The UA School of Information Resources and Library Science was awarded two Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grants totaling $1.9 million. One of the grants will give more than $930,000 for graduate fellowships to librarians and library students who serve rural and small communities throughout the state.

At least 25 students will receive the graduate fellowship funding during the next three years. The fellowship recipients will earn a master’s degree in library and information science while working in rural and small community libraries.

The other grant will provide more than $960,000 for course development that will inform students on the development, maintenance and curating of digital collections.

The UA Office of Continuing Education will collaborate with the Arizona State Library Archives and Public Records to develop and implement the new curriculum.

Eleven UA students and alumni were among over 1,200 U.S. citizens who were awarded Fulbright Student Scholarships.

These 11 students will receive funding to travel abroad for the 2006-2007 academic year from the Fulbright student program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program is an international exchange program that provides funding for students, teachers and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research and teaching, according to the Fulbright Web site.

The UA students, their departments and intended countries are listed below:

-Jeff Banister, geography and regional development, Mexico

-Erica Bigio, geosciences, Switzerland

-Margaret Camp, East Asian studies, Japan

-Julie Chen, finance/accounting/entrepreneurship, China

-Catherine Dooley, Spanish/political science, Brazil

-Nicole Eggers, German studies, Germany

-Ryan Johnson, economics/international studies, Brazil

-John Klingemann, history, Mexico

-Emily Lundin, creative writing, Germany

-Maria Munoz, history, Mexico

-Lia Ruggeri, anthropology, Malaysia

The UA continues to maintain its high rate of Fulbright recipients, according to Wayne Decker, director of international studies and external affairs for the Honors College.

Four individuals were selected by the UA Office of Diversity as winners of the 2005-2006 Peter Likins Inclusive Excellence Awards.

The award recognizes individuals or groups who have greatly contributed toward making the UA a diverse, inclusive community. The recipients showed effort to create a diverse faculty, staff and student body, as well as an effort to create a climate that supports the success of all UA community members.

This year’s winners were Charles Tatum, dean of the College of Humanities, Theodore G. Tong, the associate dean of the College of Pharmacy, Matthew Hall, a mathematics and religious studies sophomore, and Lori Tochihara, director at the Office of Minority Student Recruitment and Early Academic Outreach.

The awards will be presented by UA President Robert Shelton at a reception at 1 p.m. on Oct. 4 in the Tucson Room of the Student Union Memorial Center. The University community is invited.

The UA Center for Computer and Professional Education, a division of the Office of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, was recently approved as a provider of Oracle Workforce Development Program training.

Created to address the shortage of global information technology workers, the Oracle Workforce Development Program allows educational institutions to deliver Oracle training. The Oracle training prepares students for the Oracle certification test, an industry-recognized credential. In addition, the students are also trained for Oracle-related jobs.

Fourteen of the 34 graduates of the 1956 Class of UA Rogers College of Law received certificates of achievement at the UA alumni reception held at the Arizona State Bar Convention in Phoenix on June 16. The 14 alumni were awarded for continued commitment and service to both their community and the legal profession.

-Campus Briefs were compiled by staff reports and press releases.