MSU getting $45 million to educate 185 Africans

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -  Michigan State University is getting $45 million for the education of 185 African students over the next nine years under a new scholarship program.

 The East Lansing school says the money comes out of a $500 million effort that the MasterCard Foundation unveiled Wednesday.  The university says the money will pay for the education of 100 undergraduates and 85 master's degree students. It says it's the only university in the Midwest participating in the program.

 Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon says "Africa now hosts seven of the world's 10 fastest-growing national economies and is the world's youngest continent demographically."   But she says poverty in Africa is responsible for a lag in secondary and higher education rates there.

You can learn about the scholarship by visiting the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program by visiting   http://www.mastercardfdnscholars.org/