REDMOND, WASH.
Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft Corp., last month announced that Microsoft will donate developer software to all National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) educational chapters in the United States. Gates made the announcement during a regional NSBE fall conference that was held in Redmond.
The software grant is providing 270 NSBE educational chapters with a three-year membership subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance. With memberships, faculty and student NSBE chapter members will have access to more than 100 Microsoft software products. The widely used software includes design and development tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio; client and server operating system platforms such as Microsoft Windows Server and Windows Vista; and platform servers such as Microsoft SQL Server.
“At Microsoft, we recognize that a work force made up of smart people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives is what drives innovation. That is why Microsoft is deeply committed to working with the NSBE to foster diversity in the IT field by supporting programs that create educational opportunities and encourage African-American students to explore careers in science and technology,” Gates said.
