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Independent.co.uk

USC Receives $10 Million from George Lucas for Diversity at School of Cinematic Arts

The University of Southern California has announced a $10 million gift from the George Lucas Family Foundation in support of student diversity at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

The new gift will double the endowment of the George Lucas Family Foundation Endowed Student Support Fund for Diversity, which was established in the fall of 2016 with $10 million from the Lucas Family Foundation. Through the program, African-American and Hispanic students in undergraduate and graduate programs at the School of Cinematic Arts receive priority consideration for scholarship support.

Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, are longtime supporters of USC. In 2006, Lucas gave his alma mater $175 million for its film school. Through the Lucas Family Foundation, he and Hobson also established an endowed scholarship fund at the film school in 2015. Lucas and Hobson are signatories to the Giving Pledge.

"We are grateful that Mellody Hobson and George Lucas continue to provide visionary leadership on issues of diversity in our field," said Michael Renov, vice dean of academic affairs at the School of Cinematic Arts. "This endowed fund allows us to recruit storytellers whose voices are underrepresented in cinematic media, and whose inclusion benefits all of us."


Article originally published by Philanthropy News by the Founation Center.

http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/usc-receive...

"George Lucas Family Foundation Increases Support of Diversity at USC School of Cinematic Arts." University of Southern California Press Release 03/27/2017.