SAN ANTONIO -- As students return to college this fall, the SBC Foundation -- the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc. -- is helping to offset the rising college tuition rates for the coming year. The SBC Scholarship Program awarded nearly $5 million in college scholarships to more than 2,000 children of SBC employees and retirees.

Since 1993, the SBC Foundation has invested $40 million in student scholarships, providing financial assistance to more than 13,000 students. In 2005, 624 students will receive SBC Foundation scholarships for the first time, and 1,395 students will renew their scholarships.

The price of a college education continues to increase and place a financial burden on many families. According to The College Board's 2004 Trends in College Pricing, annual average prices for undergraduate tuition and fees at a four-year public college or university increased 10.5 percent for the 2004 - 2005 academic year to $5,132. Average private four-year college tuition and fees increased 6 percent for the same time frame and were estimated to be $20,082.

"The SBC Scholarship Program helps our employees' families meet the challenges of escalating tuition and enables students to achieve their educational potential," said Forrest Miller, SBC group president of external affairs and planning.

SBC Foundation scholarships are awarded to students pursuing undergraduate study at accredited four-year and two-year colleges and universities and military academies in the United States. Students who maintain specified academic guidelines can renew their scholarships annually. The competitive scholarship selection process is based on an individual's overall merit, including academics, leadership skills and work experience.

"The SBC Scholarship Program is part of the SBC Foundation's broader support of education initiatives," said Laura Sanford, president of the SBC Foundation. "We believe that with support and access to resources, every child can achieve academic success. We congratulate the 2005 scholarship recipients and wish them a lifetime of success."

Students attending two-year colleges will each receive a $1,500 scholarship; those attending four-year colleges or universities will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, and those attending military academies will receive a one-time honorarium of $2,000 from the SBC Foundation.

In the past two decades, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations and affiliates across the country. Education is a primary funding priority for the SBC Foundation. Since 1995, the SBC Foundation has distributed more than $218 million to fund education programs that promote academic excellence for all students.

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Foundation Center has consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top fifteen corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities. For more information, visit www.sbc.com/foundation.

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 51.6 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.

SBC Communications Inc.

SBC Communications Inc.

More from SBC Communications Inc.