Summer 2001

Loyola and Boggs Center receive grant for adult literacy initiative

Loyola and the Lindy Boggs National Center for Adult Literacy announce the receipt of $290,000 in funding for use through September 2001 for a metropolitan adult literacy initiative. The effort will convene representatives from institutions providing adult literacy education, adult students, community organizations, and representatives from business and industry in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes. The monies are a grant from a local private foundation that wished to remain anonymous.

Staff from the Boggs Center will act as catalyst for the group, encouraging the formation of a collaborative plan to address adult literacy requirements in the five-parish area. Boggs Center executive director Michael Cowan noted, "With Loyola's Jesuit tradition, it is fitting that we serve as facilitator in the formation of this collaborative. Our role speaks directly to our commitment to social justice, one of the core Jesuit values."

The group is charged by the funding provider with exploring three issues: an assessment of adult literacy needs for the metropolitan area; an inventory and evaluation of what is currently being offered by adult literacy providers; and, an investigation of best national practices in the area of adult literacy with a view to how local providers may adopt these practices. The group will meet in early May to begin building a consensus as to how to operate to meet these goals.

The expected outcome at the end of two years is a visible, credible, metro-wide network of adult literacy advocates who have selected the best practice models to use locally. Approximately 40 institutions and groups will participate in the initiative. A noteworthy feature of this grant is the provision of financial compensation for the time literacy providers will spend on this effort.

For more information about the Boggs Center, contact Michael Cowan at 864-7077.