[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.