Chicago Public Schools Receive Major Corporate Donation For Science Education

Chicago, IL — October 23, 2008 —

Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools (CPS), announced today that Baxter International Inc. will donate $5 million over five years to support CPS district science initiatives — the first program ever to fund biotech education in CPS history. This significant contribution has the potential to impact more than 450 CPS teachers through professional development and 75,000 students — all at the junior high and high school level — who by the year 2012 will benefit from the new innovative schools, enhanced teacher skill set, materials, and direct interaction with Baxter scientists and engineers.

"This contribution has the potential to have a major impact on hundreds of our teachers and thousands of our students, and on behalf of all our residents I want to thank Baxter International for its strong and consistent support of education in Chicago,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley at Lindblom Math and Science Academy, 6130 S. Wolcott St., a recipient of grant funds.

The donation from Baxter will go toward three science initiatives as part of SCIENCE@WORK: Expanding Minds with Real-World Science: 1) The development of a Biotechnology Center of Excellence at Lindblom Math & Science Academy; 2) The launch of two new Renaissance 2010 schools through The Renaissance Schools Fund, and; 3) Support for Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT) Instructional Development System program to enrich teacher professional development at participating schools and provide broader student access to science and biotechnology. It is anticipated that through the cascading effect of the programs the partners provide, SCIENCE@WORK will impact 96 teachers annually — 30 teachers via Lindblom Math & Science Academy teacher training and 66 teachers via IIT's teacher training system. In turn, the enhanced teacher training will impact 15,000 students per year. Over five years, the program could reach up to 90 percent of the nearly 500 biology teachers in CPS and 67 percent of the 112,000 high school students in CPS currently.

"Baxter is bringing science directly to our students in an exciting way, while also setting a remarkable example for other corporate partners to follow,” said Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education. "Thank you, Baxter, for this amazing investment in Chicago Public Schools.”

"We have a responsibility to ensure future generations are given every opportunity to be educated and inspired by science,” said Robert L. Parkinson, Jr., chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc. "In order for students to compete — to get into colleges and get jobs — they need to understand the convergence of the sciences, how biology, engineering, chemistry and all the sciences work together to create and innovate.”

Baxter's participation during last year's CPS "Principal for a Day” program and introduction to Hortense Brice, a 41–year CPS teacher, were the catalysts for the company's investment. Brice currently directs the science department at Lindblom and is also the only CPS teacher leading a year-long course in biotechnology. SCIENCE@WORK will extend the many Baxter volunteer opportunities already established at the company. In 2007, employees contributed more than 40,000 hours of time to the community in northern Illinois. This program will deepen Baxter's commitment to education and volunteerism — especially for Baxter scientists who will personally teach science to CPS teachers — in the Chicago area communities in which Baxter operates.

Today's announcement results in part from an ongoing strong partnership between Baxter and the iBIO Institute. Baxter provided seed funding to the Institute, which, combined with contributions from the City of Chicago, iBIO and other corporate citizens, provided $1 million in program startup funds. Since then, that partnership has focused on educational programs for teacher development in biotechnology and state-of-the-art lab methods, as well as problem-based learning for K-12 students. iBIO provided important counsel to Baxter as the company laid the groundwork for the new SCIENCE@WORK initiative.

Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Baxter will provide $2 million to assist Lindblom in realizing its vision to be one of Chicago's premier science institutions. The funding will support a Biotechnology Center of Excellence at the school with enriched biotechnology curricula, lab supplies, a professional development center for all CPS science teachers and a distance-learning center. Baxter employees will volunteer at Lindblom, provide hands-on learning both at the school and at Baxter, and create site visits for CPS teachers and students, allowing them to experience biotechnology and other science first hand.

"Lindblom looks forward to taking our biotech program—the only one in the city currently—to the next level with a set of comprehensive resources for both students and teachers,” said Lindblom principal Alan Mather. "The enhanced biotechnology program will bring outstanding opportunities to students of this school as well as teachers across CPS who are interested in developing their professional expertise in biotechnology.”

Renaissance 2010
Baxter will provide $1 million to The Renaissance Schools Fund (RSF) to help launch two new Renaissance 2010 schools over the next two years. Renaissance 2010 is Chicago's initiative to create 100 new public schools of exceptional quality in underserved communities by 2010. Each new school is expected to serve 500-600 students at capacity and will feature many of the innovations that are common to RSF-supported new schools, including extended school day and year, smaller classes, and more professional development for teachers. On average, RSF-supported schools are showing greater achievement growth and higher attendance while serving the same population of students as their CPS neighborhood counterparts. Baxter joins more than 140 corporations, foundations and individuals who have contributed more than $48 million to The Renaissance Schools Fund and helped to launch 54 new Chicago public schools since 2005.

"Our city is fortunate to have tremendously innovative companies and institutions like Baxter, which are investing in our students and helping to take public education in Chicago to the next level,” said Phyllis Lockett, president and CEO, The Renaissance Schools Fund. "Renaissance 2010 is helping to channel the region's unique intellectual and financial resources into the launch of new schools that offer students unparalleled education experiences, give parents choice and inspire innovation across the district.”

District-Wide Support
Baxter will also provide $2 million to supplement ongoing learning opportunities for students and teachers throughout the City of Chicago. Baxter will support IIT's Instructional Development System (IDS) program to enrich teacher development and prompt future growth in the biotechnology field with CPS high school students. Through its "Operation Biotechnology” initiative, IIT will increase teacher training in biology, chemistry and physics within a framework of national and state standards. The program's biotechnology model lessons will support the existing IIT-IDS science curriculum. The district-wide support also will fund "Baxter Boxes” – tools and materials used to teach biotechnology to all CPS teachers attending professional development either through IIT or Lindblom. Additionally, Baxter will support curriculum-based experiences through student field trips to regional cultural institutions and science fairs with the goal to make it possible for people throughout the region to learn biotechnology. During the 2008-09 school year, this funding will support the Chicago Botanic Garden's Fairchild Challenge – a multidisciplinary contest that challenges Chicago-area high schools to take action on behalf of the environment– as well as up to 30 field trip scholarships to the Garden so students from underserved schools can experience the science of nature and understand the need for biodiversity and conservation.

"We are so pleased that IIT has been included in SCIENCE@WORK,” said IIT's Mathematics and Science Education Professor and Chair Norman G. Lederman. "We will continue to strengthen and expand curriculum and offer professional development opportunities for teachers that will stimulate interest and knowledge of biotechnology for CPS students."

Baxter's long-term commitment to SCIENCE@WORK aims to ensure that Chicago-area teachers and students are able to incorporate today's scientific techniques into the classroom. In partnership with CPS, IIT and The Renaissance Schools Fund, Baxter will monitor efforts and evaluate program success, over a five-year period, with the goal of building sustainable programs for the city.

About Baxter
Baxter International Inc. develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.

About Chicago Public Schools and Lindblom Math & Science Academy
Chicago Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the nation. It includes more than 600 schools and serves about 405,000 students. Lindblom Math and Science Academy is one of eight selective-enrollment high schools in CPS. It is located in West Englewood on Chicago's South Side and draws students from all areas of the city. With a dynamic curriculum, incorporating unique math and science opportunities, Lindblom's mission is to empower students to become independent thinkers in a collaborative learning environment. Through experiences including experimentation, scientific inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, experimental design and modeling, Lindblom's science students develop individual scientific competencies and perspectives.

About Renaissance 2010 & The Renaissance Schools Fund
The goal of Renaissance 2010 is to turn around Chicago's most challenged elementary and high schools by transforming 100 schools in neighborhoods across the city, providing new educational options to underserved communities and relieving school overcrowding in communities experiencing rapid growth.
The Renaissance Schools Fund (RSF) was established by Chicago's business community as the independent fundraiser and strategic partner to Renaissance 2010. Operating on a venture philanthropy model, RSF has raised $48 million, helped to launch 54 new public schools and has created capacity building programs to develop a pipeline of new school entrepreneurs, support the growth of strong schools and inform parents of their options.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.