PC and Internet Can Empower Education and Aspirations, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, UNCF President William Gray and Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell Tell Students at Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ATLANTA, June 2, 1997 — Joining community leaders today, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and CEO Bill Gates told students and faculty from Atlanta’s historically black colleges and universities that the role of technology in education is transforming the way we learn, work and interact with one another. Gates addressed students in the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center along with United Negro College Fund (UNCF) President and CEO William H. Gray III and Mayor Bill Campbell.

Building on a more than $16 million donation last year benefiting the UNCF nationwide, Gates also announced a new donation totaling $1.2 million in personal computer software, hardware and technical support for Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse, Spelman and Morris Brown colleges, and the Interdenominational Theological Center.

Gates toured the new Internet lab built by Microsoft at the Woodruff Library, which is used by students at all of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) schools. He also addressed business, computer science, and engineering students and faculty.

“Microsoft’s vision has been a personal computer on every desk and in every home because we believe that access to information is so important, whether it’s in education, business or other pursuits,”
Gates said.
“Our relationship with the College Fund and with these great schools moves us closer to that vision and empowers students and faculty with the tools they need to advance their own educational and personal goals.”

“This gift builds on the strong relationship forged between Microsoft and the UNCF in the past year and a half,”
Gray said.
“Working with Microsoft and our member institutions, we are closing the technology gap and empowering our students by giving them the tools they need to learn and succeed in the global marketplace.”

Microsoft’s latest donation augments the $2.5 million in technology it announced for Atlanta University Center schools last year. The announcement today includes new hardware, software and technical support for Woodruff Library as well as additional software and technical assistance for all AUC schools.

“The Atlanta University Center is pleased to be involved with this tremendous relationship with Microsoft,”
said Clark Atlanta University’s president, Dr. Thomas W. Cole Jr.
“This donation from Microsoft, coupled with the previous donation of computer software, hardware and technical support, will go a long way toward enabling us to forge ahead with our ability to give our students access to cutting-edge computer technology.”
Cole also is the chairman of the presidents of the member institutions of the UNCF.

Last year, the UNCF and Microsoft announced their relationship with the mission of bringing new technological opportunities for students and faculty at all College Fund schools. In addition to the PC hardware and software, Microsoft has promoted summer internship opportunities at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash., and at its facilities in North Carolina and Texas. Microsoft also has offered in-depth summer programs for selected UNCF faculty, equipped computer science departments with software and provided curriculum assistance in cooperation with UNCF computer science faculty. Microsoft also has provided network software and services to enhance UNCF’s ability to link its area offices and has helped to build an exciting Web site, (http://www.uncf.org/)

UNCF recognizes that improved information services and technology are the key to leading its member colleges into the 21st century and, for that reason, has made information technology a critical element of its long-range strategic plan. UNCF has undertaken this technological mission to guarantee that students and faculty at member colleges have access to state-of-the-art technology and the services that only such technology can provide.

The College Fund is the nation’s oldest and most successful higher education assistance organization in the country. It is a consortium of 39 private, historically black colleges and universities. The College Fund currently administers more than 400 educational programs that give students access to higher education and career opportunities and strengthen its member colleges. It has been named as the number one education nonprofit in America by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. To date, more than 300,000 men and women have graduated from UNCF colleges and universities.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

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