The African American Faculty & Staff Council is scheduled to present its first two scholarships at a gathering Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Union Art Gallery.

The scholarships are being awarded to Hailey Bell, a senior in nursing, and Carrie Anderson, a senior in industrial engineering. The scholarship presentation is part of the reception for the UW-Milwaukee African-American community, including African-American and African diaspora faculty, academic staff, university staff, undergraduate and graduate students.

Two years ago, the council established a scholarship committee to research, establish, collect and award funds designated for African-American students. The focus of the scholarship is on students in their senior year who have proved they are successful. The funds will assist them in completing their program and graduating from UWM.

The scholarship effort grew out of discussions among African-American faculty and staff about increasing the graduation rates of students of color, according to Diana Borders, co-chair of the council and assistant director of business services for the Office of Charter Schools in the School of Education.

“As representatives of UWM, we wanted to demonstrate our commitment to the students we interact with on a daily basis,” said Borders, who is co-chair of the scholarship committee. The council decided to award the scholarship to seniors because many of them often face last-minute financial challenges as they near completion of their academic programs.

The council worked with UWM’s Development department to establish and award the first scholarships.