HUD AWARDS GRANT TO UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM TO PREPARE LOW-INCOME GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR CAREERS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Grant is Among Nearly $3 Million Awarded Nationwide

BIRMINGHAM - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez today announced that HUD will award $150,000 to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to help graduate students prepare for careers in community planning and development.

The grant to UAB is part of some $3 million in grants HUD announced today to 19 universities around the country to benefit low-income and minority graduate students as they work toward their degrees and gain practical experience
in their career field.

The Community Development Work Study Program grants will supplement approximately 95 students' tuition, travel and books during the next two years.

"Today's students will become tomorrow's greatest resource for revitalizing our nation's communities," said Martinez. "The Bush Administration is committed to creating a new generation of leaders who will work to strengthen our neighborhoods and communities."

Colleges and universities use the grants to offer financial aid and work experience to students enrolled in full-time graduate programs in community development or closely related fields such as urban planning, public policy or public administration.

Schools select the students who will benefit from the work-study funding as well as secure work assignments and monitor student performance. Grants are being awarded to schools in Alabama, California, District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Vermont and Washington.

The awards are made by HUD's Office of University Partnerships, which reaches out to colleges and universities in a number of ways to help use public resources to engage institutions of higher education in programs of community planning and development. For more information about the work study program.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing minority homeownership, creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's
fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet.

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Project Name: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Grant Amount: 2 grants at $150,000 each
Address: U238 1530 3^rd Avenue South
              Birmingham, AL 35294-3350

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will support students enrolled in their graduate Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) in the Department of Government. The MPA program prepares students for pre-career and in-career professional positions, primarily in the Birmingham, Alabama metropolitan area. Historically, this geographic area lacked enough competently trained persons to fill positions normally held by persons with
professional public management degrees. During its 25 years of existence, the MPA program has contributed significantly to the development of professional staff for Birmingham's government and nonprofit organizations. It is now one of the best MPA programs in the nation, and is the only program in the Alabama System that is accredited
by the National School of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

2003 Community Development Work Study Program recipients.