UA News

Dorothy Finley former CEO of Finley Distribution and Macario Saldate IV director of the UA Guadalajara Summer School will be honored at the semi-formal dinner and dance event.

A major alumni event that has raised scholarship funds for University of Arizona students for more than two decades will be held this month.

The UA Hispanic Alumni Club, or UAHA, is holding its 24th annual "Portraits of Excellence" scholarship dinner and dance to benefit its scholarship endowment and programs.

This year, the organization will honor the accomplishments of Dorothy Finley, former chairman/CEO of Finley Distributing, as well as Macario Saldate IV, the director of the UA Guadalajara Summer School.

The scholarship dinner will be held on Dec. 5 at The Hotel Arizona, 181 W. Broadway Blvd. The evening event includes a one-hour reception at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner.

"In the past 24 years the UAHA has provided over 1,760 scholarships totaling more than $3.9 million to support students who may not have otherwise attended college," said Humberto Stevens president of the alumni organization.

This fall, the organization welcomed its largest class of incoming scholars.

But Stevens said UAHA not only distributes scholarship money to undergraduate and master's degree students.

The funds also contribute to retention programs that provide an area of study support as well as professional development programs, such as networking opportunities with working professionals in various fields.

One such program the scholarship contributes to is the UA's Success Express.

The Success Express program helps first year students discover University opportunities, make a successful transition to college and take responsibility for their college experience.

"The retention and graduation rates for our scholarship recipients hovers at 90 percent while the national average is 55 percent for Hispanics, making the UAHA model for other Hispanic alumni groups in the nation," Stevens added.

The organization is working to add a scholarship benefit for doctoral students and to recruit more members by hosting more events such as the Homecoming Pachanga and Hispanic Heritage Tailgate and Game.

"We are in the midst of a membership drive that will continue on into the spring," said Jose Terán the UAHA communications officer.

"We had tremendous success and turnout with the Pachanga and the Hispanic Heritage Tailgate this year," Terán said.

Terán also said th organizaiton is working to reach UA alumni currently living in Douglass, Phoenix, Nogales and in other ares of the state.

He said the organization wants "to let them know of the fun events and helpful student programs we are creating and our goal of collecting $600,000 toward scholarship awards this year."

The scholarship dinner is open to the public with individual tickets available for $125, and $94 of the cost of dinner is tax deductible.

"This is a huge celebration of culture and diversity," Stevens said, "with the event itself serving as an opportunity for students to participate in the largest Hispanic networking event of the year."