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SBC Foundation, United Negro College Fund Continue Joint Scholarship Program to Provide Educational Opportunities
SBC Foundation, United Negro College Fund Continue Joint Scholarship Program to Provide Educational Opportunities
Published 05-24-05
Submitted by SBC Communications Inc.
"The SBC Foundation's commitment to higher education in the African American community will have a great impact on the organization's goal to increase degree attainment among minority students," said Dr. Michael Lomax, UNCF President and CEO. "UNCF greatly appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with corporations such as SBC Communications to empower deserving young men and women through higher education."
SBC/UNCF Scholarships are available to students entering their junior year, who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and are pursuing a degree in business, finance, economics, mathematics, accounting, engineering (industrial, electrical, or mechanical), computer science, and information technologies. Currently, students from 11 SBC-operating states are eligible for UNCF scholarships, including Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.
"The SBC Foundation is proud of the continued success that our partnership with United Negro College Fund has produced," said Laura Sanford, president of the SBC Foundation. "Since we launched the SBC/UNCF Scholarship program nearly a decade ago, we have helped hundreds of deserving students nationally realize their dreams through education. Programs such as this help students become better equipped with needed skills to succeed in today's dynamic workplace."
SBC Communications Inc., through the corporation and SBC Foundation, has been an active supporter of diverse communities through its philanthropic efforts. In 2004, the SBC Foundation awarded 47 percent of its direct giving grants to racial/ethnic-based organizations, including $6.7 million to organizations serving African-American communities, highlighted by a $1 million grant to the National Urban League to build the technology capacity of the African-American community on the national and local level.
In 2005, the SBC Foundation was recognized by ABFE (formerly Association of Black Foundation Executives) with their Institutional Award for Philanthropic Leadership. The award recognizes the SBC Foundation's responsive grant-making to African American projects and organizations.
SBC companies also have a solid, industry-leading record of workforce and supplier diversity, providing employment and leadership opportunities to employees and minority businesses. In 2004, the company spent $1.8 billion with diverse vendors. Because of this commitment, SBC Communications has been recognized by Fortune magazine's 50 Best Companies for Minorities for six consecutive years, and as one of the top 50 companies for diversity by DiversityInc. magazine.
As the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, United Negro College Fund's mission is to provide financial support to its 38 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers nearly 450 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship programs, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. For more information, visit www.uncf.org.
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.
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 50.4 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.
