Committee members named for USF Sarasota-Manatee’s 2007 Brunch on the Bay, college hoping for a 3-to-1 scholarship match

 

SARASOTA, FL (April 13, 2007) – For the past 13 years, Sarasota’s community leaders have joined forces in support of scholarship at USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus.  Planning for Brunch on the Bay, which takes place on November 4 and is one of the areas most highly touted events, begins early each year.

 

“The process of developing an effective committee is the most important aspect of inspiring philanthropy among the area’s most prominent business leaders,” said Grace Dieterich, this year’s Brunch on the Bay Chairperson and Senior Vice President of Technology for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services. 

 

This year, Brunch on the Bay fundraising efforts are focused on first generation college students.  In response to a statewide movement to improve access to education, Governor Charlie Crist has proposed a 3-to-1 state match of funds raised to aid students from families where no parent has earned a baccalaureate degree.  If the bill passes, the outcome of fundraising efforts for Brunch on the Bay will be boosted substantially. 

 

The goal of providing scholarship to students at USF Sarasota-Manatee is one that has far reaching impact. 

 

“The idea is to reduce the financial burden of student loans so that graduates may be better able to afford to live in the greater Sarasota-Manatee area,” said Alexis Upham, associate vice president for Regional Development at USF. 

 

Over 1,000 attendees attend Brunch on the Bay each year on Sarasota Bay at the historic Powel Crosley Estate.  The area’s top chefs prepare a wide variety of delicious dishes for guests.  This year, attendees will have a lot to celebrate.

 

The newly constructed USF Sarasota-Manatee campus opened in time for the Fall 2006 semester.  Over 3,200 students are enrolled at the regional campus annually, and the college hopes to raise that number to over 5,000 in the near future.  An increased student body will impact the area’s workforce in Nursing, Education, Business, Criminology, Hospitality, and Library Science— just a few of the 42 programs offered at the college.  The university also boasts a School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, which is USF’s first stand-alone school on a regional campus. 

For additional information on Brunch on the Bay, call Darlene Sparks at (941) 359-4737 or visit www.sarasota.usf.edu.

USF Sarasota-Manatee is an upper-level campus for those with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit. The regional campus offers the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown campus, including classes in south Sarasota County at Manatee Community College Venice.