For more than 50 years, the Council for Economic Education has been calling attention to the need to educate our young people effectively in the skills of economics and personal finance and showing how that need can best be met. This new program, developed by the Council for Economic Education and sponsored by 3M, helps to bring economics and personal finance into the mathematics classroom.

The Council for Economic Education envisions a world in which people are empowered through economic and financial literacy to make informed and responsible choices throughout their lives as consumers, savers, investors, workers, citizens, and participants in our global economy.

The mission of the Council for Economic Education is two-fold: To advocate for better and greater school-based economic and personal finance education at the K-12 level; and to educate young people in the United States and around the world, primarily through well-prepared teachers, so they may become empowered with economic and financial literacy.

The Council for Economic Education offers comprehensive, best-in-class K-12 economic and personal finance education programs, including the basics of entrepreneurship, consisting of teaching resources across the curriculum, professional development for teachers, and nationally-normed assessment instruments. Each year, the Councils programs reach more than 150,000 K-12 teachers and over 15 million students in the United States and in more than 30 other countries. These programs are delivered through a diversified system: directly from the Council, through a network of affiliated state Councils and university-based Centers for Economic Education, and through other partner organizations.

For more information visit: www.councilforeconed.org

3M Foundation Sponsors New 'Connections for Life' Program
3M is proud to sponsor an innovative new program created by the Council for Economic Education that will help middle school students find the real world connections between mathematics and economics.

The new program is called Mathematics & Economics: Connections for Life. What middle school students will learn about real world economic values and problem solving can change their lives at a young age. This, in turn, can benefit the future workforce and global companies like 3M that depend on the innovative thinking of well educated, involved citizens.

"A basic understanding of economics and how it affects decisions that individuals and companies make every day is essential to our roles as successful consumers, employees and citizens in a global economy," said Barbara Kaufmann, manger of education contributions, 3M Community Affairs. "As a company, 3M has an ongoing interest in stimulating student interest and achievement in economics as well as in science and mathematics."

3M's most recent contribution of $340,000 to the Council for Economic Education developed the curriculum and funds workshops for middle school teachers as they prepare their Connections to Life lessons for students. 3M also sponsors the annual 3M Economics Education Awards in Illinois and Minnesota. The award includes a $1,000 grant in recognition of innovative and excellent economic teachers.

3M's Commitment to Economics, Math and Science Encouragement
As a world leader in science and technology, economics, math and science encouragement comes naturally to 3M. Few companies can match our employees' grassroots initiatives to encourage a love of mathematics and science among students. 3M scientists and engineers have special skills and career inspiration to share through many 3M Science Encouragement Programs, tutoring and support of community programs such as Mathematics & Economics: Connections for Life, MATHCOUNTS and many others. In addition, 3M provides grants and product donations to help connect student learning to everyday applications and prepare students for careers that incorporate the latest in technology and innovative thinking.

ABOUT 3M
A Century of Innovation
Since 1902, 3M's success has come from developing innovative products to meet customers' needs. 3M is a $17 billion diversified technology company with leading positions in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, health care, safety and other markets. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., the company has operations in more than 60 countries and serves customers in nearly 200 countries.

3M has invented innovative and useful products that make people's lives better. Among the more than 50,000 products so far are Scotch® Magic™ Tape and Post-it® Notes and Flags found in homes and offices everywhere. Other 3M products become essential components of customer products like computers, automobiles and pharmaceuticals. Still other 3M products, like stethoscopes and reflective materials used in road signs and optical films for electronic displays are standards in their industry.

Our employees' innovative spirit is what sets 3M apart. It is that spirit and our 50-year legacy of employee and retiree volunteerism and investments in innovative community programs that help develop productive, educated and engaged citizens. 3M was one of the early companies to create a corporate foundation in 1953.

3M's Contributions Program is made up of cash and in-kind gifts made by 3M and the 3M Foundation bolstered by volunteerism. 3M grants and donations of 3M products work together to improve academic achievement in young people. In 2001, more than $47 million in cash, products and services was donated to educational and charitable institutions.

For more information visit: www.3m.com