Doubling its effort to foster diversity within the public relations profession, the Arthur W. Page Society announced today that for the second consecutive year, it is making scholarship funds available to minority students enrolled in undergraduate public relations and corporate communications degree programs. Thirteen organizations participated in the Page Society's 'Pathways to Diversity' Scholarship Matching Gifts Program, and met the goal to raise $80,000 in scholarship dollars to be awarded in 2005. The fund includes a $40,000 gift from the Page Society and matching contributions from Page Society members and the corporations and agencies they serve.

Contributors include:

American Electric Power (Nicholas J. Ashooh, senior vice president, corporate communications)
AT&T Wireless (Adele Ambrose, executive vice president, public relations and investor relations)
Conoco Phillips (Samuel F. Falcona, vice president, communications and public affairs)
Duke Energy (Roberta Bowman, senior vice president and chief communications officer)
Fleishman-Hillard (Richard Jernstedt, executive vice president and senior partner)
Fortune Brands (C. Clarkson Hine, vice president, corporate communication)
Genentech (Mary Stutts, senior director, corporate relations)
The Pepsi Bottling Group, (Angela Buonocore, vice president, corporate communications)
Siemens (John Bergen, senior vice president, corporate affairs and marketing)
Steven J. Harris Communications, L.L.C. (Steven J. Harris, president)
Tunheim Partners, Inc. (Kathryn Tunheim, president and CEO)
Tyco International (Charles Young, senior vice president, marketing and communications)
UPS (Kenneth B. Sternad, vice president, corporate public relations)

The funds will be awarded to the Page Society's diversity scholarship fund partners, THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION and INROADS, which will oversee the student application, evaluation and distribution process.

The 'Pathways to Diversity' scholarship program raised $20,000 in scholarship dollars and awarded seven scholarships in 2004. "Doubling the funds this year and adding a matching component signals our organization's and our members' mutual desire to champion the cause of diversity," said Tom Martin, president of the Page Society. "Our goal is to open our profession's door to students of all backgrounds and ethnicities, increase understanding of the issue at the industry level and serve as proponents for diversity and change in the business community at large." Martin is senior vice president and director, corporate relations, ITT Industries, Inc.

For more information about the Page Society's diversity efforts or to contribute to the scholarship fund, please contact Paul Basista, executive director, at .

INROADS, Inc. is a national/international 501(c) 3 career development organization. Its mission is to develop and place talented minority youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership. INROADS interns develop their professional skills through multi-year internships at more than 800 major corporations across the country.

THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION is a nonprofit 501(c)3 whose mission is to increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations by providing scholarships, internships, career development, mentoring and professional development to qualified ethnic minority undergraduates enrolled in four-year institutions.

About the Arthur W. Page Society

The Arthur W. Page Society is a professional association composed primarily of the chief communications officers (CCOs) of the world's top multinational corporations, and the CEOs of the world's largest public relations agencies. The organization's members also include academics from the leading business and communications schools.

The Page Society is dedicated to strengthening the management policy role of chief communications officers. The Page Society is upheld by management concepts, known as the Page Principles, which have been tested for more than half a century and have earned the support and respect of chief executive officers throughout the country. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Arthur W. Page Society.