FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 8, 2000

Fairbanks, Alaska - The Rural Alaska Honors Institute, a popular six-week college preparatory program for rural Alaska high school students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, will offer a new computer science course this summer thanks to a $5,000 donation from IBM. The computer science course is new to the RAHI curriculum and will be one of four elective class offerings available, according to program director Jim Kowalsky.

IBM will also loan RAHI 15 computers for students to use in residence halls during the 2000 program. The corporation made a similar loan to RAHI last summer to help increase student access to computers and to increase academic work effort.

"It's a generous and needed donation on the part of IBM," Kowalsky said. "It will help us to keep up with rapidly growing technology by allowing us for the first time to introduce students to the possibilities of computer science as an academic pursuit in college."

The three-credit computer science course will emphasize computer programming, complimenting other RAHI courses in technical writing and academic skill building. The RAHI program, which seeks to integrate primarily rural Native students into the college environment, hosts 40 to 50 high school juniors and seniors each summer. It was organized in 1983 at the request of the Alaska Federation of Natives to improve the opportunity afforded to Alaska Native students to succeed in college. Other students may also participate in the program, which runs May 27-July 7.

The application deadline is March 31. Applications are available from school counselors or by calling (800) 478-6886.

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