Betsy S. Atkins Appointed to Florida International University Board of Trustees; Lucent Technologies Board Member Offers Governance Expertise.

Business Editors/Education Writers

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2001

Betsy S. Atkins was appointed to the Florida International University (FIU) Board of Trustees as announced by State of Florida Governor Jeb Bush at a press conference held on Tuesday, June 26 at FIU-University Park. As the final authority responsible for efficient and effective use of institution resources, the newly-appointed FIU Board of Trustees will set policy and direction for the financial and academic well-being of the institution and its students.

The designation of this board is part of a major restructuring of education governance throughout the State of Florida. It comes one-year after Jeb Bush and the state Legislature elected to replace the longstanding Florida State Board of Regents with a governing Board of Trustees for each of the eleven Florida public universities. Ms. Atkins is one of thirteen FIU trustees.

"Betsy brings to the Board of Trustees a wealth of experience in effective corporate governance and a proven background for delivering immediate and measurable results," said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. "Florida International University will greatly benefit from her sense of urgency, passion for education and contemporary approach to setting policy and creating change."

"I look forward to taking the same discipline, focus and accountability that I use in the corporate boardroom and applying it to my new role at FIU," said corporate governance veteran Betsy S. Atkins. "It will be a pleasure to contribute to the overall development and success of a leading educational institution in my very own South Florida backyard."

Betsy Atkins is president and CEO of Baja LLC, an independent venture capital firm that focuses on high tech companies during their early stages of development. With more than twenty years of corporate governance experience, Ms. Atkins is currently a member of the boards of directors of Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) and Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq:PLCM). She is co-founder of Ascend Communications, Inc., and was a member of its board prior to its acquisition by Lucent in 1999.

Ms. Atkins is a member of Florida Venture Forum and regularly serves as a guest lecturer at Stanford University and Harvard University. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and a scholarship to Oxford University.

Note To Editors: Headshots and press conference images are available upon request.