Aetna Provides African-American Undergrads with Career Preparation and Skills to Become the Next Generation of Business Leaders.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today it is renewing its commitment to strengthening its relationship with the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF) through a $25,000 contribution and increased executive involvement with the organization. The TMSF was established 19 years ago to support merit scholars attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The Fund commemorates the work of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American appointed to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, by providing equal access to higher education.

Aetna will be a major sponsor of the TMSF Leadership Institute Recruitment Conference, the largest undergraduate, public HBCU career-preparation gathering in the country. The 2006 event will be held on October 19-23 in New York City.

"Aetna is dedicated to helping grow the next generation of African-American business leaders," said Caroline Wilke, University Relations Lead for Aetna. "However, our financial support is only one aspect of our commitment. Aetna executives will serve as panelists and provide students with four days of professional and personal development, as well as access to networking opportunities with recruiters and corporate executives from America's leading corporations," Wilke added.

According to Dwayne Ashley, President and CEO of TMSF, "Aetna has been a long time philanthropic investor in students attending public historically black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, mentoring, and leadership training provided by the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, Aetna is a model for other corporate leaders to emulate."

Caroline Wilke, University Relations Lead, and Juan Colon, University Relations Intern, presented the $25,000 check to Thurgood Marshall Executives on behalf of Aetna.

Three of Aetna's leaders with backgrounds in diversity and education will participate as expert panelists at the October conference. They include: Tre Bell, Information Architect and TMSF Scholar; George Scurlock, Diversity Alliances Lead; and Glenn Winfree, Senior Diversity Consultant. Aetna representatives will also participate in the TMSF Annual Leadership Institute Career Fair, Founders Reception, and Awards Dinner Gala.

To date, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $50 million in scholarships, capacity building, and programmatic support. More than 5,000 Thurgood Marshall Scholars have graduated and are making valuable contributions to science, technology, government, human service, business, education and various communities.

Alumni of TMSF member schools include: civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson; CBS News "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley; NFL football great Walter Payton; actress Lynn Whitfield; opera star Jessye Norman, and astronaut Ronald McNair who died in the space shuttle Challenger explosion in January 1986.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 29.9 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com.