian graduate
students in all fields of study. Beginning September 2006, the
scholarship will help up to four qualifying students fill unmet
financial aid needs each year. "We're making a meaningful gift to
support deserving Native American students who will become the
future business leaders for industries which are important to
tribal communities and to our customers," said Steve Stallings,
senior vice president, Director of Wells Fargo's Native American
Banking Services, and a member of the Rincon Band of San Luiseno
Mission Indians. "Wells Fargo has a long history of supporting
communities and programs in our marketplace that contribute to
education and economic development." Announcing the scholarship
this weekend at the AIGC national conference in Albuquerque's
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Wells Fargo has pledged $300,000 to
fund the endowment supporting American Indian upper-level
undergraduates (Juniors or Seniors) and graduate students with a
3.0 grade point average or better majoring in the gaming and
hospitality industries, business and finance. Information,
deadlines, and applications are at http://www.aigc.com/. "Wells
Fargo is proud to work with AIGC in supporting Native Americans
earning advanced degrees," said Jay Kornmayer, executive vice
president of Wells Fargo's Gaming and Native American Banking
Services Divisions. "AIGC's ongoing mission to advance
self-sufficiency and self-determination within all Indian
communities is a natural partner for Wells Fargo's commitment to
every community where we live, work, and do business." Wells Fargo
delivers capital and financial services to more than 150 Tribal
Nations through a team of Native Americans and specialized
relationship managers comprising its Native American Banking
Services unit. As a leading financial services provider and home
mortgage lender to Native Americans and to the tribal gaming
industry Wells Fargo has more banking stores on Indian reservations
than any other financial institution. Through its targeted programs
alone, Wells Fargo has lent more than $1.8 billion to tribes and
Native Americans and is one of the primary providers of financial
services in Indian Country. A leading lender to the tribal gaming
industry, Wells Fargo has dedicated business units serving the
Native American community through Wells Fargo Wholesale Banking and
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Wells Fargo has over 1800 Native
American team members, with five Team Member Resource groups for
Native Peoples in Alaska, Arizona, California, New Mexico and South
Dakota. About AIGC The American Indian Graduate Center was founded
in 1969 to help open doors to graduate education for American
Indian and Alaskan Native college graduates. The AIGC has awarded
more than 10,000 fellowships to qualified Native American and
Alaskan Native students pursuing Master's, Doctorate, and
professional degrees in all fields for over thirty years. AIGC has
helped develop many tribal and community leaders who are working
professionals today. Many are leaders who are responsible for the
development of programs that are vital to the well being of Native
American and Alaskan Native communities. The AIGC's mission is to
help these students make those critical connections with Indian
communities, tribal leaders, and Indian organizations to ensure
their greater involvement to help rebuild strong, healthy,
self-reliant American Indian and Alaskan Native communities. About
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial
services company with $435 billion in assets, providing banking,
insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance to more than
23 million customers from more than 6,000 stores and the internet
(wellsfargo.com) across North America and elsewhere
internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only bank in the
United States to receive the highest possible credit rating, "Aaa,"
from Moody's Investors Service. DATASOURCE: Wells Fargo &
Company CONTACT: Susan Stanley of Wells Fargo, +1-415-947-3994 Web
site: http://www.aigc.com/ Web site: http://www.wellsfargo.com/
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