AUSTIN, TexasHouston Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation that supports a variety of educational causes, has awarded The University of Texas at Austin a three-year, $2 million grant to launch its new Digital Knowledge Gateway.
The gift will be used for software infrastructure and other start-up costs of the Knowledge Gateway, which will provide public access to the university’s vast reservoir of knowledge and cultural assets.
“The great treasures of our libraries, collections and museums belong to the citizens of the state and we have a responsibility to share them,” said Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of the university. “The Knowledge Gateway will provide this accessthrough a personalized Internet windowto every Texan. We are grateful to the Houston Endowment for its generosity and foresight in funding this important effort.”
The inaugural project of the Knowledge Gateway will involve development and delivery of Web-based content for public schools. A portal will be established for K-12 teachers, allowing them to search the Knowledge Gateway for appropriate resources from The University of Texas at Austin to support instruction in their classrooms.
The Houston Endowment gift will provide funding for development of K-12 content, and marketing, training and support related to the university’s Knowledge Gateway project. The Gateway also will be used for enhanced Web-based professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers and to develop additional resources in subject areas critical to the state.
Funding from the Houston Endowment will complement a $500,000 grant received earlier this year from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, a state-run organization whose mission is to stimulate advanced telecommunications infrastructure in public schools, higher education, public libraries and non-profit health care facilities.
For more information contact: John Wheat, 512-232-7821, or Jim Kunetka, 512-475-9641, Office of Resource Development.
