(from left to right) - John Wallace, Board Member; Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Chairman of the Board; Phillip Howard, V.P. Institutional Advancement; Jeff Dunn, President and COO Coca-Cola North America; Dr. Massey, Morehouse President; Hon. Hazel O'Leary, Board Member; Frank Skinner, Board Member

ATLANTA (Sept. 24, 2002) - Morehouse College today announced it has received a $3 million grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation, the largest major corporate donation to the College's $100 million-plus Campaign for a New Century, the largest fund raising effort in the school's history.

The grant was announced today during a luncheon for local Atlanta corporate leaders hosted by Coca-Cola to introduce the corporate community to Morehouse and the campaign.

"My vision is that Morehouse will be among the very finest private, undergraduate liberal arts colleges in the nation," said Walter E. Massey, president of Morehouse. "We are thrilled that The Coca-Cola Company shares our vision for Morehouse and is supporting it with such a significant donation."

The campaign, which is in the early planning and solicitation phase, is co-chaired by Jeffrey T. Dunn, president and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola North America, former Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary of O'Leary and Partners, Kenneth Lewis, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Bank of America Corp., and Herman Cain, president, T.H.E. Inc.

"Morehouse is one of the country's most treasured educational institutions," said Jeffrey T. Dunn, who is also a member of the Morehouse Board of Trustees. "We are pleased to provide support that will help this extraordinary school that has meant so much to Atlanta and the nation."

Morehouse Board of Trustee Chair Otis Moss, Jr., said," Throughout our history, we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with The Coca-Cola Company. Today's donation is another example of the tremendous support they have provided Morehouse and the education community over the years."

The Morehouse Campaign for a New Century will be the most comprehensive fund raising effort in the school's history. Funds from the campaign will be used to create endowed scholarships for students, increase faculty development and support, enhance the technological infrastructure, and support renovations and new construction, including a Leadership Center, Center for the Arts, and a Learning Resource Center.

"With a track record of producing such national leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, Spike Lee and Lerone Bennett, Morehouse is a unique institution in developing students who have had a positive impact on society," said Ingrid Saunders Jones, who chairs The Coca-Cola Foundation. "Our contribution to Morehouse continues the Foundation's strong commitment to education."

Ranked the number one college in the nation for educating African American students by Black Enterprise magazine, Morehouse College is the nation's largest, private liberal arts college for men. Founded in 1867, the College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelor's degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. The College offers 26 majors in three academic divisions: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Mathematics, and Business and Economics. Morehouse offers a number of programs and activities to enhance its challenging liberal arts curriculum through the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, Morehouse Research Institute, and Andrew Young Center for International Affairs.

Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine; Sheldon "Spike" Lee, filmmaker and president of 40 Acres & A Mule Productions; Maynard H. Jackson, president of Jackson Securities and the first African-American mayor of Atlanta; and Nima A. Warfield, the first African-American Rhodes Scholar from an Historically Black College or University.

# # #