Kamau's Business Blog Page - The World's 1st Black and Minority Business Blog!
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Siemen's Grant Offers 1 Million Dollars Targeted for Minorities in Science Education
Million Dollar Scholarship Fund Established to Encourage Minority Students to Pursue Careers in Teaching Math and ScienceThe Siemens Teacher Scholarships, a collaboration between the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Siemens Foundation, aimed at encouraging minority students to pursue teaching careers in math and science, was officially announced today at the Department of Education. New Jersey-based Siemens Foundation will provide $1 million in scholarships over the next five years for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to pursue careers in teaching math, science and technology.
Two organizations that are active in promoting post-secondary education for minority students -- the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the UNCF -- will administer the funds. Each organization will receive $500,000 to be awarded to students accepted to any one of the nation's 85 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that are members of the two organizations. This program marks the first time the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the UNCF will collaborate in an effort to target both private and public colleges.
The two organizations will select scholarship recipients each year. "If American technology companies are to continue creating cutting edge innovations and high paying jobs, we need to be sure that all American high school students develop the necessary math and science skills they will require to take advantage of these opportunities," said Thomas N. McCausland, Chairman of the Board, Siemens Foundation. "It is therefore imperative that we provide the necessary resources to broaden the pool of qualified math and science teachers, especially in communities that have been traditionally under-represented in the fields of science and technology. "Siemens' grant is critically important because it can help to address one of the most pressing needs facing our nation's children and that is the need for more teachers in math, science and engineering," said Dwayne Ashley, CEO and President, Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. There is a need for more qualified minority math and science teachers, and HBCUs have long been the training ground for new leaders in education as well as mathematicians, scientists and engineers." Click Here for More Info
14 Million in Grants Available for Computer Science Education
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Sciecne and Engineering (CISE) has announced a new initiative on Broadening Participation in Computer Science (BPC). See http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05562.SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
General Information
Program Title: Broadening Participation in Computing
(BPC)
Synopsis of Program:
The Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program aims to significantly increase the number of students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines. Initially, its emphasis will be on students from communities with longstanding underrepresentation in computing: women, persons with disabilities, and minorities. Included minorities are African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The BPC program seeks to engage the computing community in developing and implementing innovative methods to improve recruitment and retention of these students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Because the lack of role models in the professoriate can be a barrier to participation, the BPC program also aims to develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting members of the targeted groups who want to pursue academic careers in computing. While these efforts focus on underrepresented groups, it is expected that the resulting types of interventions will improve research and education opportunities for all students in computing.
Eligibility Information
Organization Limit: There is no organization limit. However, at least one participant in an Alliance proposal must be a degree-granting, academic institution of higher learning located in the U.S., its territories or possessions, or a consortium of such institutions. PI Eligibility Limit: None Specified.
Limit on Number of Proposals: None Specified.
Award Information
Anticipated Type of Award: Other - Standard or Continuing Grants, or Supplements Estimated Number of Awards: 20 to 25 Anticipated Funding Amount: $14,000,000 in FY2006 pending the availability of funds and the quality and size of the proposals submitted.
There are several upcoming meetings for people interested in this program. For complete details, see the NSF Dear Colleague letter at: This Site .
REMEMBER COCHRAN FOR MORE THAN O.J. SIMPSON
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com Columnist
The defining moment for me in the O.J. Simpson trial was not Simpson's acquittal and the firestorm that it ignited nationally. It was a note I got from an associate in Johnnie Cochran's law firm. He said that Johnnie wanted me to know that he admired my comments in the case. I was one of the legion of talking head analysts during the trial, and like many of the other analysts, I was skeptical, even critical, of some of Cochran's legal maneuvers.
I thought he badly overplayed the race card in the case, and deliberately played to the anti-police sentiments of some of the black jurors. But Cochran still went out of his way to pay me the compliment. I then paid even closer attention to Cochran's arguments and presentation in the trial. By the end of the trial Cochran convinced me that there was more than enough reasonable doubt to acquit Simpson. Most legal experts that worked with him and battled against him in major criminal and civil cases in the more than four decades of his legal career, agreed that Cochran was more than a flamboyant, race conscious, courtroom showman. He was a consummate legal professional that sought to use his prodigious legal talent to defend the rights of the poor and the dispossessed.
Cochran set a lofty standard for advocacy law that influenced a generation of criminal and public advocacy attorneys. He was deeply influenced by the monumental legal battles that civil rights legend Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall fought against segregation and police violence. Cochran publicly credited them for inspiring him to champion civil rights causes in the courtroom Cochran stamped his biggest imprint on the volatile issue of police abuse. In 1965, Cochran defended Leonard Deadwyler, an unarmed black motorist shot by an LAPD officer while he was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital.
The LAPD had long been recognized by many as America's poster police department for brutal treatment of blacks. Deadwyler was the latest in the legion of blacks that had been shot by the police under dubious circumstances. During the coroner's inquest into the Deadwyler killing that was televised, Cochran riveted public attention on the LAPD's policies and practices. The officer was exonerated, but Cochran's skill at fingering police abuse heightened public awareness of racism, police violence, and the need for major reforms in police practices.
Over the years, Cochran's fame and reputation grew, and he got richer in the process. Yet, he still continued to battle police abuse. He waged a quarter century fight to free Black Panther Elmer Geronimo Pratt who was falsely convicted of the murder of a white woman in 1972. Cochran exposed how the government used paid agents to frame black militants and disrupt black organizations.
Pratt was released in 1997. Cochran repeatedly said the Pratt case and victory was the defining moment of his career. But the case was an extension of his relentless fight for justice in the courts.
The Simpson case was yet another example to Cochran of how a black defendant, even a rich black celebrity defendant such as Simpson, could be victimized by the criminal justice. The issues again were racism, and police misconduct. Cochran did not as I mistakenly believed play on race to manipulate the jurors and get Simpson off. He meticulously picked apart the flaws, contradictions and inconsistencies in the prosecutions case. The case was won on the evidence or lack thereof, and not race, and Cochran paid a steep price for his skill.
Much of the public enraged at the verdict, blamed him for letting a murder skip away free. Cochran would spend the next decade in the case, in speeches, two autobiographies, and several articles explaining his action in the case.
In those years I would occasionally see Cochran at different functions, and each time he did not duck the thorny issues in the Pratt, Simpson and the other police abuse cases that he was involved in during his career. The audiences always sat in rapt attention, and when he finished they would leap to their feet in sustained applause to show their deep appreciation and admiration for his work.
In his final years, Cochran railed at the Bush administration for trampling on civil rights in the war on terrorism. In one of his last major speeches at the mostly white, upper crust Commonwealth Club in Los Angeles in 2002, Cochran blasted then Attorney general John Ashcroft for eroding civil rights and warned, "They're not going to say later, hey, you know, we're just taking those for a little while until we work this little problem out." Cochran understood that civil rights were not a "little problem" but were precious commodities that had to be safeguarded at all costs, and that the Bush administration imperiled those rights. That's why Johnnie Cochran should be remembered for much more than O.J.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is columnist for BlackNews.com, a political analyst and social issues commentator, and the author of The Crisis in Black and Black (Middle Passage Press).
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Andrew Morrison Creator of Small Business Camp Launches Radio Station
My Friend Andrew Morrison the creator of the Small Business Camp is launching a radio station. Andrew is responsible for helping me build a more successful business. I have made more than ten times the income I invested in his class using his tactics and strategies taught in his bootcamp for entrepreneurs.
The recently launched radio show on 93.5 FM in New York is called, "The Business Line". Yours truly will be appearing on a future show. You can find out more about Andrew and his outstanding programs at: Link to Small Business Camp.
Willie Crawford "the King of Pay-Per-Click" Slated to Teach Next -- Sell Online in Record Time Seminar!
Willie Crawford considered one of the Internet's most respected and well liked Internet Marketing Gurus is working with me on the planning stages of my "Sell Online in Record Time Seminars"! Willie became very successful selling a soul food cookbook online and has expanded his expertise into all aspects of Internet marketing.
Willie is considered one of the foremost experts on pay-per-click advertising. He will have much to share in New York June 25th 2005 on selling more of your products quickly and efficiently. You can get a taste of the Sell Online in Record Time Seminars April 27th at Independence Community Bank in Manhattan.
Willie will help you boost your business by Sharing...
- How to Set Up an Effective Pay-Per-Click Campaign
- Using Advanced Tools to Propel Your Ad Campaigns
- Strategies to Increase Your Sales Conversion Rates
The focus of the seminars is to get your sales efforts up to speed with two of the Internet's most important sales channels the Search Engines and eBay.
Click here to find out about the preview event with Stephanie McIntyre "the eBay Sales Sensation". Click Here
MILLION DOLLAR SCHOLARSHIP FUND ESTABLISHED TO ENCOURAGE MINORITY STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN TEACHING MATH AND SCIENCE
Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - The Siemens Teacher Scholarships, a collaboration between the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Siemens Foundation, aimed at encouraging minority students to pursue teaching careers in math and science, was officially announced today at the Department of Education."We all know that good schools are impossible without good teachers," said Wilbert Bryant, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs, Department of Education. "The Siemens Foundation scholarship money will help increase the number of teachers going into America's classrooms. The collaboration of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the United Negro College Fund will assist 85 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in their efforts to encourage minority students in pursuing a career in science and mathematics."
The New Jersey-based Siemens Foundation will provide $1 million in scholarships over the next five years for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to pursue careers in teaching math, science and technology. Two organizations that are active in promoting post-secondary education for minority students the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the UNCF will administer the funds. Each organization will receive $500,000 to be awarded to students accepted to any one of the nations 85 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that are members of the two organizations.
This program marks the first time the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the UNCF will collaborate in an effort to target both private and public colleges. The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund has 47 member public HBCUs; the UNCF provides operational support to the 38 private institutions. The two organizations will select scholarship recipients each year. The Siemens Foundation will fund the scholarships as part of its mission to support and enhance math and science education in America's high schools.
"If American technology companies are to continue creating cutting edge innovations and high paying jobs, we need to be sure that all American high school students develop the necessary math and science skills they will require to take advantage of these opportunities," said Thomas N. McCausland, Chairman of the Board, Siemens Foundation. "It is therefore imperative that we provide the necessary resources to broaden the pool of qualified math and science teachers, especially in communities that have been traditionally under-represented in the fields of science and technology. This is a partnership between three institutions who are committed to improving the quality of science and math education in our nations schools."
"Siemens grant is critically important because it can help to address one of the most pressing needs facing our nations children and that is the need for more teachers in math, science and engineering," said Dwayne Ashley, CEO and President, Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. All students deserve a sound, quality education that will set them on the road to economic prosperity. This makes this grant unique for two reasons: There is a need for more qualified minority math and science teachers, and HBCUs have long been the training ground for new leaders in education as well as mathematicians, scientists and engineers.
"The growing shortage of qualified math and science teachers in this country will impact Americas economy for years to come if it is not addressed," said Dr. Michael Lomax, UNCF's President and CEO. "The Siemens Teacher Scholarships will allow more minority students to pursue careers in math and science, which will ultimately increase the nations success in producing more qualified math and science teachers. Overall, support from organizations like the Siemens Foundation has helped UNCF support more minorities in higher education and we are excited to be a part of this scholarship program."
Contact Information:
CONTACT:
Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
Jennifer Jiles
770-840-6339 or 404-915-4283
www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org
Siemens Foundation
Marie Gentile
732-603-5886 or 917-679-6299
www.siemens-foundation.org
United Negro College Fund
Ayanna Canty
703-205-3510
www.uncf.org
