Coca-Cola & UNCF Partner To Launch Internship Program.

A corporate intern and scholarship program that links college students and the classroom into the real world of work is being launched jointly through an enhanced partnership of The Coca-Cola Company and The College Fund.

Scheduled for a summer 2001 kick-off, the College Fund and Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program will offer 50 minority college juniors summer internships and the opportunity to earn an academic scholarship. Students will participate in an eight- to ten-week summer internship, working at a Coca-Cola facility in Atlanta, Columbia, MD, Chicago, Dallas or Irvine, CA. Guided by a Coca-Cola manager and mentor, students will have the opportunity to work in seven areas of the Company: chemistry, engineering, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, and business management.

Each student will receive a $5,000 internship stipend, $2,000 housing allowance, transportation allowance and will be eligible for a $10,000 scholarship. Upon successful completion of the internship, students may be invited to come back and participate in the program the following year.

“The Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program builds on our long-time relationship with The College Fund,” said Jack Stahl, president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company and board member, UNCF. “It is another way for The Coca-Cola Company to offer minority students more opportunities to achieve academic and career success. The Coca-Cola Company strives to be a role model for corporate diversity. This program helps us achieve that goal by opening doors to our company and corporate America for the young people who are selected to participate.”

The program is the first, company-wide internship program of its kind for The Coca-Cola Company.

“The Coca-Cola Company has been a major supporter of The College Fund and this new program is an opportunity to leverage our synergies,” said William H. Gray III, president and chief executive officer, United Negro College Fund. “Together, and through the Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program, we can work to ensure that minority students receive the financial assistance they need to attend college, and to achieve the valuable, real-life work experience they need to successfully enter the workforce.”

The program is a strategic initiative for The Coca-Cola Company to recruit new employees from more universities and colleges where greater numbers of minorities attend. The Company has made a four-year/150-intern commitment to The College Fund and the program.

“The College Fund and Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program is a unique initiative for the Company,” said Charlene Crusoe-Ingram, senior vice president, Organization and People Development, Coca-Cola North America. “It expands our efforts to create a work environment reflective of the communities in which we do business. The program allows us to enhance our resource base of prospective minority employees and give students the opportunity to work for the world’s leading beverage company.”

How to Apply

The deadline to apply for the Summer 2001 Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program is Feb. 16, 2001. To be eligible, each student must:

* Have a minimum 3.0 grade point average

* Be a sophomore majoring in chemistry, engineering, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing or business management

* Provide a nominating letter from a faculty member that details the student’s talents, interests and aspirations

* Submit a one-page written personal statement of career interest

* Provide a current undergraduate transcript

* Attend a participating college or university (see application)

* Interview with The Coca-Cola Company

Completed applications, with all supporting documentation, must be received by Feb. 16, 2001. Submit application package to: The College Fund, c/o The College Fund and Coca-Cola Corporate Intern Program, 8260 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, P.O. Box 10444, Fairfax, Va. 22031-4511, ATTN: Jamil Fletcher.

Approximately 300 colleges and universities are participating in the program. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office, Career Placement Center or Department Chair at one of the participating schools. Information is also available at www.coca-colaoncampus.com or call The College Fund at 1-800-331-2244.

The College Fund

The College Fund is the nation’s oldest and most successful African American higher education assistance organization. Their mission is to enhance the quality of education by providing financial assistance to deserving students, raising operating funds for 39 member colleges and universities, and increasing access to technology for students and faculty. The College Fund administers more than 450 scholarships and fellowships to an ethnically diverse group of students and faculty who attend member colleges and universities, other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and majority institutions throughout the country. In its 56-year history, The College Fund has raised over $1.6 billion to promote higher education achievement and has helped more than 300,000 students earn undergraduate and graduate degrees.

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