$1.75M raised for black UCLA students

A private group led by several prominent UCLA alumni has raised $1.75 million to fund scholarships for black freshmen, hoping the additional financial aid will help increase black enrollment.

"We want to take finances out of the question for these students, to the extent we can," said Los Angeles businessman Peter J. Taylor, who heads the fundraising group, along with leaders of UCLA's Black Alumni Association.

The scholarships were being announced Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The number of black students at UCLA has been dropping for years. Last summer, only about 100 black students said they planned to enroll in the current freshman class of about 4,800 _ the lowest figure in more than three decades.

Taylor and others said the scholarships were needed to help UCLA compete for top black students who might otherwise accept offers of admission _ and financial aid _ from private universities and out-of-state public schools that are not bound by California's Proposition 209, which bars the state's public institutions from considering race in admissions or hiring.

The group plans to make its first scholarship offers in the next few days and will give at least $1,000 to each admitted black freshman who enrolls. Additional awards will be based on financial need and academic merit.

Contributors to the fund included the Wasserman Foundation, which has donated $500,000; and Richard Ziman, a Los Angeles real estate executive, who has given $100,000.

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