Published Sept. 11, 2020
Press conference at 10 a.m., Monday, Sept. 14 at The Terrace, 7th floor of ULM Library
or watch streamed live on the ULM YouTube channel, http://bit.ly/ULMLive0914.
On his first day as President of the University of Louisiana Monroe, Dr. Ronald Berry,
joined by his wife, Dr. Christine Berry, will hold a press conference to announce
their establishment of the ULM Opportunity Fund, to be administered by the ULM Foundation.
The event will be at 10 a.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, at The Terrace on the seventh
floor of the ULM Library and streamed live on the ULM YouTube channel, http://bit.ly/ULMLive0914.
The Berrys started the fund with a personal commitment of $100,000, with the original
goal of matching that amount through alumni, community, and business support.
When President Berry came to his office last Tuesday, there was a check for $100,000
on his desk with a note stating, “I hope this donation helps get your Presidency started
in the right direction.”
“This very generous and thoughtful gift allowed us to reach our goal before the fund
was even announced,” said President Berry. “So, we decided to reach even higher and
quadruple the amount to a new goal of $400,000.”
Designed with limited conditions, the fund can assist students, faculty and staff
in many ways, from emergency circumstances to special projects.
“It will be a flexible fund to support a wide variety of activities. We want to remove
obstacles for people pursuing life changing opportunities,” said President Berry.
Examples of potential funding include:
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Programs that improve diversity, equity and inclusion
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Tuition assistance and support for staff or faculty members pursuing graduate work
or academic career advancement
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Development of leadership programs for faculty, staff and students
For more information, contact Hope Young, hyoung@ulm.edu, 318-3423-5445, or Dr. Kelsey Bohl, bohl@ulm.edu, 318-342-5431.
