MGM Mirage and UNLV have had a good relationship for years, so I wasn’t surprised by this news, from Yahoo! Finance:
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the Invent the Future campaign leadership today announced the largest corporate scholarship donation ever received in the institution’s 49-year history. With a $1 million gift from MGM MIRAGE, the university will establish the MGM MIRAGE Academic Excellence Scholarship Endowment. The funds will be used to underwrite scholarships for National Merit® scholars at UNLV.
“The MGM MIRAGE Academic Excellence Scholarship program will support UNLV’s efforts to attract the best and brightest students from Nevada and throughout the United States,” said UNLV President Dr. David B. Ashley. “The perpetuity of this endowment will allow us to continue attracting these talented students in the future.”
Established in 1955, the National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition that honors individual students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors are selected to become National Merit® scholars.
“At MGM MIRAGE, we believe education has the potential to uplift the lives of individuals and provide a foundation for a community’s growth and development,” said MGM MIRAGE Chairman and CEO Terry Lanni. “This gift reinforces our commitment to higher education in Nevada and helps enhance the academic reputation of UNLV.”
According to Lanni, MGM MIRAGE will consider providing additional annual gifts of $1 million to the UNLV endowment fund for the next four years.
MGM MIRAGE Endowment to Fund National Merit(R) Scholarships at UNLV: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance
Actually, I was really unsurprised to read it because I was at the official announcement this morning. And I’m posting this because it is important to recognize when gaming companies give back to the community like this. This gift will really help UNLV attract top students, which in the end will benefit everyone–accept for the colleges they would have gone to instead.