TEXAS INSTRUMENTS MAKES MILLION-DOLLAR GIFT TO CCCCD
TI Endowment to Support "SMART" Educational Initiative

July 13, 2004 - Collin County Community College District (CCCCD) confirmed today that Texas Instruments has created a $1 million dollar endowment for the college in support of the newly established "SMART" educational initiative. This represents the largest endowed gift in the college's 20-year history.

The Science, Math, Advanced Research, Technology (SMART) Educational Initiative will provide CCCCD with scholarships for academically qualified high school and community college students who intend to pursue or are pursuing four-year degrees in engineering and related fields. The objective is to fuel a pipeline of highly skilled professionals in careers in science, math and engineering disciplines.

"We are honored to be the recipient of TI's generosity. Through the SMART initiative, the district will make a significant impact on the region's future scientific and technological workforce," said Sam Roach, chair of the college's Board of Trustees.

According to CCCCD president Cary Israel, the endowment comes at a time when many students do not have the resources to obtain a college education. "TI's historic gift helps cement the value of CCCCD's outstanding instruction in math, science and engineering. It will allow CCCCD to open doors and tear down barriers that keep students from pursuing a college education."

SMART builds on the success of existing partnerships CCCCD has with the Plano Independent School District (PISD) and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), the top transfer destination for CCCCD students. The program will include juniors and seniors at PISD, freshmen and sophomores at CCCCD, juniors and seniors at UTD and faculty from each of the educational partners.

"Our decision to support the Collin County Community College District shows the confidence we have in its ability to encourage more students to enter engineering and technical disciplines. Not only is CCCCD a springboard to four-year institutions for its students, it will also supply North Texas employers with the necessary workforce to remain competitive," said Phil Ritter, TI senior vice president.

The first tier of the program is designed to provide financial support for qualified PISD juniors and seniors who concurrently enroll in math, science, pre-engineering or engineering courses at CCCCD. Additionally the district will actively recruit high school students into engineering studies. In the second tier of SMART, additional support will be provided for freshmen and sophomores already enrolled in high-tech courses who also have dual admissions with UTD. Another component of the program will include mentoring and advising for each student to increase retention.

"With UTD's goal of being a top 50 engineering school in five years, it's imperative that we do the best job we can of cultivating local students," said Dr. Bob Helms, dean of the UTD Erik Jonsson School of Engineering. "SMART takes a major step in aligning the synergy between all three partners to create greater opportunities to boost our rate of high-quality technical graduates."

Collin County Community College District serves nearly 40,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs. In addition, the CCCCD is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and work force development.

For more information concerning the CCCCD Foundation, contact the Foundation Office at (972) 881-5611 or visit the CCCCD website at http://foundation.ccccd.org.