UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH TO HONOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 25 -- The University of Pittsburgh Challenge for Excellence Program (UCEP) will honor 33 outstanding African-American Pitt freshmen on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 4 - 6 p.m., in The Oakland Room, on the mezzanine level of the Holiday Inn Select University Center, 100 Lytton Avenue, Oakland.

The honorees are this year's recipients of the Honors Challenge, Faison, Henderson, and Lavelle Scholarships, and are among the highest-achieving African-American students admitted to Pitt this year. They all graduated in the top of their high school classes and have received a wide array of honors, including the National Honor Society and Who's Who Among American High School Students. Many are active in community volunteer efforts, church groups, and student organizations.

Seventeen Honors Challenge Scholarships were awarded to students entering Pitt's College of Arts and Sciences (CAS); 10 Faison Scholarships were awarded to CAS students in honor of Helen S. Faison, former superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools; two Lavelle Scholarships went to students in the College of Business Administration in honor of Pittsburgh businessman Robert Lavelle; and four scholarships, honoring former Pitt Provost Donald Henderson, were awarded to students entering Pitt's School of Engineering. All are full scholarships, with the exception of the Honors Challenge Scholarships, which are full tuition only.

The mission of UCEP is to increase the admission, retention, and graduation of minority students at Pitt.

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