The Goizueta Foundation has donated $2.4 million to the University of Miami to support a comprehensive University-wide plan that will enhance and expand the reach of the Otto G. Richter Library’s Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) . The gift will also establish prestigious fellowship programs within the UM Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences and launch a lecture series with the world-respected Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies (ICCAS).

The grant of $2,443,500, which will be spread over five years, will augment the reach of the CHC in its acquisition, preservation and processing of documents, books and other materials. It will also support the digitization of materials, including Web Site development and marketing efforts. Part of the grant will also establish the Libraries’  Fellowship Programs and support an Undergraduate Fellows Program in a partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences to attract students and scholars and cultivate the use of this unique Collection for research.  In conjunction with UM’s ICCAS, the grant will help launch a lecture series designed to showcase the Collection and its relevance.

“We are delighted with the Goizueta Foundation’s generous gift because it will allow this first-rate collection to become fully integrated into our curriculum, as well as fulfill its role in the mission of the university,’’ said UM Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc. “The Cuban Heritage Collection is a treasure that is an invaluable resource to students, scholars and the community at large.”

The CHC is one of the largest comprehensive collections of Cuban and Cuban diaspora materials in the world. The Collection includes rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, architectural drawings, prints, broadsides, posters, audio visual materials, newspapers and journals and other materials. Housed on the second floor of the Richter Library in the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavillion, the CHC attracts students, scholars and academics from all over the world to its venue for research on Cuban history, culture and politics.

In keeping with the educational mission of UM, the Undergraduate Fellows Program will allow for CHC to be integrated within the College of Arts and Sciences, increasing the exposure and promotion of the collection and enriching student research opportunities. All undergraduate students will be eligible to apply. Those chosen for the fellowship would utilize the CHC for an individual research project and would be provided with one-on-one attention and direction.

The Graduate Fellowship Program will establish a Library Fellows program for doctoral students based on other programs established at other research libraries such as the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Yale University Library. These competitive fellowships would be highly coveted and would allow the fellow ample access to the CHC.

Roberto C. Goizueta established The Goizueta Foundation in 1992 to provide financial assistance to educational and charitable institutions.  The Foundation is a private, general purpose, grant-making foundation which includes a limited staff and an Executive Committee comprised of five people.  The Executive Committee is empowered exclusively to act on grant requests.

Mr. Goizueta was Chairman, Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company until his death in October 1997.  He was a native of Cuba and a graduate of Yale University.  In 1954, Mr. Goizueta joined the technical department of The Coca-Cola Company in Havana, Cuba, where his family and he resided until 1960, when they relocated to the U.S.  He held various positions of increased responsibility at The Coca-Cola Company prior to being elected President and Chief Operating Officer and a Director in 1980, and Chairman, Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer in 1981.  Mr. Goizueta was a Director of SunTrust Banks, Inc., SONAT Inc, Ford Motor Company, and Eastman Kodak Company.