[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 3 (Monday, January 24, 2000)]
[Page 122]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on James and Sally Barksdale's Pledge to the
University of Mississippi

January 20, 2000

    Hillary and I applaud James and Sally Barksdale for their dedication 
and leadership on behalf of the cause of literacy. Their generous pledge 
of $100 million to the University of Mississippi will provide school 
children in that State--especially those in the most needy schools--with 
access to new reading programs, train teachers in reading education, and 
promote efforts to target and help students struggling to learn to read. 
Their generosity is an example of the extraordinary role philanthropy 
plays in providing a better future for our children, families, and 
country.