SACNAS Allocates Private Funds for Non-Citizen, Non-Resident Travel Scholarships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 27, 2018

Travel scholarships to 2018 SACNAS are open to students regardless of citizenship or residency status.

In alignment with our 45-year-long commitment to providing equal access to all students, SACNAS has allocated privately funded resources for travel scholarships to 2018 SACNAS – The National Diversity in STEM Conference in San Antonio, Texas, October 11 to 13.

Travel scholarships to SACNAS conferences were previously restricted to U.S. citizen and permanent resident applicants due to federal funding stipulations. The new funding allocations allows for all students to be eligible regardless of citizenship and/or residency status. This initiative will be particularly helpful for students who are DREAMers.

Dr. Lino Gonzalez, President of the SACNAS Board of Directors said, “We must foster the development of all our student members as they reach for high-level research careers in the U.S., especially those who experience circumstances beyond their control that threaten to keep them from reaching their dreams.”

All other SACNAS programs for college students will continue to be unrestricted, including Community College Day and research presentations at 2018 SACNAS, Community College Leadership Day (CCLD), and the Chapter Leadership Institute (CLI), as they have been since their inception.

Moving forward, SACNAS will continue to seek unrestricted funding to provide support for all STEM students, postdocs, and professionals regardless of citizenship or residency status.

About SACNAS
SACNAS is an inclusive organization with a 45-year history of fostering the success of Chicano/Hispanic & Native American scientists, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers and positions of leadership in science.

Today, the organization serves nearly 6,000 members and has 115 student and professional chapters throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. SACNAS influences a larger STEM community of over 25,000 through outreach, advocacy, and production of The National Diversity in STEM Conference. Learn more about SACNAS at sacnas.org, Facebook, or Twitter.