By Mike Greife,
September 16, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – The University of Central Missouri was recognized by the Guadalupe
Centers of Kansas City with the Robert Reeds Business of the Year Award at the organization’s
2016 Blanco y Negro Awards Gala.
UCM was one of five recipients of special awards presented Friday, Sept. 16, at the
Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland in Kansas City’s Power and Light District.
UCM President Charles Ambrose, joined by Vici Hughes, UCM director of charter schools,
and Monica Huffman, executive assistant to the university president and member of
the Cesar Chavez Scholarship Committee, received the award on behalf of the university.
These awards, presented by the Gaudalupe Centers Board of Directors and executive
staff, recognize outstanding individuals and institutions who have contributed to
the growth and development of the Guadalupe Centers and the Kansas City Latino community.
UCM was recognized as one of the most valuable partners of the Kansas City Hispanic
community through its longtime commitment to the quality of education provided to
the community and the Guadalupe education system as sponsor of the Alta Vista Charter
School. UCM’s partnership with Guadalupe began in 1999 with the university’s sponsorship
of Alta Vista. The continued partnership has resulted in the growth of Alta Vista
to include the middle school in 2009 and the elementary school in 2012.
UCM also joins the Hispanic community in presenting the Cesar Chavez Scholarship annually
to a student of Hispanic descent. The first $10,000 scholarship was presented in 2004,
with two scholarships offered each year beginning in 2007. In 2015, the scholarships
were increased to $12,500 each, and in 2016, UCM announced that a third scholarship
would be available to a graduate of Alta Vista Charter High School.
“This is a partnership that makes sense,” Ambrose said in receiving the award. “It
reinforces our commitment to education for all, and it is among the most meaningful
awards the university can receive. Your kids are our kids, and your students are our
students.”
He added that the collaboration has been important for all involved, with UCM’s Hispanic
student population increasing by 88 percent in the last five years.
“Without this collaborative spirit, the doors of opportunity would not be as open
as they are today,” Ambrose said. “All of the Cesar Chavez Scholarship recipients
enter UCM with a mission to make a better world. Our objective is to open that door
to every student who wants to attend.”
Also recognized at the Blanco y Negro Gala were John Kearney,Guadalupe Centers high
school college transition coordinator, who received the Dorothy Gallagher Award for
outstanding contribution to the Guadalupe Centers by an employee; Leo Prieto, director
of community outreach at Truman Medical Center, who received the Thomas E. Purcell
Award for outstanding contribution to the Guadalupe Centers by a current board member;
and Alejandro Soloria, Kansas City immigration attorney, and Matt Tomasic, retired
Kansas City, Mo., police officer, who each received the I. Pat Rios Award as an individual
who has made an outstanding professional contribution to the Kansas City Latino community.
