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National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to Enhance Visitor Experience with HP Donation

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to Enhance Visitor Experience with HP Donation

Published 08-08-03

Submitted by National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

CINCINNATI, OH -- The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center today announced a $1 million donation from HP. Presented by HP Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina, the gift of cash and technology products is aimed at revolutionizing the visitor experience -- on-site in Cincinnati and virtually around the world. It raises the Center's capital campaign total to $93 million of its $110 million goal.

Fiorina made the announcement while visiting Cincinnati after the recent expansion of HP's Ohio presence with the addition of 900 employees to the company's Cincinnati office.

"Technology will be pivotal to our success at the Freedom Center," said Dr. Spencer Crew, Freedom Center Executive Director and CEO. "We are grateful to HP for its support in keeping the Center on the cutting edge both creatively and technically. It's exciting that HP has stepped up to the plate to make the Center one of the world's premier museums."

"Our collaboration with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a great example of how HP can put its inventive capabilities to work for educational and cultural institutions," said Fiorina as she toured the Freedom Center's construction site. "As a corporation, we are dedicated to community involvement and enrichment. We believe that HP technology and expertise will help the talented staff at the Freedom Center provide its visitors with enriched and more engaging experiences -- in person and online."

As part of the gift, HP plans to provide computing infrastructure for The Freedom Center's next generation of museum exhibits and digital programming technologies to make them among the most innovative in the world. The technologies, including video, digital imaging, broadcast, video conferencing, wireless and web, will make it possible to create truly dynamic and impactful visitor experiences, with superior creative quality.

The organizations' collaboration designates HP as one of the Center's "preferred technology providers" for core technology usage and application. HP will supply hand-held devices, kiosks, workstations, servers, printers and storage area network technologies as the Center develops its cutting-edge applications for delivering educational programming worldwide as well as on- site in the Cincinnati facility.

In addition, the Freedom Center and HP plan to explore technologies to
enable collaboration by educators, designers, students and others working
from remote locations. The two organizations have agreed to jointly explore technologies that may translate into new products, process improvements or solutions for museums and educational institutions, forever changing the museum learning experience.

About the Freedom Center

Opening in late 2004, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center teaches the lessons of history to engage and inspire today's freedom conductors. The $110 million learning center will house two theatres, a hall for multicultural dialogue, four highly interactive history galleries, and an education and research center. It will also serve as the international headquarters for a network of Freedom Station affiliates conducting research and programming on freedom studies worldwide.

Separate from the HP donation which will go toward the Freedom Center's capital campaign, the Freedom Center recently announced a $1.5 million challenge grant from an anonymous donor. It is limited to the greater Cincinnati area. To-date over $500,000 has been raised to match the challenge. The challenge must be met by September 30. Each donation made locally will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the anonymous donor.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

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