BEDFORD, MA — Mar. 25, 1998 — John P. Morgridge, Chairman of the Board of Cisco Systems, Inc., has received the TECH CORPS Leadership in Technology Award from TECH CORPS, a national non-profit organization dedicated to giving America’s students a chance to have the most technologically advanced education possible.
TECH CORPS founder Gary Beach announced the award, citing “Morgridge’s leadership and vision in the field of education.”
“We are here to keep our fingers on the pulse of the industry,” Beach said. “There is more to computer performance than hardware and software. Something within us drives the human spirit to want to learn, create, improve, and move forward. John Morgridge, through his work with Cisco, is giving selflessly to fuel that drive — through the application of technology — in the generation coming up behind us.”
Cisco’s involvement in education began in 1991 when the company donated time, equipment and expertise to an elementary school located across the street. Since then, Cisco has started initiatives and programs-led by Morgridge-that include providing routers to their employees at a deep discount for them to purchase and donate to schools, the creation of one of the very first educational information resource web sites, the organization of a grants program that annually awards half a million dollars to schools to help them implement technology and sponsorship of NetDay’s and TECH CORPS’ efforts to wire America’s schools and provide technology assistance to teachers, students and administrators.
Morgridge said, “I am truly honored that Cisco’s commitment to education is being acknowledged by those who understand the necessity of providing our nation’s children with access to technology in an environment which fosters the type of learning that will lead us into the next century.”
Beach also highlighted Cisco’s most recent education effort Cisco Networking Academies, a new program to teach and certify high school and college students to design, build and maintain computer networks capable of supporting national and global organizations. Students who complete the four semesters of Networking Academies curriculum and certification testing will have the skills necessary to begin working in the Information Technology field.
Beach presented Morgridge with the honor at AIM Technology’s Spring ’98 Hot Iron Awards ceremony March 25th at The National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Previous TECH CORPS Leadership in Technology Awards recipients are: Bert Roberts, MCI Chairman; Robert Palmer, Digital Equipment Corp. Chairman, Chief Executive and President; Thomas Wheeler, CTIA President; and U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley.
Cisco Systems, Inc., is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. More information about Cisco’s education programs can be found at www.cisco.com/edu.
TECH CORPS, some 8,000 volunteers strong, is at work in 42 states plus the District of Columbia training and helping teachers introduce technology into the nation’s K-12 classrooms, and assisting officials with local technology planning issues.
National and state TECH CORPS organizations are funded through contributions from the private sector, primarily corporations and foundations. National Sponsors include Digital Equipment Corporation, the MCI Foundation, Cisco Systems, the National Cable Television Association, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) Foundation, MediaOne, and Computerworld, Inc.