Toronto, ON – Aboriginal students enrolled in the Chef School at George Brown College will now have the opportunity to access additional sources of financial support thanks to a generous endowment gift from Mr. Aditya Jha, a leading business entrepreneur and chairman of the POA Educational Foundation. The $250,000 endowment, which includes matched funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support, was announced today at an event at Siegfried’s, George Brown College’s student-run restaurant.
The new endowment will provide two annual awards targeted to Aboriginal students in culinary programs and a third award will be targeted to an Aboriginal student with specific entrepreneurial interests, preferably also in the culinary area. The first award will be presented in 2008.
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“Mr. Jha’s decision to support Aboriginal students at George Brown College through the establishment of a scholarship endowment is wonderful news,” stated Anne Sado, President of George Brown College. “Mr. Jha and the POA Educational Foundation share our commitment to education and our focus on student success. This new endowment will go a long way in supporting our goal of meeting the needs of Aboriginal students for access to postsecondary education.”
“I was tremendously fortunate to have a good education and I really believe it makes all the difference in the world,” says Mr. Aditya Jha, CEO of Osellus Inc. and Chairman of the POA Educational Foundation. “I see this partnership as the first step in an ongoing collaboration to further the success of Aboriginal students at George Brown College.”
About George Brown College
Established in 1967, George Brown’s (GBC) three campuses are located in downtown Toronto, the most multicultural city in the world. With more than 14,000 full-time students, including 1,400 international students, GBC is one of Ontario’s fastest growing colleges. GBC offers more than 150 programs ranging from one-year certificates to four-year bachelor’s degrees. In addition, over 50,000 continuing education students are enrolled in more than 1,300 courses.
About POA Educational Foundation
The POA Educational Foundation was established in 2002 as a registered Canadian Private Foundation with charitable status by a successful Canadian IT entrepreneur, Aditya Jha. The POA Foundation supports projects based on three distinct values: the promotion of accessible and high-quality education, the nurturing of entrepreneurship, and the strengthening of global civil society and governance.
Visit the web site at http://poafoundation.org/.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Zanettos
Media Relations Consultant
George Brown College
Office: 416-415-5000 ext. 3428
Mobile: 416-893-5435
Email: pzanetto@georgebrown.ca