The Community Development Work Study Program (CDWSP), a joint effort of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, has received a $25,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota. The award was made December 7 by Mary S. (Muffie) Gabler, Wells Fargo Community Development vice president and manager.  

Wells Fargo Community Development vice president and manager Muffie Gabler (second from right) presents a $25,000 check to CURA community program director Kris Nelson (second from left). Also pictured are three Humphrey Institute students enrolled in the Community Development Work Study Program, (from left) Carlos Espinoza, Nina Brown, and Paul Singh.

In presenting the award, Gabler praised the CDWSP for “giving students time to reflect on and work in communities that need their expertise to flourish,” and noted that “Wells Fargo knows how important it is to nurture the next generation of community leaders who will work in the communities in which we do business.” The funds from the award will be used to help provide internship stipends for students participating in the program.

The CDWSP is a national effort of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides financial support to educational institutions to recruit and support economically disadvantaged students of color committed to community development. Students accepted into the program are provided tuition to pursue a graduate degree in urban and regional planning or public policy. During their degree program, they also gain practical experience through internships with nonprofit organizations or public community development agencies in the Twin Cities. As a result of the program, a new generation of community planners, policy analysts, and specialists will become trained to serve culturally and racially diverse, low-income communities and solve some of the most pressing issues facing our inner cities.

The program at the University of Minnesota is jointly administered and funded through CURA and the Humphrey Institute, with additional support from HUD Community Work Study grants (through 2007), foundations, and the organizations in which students are placed. The program contributes to CURA’s mission to engage University of Minnesota students and faculty to assist communities in Minnesota.

For more information about the Community Development Work Study Program, visit www.cura.umn.edu/CDWSP.php.

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is an all-University applied research and technical assistance center that helps the University of Minnesota fulfill its land grant and urban missions by connecting faculty and student researchers with nonprofit organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, local governments, and state agencies in Minnesota. CURA is on the web at www.cura.umn.edu.

Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company with $500 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance to more than 23 million customers from more than 6,200 stores and the Internet (www.wellsfargo.com) across North America and elsewhere internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., is the highest credit-rated bank in the U.S., receiving an “AAA” by Moody’s Investors Service—its top credit rating—and “AA+” by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service. Wells Fargo is also a leading employer in the Twin Cities and an active community partner committed to helping build and sustain a vibrant, prosperous community. To learn more, visit www.wellsfargo.com/about/charitable/mn_guidelines.

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