REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 15, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has awarded a total of $726,000 in scholarships to more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students for the 1997-98 school year. For the following school year, 1998-99, Microsoft announced it will increase its funding level to $1 million in student awards. The expanded commitment will mark the 10th anniversary of the company’s scholarship program.
Barbara Dingfield, manager of corporate contributions and community programs at Microsoft, noted that next year’s program will reflect an increase in technical scholarships for women and minority groups. “Microsoft is committed to getting more women and minorities – those who are underrepresented in the industry – into the high-tech workforce,” Dingfield said. “We are pleased to have built a program that actively encourages a wide range of students from across the country.
The 1997-98 academic year also marks the first year that Microsoft has extended graduate fellowships to computer science students. Six recipients were selected on the basis of academic excellence and research topic. The fellowships will cover 100 percent of tuition, books and fees and will include a laptop computer and stipend for living expenses. Recipients also will be eligible for internships with Microsoft Research.
As part of its annual scholarship program, Microsoft helps prepare students to enter the fast-paced computer industry by offering an opportunity to apply for a summer internship.
Mike Hollinshead, a computer engineering major at the University of Washington, is a 1997-98 minority technical scholarship program winner who spent the past three months as a Microsoft intern in the Office/TCO Test Group. “I can hardly believe that I was able to have an experience like this while I was still a student. The summer position at Microsoft has given me a focus for my studies this fall that I wouldn’t have had with only classroom experience.”
In an effort to encourage students interested in the high-technology industry, Microsoft sponsors national diversity engineering conferences, in-class technical presentations, programming contests and panel discussions. The company also works with a number of organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers; the Computing Research Association; National Conference Scholarship Programs, including the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers; the Association of Computing Machinery; and the Upsilon Pi Scholarship Program.
Microsoft awarded its first scholarship in 1989 to students from 10 colleges in the United States. The company began the program to encourage more students to enroll in computer science courses and to build closer relationships with schools and educators across the nation. It has evolved to include increased funding for scholarship programs aimed at minority and female students. The program has grown to encompass high school, undergraduate and graduate students across North America.
Students who want more information about the Microsoft Scholarship Program may access the program Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/college/scholarships.htm or they can
contact College Recruiting, Attn: Scholarships, Microsoft Corp., One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.
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