Consulate of Mexico, ATU Team Up to Offer $90K in Scholarships

The Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock and the Arkansas Tech University Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday that will result in $90,000 in scholarship funding for ATU students of Mexican origin in 2018.

Under the terms of the MOU, the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock will provide $30,000 and private donors will provide $60,000 through the ATU Foundation.

The MOU was signed by Rodolfo Quilantán, counsel of Mexico, and Mike Hutchison, vice president for advancement at ATU.

This is the fourth consecutive year in which the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock and the university have worked together on the IME Becas Fellowship scholarship. The program was created by Mexico in 2005 to contribute to the education and improvement of individuals of Mexican origin living in the United States.

The scholarships are awarded competitively, based on academic achievement and financial need. Applicants must be Mexican or of Mexican origin to qualify, and they must not be eligible for any other type of scholarship funds or financial aid.

The number of Hispanic students at ATU has increased by 281 percent since 2008, according to a news release. There were 873 Hispanic students enrolled for the fall 2017 semester, and 23.8 percent the university’s students are from minority groups.