Chick-fil-A has donated $100,000 to Augusta University to support two minority-driven initiatives. Half of the gift will help fund minority scholarships for medical students at the Medical College of Georgia and the other half will be used to help recruit more Black males to become educators through the College of Education.

“We are very excited about this new partnership with Chick-fil-A,” said Dr. Russell T. Keen, executive vice president for administration and chief of staff for the president at Augusta University. “In conjunction with our mission, vision and values, Augusta University is working to create more career pathways for students, particularly underrepresented students who live in Georgia, that better reflect and serve our state demographics. We are grateful for this endorsement by Chick-fil-A.”

Having a diverse medical school class and, subsequently, a diverse physician workforce, is important to meeting the health care needs of the entire state and nation. Studies show that students from underrepresented groups are more likely to practice in medically underserved areas. Diversity scholarships can help ensure that the Medical College of Georgia, the state’s only public medical school, is attracting the most qualified students from a variety of backgrounds, with the goal of improving health care outcomes for Georgia’s diverse population.

Augusta University’s College of Education is working to improve teacher diversity. Studies show that cultural familiarity helps educators support student learning and growth and disrupts bias, discrimination and prejudice. Yet the composition of the teacher workforce does not match the diversity of students enrolled in Georgia or across the nation. America’s teachers are overwhelmingly white and female, even though students in America’s public schools are mostly minority. Beyond that, only about 2% of teachers are Black males.

Augusta University is working to attract more Black male teachers through specific recruitment programs, including scholarship support for minority male educators, collaborating with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to create social, emotional and cultural support for current teacher candidates, and partnering with media to highlight the need for more Black male educators.

“Access to education is the key that unlocks a brighter future, and by supporting minority recruitment efforts at Augusta University, we can empower students of color to pursue vocations in medicine and education,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Chick-fil-A, Inc.

“Chick-fil-A maintains a long-standing commitment to education throughout the communities we serve, and it is our pleasure to provide opportunities for these students who will become the leaders of tomorrow.”