Riverland Community College Foundation received a $13,000 AT&T donation today to support its scholarship programs during a check presentation on the Austin campus.

The AT&T donation will support 13 scholarships at $1,000 each for Riverland Community College freshmen who are pursuing a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and math) career pathway.  The scholarships will support incoming freshmen who have recently graduated from a local high school in southeast Minnesota, are attending Riverland to pursue a diploma or degree in a STEM career, and are in need of scholarship support.

“We are very excited about this new partnership with AT&T and the opportunity to provide scholarships to students who need financial support pursuing STEM careers,” said Dr. Adenuga Atewologun, president of Riverland Community College. “We are in an era of knowledge economy that continues to generate exciting career opportunities in STEM. The earlier students acquire strong math skills in their education continuum, the easier it is for them to choose STEM careers. This scholarship will help many students start earlier, nearer to home, and go farther in their quest for success.”

With baby boomer retirements in full swing, local businesses are faced with a skills gap that requires workers to obtain greater education and training to match the requirements of emerging jobs, especially in STEM-related careers.  More and more, community colleges like Riverland are an important link to developing the workforce that will help grow strong local economies.

“AT&T Minnesota is committed to helping advance the education of our young people, particularly in the critical fields of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Paul Weirtz, president of AT&T Minnesota.  “We are proud to support Riverland’s scholarship program and help more students receive the STEM education they need to be prepared for careers in the 21^st Century.”

The mission of Riverland Community College Foundation is to raise, manage and distribute resources to support, enhance and promote the educational opportunities that Riverland offers.  The Foundation supports the college in a variety of ways, including raising funds to increase access for students and advance the quality of programming.  

“This is exciting news for Riverland students who are looking to explore STEM careers and are in need of financial support,” said State Senator Dan Sparks.  “Many of today’s students face financial obstacles to realizing their dreams of a college education.  Scholarship support is so critical to helping many students attend and graduate college.”

“There is no doubt that STEM education is vital to the continued prosperity of Minnesota and the nation,” said State Representative Jeanne Poppe.  “It’s great to see leaders in business and education working together to help provide access to STEM education for many college students through scholarships.”

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As a company, AT&T has a long-standing commitment to helping advance education through donations to local education organizations and through the AT&T Aspire program.  One of the nation’s largest corporate initiatives, AT&T Aspire is committed to helping more students graduate from high school ready for college and careers.

AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have given nearly $87 million nationwide to support STEM initiatives since 1995.  Projects supported by AT&T contributions range from STEM scholarship programs and science and math-focused summer camps for at-risk youth, to hands-on technology labs and elite robotics competitions at the nation’s leading universities.