March 2010 News Release

AT&T and MentorNet Announce a New Initiative Targeting STEM Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

– Comprehensive online one-to-one program to pair HBCU students with mentors in their field of study –
– Initiative supports Obama Administration’s commitment to increasing graduation rates among STEM students –

WASHINGTON D.C. March 10, 2010 – AT&T today announces that it is joining MentorNet in a new initiative that will help increase the retention and graduation rates of students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Founded in 1997, MentorNet provides one-on-one, Web-based mentoring for students in STEM fields. “MentorNet’s mission is to pair students with career role models to support their academic success and pathway to a professional career. At MentorNet, we are especially committed to building these relationships for students from groups that continue to be underrepresented in engineering and science,” said David Porush, CEO of MentorNet.

Over the past 12 years, MentorNet has matched over 26,000 protégés on hundreds of campuses with mentors from more than a thousand employers. The program has been a major success – 95% of participating students have gone on to complete their degrees.

“AT&T has a longstanding commitment to innovation and mentorship. As a founding supporter of MentorNet, many AT&T Lab scientists have served, and continue to serve, as mentors. AT&T is particularly excited about this new initiative and its potential to increase the number of engineers and scientists graduating from HBCUs,” said John Donovan, Chief Technology Officer for AT&T.

The expanded MentorNet program aims to achieve two goals: increase graduation rates of students in STEM related fields; and help more minority students pursue and complete STEM related majors at the undergraduate and graduate level.

“We understand the promise of a mentoring program,” said Myron Hardiman, Executive Director of the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) organization. “By matching aspiring engineers at our ABET accredited HBCU Engineering Schools with mentors, the MentorNet program has the potential to build a powerful network of mutually aspiring individuals. AMIE looks forward to working with MentorNet to establish partnerships with the HBCU Engineering Schools.”

The new initiative builds upon the longstanding collaborative work between AT&T and MentorNet. AT&T and MentorNet have been actively working to recruit mentors for current students, and will be working to expand the student and mentor network for the 2010-2011 academic year. The ultimate goal is to provide every HBCU student in a STEM field with a MentorNet match.

For more information about MentorNet and this new initiative, please visit www.mentornet.net/hbcu

About Philanthropy at AT&T
For over 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2009, nearly $155 million was contributed through corporate –, employee – and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

About MentorNet
MentorNet is a 501(C)(3) non-profit educational organization. Its mission is to help thousands of engineering and science students at the university level – especially women and underrepresented minorities – achieve their career goals by matching them with mentors and guiding their one-on-one relationships over the Web. We are supported by fees from our campus, corporate, government laboratory and organization partners and by grants from public and private foundations.

About AMIE
AMIE is a 501(C)(3) non profit organization that is a coalition of corporations, government agencies, academia, and the ABET accredited HBCU Engineering Schools. Its mission is to facilitate the development of partnerships between its member organizations and one or more of the HBCU Engineering Schools.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

For more information, contact:
Alejandra Velasquez
Phone: (408) 296 4405 ext 27
E-mail: alexv@mentornet.net

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