New York (July 14, 2003) -- Big Four firm Deloitte & Touche has awarded scholarships to five students through the Jackie Robinson Foundation -- a not-for-profit organization founded by the late baseball player’s wife -- to provide scholarships to academically gifted students of color.
As part of its Ethics in the Community project, Deloitte is sponsoring these four-year ethics scholarships to students in Illinois, New York, Maryland, Texas, and Georgia. These students were chosen for their high ethics, integrity, and their promise as future business leaders, according to the Foundation.
“Deloitte & Touche has been a leader in ethics and integrity and has been at the forefront of these issues particularly over the past year,” said Redia Anderson, national principal of Deloitte’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, at Thursday’s event here. “Our people understand the concepts of diversity, integrity, and honesty. This act is a fit with our commitment to ethics in the workplace.”
The firm, over a four-year period, will fund $28,000 for each scholarship - a total monetary commitment of $140,000. In addition, each student will be offered an internship with the firm. Deloitte & Touche will establish an internal committee to closely monitor their progress and to provide mentoring opportunities.
This year, the Foundation will award $1.4 million in scholarship support to 275 Jackie Robinson Scholars attending colleges and universities across the nation.
Deloitte & Touche’s new chief operating officer Barry Salzman was also on hand to offer his words of support for the Foundation and his firm’s initiative.
“Jackie Robinson was the epitome of courage, class, and a son of Brooklyn like me,” Salzman said. “Diversity and inclusion are part of this firm’s fabric and I hope this demonstrates to young people that we are committed to their future.”
Also in attendance at the event were Leonard Coleman, chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; Steven Brown, president and chief executive of the Jackie Robinson Foundation; Reginald Livingston, a former Foundation scholar; and recent scholarship recipient Nicole Bostic – a student from Poughquag, NY.
The four other recipients include Kodi Akins, Laport, Ind.; Stefon Burns, Indian Head, Md.; Andre Mosely, Houston; and Michael Vinson, Lithonia, Ga.
-- Seth Fineberg
