Santander Will Contribute $100 Million To Support U.S. Colleges And Universities

BOSTON, Oct. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Group Chairman Emilio Botin announced the Bank's commitment, through its Santander Universities Global Division, to contribute $100 million to U.S. universities during the next five years.

In a recent presentation at Lincoln Center in New York attended by university leaders and researchers, Emilio Botin said: "At Santander we strongly believe that education is the best way to invest in the future. For us, it is also the best way to show our long-term commitment to the communities in which we work. Sixteen years ago, we began an alliance with the academic world that is unprecedented in international finance."

Regarding cooperation with U.S. universities, he said: "We are delighted to be working with 27 U.S. universities. U.S. universities are, without doubt, an example worldwide. Our cooperation with U.S. universities has been key for the development and growth of Santander in this country. Today we are enhancing our commitment to American society."

Santander's contribution of $100 million over the next five years will go toward academic and research projects, exchange programs and improving the relationship with and services to the university community.

The funds will support initiatives such as the granting of 5,000 international exchange grants for students, lecturers and researchers, and the implementation of joint research projects between U.S. universities and institutions in Asia, Europe and Latin America. The Bank will also contribute $1 million to the U.S. government's "100,000 Strong for the Americas" initiative, which will facilitate 100,000 student exchanges each year between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Bank supports these and other initiatives via its Santander Universities Global Division. The activities of Santander Universities Global Division form the backbone of the Bank's community activities and enable it to maintain a stable alliance with more than 1,040 universities and research centers worldwide. Santander Universities began its support for higher education in the U.S. in 2009 and currently has 27 agreements with educational institutions in the country.

About Us

Santander Universities is the channel through which Santander supports higher education areas such as teaching and research, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student exchange and innovation. Last year, the program supported more than 4,105 new projects and 37,712 scholarships globally. In 2012, Santander Universities funded over 950 scholarships in the United States. For more information about Santander Universities Global Division, visit www.santander.com/universities.

Santander US  is a top 25 retail banks in the United States by deposits, with a presence in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santander's 9,218 employees serve the financial goals of American consumers and businesses through its 718 branches and 2,099 ATMs. Headquartered in Boston, Santander is supervised by the Office of the Currency of the Comptroller and is FDIC insured under its legal name, Santander Bank, N.A. Santander in the United States is a wholly-owned, financially autonomous subsidiary of the Santander Group. For more information about Santander in the United States, visit www.santanderbank.com or call 877-768-2265.

Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial banking group with a presence in ten main markets. Santander is the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.342 trillion in managed funds, 102 million customers, 14,680 branches – more than any other international bank – and 186,785 employees at the close of June, 2013. It is the largest financial group in Latin America and has significant positions in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland and the northeast United States. Santander was recognized in 2012 as Best Global Bank by Euromoney, ranked as a top Greenest Global Bank in 2013 by Bloomberg BusinessWeek and was named 2013 Sustainable Global Bank of the Year by the Financial Times. Santander's attributable profit rose 29% from a year-earlier to EUR 2,255 million in the first half of 2013. For more information about Santander, visit www.santanderusa.com.

SOURCE Santander