January 31, 2000
MESA Engineering Program receives Pacific Bell grant
By Tim Stephens
The MESA Engineering Program at UCSC has received a grant of $8,000 from Pacific
Bell as part of an effort by MESA and Pacific Bell to bridge the "digital divide."
The partnership is assisting educationally disadvantaged students to attain engineering
and computer science degrees.
The grant, designed to help further develop the MESA Engineering Program's board
and to improve the academic advising within the program, is one of several grants
from Pacific Bell to MESA programs throughout California.
MESA, which stands for
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement, is a statewide program administered
by UC that assists more than 22,000 educationally disadvantaged students to succeed
academically in math and science.
"Working with MESA is a form of enlightened self-interest," said David
Morse, vice president of Pacific Bell's Billing Products Organization.
"The MESA Engineering Program is a richly producing educational model designed
to meet the special requirements of disadvantaged students who want to excel in the
math- or science-based fields. These students will make great customers and great
employees for Pacific Bell. It's a win-win situation for all involved," Morse
said.
The MESA Engineering Program is a partnership between MESA and four-year institutions
including campuses of the University of California and the California State University,
as well as private universities. The program supports students at these institutions
to successfully attain degrees in engineering or computer science.
