April 4, 1996

NYNEX CONTACT: Media Relations, (212) 395-0500

NYNEX to Award $1.2 Million in Excellence in Education Grants

In a major expansion of its Excellence in Education Awards program, the NYNEX Foundation will award $1.2 million in grants this year to colleges, universities and other educational institutions in New York and New England. The total is an increase of $500,000 over the $700,000 in grants that the program provided last year.

In addition, NYNEX is expanding the number of colleges and universities that are eligible for the Excellence in Education Awards to include state-supported institutions such as the State University of New York and the University of Massachusetts as well the City University of New York, community colleges and technical institutes that collaborate with schools. Non-profit educational organizations that provide classroom programs for junior high and high school students are also eligible for the first time.

The awards, which range from $5,000 to $50,000, will help fund projects that foster the use of communications technology in college classroom curriculums and in classrooms of grades 7 through 12. Educational institutions in NYNEX's region will compete for the awards by submitting proposals that explain in detail the specific projects that the awards would help fund and the benefits that the projects would provide.

"This is a very appropriate time for NYNEX to expand its Excellence in Education Awards program," said Suzanne DuBose, vice president of programs for the NYNEX Foundation. "The recent reform of the nation's communications laws has prompted a broad discussion among educators and public officials about how communications technology might be used to help improve the quality of education."

"It is NYNEX's hope that the Excellence in Education Awards will stimulate innovative uses of this technology in the classroom and help students as well as teachers improve their skills and broaden their knowledge."

The educational institutions selected to receive the awards will be announced in September.

NYNEX is a global communications and media company that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Corporation is a leader in the telecommunications, wireless communications, cable television, directory publishing and entertainment and information services.

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