Cisco Announces 150 Recipients of 1996 Virtual Schoolhouse Grants; Winning schools to receive $1.5 million in cash, equipment and training to bring Internet communication to the classroom.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 1996--Continuing its commitment to help schools connect to the Internet, Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced 150 recipients of the 1996 Virtual Schoolhouse Grants.

The awards, announced at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC), recognize each school's efforts and vision to use the Internet in innovative ways to improve curriculum in its classrooms.

Cisco awarded grants to schools from 49 states. The grants will enable schools to enjoy Internet benefits such as access to libraries throughout the world, aid in research projects and cross-cultural studies, and the ability to exchange ideas and studies with their peers.

Fifty Cisco employees selected the winning schools from more than 1,000 applications, which included plans and demonstrated ability to support and deploy a networking site. Each grant recipient will receive cash, equipment and services valued at approximately $10,000, for a combined total of $1.5 million -- or three times the amount originally allocated when the Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program was announced last fall. A personal donation from Cisco Chairman John Morgridge allowed Cisco to give 150 grants instead of the 50 originally announced.

"We increased the money allocated to the program based on the overwhelming need to bring networked communications to the classroom," Morgridge said. "We were impressed by the desire and commitment demonstrated by each of the applicant schools to give students access to the new world of learning on the Internet. By expanding the reach of the Virtual Schoolhouse Grant initiative, Cisco will provide educators with more opportunity to leverage the benefits of an online medium in their curriculum."

Grant recipients will receive $1,000 in cash, an access router, Cisco IOS(tm) software, Cisco IP eXchange(tm) software, service and customer support, and product training. In order to educate those who are just learning about internetworking, Cisco has emphasized ease-of-use and manageability in its networking products for the grant program. All award packages will be distributed this week. The Virtual Schoolhouse Grant winners will receive:

Cash award -- $1,000 toward staff development

- Network hardware and software -- A Cisco 1000 or 2500 router; Cisco IOS software, a suite of sophisticated networking software that ensures robust, reliable networks by supporting standard protocols and optimizing services and internetwork access; and Cisco Internet Junction software, which provides direct access for Novell clients to resources of the Internet (up to a $5,000 value)

- Service, training and maintenance -- Two Cisco training coupons for free admittance to Cisco courses, Introduction to Cisco Router Configuration (ICRC) and Configuring Cisco Access Servers (CCAS); and SMARTNet maintenance support for one year (up to a $4,000 value)

All other applicants will receive:

- Internet Enabler Kit -- Cisco IP eXchange software, which provides direct access for Novell clients to resources of the Internet; and a Point-and-Click Internetworking Education and Design CD, Cisco's interactive educational tool on internetworking ($1,095 value)

The Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program complements Cisco's corporate-wide initiative to provide the benefits of Internet access and international communication in today's classrooms. Cisco Systems sponsors several educational projects such as the International CyberFair for Schools, a demonstration of educational and community-related information published by students and teachers on the World Wide Web. Cisco also provides financial support to the Global Schoolhouse Project, an internationally recognized program for demonstrating the use of the Internet in KP12 classrooms across the U.S. and overseas.

Grant applications and guidelines

Applications and guidelines for the 1997 Virtual Schoolhouse Grant Program will be available in October 1996. For additional guidance in articulating a technology plan for a school's network, visit the Cisco Educational Archive and Resources Catalog home page (CEARCH) at http://sunsite.unc.edu/cisco. CEARCH was established by Cisco and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to provide information about Cisco's education programs.

Cisco supports and participates in numerous educational networking and Internet organizations, including CAUSE, the Consortium for School Networking (COSN), EDUCOM, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Society.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the leading global supplier of internetworking solutions for corporate intranets and the global Internet. Cisco's products, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up access servers and network management software, are integrated by Cisco IOS software to link geographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM networks. Company news and product/service information are available at World Wide Web site http://www.cisco.com. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. -0-

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