At a November 9 news conference in Allen Memorial Library, representatives of SBC Ameritech and the SBC Foundation presented a check representing the foundation's $1 million, four-year grant to the Center for Regional Economic Issues at CWRU's Weatherhead School of Management. The gift will support programs to help advance the eight-county Northeast Ohio region's economic development. Among key participants at the event were (from left) Kit Jensen, chief operating officer of WCPN 90.3-FM and WVIZ TV-25; James Wagner, CWRU's interim president; Richard Shatten, director of REI; James Smith, president of SBC Ameritech Ohio; and Laura Sanford, president of the SBC Foundation.

CLEVELAND -- The Center for Regional Economic Issues at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management has received a landmark $1 million, four-year grant from the SBC Foundation to support programs that will help advance the eight-county Northeast Ohio region's economic development.

"It's often not readily apparent how events like the visit of the Tall Ships or the number of musical instruments your local high school purchased this year affect your personal economic well-being. But they are inextricably linked -- to each other and to your economic future," said Richard Shatten, director of REI and the SBC Ameritech Professor for Regional Economics at Weatherhead.

"SBC Ameritech's continued support of REI's programs will help our community better understand how such relationships shape our economic future. And by being better informed, we as a community can make more effective decisions that will ensure our region's continued growth and prosperity," Shatten added.

The new grant will fund:

• The REI/NorTech Annual Economic Development Summit and SBC Ameritech Report. The Annual REI/NorTech Economic Summit unites business and civic leaders in discussing issues that impact the region's economic future. The grant will enable REI to expand this meeting to include the SBC Ameritech Report, a bi-annual analysis of the region's economic policies.
• New educational programming hosted on public broadcasting stations WCPN 90.3-FM and WVIZ TV-25 and their Web sites, designed to help local business, governmental and civic leaders and residents make better decisions regarding the region's economic future.
• The REI journal, Innovation for Regional Advantage, annually providing coverage to 5,000 area business, government and civic leaders of technology entrepreneurship, regional amenities, education, and the organizations that work together to advance the region's economic performance.

Kit Jensen, chief operating officer of WCPN 90.3-FM and WVIZ TV-25, said that programming on the stations could include feature reports, call-in segments, documentaries, and commentaries. Both stations' Web sites will build a repository of these resources. All of this information will help people throughout the region make better personal and business decisions, Jensen added.

"At this critical juncture in our region's history, it is vital that our business, civic and governmental leaders work together to plan for our future," Shatten said. "The SBC Foundation grant will enable REI to continue as a catalyst for discussion on issues such as technology transfer, education, lakefront development, and infrastructure development that are at the epicenter of our region's competitiveness."

James Smith, president of SBC Ameritech Ohio, said SBC has provided support to REI for the past 15 years, funding such initiatives as the establishment of the Weatherhead School of Management's distance learning curriculum, helping create the REI/NorTech Summit and the Journal for Regional Economic Issues, and providing recognition for the region's entrepreneurial leaders through the Weatherhead 100 annual awards.

"For the past 15 years, REI has helped create a dialogue designed to fuel the region's economy today and for generations to come," Smith said. "SBC Ameritech has been a proud supporter of the REI since its inception, and we are pleased to provide the funding that will enable REI to continue and expand its mission for the next four years. This $1 million grant is one more way that SBC Ameritech shows its commitment to strengthening the region and thereby supporting its customers and employees today and for the future."

The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. and its family of companies. Through foundation and corporate giving in 2000, SBC donated more than $95 million to support efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide. The foundation places primary emphasis on supporting programs that help increase access to information technologies; broaden technology training and skills development; and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development, especially for underserved populations. Worth magazine has named SBC among America's Most Generous Companies for two consecutive years (2000 and 2001).