    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [September 16, 1999]
    [Pages 1549-1550]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Announcement of the Gates Millennium Scholarships
    September 16, 1999

        I applaud the leadership and foresight shown by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
    today with its $1 billion pledge to provide full college scholarships
    for minority students in the fields

    [[Page 1550]]

    of education, math, science, and engineering. These landmark
    scholarships will help address important needs: the need to encourage
    young people to become teachers, the need to ensure that our children
    are well-prepared in math and science, and the need to open the doors of
    higher learning to all students. The Gates millennium scholarships
    remind us what vital role philanthropies can play in American life and
    how urgent it is for all of us to invest now in our Nation's young
    people.