The opening session on Monday, August 5, 2002 to which the public was invited, featured as a keynote speaker Ambassador Leonard Spearman, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Former President of Texas Southern University and a former envoy to two African countries, Ambassador Spearman discussed ways to close the achievement gap between minority students and their peers. Glenda H. Owens, Deputy Director of the Office of Surface Mining at the U.S. Department of the Interior, also spoke at the program's opening session that began at 9:00 AM and was held at the National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC

In discussing the GIS workshop, Ambassador Spearman said, We need to find innovative ways to close the achievement gap that exists among minorities and non-minorities and ensure that African American professionals have the opportunities that they need in order to succeed. This effort in which Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the federal government, and the private sector are working together to achieve that goal is an excellent move in the right direction.

The workshop promoted GIS technology through training sessions conducted by research faculty and federal agency representatives for novice and advanced users. Trainers demonstrated how the application of this tool can be applied in university settings and incorporated into the curriculums of higher education programs.

In addition to the National Capital Planning Commission and Howard University, this year's sponsors included the Howard University/NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS), the tepartment of the Interior¹s Office of Surface Mining and Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and ESRI, a leading GIS software developer. Additional support came from the US Geological Survey.

Patrica Gallagher, Executive Director of the National Capital Planning Commission, said of the Commission's sponsorship, We are delighted to be part of a program that ensures that this generation of minority students will be able to enter careers in advanced technology fully prepared. This is precisely the kind of effort that we as government executives need to support.