CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES, has received a $5 million grant from the Office of Education at the National Aeronautics Space Administration to further research and educational activities at the university’s Structures, Propulsion, Aerospace and Control Engineering (SPACE) Center. Cal State L.A. is one of seven universities to receive NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Program awards this year.

EMORY UNIVERSITY (Ga.) has received a $4.5 million gift from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to build the university’s doctoral program in religious practices and practical theology. The funds follow an earlier endowment grant to the Candler School of Theology of $10 million in 2002.

MONTGOMERY COLLEGE (Md.) has received $10,000 from the Geico Philanthropic Foundation to fund scholarships for special needs students who enroll in the driver improvement lessons through the college.

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY has received $20 million from the National Science Foundation and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for research on renewable energy.

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK has received more than $309,500 from the SUNY China 150 Fund. The funds will help provide 150 scholarships for students from Sichuan Province who were affected by the massive earthquake this year.

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-CORPUS CHRISTI has received a $1 million grant from the Corpus Christi City Council to help start a mechanical engineering program at the university. University officials still have to raise $2 million by January in private donations for the program. THE

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS has received a $300,000 gift from the Walton Family Foundation for medical sciences. The funds will be used to increase enrollment and address the need for more health care professionals.