Louisiana Education Initiative Helps in Rebuilding Activities Post-Katrina

March 15, 2006

Today Cisco Systems announced the expansion of its 21st Century Schools Program (21S) into Louisiana. Cisco is committing US$20 million over the next three years to help Louisiana with education rebuilding activities. The company's investment in the Louisiana Education Initiative (LEI) is part of the US$80 million Gulf Coast education initiative Cisco announced in October 2005, in response to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The first phase of the 21S program began in Mississippi. This second phase will help build a world-class education system in Louisiana, beginning with eight schools within the Jefferson Parish school system, reaching 5,200 students.

News@Cisco recently spoke with John Morgridge, Chairman of the Board at Cisco, about the 21S Program, LEI and philanthropy at Cisco.

What is your vision for the two programs - in Mississippi and now in Louisiana?

John Morgridge: One of the key goals, of course, at the end of the day is to improve student success in schools and in life. But there are many specific things we hope to accomplish.

In building the programs here in Mississippi and Louisiana, Cisco is drawing upon its experience with the Cisco Networking Academies, in which we've now trained nearly one million students around the world. And one of the things we've learned in the Academy program is that it's a great way to train teachers, also: they actually learn and broaden their understanding along with the students. So, for example, you might have math instructors who know little about technology. In the Networking Academies, we've helped them become excellent mentors and teachers in this new, technology-based environment. This "blended curriculum," which includes the combination of online and classroom training, is one of the key strengths of the Cisco Networking Academy program. We certainly hope to see this same kind of benefit with the 21S Initiative also.

Speaking to teachers of prospective parishes or state legislators, how would you explain what this program is going to mean for them?

John Morgridge: To educators, I would emphasize the benefit that blending technology and education can offer both students and teachers. We know that these schools have some great teachers, and one of the things I hope will come out of this undertaking is that they'll get even better. We hope these programs will help take the classroom environments to a higher level.

To the legislators, I would tell them that this is a great opportunity to change education in Louisiana and Mississippi and bring it to a standard that is far beyond what they imagined.

As part of the 21S Initiative, Cisco has enlisted the help of other corporations. Do you see this as a call to corporate America to offer its expertise in philanthropic endeavors?

John Morgridge: Certainly, I think that Cisco has been an excellent example of finding what we call "the sweet spot" between corporate business and philanthropic objectives. By picking that sweet spot, we can capitalize on all our assets to apply to the problem; further, it makes good business sense to sustain the program over long periods of time. One of the things about picking a spot where both interests come together is that we get a tremendous amount of leverage and can actually do things that others can't do.

For example, I believe Cisco is one of the few companies that could have created the Networking Academies. We're uniquely positioned because of all of our assets to do it. And that experience, in turn, puts us in good stead to have a major impact with the 21S Initiative.

I don't think we're uniquely positioned when it comes to education in general, but certainly that background has positioned us where we think we can add a lot of value. And, we hope to combine our experience and expertise with that of other corporations to achieve even more in Mississippi and Louisiana.

This commitment to education, with the examples of the Cisco Networking Academies and now the 21S Initiative - do you consider this one of your legacies to Cisco?

John Morgridge: The legacy I'd talk about is that of giving back and of capitalizing on all of our capabilities - and of energizing our employees so that they do it independently. At Cisco, we have example after example where individual employees have undertaken fantastic projects because we've created an environment in which they know that they can leverage the company's philosophy of giving back. For instance, our New York City office has adopted Inwood House, a 170-year-old institution that cares for homeless, pregnant teens in foster care. It has raised money and created a computer lab there, and a Cisco employee sits on the board of directors. Even the Cisco Networking Academy program was the brainchild of a Cisco engineer, David Ward.

That's the legacy, I think, that is unique, and of which I'm most proud - this idea that employees know they are empowered to give back to their communities.

Does making a meaningful change in education require a long-term commitment, or are you able simply to make a short-term impact and get out?

John Morgridge: We're in this for the long haul. This philosophy goes way back - to a program we had in the early 1990s called "take a router to school." I remember visiting a parochial school, and the good father who ran it said, "Son, I don't know what a router is, but I'll take one."

From that, we learned that you can't just give equipment away. You've got to get much more involved if you're going to have an impact. You can see the embodiment of this philosophy here in Mississippi and Louisiana with the 21S Fellows - Cisco employees who have left their regular jobs for a year to come and work hand-in-hand and share their expertise with the local school districts.

This company's commitment to education is ongoing. We're focused on education not for just a year, not for five years, but for decades.

If you have the chance, in a couple of years' time, to meet some of the students who go through the 21st Century schools program, what do you hope you're going to hear from them?

John Morgridge: I hope to hear that they're still learning and mastering new things - that they have a curiosity, a desire and an understanding for the importance of education and learning in their lives. I hope to hear that this experience has had an ongoing and very positive impact on them and their community.