IBM Provides $2.1 Million To The Executive Leadership
Foundation™ To Support The Executive Leadership
Council™ Technology Transfer Project

Initiative Involves Curricula Development at Historically Black Colleges
and Universities to Train the Next Generation of Workers Using Technology

(AANEWSWIRE)Washington, DC, March 22, 2006 - The Executive Leadership Council™ Technology Transfer Project (TTP) has moved into Phase 2 of its mission to prepare students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) to use technology for advanced career success in information driven work environments.

With more than $2 million in support from IBM to The Executive Leadership Foundation – The Council’s 501 ( c ) 3 charitable affiliate – TTP Phase 2 is supporting seven historically black colleges and universities in six states and the District of Columbia in a cross disciplinary, curricula transformation initiative. The focus of the initiative is on new course development, faculty training, curricula assessment and delivering new student teaching modules designed to enrich student learning and competency in using information technology. Students taking the courses are exposed to current, on-demand technology curricula. Technologies being used and taught are both IBM and open source offerings including Linux, Eclipse, DB2, Java, and Rational.

In 1996, Phase 1 of the TTP offered HBCUs innovative technologies to create an academic blueprint to help HBCUs bring a technology focus and direction to their academic environments.

During 2004, seven HBCUs were selected to participate in the initial offering of the TTP Phase 2. These seven institutions are: Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Tennessee State University. The Executive Leadership Council plans to invite additional HBCUs to participate in 2006.

“This partnership is a win-win for everyone involved and an inspiration to the students and institutions engaged in educating tomorrow’s workforce in the innovative use of technology,” said Carl Brooks, President & Chief Executive Officer of The Executive Leadership Council. “I want to thank Executive Leadership Council members Al Zollar and Ted Childs of IBM for their influential advocacy within IBM, for sharing their expertise and IBM’s innovative technologies with HBCUs, and for being role models to HBCU students.” Al Zollar is General Manager of IBM Tivoli Software and Ted Childs is IBM’s Vice President of Global Workforce Diversity.

In October 2005, IBM received The Executive Leadership Council’s Diamond Leadership Award at the organization’s Annual Recognition Dinner. IBM was highlighted for its role in jump-starting the TTP Phase 2. (see Al Zollar speech on www.elcinfo.com) The TTP initiative has succeeded in helping HBCUs address enterprise wide issues related to technology. Institutions that participated in Phase one leveraged the opportunity to create or enhance their campus technology infrastructures, develop technology strategic plans, enhance faculty and student development in technology, and address instructional technology issues.

“The demand for innovation in society can only be fully addressed by utilizing talent from every community,” said Al Zollar, “IBM is helping to improve the availability of highly-skilled diverse talent by partnering with The Executive Leadership Council to provide HBCUs with the latest technologies that will drive innovation. ”

Invitations to participate in an initial awareness meeting went to selected institutions based upon assessment of a number of criteria including: Technical Curriculum, Business Curriculum, Executive Leadership Foundation/TTP Phase 1 participation, and existing IBM partnerships. The assessments also included subjective criteria such as the ability to implement in a short time frame. In the weeks following the information exchange, the participating institutions made the decision on whether to accept the invitation to fully participate in the program.

About The Executive Leadership Council and TTP

The Executive Leadership Council™ is the nation’s premier leadership organization of the most senior African American corporate executives in Fortune 500 companies. Initiatives like the TTP are funded by The Executive Leadership Foundation, the 501 ( C ) 3 affiliate of the Council.

Established in 1996 with support from at least a dozen Executive Leadership Council members in companies, like Amoco, Bell Atlantic, Booz Allen Hamilton, Oracle, and Rockwell, the Technology Transfer Project was launched to help HBCUs prepare graduates to compete for management and leadership positions in corporate environments increasingly affected by and dependent on technology. HBCUs can then serve as a pipeline to help corporations recruit “in demand” students equipped to use the latest technologies and perform in an “on demand” business arena.

About IBM
With 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate, IBM is the world's largest information technology company. IBM is a leading provider of e-business solutions and is dedicated to helping companies, business partners and developers leverage the potential of the Internet and network computing across a wide range of businesses and industries. The company offers a host of cross-industry and industry-specific solutions designed to meet the needs of companies of all sizes.
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Media Contacts: TTP Program Contacts

Joshua Steinfeld
Ketchum
Joshua.Steinfeld@ketchum.com
(404) 879-9163

Yuri Mullilligan, Dr. Sid Credle
Hampton University Hampton University
Yuri.milligan@hampton.edu
757-727-5472

Clinton R. Coleman Mr. Gerald Whitaker
Morgan State University Morgan State University
ccoleman@moac.morgan.edu
443-885-4239

Toni Mosley Dr. John Williams
Morehouse College Morehouse College
tmosley@morehouse.edu
404-215-2694

Nettie Rowlant Mr. Maurice Tyler
North Carolina A&T University North Carolina A&T U.
rowlandn@ncat.edu
336-334-7856

Sherre Bishop Dr. Dennis Gendron
Tennessee State University Tennessee State U.
sbishop@tnstate.edu
615-963-5303

Stacie B. Royster Dr. Narendra Rustagi
Howard University Howard University
sroyster@howard.edu
202-806-1606

La Nedra Carroll Dr. Clement Allen
Florida A&M University Florida A&M U.
Lanedra.carroll@famu.edu
850-412-7359