FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 2, 2017

Contact:
Michael Williams or Brianna Shoaf
brianna@coremessage.com, 850-222-3767

Florida Independent College Fund Distributes $82,500 in

Scholarships to Florida Private Colleges and Universities

Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida Independent College Fund (FICF) has distributed
$82,500 in scholarships to assist thirty students at private colleges and universities in
Florida. The scholarships were made possible by a grant from the Council of
Independent Colleges (CIC) in Washington, D.C., through the CIC/UPS Educational
Endowment.

All Floridians deserve access to affordable, high-quality higher education regardless of

their background, said Dr. Ed Moore, president of the Independent Colleges &
Universities of Florida (ICUF). ICUFs 30 colleges and universities are proud to partner
with CIC and the UPS Foundation to make access easier for students throughout
Florida.

Nationally, CIC and the UPS Foundation provided more than $1.5 million in student
scholarships through state-based associations to make private higher education
institutions more affordable and accessible to underserved students.

Independent colleges and universities in this country are remarkably effective at

educating and graduating low-income and first-generation students in less time, with
less student debt, said Richard Ekman, president of CIC. Helping these students
afford a private college education is a truly critical need in our society, and it is
rewarding to be a partner with the UPS Foundation and Independent Colleges and
Universities as we help to support deserving students.

The CIC/UPS Scholarship Program has positively impacted individuals, families and
communities across the country by making private college education possible for more
than 20,000 low-income and first-generation students.
The UPS Foundation is honored to work with CIC to provide scholarships for students
at independent colleges and universities, said Eduardo Martinez, president of the UPS
Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. Our goal is to fund
powerful programs that make a lasting difference to the global community.

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For more information about the Council of Independent Colleges, visit www.cic.edu.
For information about the UPS Foundation, visit www.UPS.com/foundation.

The Florida Independent College Fund (FICF) is a not-for-profit organization working closely
with the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) to expand access to higher
education for all students. These organizations represent 30 private, non-profit educational
institutions based in Florida and accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS). Serving nearly 155,000 students at 135 sites throughout the state, FICF/ICUF
institutions offer programs at main campuses, branch campuses in communities, and state
colleges, as well as nearly 600 fully online degree and graduate certificate programs. For more
information, please visit www.icuf.org.