Evolutionary Studies Collaborative Takes Up Fight to Save Indonesian Orangutans

Teaming up with Dr. Gary Shapiro, founder and president of The Orang Utan Republik Foundation in Santa Monica, California, St. Francis College English Professor Gregory F. Tague and Fredericka Jacks are happy to announce they have fully funded an Orangutan Caring Scholarship that will send a deserving Indonesian student to college to study forestry or biology. The scholarship was set up as part of a service component to Dr. Tague's Evolutionary Studies Collaborative at St. Francis College, Brooklyn, where he teaches.

The mission of the Orang Utan Republik Foundation is to save the orangutans of Indonesia through conservation education, outreach initiatives, and innovative collaborative programs that inspire and call people to action. For example, under the leadership of Dr. Shapiro, the Foundation has shepherded the funding and distribution of over 130 orangutan caring scholarships. This effort is in addition to the many endeavors by the foundation that promote sustainable farming, forest reclamation, and habitat preservation in Indonesia.

The core values and beliefs of global social responsibility supporting the funding campaign initiated by Dr. Tague are:

1. Education is the most powerful way to impact culture positively;
2. Deserving and qualified young people should have an education that helps them improve their community;
3. Climate change is a distressing reality that must be acknowledged and addressed on a local as well as a governmental level;
4. Rain forest protection is vital to the well-being of future generations globally;
5. Sustainable farming in some regions is a realistic goal;
6. No species, especially not one as close to us as the orangutan, should have become critically endangered because of its habitat loss at our hands.

"I'd like to thank all the donors and especially Fredericka A. Jacks for her support," said Professor Tague.

All donors, and those who'd like to learn about new and ongoing initiatives are invited to a small gathering at St. Francis College (180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY) on March 5 at 12:30pm in Room 5213.

Find out more about the Evolutionary Studies Collaborative.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.

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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu