{"72703":{"#nid":"72703","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Alumni Create Cuban Educational Fund","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA group of Georgia Tech alumni announced the creation of a new program designed to encourage students of Cuban descent to use the knowledge they acquired at Tech to help rebuild the island nation at the appropriate time. The program, \u0022Reconstruyendo El Puente,\u0022 or \u0022Rebuilding the Bridge\u0022 is a privately funded educational loan program available to students of Cuban descent who attended Georgia Tech. Under the provisions established by the alumni, the loans will be forgiven provided that the recipients return to work in Cuba whenever conditions allow. One year of loaned funds will be forgiven for every year spent working in Cuba. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe fund was created by a group of Cuban-American alumni with the intent of eventually rebuilding the bridge that historically brought Cuban students to Tech. The group, in collaboration with the Georgia Tech Office of Development, has raised $1 million of the initial goal of $5 million.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022For more than 75 years, Cuban students have been part of the academic and cultural environment at Georgia Tech,\u0022 said Juan M. Portuondo, spokesperson for the alumni. \u0022The technical training and developmental skills that we received at Tech prepared us well for professional careers in the United States and the many other countries where fellow alumni reside. It is time to give back not just to our Alma Mater but, most importantly, to our country of origin.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe group is currently soliciting gifts from alumni of Cuban descent. With the help of Tech\u0027s Office of Development they plan to approach corporations and foundations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\ninterested in having a pool of Tech graduates eager to assist in the re-establishment of free enterprise in Cuba.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe fund will be managed by the Georgia Tech Foundation Inc. Gifts and commitments to the Georgia Tech Foundation may be designated by the donor for a specific fund or purpose, such as, \u0022Reconstruyendo El Puente: A Fund for Scholars of Cuban descent at Georgia Tech.\u0022 There are a number of ways in which charitable contributions can be made through outright gifts and commitments and deferred gifts, including will provisions.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor all questions on the Georgia Tech Foundation Inc, as manager of the fund, or to make a contribution to the program, please contact Marta Garcia at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:marta.garcia@dev.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emarta.garcia@dev.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E or Dorcas Wilkinson at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dorcas.wilkinson@dev.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edorcas.wilkinson@dev.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThose interested in joining the Alumni Committee should contact Juan M. Portuondo at 305-361-1700 or e-mail \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ipgroup1@bellsouth.net\u0022\u003Eipgroup1@bellsouth.net\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"A group of Georgia Tech alumni announced the creation of a new program designed to encourage students of Cuban descent to use the knowledge they acquired at Tech to work in Cuba whenever conditions allow.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Loan program has an initial fundraising goal of $5M"}],"uid":"27310","created_gmt":"2006-09-19 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:42","author":"David Terraso","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2006-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2006-09-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"72704":{"id":"72704","type":"image","title":"Tech Tower","body":null,"created":"1449177942","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:25:42","changed":"1475894663","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:23"}},"media_ids":["72704"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["david.terraso@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}