[Senate Hearing 107-1097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 107-1097
S. 414, DIGITAL DIVIDE AND MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
AND SPACE
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
FEBRUARY 27, 2002
__________
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COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina, Chairman
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West TED STEVENS, Alaska
Virginia CONRAD BURNS, Montana
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
JOHN B. BREAUX, Louisiana KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine
RON WYDEN, Oregon SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
MAX CLELAND, Georgia GORDON SMITH, Oregon
BARBARA BOXER, California PETER G. FITZGERALD, Illinois
JOHN EDWARDS, North Carolina JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada
JEAN CARNAHAN, Missouri GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia
BILL NELSON, Florida
Kevin D. Kayes, Democratic Staff Director
Moses Boyd, Democratic Chief Counsel
Jeanne Bumpus, Republican Staff Director and General Counsel
----------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPACE
RON WYDEN, Oregon, Chairman
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia
Virginia TED STEVENS, Alaska
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts CONRAD BURNS, Montana
BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota TRENT LOTT, Mississippi
MAX CLELAND, Georgia KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas
JOHN EDWARDS, North Carolina SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
JEAN CARNAHAN, Missouri PETER G. FITZGERALD, Illinois
BILL NELSON, Florida
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Statement of Senator Allen....................................... 8
Statement of Senator Cleland..................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Statement of Senator Dorgan...................................... 1
Statement of Senator Wyden....................................... 2
Article dated February 27, 2002, from The Wall Street
Journal, entitled White House Spurns Tech Programs Left
Over from Clinton Presidency............................... 2
Witnesses
Flores, Dr. Antonio, President and CEO, Hispanic Association of
Colleges and Universities...................................... 19
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Garcia, Dr. Juliet V., President, University of Texas-Brownsville 54
Prepared statement........................................... 58
Gray III, Hon. William H., President and CEO, United Negro
College Fund, Inc.............................................. 11
Prepared statement........................................... 12
Testimony to the Web Based Education Commission submitted on
behalf of United Negro College Fund (UNCF)................. 15
Humphries, Dr. Frederick S., President and CEO, National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.......... 24
Prepared statement........................................... 27
McDemmond, Dr. Marie V., President, Norfolk State University..... 60
Prepared statement........................................... 62
Monette, Dr. Gerald ``Carty'', President, Turtle Mountain
Community College, Chairman, Committee on Technology
Development, American Indian
Higher Education Consortium.................................... 31
Prepared statement........................................... 35
Sandoval, George, Network Administrator, Dine College............ 67
Prepared statement........................................... 69
Sullivan, Honorable Louis W., M.D., President, Morehouse School
of
Medicine; Immediate Past Chairman, Atlanta University Center
Council of Presidents.......................................... 49
Prepared statement........................................... 51
Appendix
The NSF Advanced Networking With Minority-Serving Institutions
Project, prepared statement.................................... 73
S. 414, DIGITAL DIVIDE AND MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS
----------
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2 p.m. in room
SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Ron Wyden,
Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
Senator Wyden. The Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and
Space will come to order. I will have an opening statement in
just a moment. But first, I want to recognize our friend from
North
Dakota for any comments that he would like to make.
STATEMENT OF HON. BYRON L. DORGAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA
Senator Dorgan. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. I am
pleased to be here today. I just had a chance to see my former
colleague Bill Gray. When I served in the House of
Representatives he was a member of the leadership in the House.
It's nice to see former Congressman Gray with us today.
I am not able to stay because I have another hearing, but I
wanted to tell you that Dr. Monette is with us today. I call
him Carty. He has been a friend of mine for many years. He is
the President of Turtle Mountain Community College. He is here
with David Gipp, who is President of United Tribes Technical
College, a wonderful institution in Bismarck, North Dakota
serving tribes. They are going to be talking about Native
Americans and Technology, a program that I am very interested
in helping develop.
I think Senator Cleland's bill, the NTIA Digital Network
Technology Program Act is a good step in providing tribal
colleges and other minority-serving colleges with some
resources, and I am really pleased by the work that Senator
Cleland has done.
But I did especially--just because Carty is with us today--
want to stop by and say that I have valued my friendship with
him for many years. He is President of a wonderful institution
on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, and I know that you
will pay great attention to his testimony and will continue to
work with him on these important issues.
So, Mr. Chairman, thank you for recognizing me before I
have to leave.
STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM OREGON
Senator Wyden. Thank you, my colleague. And let me begin
this hearing of the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and
Space by thanking our friend and colleague, Senator Cleland,
for all of his leadership. He has really been the champion of
this Subcommittee on these vital issues.
I have got to be two places at once; I am going to try and
stay for a little bit, but we are happy to have Senator Cleland
here to chair this important hearing. This hearing is being
held because of Senator Cleland's effort and at his request. We
want to thank him for all of his efforts and his signing that
bill, which we strongly support.
The debate about the digital divide is ultimately a
question of whether or not this country is going to tolerate an
information aristocracy. Certainly, as a result of today's
technologies, it is possible for the affluent to have
technologies that no one could have dreamed about even 8, 10,
12 years ago. The question is are all Americans going to have
access to those technologies, or, in fact, are we going to
leave millions of Americans, people in rural areas, minorities,
people in the inner city, behind, and deny them the opportunity
to enjoy the fruits of the technological revolution?
It is critically important that all Americans have access
to these technologies and that we work on it, in the tradition
that I especially have felt strongly about as chair of this
Subcommittee, and that is to work in a bipartisan way. There is
absolutely nothing about these issues, in my view, that ought
to be partisan.
He is not here at this time, but Senator Allen, the Ranking
Republican on this Subcommittee, has met me more than halfway
in terms of working on these issues. I am very appreciative of
it. His State of Virginia, and mine of Oregon both have made
substantial investments in technology and see these issues as
critically important. We have tried to have something of a
bipartisan bulwark in terms of working on these issues.
That is why I bring up this morning's article in The Wall
Street Journal, because I hope it does not reflect some of the
thinking of others on this issue. I am going to put into the
record at this time the article in this morning's Wall Street
Journal entitled: ``White House Spurns Tech Programs Left Over
From Clinton Presidency.'' It talks about the opposition by, it
seems, a number of influential people in the Administration to
initiatives to try to close the digital divide. If that is the
case, I think it is very unfortunate.
[The information referred to follows:]
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
February 27, 2002
White House Spurns Tech Programs
Left Over from Clinton Presidency
By Yochi J. Dreazen
WASHINGTON--Only those with ``an unreal understanding'' of U.S.
capitalism would expect the poor, minorities and rural residents to
immediately have the same access to the Internet as other Americans,
the nation's top telecommunications regulator has said. Government
efforts to bridge the divide, he added, veer toward ``socialization.''
The skepticism expressed last year by Michael Powell, the Bush
appointee who is chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,
plainly seems to be shared by the rest of the administration. Breaking
with Clinton administration policy, the Bush team has set about quietly
dismantling many programs devoted to ending the so-called digital
divide. The latest casualty: the Technology Opportunities Program--or
TOP--one of Mr. Clinton's favorites.
Bush officials, including chief economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey,
also oppose Democratic proposals for tax incentives for companies that
bring broadband Internet access to poor and rural areas. And the
administration may take aim again at the FCC's popular ``e-rate''
program, widely credited with helping to wire thousands of inner-city
schools and libraries.
Democrats, in turn, are firing back. They blast the White House for
trying to overhaul or drop the programs amid a recession that leaves
the least-educated Americans most vulnerable. Critics note that half
the new jobs for workers without college degrees require daily use of
computers, often including use of the Internet, and the income gap
between those who use computers on the job and those who don't
continues to widen.
``You don't even hear the Bush people pay lip service to the
digital divide,'' says Greg Simon, who was a longtime top adviser to
Vice President Al Gore and a Clinton administration adviser on
telecommunications issues. ``Why are they so quick to get rid of these
little programs that help the poor? It's not like the digital divide
has suddenly gone away.''
Maybe not suddenly, but it is going away, Bush officials maintain.
Looking at the same data as their critics, administration officials see
a digital divide closing--if slowly--where their foes see a growing
chasm. Meanwhile, they reject any suggestion the administration is
ignoring the gap. Officials say they simply are trying to streamline
government efforts, to be more efficient and up-to-date, while
encouraging the private sector to take more responsibility for
spreading digital skills.
``We haven't declared victory on the digital divide, but there's
been tremendous growth across the board, and we are clearly moving in
the right direction,'' says Nancy Victory, who runs the Commerce
Department's National Telecommunications and Information Agency, the
government's technology-policy arm. ``The changes we want to make don't
show a lack of commitment--they show that we're trying to move ahead in
different and more targeted ways.''
Earlier this month, an NTIA report showed the growth in Internet
usage among poor and minority Americans far exceeded that for wealthy,
white or Asian Americans. Web use among blacks and Hispanics, for
instance, grew by 33 percent and 30 percent, respectively, between
August 2000 and September 2001, while the growth rate for whites and
Asians was 20 percent. To the administration, this is evidence of a
narrowing digital divide, undercutting the argument for more Federal
help.
Some Democrats drew a different conclusion. While growth rates for
Web use are indeed higher for those on the wrong side of the divide,
those groups started from so far down that the gap is wider than ever.
For instance, the report found that in 1997, 10 percent of Americans
earning less that $25,000 a year used the Web, compared with 45 percent
of those earning more than $75,000--a gap of 35 percentage points. By
2001, despite the progress in both groups, the gap was 50 percentage
points.
``The same people who said during the 1990's that there was no
digital divide are now saying there was one, but it's been cured,''
says Larry Irving, who ran the NTIA during the Clinton administration.
``But how can we declare victory when 75 percent of our poorest people
and 60 percent of our blacks and Hispanics have no Internet access of
any kind?''
For the administration, Ms. Victory says the growth rates offer a
better picture of the status of the digital divide. ``They're the best
indicator of future trends and where things are heading,'' she says.
The two sides are just as far apart on policies, a difference that
dates to the Bush-Gore Presidential contest. Shortly after taking
office, Bush officials said they would fulfill a campaign promise
effectively eliminating the FCC's popular e-rate program, which Mr.
Gore had promoted and which reimbursed schools and libraries for as
much as 90 percent of the cost of Internet access. Instead, the
administration proposed block grants for the states from the Education
Department, combining funds that otherwise would have gone for the e-
rate program with those for other education-technology programs.
The proposal alarmed many educators, who feared that some state
governments would use the money for other purposes. Opponents,
including several Republicans such as Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe, also
worried about putting the program under the control of a cabinet
department, where it would be subject to normal budget politics,
instead of the independent FCC. The administration dropped the proposal
in 2001, but now White House officials privately have told some
Republican lawmakers they may revive it this year.
The administration's most controversial move is its proposal to
eliminate the small TOP program of grants to state and local-government
agencies and nonprofit groups. Last year, the Bush administration had
proposed slashing its funding, once as much as $45 million, to $15
million.
The TOP program was designed to provide matching grant money for
technology projects at schools, libraries, health agencies, police
departments and nonprofits. The Maya Angelou Public Charter School, in
the capital's poor inner city, used its money to buy laptops so
students can learn e-mail and other computer skills, and in turn teach
senior citizens in the area. Another project linked doctors at the
University of Kansas Medical Center with nurses in nearby schools.
``TOP was at bottom a laboratory for good ideas about how to use
computers and the Internet to benefit communities,'' Ms. Victory says.
``But,'' she adds, ``now it's time to build on some of those lessons.''
Ms. Victory cites other proposals in the Bush budget for fiscal
2003--among them, technology grants of as much as $1 billion for the
Education Department, $1 billion for law enforcement at the Justice
Department, and $100 million for rural telecommunications through the
Agriculture Department. She concedes that most programs that have
received TOP funds could be bypassed by the new block grants, since
local and State officials would be largely free to use the money as
they like.
For administration critics, the acknowledgment of TOP's success
makes its proposed demise even more baffling. ``If it's not broken and
the need is still there, `` says Greg Rohde, a former Clinton telecom
official, ``why get rid of it?''
Senator Wyden. I hope that we can bring back, starting in
this Subcommittee, a bipartisan effort to deal with these
questions. As certainly Senator Cleland knows, there is some
new data on this issue, and I think it is possible to have a
debate about the ramifications of this new data. Certainly,
there are some favorable blips, so to speak, in terms of
certain aspects of the data, but any way you cut it, there is
still a long, long way to go in terms of this issue.
I will tell you that I certainly do not see closing the gap
between technology haves and have-nots as some kind of step
toward socialization. To me, this is not a matter of political
philosophy. This is a matter of equal opportunity, a principle
on which this country was founded. The fact of the matter is
that these critical programs--these critical programs that
Senator Cleland has championed--are a matter of preparation for
today's free enterprise system, for people to participate in
the modern workplace. It is a matter of empowering people to
participate in today's free enterprise system for communities
that might otherwise be left behind in those private markets.
So, this is a particularly important hearing. In my view,
without the kind of initiatives that Senator Cleland and others
are championing, we would see whole communities, rural
communities, minority communities, inner cities, bypassed, in
effect, turning those communities into what amounts to economic
sacrifice zones. And, I think that is wholly unacceptable.
Today, we are going to focus on a particular aspect of the
digital divide, the technology gap facing colleges and
universities serving largely minority populations. My view is
these institutions play an extremely important role in the
educational framework of this country, and they face unique
challenges. I hope to stay for a bit of this morning's
testimony before we turn it over to Senator Cleland, but he
continues to be the spark behind the Subcommittee's effort to
address these issues and brings a remarkable mix of
determination and devotion to the public interest and just a
whole lot of what I call ``Cleland common sense.''
So, we are going to recognize him for his opening
statement, then we will have the witnesses. I'm going to stay
as long as I can and then turn it over to Senator Cleland.
Senator Cleland, you can proceed with your opening
statement any way you choose.
STATEMENT OF HON. MAX CLELAND,
U.S. SENATOR FROM GEORGIA
Senator Cleland. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And may I just say Harry Truman once described leadership as
``getting people to do what they ought to do anyway,'' which
means that most of us need good leaders. And you are one of the
best leaders in this great body, and thank you for leading this
effort.
Thank you for realizing that there is such a thing called a
digital divide, or that we could leave a lot of people in
America behind, especially a whole generation of youngsters, if
they do not have the proper technology, proper equipment, if
they are not wired to their future. And that is what this is
all about today, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for your leadership
and for your support. I know your time is short, but thank you
for staying as long as you can.
Dr. Benjamin Mays, the celebrated African American educator
and valued presidential adviser, who hailed from Atlanta,
Georgia, once said, ``Every man is born into the world to do
something unique and something distinctive. And if he or she
does not do it, it will never be done.''
Increasingly, the ability to do anything in America is
based on access to information and technology. For more
Americans, more and more Americans, that access is increasingly
limited. Mr. Chairman, I noticed that the Wall Street Journal
article you referred to indicates that new data shows that
although web usage, or access to the World Wide Web and usage
has grown fastest among poor and minority citizens, the gaps
actually have widened. So we have our challenge before us.
And additionally, the latest census reveals that more than
three-fourths of white and non-Hispanic households have access
to a computer at home. By comparison, less than one-half of
black households, some 44 percent, and just over a third of the
Hispanic households, 38 percent, have computers in their homes.
These figures offer compelling evidence that a significant
technology gap, the so-called ``digital divide,'' still exists
for many Americans, which left unchecked, can prevent them from
accomplishing that unique and distinctive thing which Dr. Mays
says each man is born into this world to do.
Just this month, the Commerce Department released its
latest report on America's access to the Internet and World
Wide Web. That study, ``A Nation Online, How Americans Are
Expanding Their Use of the Internet,'' found that K through 12
schools play a major role in reducing the digital divide. To
repeat, ``A Nation Online'' found that solely because of the
availability of school computers, schools significantly help to
equalize the disparity that would otherwise exist in computer
and Internet use among children, ages 10 to 17, who are of
different racial, ethnic and income backgrounds. The task
before us today, the reason for today's hearing, is to insure
that the opportunity to close the economic and racial divide in
the access of Americans to computers and the Internet continues
in our institutions of higher education.
President Bush has continually and movingly stated that it
is his Administration's mission to leave no child behind. For
many of American's neediest children, those who because of
income and race are caught on the wrong side of the digital
divide, our minority-serving institutions are the last best
chance they have of gaining the skills and tools they need to
become competitive in today's high-tech, information-based
workforce.
It is all the more critical then that America's minority-
serving institutions, many with limited resources, be at the
cutting edge of our information technology.
Toward this end, I am joined by 12 of my Senate colleagues
in sponsoring S. 414, the NTIA Digital Network Technology
Program Act. This legislation would create a new grant program
within the Department of Commerce--under the Department of
Commerce, not Education, but under the Department of Commerce,
which is the center of technological expertise and innovation
in the Federal Government.
Our bill would provide up to $250 million to help
historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving
institutions, and tribal colleges and universities bridge the
digital divide. Funds provided under this legislation could be
used for such activities as campus wiring, equipment upgrade,
technology training, and hardware and software acquisition. A
minority-serving institution, for example, could use funds
provided under S. 414 to offer its students universal access to
campus networks, or recipients might choose to use the grant
money to dramatically increase their connectivity speed rates.
This hearing has been called today to publicly pose some
crucial questions. What are the technology needs of our HBCUs,
tribal colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions? What are
the specific barriers to MSIs in accessing state-of-the-art
technology? How will technology advances at MSIs benefit our
communities? What can Congress and the Nation do to help these
institutions become fully competitive with other institutions
of higher learning in the information age?
These are some of the questions that will be asked at
today's hearing and I am looking forward to hearing our
panelists' answers and recommendations. In the ever-expanding
and always exciting world of the information highway, it should
be our mandate to work to insure that no one in this country is
left behind, least of all our leaders of tomorrow.
Now, Mr. Chairman, I would like to, if there's no
objection, call the first panelist. Although I see Senator
Allen is coming up.
Senator Wyden. With your indulgence just for a moment, Mr.
Cleland, Senator Allen has joined us. And as he makes his
opening statement, I also want to let him know, because he was
not here in the hearing room while I made mine, that while I
have some concerns about this Wall Street Journal editorial, I
want to make it clear, as we have on a number of occasions,
that we are going to be working in this Subcommittee on a
bipartisan basis to address these issues. That is what we did
with the Internet tax moratorium renewal; that is what we are
doing in terms of bio-terrorism and mobilizing the scientific
community to deal with the terrorist threat. That is what we
are going to do on the digital divide issue as well, a lot of
approaches that I think can bring people together, bring
together many who have been disenfranchised in terms of
communications and get support across the political spectrum.
I want my colleague to know that we are going to be working
together, and I hope we can provide an alternative to some of
those who try to hold people apart on this issue. I am going to
recognize you for your statement.
[The prepared statement of Senator Cleland follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Max Cleland, U.S. Senator from Georgia
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this important
hearing. Dr.
Benjamin Mays, the celebrated African-American educator and valued
presidential advisor, who just happened to hail from Atlanta, Georgia
once said, ``Every man is born into the world to do something unique
and something distinctive, and if he or she does not do it, it will
never be done.'' Increasingly the ability to do anything in America is
based on access to information and technology. For many Americans, that
access is limited. The latest Census revealed that more than three-
fourths of white and non-Hispanic households have access to a computer
at home. By comparison, less than half of black households, 44 percent,
and just over a third of Hispanic households, 38 percent, have
computers in their home. These figures offer compelling evidence that a
significant technology gap, the so-called digital divide, still exists
for many Americans which, left unchecked, can prevent them from
accomplishing that unique and distinctive thing which Dr. Mays says
each man is born into this world to do.
Now just this month the Commerce Department released its latest
report on Americans' access to the Internet and World Wide Web. That
study, A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the
Internet, reported an amazing finding that should give us all reason to
hope. That report found that K-12 schools play a major role in reducing
the digital divide. To repeat: A Nation Online found that solely
because of the availability of school computers, schools significantly
help to equalize the disparity that would otherwise exist in computer
and Internet use among children, ages 10 to 17, who are of different
racial, ethnic, and income backgrounds. The task before us--and the
reason for today's hearing--is to ensure that the opportunity to close
the economic and racial divide in the access of Americans to computers
and the Internet continues in our institutions of higher education.
President Bush has continually and movingly stated that it is his
Administration's mission to leave no child behind. For many of
America's neediest children--those who because of income and race are
caught on the wrong side of the digital divide--our Minority-Serving
Institutions are the last, best chance they have of gaining the skills
and tools they need to become competitive in today's high-tech,
information-based workforce. It is all the more critical, then, that
America's Minority-Serving Institutions, many with limited resources,
be at the cutting edge of our information technology.
Toward this end, I am joined by 12 of my Senate colleagues in
sponsoring S. 414, the NTIA Digital Network Technology Program Act.
This legislation would create a new grant program within the Department
of Commerce, the center of technological expertise and innovation in
the Federal Government. Our bill would provide up to $250 million to
help Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities bridge the digital
divide. Funds provided under this legislation could be used for such
activities as campus wiring, equipment upgrade, technology training,
and hardware and software acquisition. A Minority-Serving Institution,
for example, could use funds provided under S. 414 to offer its
students universal access to campus networks, or recipients might
choose to use their grant money to dramatically increase their
connectivity speed rates.
This hearing has been called today to publicly pose some crucial
questions. What are the technology needs of our HBCUs, Tribal Colleges,
and Hispanic-Serving Institutions? What are the specific barriers to
MSIs in accessing state-of-the art technology? How will technology
advances at MSIs benefit our communities? What can Congress and the
Nation do to help these institutions become fully competitive with
other institutions of higher learning in the Information Age? These are
some of the questions which will be asked in today's hearing, and I am
looking forward to hearing our panelists' answers and recommendations.
In the ever-expanding and always exciting world of the Information
Highway, it should be our mandate to work to ensure that no one in this
country is left behind--least of all our leaders of tomorrow.
STATEMENT OF HON. GEORGE ALLEN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM VIRGINIA
Senator Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you for
your introductory remarks and I agree with you completely.
The issue of access to opportunity is not an issue that
should be a partisan issue. Every single human being in this
country, regardless of their race, ethnic origin, their
religious belief or gender, ought to have an equal opportunity
to succeed in life. There are many things that do matter in
whether somebody is going to succeed or not. Obviously, having
good policies at the Federal and State and local level as far
as taxes and regulations and permitting and infrastructure
matter, but clearly the future will be determined more by--
much, if not more--certainly more in the future than in the
past, knowledge and education and access to the tools of
opportunity.
The Internet clearly is an individually empowering tool,
and we should not have people, to the extent that we can help
it, who want to be productive and want to have access to
information and education, be harmed or hurt in their ability
to achieve it because of what we call the ``Digital Divide.''
I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having this
hearing. The sentiments expressed by you and by Senator Cleland
are, I think, sentiments of every--I would hope, everyone in
the Senate regardless of party. We may have differences once in
the while on what is the best way to get to the goal, but our
goals need to be parallel.
I especially want to recognize and say I appreciate having
Dr. Marie McDemmond, President of Norfolk State University,
here with us today and look forward to hearing her. And
hopefully others can learn and we can learn how you are working
at Norfolk State University in addressing this important
concern, and maybe others can as well learn from you.
The issue of the digital divide is a question of access to
the telecommunications technologies, and the difference between
those who have access to it and those who do not. I share the
concerns about the disparity between, to the extent we look at
people based on ethnicity or race. President Clinton's
Information Technology Advisory Committee in 2000 pointed out
that African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, or
Indians, do not comprise a significant portion of the
information based network.
Now just recently a report was issued last month by the
Secretary of Commerce. And it is logical that Commerce would be
on it. I think Secretary Evans is actually someone who
recognizes the importance of technology for our economy. I was
with him as he revealed that report earlier this month. And it
is called ``The Nation Online, How Americans Are Expanding
Their Use of the Internet.''
But according to this report, more than half the households
in this country, about 54 million homes--or 50 percent of all
the households, had Internet connections. This is a significant
increase. And it shows some progress being made here. It is a
significant increase over the 18.6 percent of households that
had Internet access in 1998. So in other words, it has gone
from about 19 percent to 50 percent in the last 4 years.
The report also found that 143 million Americans, which is
about 54 percent of the population, use the Internet. The
report said that in, quote, ``every income bracket, at every
level of education, in every age group, for people of every
race and among people of Hispanic origin, among both men and
women, many more people use computers and the Internet now than
in the recent past.''
The report also had findings on minority computer use,
which also showed signs of improvement. Between August of 2000
and September of 2001, in other words, 1 year, 13 months,
Internet use among African Americans and Hispanics increased at
an annual growth of 33 percent and 30 percent respectively.
White and Asian American and Pacific Islanders experienced
annual rate increases of 20 percent.
Now, yes, so that is one thing. Let us tell the whole story
though, and still you have to put it in a context. And I think
that Secretary Evans recognized it, that whites and Asian
Americans continued to have higher rates of computer and
Internet use than African Americans and Hispanics, that in
September of 2001, 71 percent of Asian American and Pacific
Islanders and 70 percent of whites were computer users, while
about 56 percent of African Americans and about 49 percent of
Hispanics were computer users.
The point, though, on all of this, and I would like to look
at people not by their race or their religion; I would like to
do it as Martin Luther King calls for in his ``I Have a Dream''
speech, that people be looked upon not by their race but by the
``content of their character.'' The big distinguishing feature
is not so much race. It is a question of income. And the report
shows that the family income remains the key indicator of
whether a person uses the Internet. Households with less than
$15,000 in annual income have a 25 percent rate of Internet
use, while families with incomes over $75,000 a year have
almost 80 percent Internet use rates, and almost 90 percent of
households with an income of $75,000 use computers while less
than 40 percent of households with less than $15,000 in annual
income use computers.
Some of this is just intuitive and logical. When you think
of what its costs to buy a computer, what it is going to cost
to get Internet access on top of whatever other bills one has,
the lower the income, the less discretionary income one has to
buy computers, peripherals, Internet access, screens, modems
and so forth. So, that is one reason I think it is important
for us to look at this as a digital divide which, while people
do not like to see ethnic or racial disparities, we recognize
what we need to do is make sure that--those especially in our
schools and in education and in communities have access to the
Internet and computers, because the reality is that it is such
an empowering tool for the future. You look at the reality that
a youngster, regardless of what their income is in their homes,
if they have a computer at home, they are going to do better in
school. I am focusing here on K through 12th grade before they
even get to colleges and universities. If they have a computer
at home they are going to do better. They are going to have
access to information. To the extent the children can do
reports on a computer as a word processor or researching a
subject in doing their homework, it would be nice to do their
homework on a computer at home rather than a school library.
While it is important to have computers in our schools, and
there are some great programs that AOL is doing with Powerup
and Intel is doing with their computer clubhouses, all of those
are very good, but the goal should really--in my view--be to
make sure our youngsters have greater access to computers at
home.
One of the issues I ran on and I am still working on and am
glad to see the President put in part of his tax measure, is to
give a income tax credit, refundable tax credit in this bill. I
introduced a bill on this last year in March. Senator Boxer is
a co-sponsor of it. It is a bipartisan effort, and that is to
provide parents of children in grades kindergarden through
twelfth a $1,000 per-child tax credit for the purchase of
computers, educational software, peripherals, tutoring or
Internet access. Now the President's idea goes a little further
and limits it to kids who are in failing schools; I would like
to see it for all kids. But I think that would very much help
ease the digital divide, and would like to hear any comments on
that.
We also have a concern on the digital divide and the
effects of it on historically black colleges. I am not sure how
much somebody has gone through some of these statistics, but
access to basic Internet services at historically black
colleges and universities along the T-1 lines are about 88
percent, but they do not have access at the same rate and it is
about half that rate to the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
technologies for the faster, better streaming, that other
universities have. So there is a digital divide just at our
universities and colleges. As Governor, I tried to address a
lot of this with ``Network Virginia'' and tried to make sure
all of our colleges and universities and community colleges and
State agencies were connected on the broadband. And there are
some good consortiums going in Virginia with the community
colleges and other universities to provide distance learning or
online learning.
But again, there is much more to be done. CISCO, obviously
we will hear about CISCO and what CISCO is doing at Norfolk
State; that is an example that we ought to encourage. And the
reality, folks, though, is that if youngsters are not getting a
good quality education, they are less likely to avail
themselves of the best-paying jobs, the good-paying jobs in the
future, which are in the technology sector. They need a good
solid, basic education in primary and secondary schools as a
foundation for higher education, higher learning and colleges.
And the reality is, what we are going to hear today, and I
very much look forward to hearing from our witnesses, is how we
are able to adapt to this current situation and what
recommendations you all have for how we can resolve this
challenge. Because the reality is, this is a challenge we have
to face. And if we do it properly, what we are in effect
providing is more students in our United States--all students,
more students--with a greater opportunity, not just for a job,
but greater opportunities in life. And I look forward to
working with you all to achieve that very worthwhile and
necessary goal.
Senator Wyden. I thank my colleague. Let us get right to
our witnesses, because I think your comments at the end really
summed it up. Much more needs to be done, and we are going to
work together to get about the task. We will have a panel now
of Dr. Antonio Flores; the Hon. William Gray; Dr. Frederick
Humphries; and Dr. Gerald ``Carty'' Monette. And if all of you
will come forward.
As you are coming forward, gentlemen, I am on the
Intelligence Committee, and I am going to be ducking out in
just a couple of moments and turning it over to the very able
leadership of Senator Cleland. As you all get seated, and get
comfortable, I do want to begin with our friend Bill Gray. Bill
Gray and I were neighbors for a number of years there in the
Rayburn Building, and we are so pleased that you continue to
serve this country with such distinction and such ability. It
is great to see my old office mate here.
Mr. Gray, with your indulgence, we will let you begin. I
understand you have a tight time schedule. Do you have to leave
after you have made your presentation?
Mr. Gray. No, I will stay.
Senator Wyden. All right. Let us begin with you. And,
apologies to other witnesses, because I am going to have to
duck out here in a moment. We will make your prepared remarks a
part of the record, and we will still call you Chairman Gray.
STATEMENT OF HON. WILLIAM H. GRAY III, PRESIDENT AND CEO,
UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND
Mr. Gray. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the Members of
this distinguished Subcommittee. I am Bill Gray, President of
the United Negro College Fund. And I am pleased to join my
colleagues to present UNCF's views and recommendations on S.
414. I want to thank Chairman Hollings for his strong support,
Chairman Wyden for calling this hearing, Senator George Allen,
who represents the State where UNCF's national headquarters is
located, and finally, I want to applaud the leadership that
Senators Cleland and Stevens have given to this important
issue, especially Senator Cleland for his willingness to listen
to the concerns of UNCF's members and to this vital need.
I have submitted my testimony for the record. I will try to
just give a quick summary.
While we have not yet conquered the chasm that separates
the college aspirations and opportunities for all Americans,
minority youth from their majority counterparts, we are faced
with a simultaneous and equally daunting challenge. The digital
divide threatens to deny minority students, our professors, our
institutions, the competitiveness they need to overcome the
remaining vestiges imposed by race and economic segregation in
America.
America's colleges and universities represent the last
bulwark of the Nation's defense against technological
illiteracy. We can ill afford to produce graduates who enter
the workforce without mastering the basic computer skills and
understanding how technology applies to their professions.
S. 414 is important at the outset because UNCF and other
HBCUs enroll large numbers of poor students. Fifty percent of
all of our students come from families with less than $35,000
gross adjusted income, and over 90 percent of our students
receive some form of Federal assistance. It is clear that these
demographic factors make it virtually certain that many UNCF
students will have their first exposure to computers and
technology and the Internet when they arrive on the college
campus.
Second, for many institutions that enroll large numbers of
minorities, their inability to finance the acquisition of
needed technology infrastructure creates another digital
divide. Private black colleges have very small endowments and
cannot fall back on sizable numbers of wealthy alumni, compared
with well-financed institutions with greater access to funding
necessary to purchase technology.
HBCUs, then, face a dual digital challenge. They enroll
large numbers of students who are admitted to college with
limited exposure to technology, and second, the institutions
that admit them have fewer resources in overcoming these
digital deficits.
Even with the UNCF Technology Enhancement Capital Campaign,
which we use to close the digital divide on our campuses, and
despite the progress that we have made in the last 2 or 3
years, there is still much to be done. And based on the UNCF
experience, what our institutions need more than anything else
is funding, to purchase the instrumentation and to prepare
students and institutional personnel for their use.
S. 414 will help provide these resources. S. 414 encourages
partnerships with the private sector while avoiding creating a
barrier to institutional progress. Therefore we want to applaud
its concept, S. 414.
Finally, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I
would like to close by simply saying that given the dynamics of
technology on finance and global markets in the 21st century,
given the demographic changes taking place in this country in
this century, this issue is not about social engineering. It is
not even about equality. It is about something greater. It is
about America's future: whether we will prosper, whether we
will be secure, and whether we will retain our world
leadership. That is what this issue is ultimately about.
I applaud the Subcommittee for the hearing. I applaud the
sponsors of this legislation. I join with my colleagues in
urging its passage, and also strong support.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Gray follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. WIlliam H. Gray III, President and CEO,
United Negro College Fund
Mr. Chairman, and Members of the Subcommittee, I am William H.
Gray, President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Negro College
Fund (UNCF). UNCF is America's oldest and most successful African
American higher education assistance organization.
I am pleased to join my colleagues--representing the other minority
higher education associations--to present UNCF's views and
recommendations for S. 414, ``the NTIA Digital Network Program Act.'' I
want to thank Chairman Hollings for allowing this hearing to take
place, and for his strong support of S. 414. Chairman Hollings is very
familiar with the needs and challenges faced by South Carolina's eight
HBCUs, four of which are UNCF member institutions.
Let me also commend Chairman Wyden for calling this hearing so that
we could have the chance to address one of the most critical issues
affecting the education of minority students in America. I want to also
thank our home Senator, Senator George Allen, who as Governor helped
move Virginia into the high tech era, and who represents the State
where UNCF's national headquarters is located.
Finally, I want to applaud the leadership that Senators Cleland and
Stevens have given to this important issue. We at UNCF believe that
providing public and private sector support for the acquisition of
technology infrastructure, faculty development, training and the
integration of technology into the curriculum are among the most
important challenges facing private HBCUs. We are especially indebted
to Senator Cleland for his willingness to listen to the concerns of
UNCF's member institutions, including those in the Atlanta University
Center (AUC).
While we have not yet conquered the chasm that separates the
college aspirations and opportunities for all of America's minority
youth from their majority counterparts--we are faced with a
simultaneous and equally daunting challenge. The `digital divide'
threatens to deny minority students, our professors, and our
institutions the competitive skills they need to overcome the remaining
vestiges imposed by race and economic segregation in America.
The Department of Commerce's July 1999 report ``Falling Through the
Net--A Report on the Telecommunications and Information Technology Gap
in America'' first highlighted the economic and racial divide in the
access of Americans to telephones, computers and the Internet. As then
Secretary of Commerce Daley pointed out ``(E)nsuring access to the
fundamental tools of the digital economy is one of the most significant
investments our Nation can make.'' As important as these tools are at
home and in our elementary and secondary schools, America's colleges
and universities represent the last bulwark of the nation's defense
against technological illiteracy. We can ill-afford to produce college
graduates who enter the workforce without mastering basic computer
skills and understanding how information technology applies to their
work or profession.
Let me describe the two areas that I hope the Members of this
Committee, and the U.S. Senate as a whole, will consider as they
deliberate this legislation.
THE NEED FOR ENACTMENT OF S. 414
First, UNCF member institutions and other HBCUs enroll large
numbers of poor students, whose parents are unable to help pay college
costs. In fact, 50 percent of all UNCF students come from families with
incomes less than $35,000. Almost ninety percent of all UNCF students
receive some form of Federal financial assistance, and sixty percent of
UNCF students are first-generation college students. It is clear, then,
that the confluence of these demographic factors make virtually certain
that many UNCF students will have their first exposure to computers and
to the Internet when they arrive on the college campus.
Second, for many institutions that enroll large numbers of
minorities, making up the digital deficits at home and at school
constitutes a real financial challenge. The inability of institutions
to finance the acquisition of needed technology infrastructure creates
another digital divide. Compared to other colleges, private black
colleges have very small endowments and cannot fall back on sizable
numbers of wealthy alumni. The average endowment of UNCF schools for
the 1998-1999 academic year was $22.229 million. Larger, well-financed
institutions have greater access to the funding necessary to purchase
technology, than do smaller, private colleges with fewer resources.
HBCUs, then, face a dual digital challenge--they enroll a large
number of students who are admitted to college with the least pre-
enrollment exposure and knowledge of technology and the Internet, and
the institutions that admit them face certain financial challenges in
overcoming these digital deficits.
UNCF schools illustrate the challenges we face as a nation. In
August 2000, UNCF's testimony to the Web-based Commission, which I
submit for the record, called attention to the plight of our students
and member colleges:
Only 15 percent of the 55,000 students attending UNCF
member colleges and universities own computers;
College students nationally were more than twice as likely
to have access to a college-owned computer than their private, HBCU
counterparts--one computer for every 2.6 students in higher education
institutions nationally compared to one for every 6 students at UNCF
colleges and universities;
Seventy-one percent of faculty nationwide owned computers
as compared to less than one-half of UNCF faculty;
The number of network servers at UNCF colleges per 1,000
students is approximately one-half that of all colleges and
universities nationally;
Seventy-five percent of these servers, hubs, routers, and
printers were obsolete or nearly obsolete and in need of replacement;
and
The rural and relatively isolated areas, in which many of
these institutions are located, place an additional Internet access
burden on those institutions.
Let me describe what UNCF has done to help meet this challenge.
UNCF IS ADDRESSING THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE
In January 2000, UNCF announced a partnership with Microsoft, IBM,
AT&T and other major corporations and launched an $80 million
Technology Enhancement Capital Campaign (TECC). The campaign was
designed to strengthen the technological capacity of each of the 39
member colleges and universities in three significant ways.
First, TECC strengthened the technology capacity through
modernizing each institution's technology platform and gave every
student and faculty member access to computers. As a result of this
campaign, all UNCF colleges and universities meet certain minimum
technology standards, including increased network capacity and uniform
systems that enable electronic learning among institutions. Technical
support was given so that all wiring, equipment installation, and data
migration and configuration of hardware--including system testing--has
been properly accomplished. This created equity in opportunity by
making the same technology available to students attending UNCF member
colleges and universities as is now available to students at majority
institutions.
Second, on-campus training is being provided to a core group of
campus officials who will then train others in the operation of all
equipment. TECC also includes a faculty development component to assist
faculty in integrating information technology into the curriculum and
to assist faculty members in strengthening their research and
instructional techniques using technology.
Third, TECC is helping make technology more affordable for
individual students and faculty. HBCU students, faculty, and staff can
purchase computer hardware and software from major technology
providers, such as Dell, IBM, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft, at
discounted prices--as low as three hundred dollars--along with low-cost
financing through UNCF's e-commerce web site, which was developed
through a generous contribution of technical services from Electronic
Data Services (EDS).
I am pleased to inform the Members of this Subcommittee that UNCF's
TECC campaign is closing the digital divide on UNCF campuses. We have
already exceeded our $80 million TECC campaign goal! Here are a few
examples of the campus-based results of the TECC campaign:
In Florida, where we have three member colleges--Bethune-
Cookman College, Edward Waters College, and Florida Memorial College--
UNCF provided $4,971,583 in technology funds. One example of the use of
the funds is that Bethune-Cookman established a quality infrastructure
for storage and distribution of applications and data.
In North Carolina, there are six member colleges and
universities--Johnson C. Smith University, Shaw University, St.
Augustine's College, Barber Scotia College, Bennett College and
Livingstone College. Here we have invested $10,858,475 in technology.
With its portion of the funds, Johnson C. Smith University developed a
print solution and a robust e-mail system
In Georgia, we have six UNCF colleges and universities--
Clark Atlanta University, Interdenominational Theological Center,
Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, Spelman College and Paine
College. The total invested is $15,155,069. At Clark Atlanta
University, computer lab capability and access were enhanced, with
improved security.
In Virginia, there are two member institutions--St. Paul's
College and Virginia Union University, where UNCF funded $1,983,539 in
technology. As an example, Virginia Union University established a
totally wireless campus and created mathematics computer labs for
classroom teaching and accounting computer labs for teaching and
student exercises.
In Mississippi, there are two UNCF institutions--Tougaloo
College and Rust College--that received a technology investment
totaling $2,782,911. Tougaloo College wired the campus buildings and
upgraded desktops from outdated models for faculty, staff and computer
labs.
In Texas, we have four member colleges--Paul Quinn
College, Huston-Tillotson College, Jarvis Christian College and Wiley
College. These institutions received from UNCF $3,967,664. With their
share of the technology funds, Paul Quinn College provided laptops to
all full-time faculty and network drops for faculty to use in the
classrooms.
In addition, all 39 UNCF campuses have benefited from upgraded
network infrastructures and increased access to technology for
students, faculty and staff:
UNCF institutions have received hardware, including 2,000
desktop computers, almost 1,500 network printers and more than 1,200
network servers, as well as hundreds of hubs, switches and network
routers, courtesy of Hewlett Packard, CISCO, Lexmark, and Dell;
The wiring of member institution campuses is completed--
including over 3,800 network drops in learning centers and
administrative and academic facilities and equipment installation and
configuration; and
Each UNCF member institution received 96,000 current
versions of Microsoft software, including Windows 2000, Encarta
Reference Suite 2000, Microsoft Office Suite 2000, and Encarta Africana
2000 courtesy of an `in-kind' gift from Microsoft.
For the record, Mr. Chairman, I am submitting the list of these
contributors.
Our goal is to ensure that every student has a computer and knows
how to use it and that every faculty member has a computer and has
integrated technology into their curriculum. The results will be better
prepared students ready for the technology age.
Notwithstanding this progress to date, there is a great deal more
to be done to eliminate the digital divide.
THE FEDERAL ROLE IN CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Technology is no longer the wave of the future--it is the way of
the present. Every student who lacks access to current technology risks
falling further behind. We believe S. 414, and its companion House
bill, H.R. 1034, provide a crucial and necessary vehicle for directing
Federal resources to the solution of an urgent problem.
S. 414 provides direct grants to eligible institutions, or
consortia of eligible institutions: (1) to acquire hardware and
software; (2) to build technology infrastructure, i.e. wiring,
platforms and networks; and (3) to train institutional personnel to use
both the software and hardware and to plan for the future use of
technology. Based on UNCF's TECC campaign experience--what our
institutions need more than anything is the funding to purchase the
instrumentation and to prepare students and institutional personnel for
its usage. S. 414 will help provide those resources.
S. 414 encourages partnerships with the private sector, while
avoiding the creation of a barrier to institutional progress. UNCF has
experienced great success in securing private sector participation in
our TECC campaign. Major corporate donors have stepped up to the
plate--contributing both cash and in-kind gifts. However, experience
tells us the response has not been and will not be uniform. Therefore,
we applaud S. 414's recognition of the need to waive the ``matching''
requirement for certain institutions. UNCF also commends the bill
provisions that qualify private sector contributions made through
organizations like UNCF to individual institutions as ``matching''
funds.
Finally, we urge the Committee to ensure, to the maximum extent
possible, the equitable distribution of appropriated funds to the range
of eligible institutions that will participate in the program. UNCF is
available to assist you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the Committee as
you proceed with consideration of the bill.
Again, I want to thank the Subcommittee for inviting me to testify
today, and to present the views of UNCF on this important legislation.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
______
Testimony To The Web Based Education Commission Submitted on Behalf of
United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
Contact:
Leslie L. Atkinson Director, Government Affairs
Focus of Testimony:
Access and equity, faculty training, teacher preparation, pedagogy.
Summary of Testimony:
The digital divide between black and white colleges is even greater
than the divide nationally. This may be the most significant problem
historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will have to
address this century. Campuses are confronted with the daunting task of
giving students the skill sets to be competitive and succeed in today's
high tech, information-based workforce--a task all the more formidable
given the limited resources available to HBCUs. If the Web-based
Education Commission truly aspires to ensure that all learners can take
full advantage of the educational promise of the World Wide Web, if it
truly wants to address the promise of the Internet for learning, it
needs to begin with the most needy, with those who have the least
access to computers and the Internet.
Statement
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and United
Negro College Fund (UNCF) institutions in particular, are a stark
reflection of the national disparities in access to technology.
According to the findings of a 1999 Department of Commerce report,
Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, African American
households are two-fifths as likely to have home Internet access as
white households and the gap is widening. With regard to ownership of
home computers, the gap between black and white households grew 39
percent between 1994 and 1998. The report indicates that the technology
gap widens with lower incomes and educational attainment. African
American household incomes are 59 percent of the average for white
families and African Americans are half as likely as whites to have
completed college. Not surprisingly, African Americans are at the short
end of the digital divide.
Incredibly, the digital divide between black and white colleges is
even greater than the divide nationally. Nationally, personal computer
ownership is 42 percent of American households, a gap of 19 percent
over the 23 percent ownership rate for African Americans. For college
students nationally, 55 percent of students own their own computer--a
gap of 40 percent over the 15 percent rate of UNCF students owning
their own computer.
This challenge is but one of many that UNCF, America's oldest and
most successful black higher education assistance organization, has
confronted since its founding in 1944. It may, however, be the most
significant problem UNCF member institutions will have to address this
century.
Since its inception, the fundamental mission of UNCF has been to
enhance the quality of education by providing financial assistance to
deserving students, supplying technical assistance to UNCF
institutions, and raising critical operating funds for member
institutions and their students, faculty, and staff. This mission has
broadened to include over 450 successful scholarship programs,
internships, research and study abroad opportunities for all
historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving
institutions (HSIs), Tribally controlled Colleges, and majority
institutions. Despite its tremendous success, the organization remains
steadfast in its commitment to enroll, nurture, and graduate students
who often do not have the social and educational advantages of other
college bound populations.
Now faced with the challenge of preparing students for the globally
competitive economy of the 21st century, UNCF campuses are confronted
with the daunting task of giving students the skill sets to be
competitive and succeed in today's high tech, information-based
workforce and reducing the digital divide between HBCUs and majority
institutions--a task all the more formidable given the limited
resources available to these schools. Moreover, if the Nation assumes a
position where one measures educational quality and success by
technology skills, as well as the type of technology possessed, those
already handicapped will be even further disadvantaged. If the Web-
based Education Commission truly aspires to ensure that all learners
can take full advantage of the educational promise of the World Wide
Web, if it truly wants to address the promise of the Internet for
learning, it needs to begin with the most needy, with those who have
the least access to computers and the Internet.
This addresses the core issue for UNCF and the nearly 60,000
students on UNCF campuses. While its student body consists of varied
economic backgrounds, approximately 34 percent of all UNCF students
come from families with incomes below $25,000 (compared with 17 percent
of students attending 4 years colleges nationwide). Approximately 90
percent of UNCF students require some form of financial assistance.
Forty percent are the first in their families to attend college. The
demographic figures alone suggest that college will be the first
opportunity for many of UNCF students to be exposed to computers and
the World Wide Web.
UNCF institutions' commitment to serving these students and
families has meant that they have operated at a relative disadvantage,
having fewer resources than majority campuses. Compared to their
counterparts nationally, UNCF colleges have very small endowments and
cannot fall back on sizable numbers of wealthy alumni:
Average endowments per student at UNCF colleges are less
than one-third the average for private 4-year colleges nationally.
Alumni giving accounts for 33 percent of total voluntary
support at private colleges nationally, compared to only 6 percent at
private HBCUs (despite the fact that the proportion of alumni who give
is approximately the same at private colleges nationally and at private
HBCUs).
Needless to say, the need for information technology support at
UNCF member institutions is evident. In its 1999 UNCF Technology Survey
of all 39 member institutions, UNCF found that college students
nationally are more than twice as likely to have access to a college-
owned computer than their private HBCU counterparts--there is a
computer for every 2.6 students in higher education institutions
nationally and one for every 6 students at UNCF colleges and
universities.
Because they come from lower family income backgrounds, students at
UNCF institutions are far less likely to own their own computer than
students at colleges an universities nationally--only 15 percent of
UNCF students own their own computer, compared with 55 percent of
college students nationally. Similarly, faculty at UNCF colleges are
much less likely to own their own computer than faculty nationally--
only half of UNCF faculty own their own computer, compared to 71
percent of faculty nationally. Fewer than half of UNCF faculty have
college-owned computers at their desks.
In addition to the lack of access to computers, the survey found
that the technology infrastructure to support information technology
has significant needs. The number of network servers at UNCF colleges
per 1,000 students was determined to be approximately half the number
for all colleges and universities. Approximately 75 percent of the
existing network servers, hubs, routers, and printers were found to be
obsolete or nearly obsolete and needing replacement. Fortunately, UNCF
is taking a leadership role in addressing this critical issue through
the implementation of an $80 million Technology Enhancement Capital
Campaign (TECC) that was publicly announced in March 2000 and is
expected to continue through 2001.
Connecting to the Internet is another factor that cannot be
overlooked. Taking into consideration the geographical location of
these campuses (urban and rural economically depressed and/or remote
areas), not to mention the economic status of large numbers of HBCU
students and their families (lower income), Internet connectivity must
also be factored in as a barrier to on-line learning. The amount of
bandwidth available from Internet service providers impacts performance
capabilities. Of course, greater bandwidth produces faster and better
connections, ultimately leading to more appreciable performance. For
HBCUs, this can mean increasing the opportunities to engage in
collaborations with larger more research-oriented universities, and
conducting immediate and timely business both on and off campus. As one
can expect, the costs of providing state-of-the art Internet connection
for schools with fewer resources can be prohibitive.
Add to this the fact that UNCF institutions face increased demand
for technology from higher enrollments:
Rising enrollments at UNCF colleges have compounded the
need for technology improvements and expansion. Enrollments at UNCF
colleges are at their highest level in history. Between 1987 and 1997,
enrollments increased more than 20 percent, approximately twice the
rate of growth for majority institutions.
Further, many UNCF colleges are located in rural areas
(such as Holly Springs, MS, Hawkins, TX, Denmark, SC, Tougaloo, MS,
Salisbury, NC, etc.) where there is limited access to learning
resources, compounding the need to empower these institutions and their
students with full access to technology.
And we cannot forget the need to fully integrate technology
throughout the curriculum and the learning experiences of students. For
this to happen, faculty must be empowered with the latest skills so
that they can integrate technology into the classrooms, office,
research laboratories, and libraries. Additionally, staff has to be
trained to administer and maintain information technology systems, as
well as provide user support. Moreover, being technologically literate
enables teachers to be continuous learners, staying current with
effective teaching practices and course subject matter. This is crucial
given that they are responsible for training the next generation of our
nation's workforce who will be required to have these skills
themselves.
Looking at the workforce, it is also apparent that HBCUs have the
strongest record among institutions of higher education nationwide in
producing African American college graduates and professionals. With
the current demands of the economy for more scientific and technical
workers and teachers, and the parallel underrepresentation of African
Americans and other minorities in these fields, this Nation has still
not yet fully tapped into and utilized HBCUs and their human resource
pool. Not only do HBCU graduates account for 85 percent of black
physicians, 80 percent of black Federal judges, 75 percent of black
lawyers, and 50 percent of black business executives, but also their
graduates make up over 50 percent of black public school teachers, many
of whom return to their communities to teach students who have limited
exposure to the Internet and technology. We cannot underestimate the
value of the development of this human capital to the overall goal of
influencing learning.
Recognition must also be given to HBCUs and their role as community
learning centers. HBCUs are one of, if not the, greatest asset in their
surrounding communities. Their very presence undergirds the communities
in which they reside. If we do not support these institutions that play
such a prominent role in their neighborhoods, we lose an extraordinary
opportunity to bolster these communities and utilize the Internet as a
means to promote greater education attainment for less fortunate
socioeconomic groups not residing in traditional campus-based settings.
Clearly, there is a need for a greater Federal investment in order
to provide a minimum technology standard at low-resource institutions,
including HBCUs. Such an investment would enable these schools to have
greater access to distance learning and other forms of electronic
communications. This Federal support is especially critical for private
HBCUs, like UNCF member institutions, and other minority-serving
institutions who do not have State funds to depend on to gain access to
state-of-the-art technology.
Given these circumstances, the issue for the Commission to address
is whether HBCUs, who are disadvantaged in their ability to provide
adequate resources and materials in the existing campus setting, can be
expected to take this tremendous leap unassisted to provide a learning
environment on-line. We recommend that the Commission's final report to
the President and Congress include a specific Federal response for
technology capacity and infrastructure development at HBCUs and other
minority-serving institutions that will ensure equal access to level
the playing field and close the digital divide. These recommendations
should contain a fiscal commitment to developing and maintaining the
technological capacity of these institutions, reducing Internet
connection costs, as well as training faculty and staff on these
campuses. Without such a commitment, the promise of the Internet for
learning is just an illusion if HBCUs do not have the infrastructure or
personnel to promote it.
UNCF schools now face the twenty-first century as maturing
institutions, which are seeking to find real solutions to the many
issues facing this nation. Statistics indicate that the changing
demographics of this Nation will require the unquestioned
accomplishments of HBCUs, whose faculty and students mirror the face of
this changing America. Our challenge is to continue to produce the
caliber of professionals who are capable of meeting America's needs and
to take on the unique hardships facing HBCUs in order to accomplish
this goal.
UNCF has the proven success and leadership in the education and
training of some of this nation's most disadvantaged individuals. We
urge the Commission to develop a strategic plan that advances
meaningful and appropriate measures to ensure equal access to web-based
learning opportunity for all Americans and look forward to working with
you to achieve this important goal.
Senator Cleland [presiding]. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
thank you, Mr. Gray, and thank you for your wonderful service
to our country, both when you were in the House and now.
I sometimes think that I am on the wrong side of the
digital divide when the first thing I think about when I hear
the term ``CISCO'' is the Cisco Kid.
We are delighted to have you here. Just a few questions, if
I might. UNCF's testimony to the Congressional Web Based
Education Commission stated that the digital divide between
black and white colleges is even greater than the divide
nationally. It went on to state that this may be the most
significant problem historically black colleges and
universities will have to address this century.
That is a pretty strong statement, Mr. Gray. What do you
believe are the ramifications of this problem in terms of the
ability of HBCUs to recruit students and faculty and compete
for Federal grants?
Mr. Gray. Well, without closing the digital divide, HBCUs
will not produce students ready for the marketplace upon
graduation. If HBCUs cannot produce students who are ready to
meet the 21st century's technological needs, then you can
expect enrollment as well as faculty decline, because no one
will want to come to a place that does not prepare them for the
marketplace.
And both of these points could have tragic consequences for
the Nation, considering the fact that, even though only 15
percent of all African Americans attend HBCUs, these HBCUs that
enroll only 15 percent graduate nearly 30 percent of all the
baccalaureate graduates per year. And then when you look at
graduate school, nearly 50 percent of all the African Americans
who are in graduate and professional schools did their
undergraduate in an HBCU. So you are talking about having a
very significant impact if that should happen.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much. Maybe the thing to
do, if there is no objection, Senator Allen, is to hear from
the other panelists, and then open it up for some questions.
Dr. Flores, glad to have you today, sir.
STATEMENT OF DR. ANTONIO FLORES, PRESIDENT AND CEO, HISPANIC
ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Dr. Flores. Thank you, Senator. And thank you, Senator
Allen, for joining the hearing as well.
Senator Cleland, and other distinguished Members of this
panel, thank for the opportunity of appearing before you on
behalf of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and
Universities, or HACU. I am honored to testify in support of S.
414, the NTIA Digital Network Technology Program Act introduced
by Senator Cleland and Senators Hollings, Stevens, Inouye and
Breaux on February 28, 2001.
HACU represents more than 300 colleges and universities in
the United States and Puerto Rico, including more than 200
Hispanic-serving institutions or HSIs. HACU member institutions
enroll more than two-thirds of the 1.5 million Hispanics in
higher education today, as well as countless non-Hispanics who
enrich the diversity of the fast-growing campus communities.
HSIs are the most important national resource for the education
and training of Hispanics and other disadvantaged students
across the Nation. This fact will only be magnified in the
years ahead, as the Hispanic population continues to grow
faster than any other ethnic community in the country and
reaffirms its crucial role in the economic and public life of
the Nation. HSIs need to be strengthened and expanded
proportionate to the rapid growth of the populations they
served, so our national economic prosperity and social well
being are also strengthened.
We are reminded that one of every three new workers joining
the national workforce today is an Hispanic, and that this
proportion will increase to one of every two new workers before
the year 2050. The changing nature of our economy demands that
under-served and under-represented but fast-growing populations
be educated and trained at increasingly higher levels for the
jobs and leadership roles of the new economy.
Notwithstanding the recent bursting of the dot-com bubble,
the high technology sector continues to expand at the speed of
human creativity. Thus, information technologies,
telecommunications, and biotechnology, among others, require
increasing numbers of workers with very high skills and
advanced knowledge that only a quality higher education can
provide. For minority-serving institutions, MSIs, including
HSIs, S. 414 offers a new and important avenue to meet
educational and human resource needs of our high technology-
driven economy and our increasingly complex democracy.
The digital divide is not an empty buzzword, but an
unfortunate reality in our Nation. While others in society are
acquiring greater access to information technology and
connectivity to the Internet, the gap between the better
educated and those behind them is widening each other--not only
in qualitative, but quantifiable terms. The U.S. Department of
Commerce series of reports ``Falling Through the Net'' and
recently published report ``A Nation Online: How Americans Are
Expanding Their Use of the Internet,'' document the divide
between Hispanics and whites and Hispanics and the Nation as a
whole. The 2000 report indicates that more than one-half of the
U.S. households have computers, and more than four of every ten
have Internet access, but only one-third and about two-thirds
of every ten Hispanic households, respectively.
The 2001 report, focusing on 18-to-24-year-olds actually in
school or college, documents a similar pattern with persistent
gaps of 20 percentage points in home computer ownership and 25
points in the use of the Internet at home. This report
highlights the importance of this bill, and the importance of
supporting our HSIs, because the gap between Hispanics and non-
Hispanic whites lessens to 15 percentage points when one
considers outside-home use, which for these students,
overwhelmingly means the school or college. The 15 percent gap
is still very large, but it is a sign of progress in the right
direction. Similar patterns exist for ages 3 to 17 years. The
2000 report shows substantially large gaps between non-Hispanic
whites and Hispanics, overall.
The latest 2001 report underlines strongly that S. 414 will
help to bridge the widening digital divide for our youth by
increasing their access to technology in the school setting. S.
414 may have the greatest impact on this very age group. The
social and economic impact of the digital divide relates to
more than just physical access. It also involves skill in the
use of information technology, especially in ways that help one
learn to gather information, critically analyze data and
generate new knowledge and understanding. It is in these
qualitative areas where S. 414 will directly strengthen HSIs
and other MSIs, so that they may provide a quality education
needed for the information age of the new economy. This support
will empower these crucial institutions to develop and offer
strategic solutions to the digital divide.
S. 414 presents great opportunities for the U.S. Congress
and the President to insure that future generations of
Hispanics and other disadvantaged populations will not remain
stagnated at the bottom of the American educational ladder. The
digital divide, as significant as it is, is but a manifestation
of the persistent educational divide that is putting our Nation
at risk. We applaud, Senator Cleland, your efforts to pass it.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Flores follows:]
Prepared statement of Dr. Antonio Flores, President and CEO,
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
OVERVIEW
At the beginning of 2001, official government projections showed
that Hispanic Americans would become the nation's largest minority
population as early as 2005. By March 2001, however, initial findings
from the 2000 Census were released, documenting that the Hispanic
population had undergone an unanticipated surge in growth by nearly 60
percent in one decade. The Hispanic population suddenly had reached
parity with the nation's African American population, and by at least
one preliminary count, actually had exceeded parity 5 years earlier
than expected.
The significance of such growth outpacing standard national
projections punctuates the new sense of urgency that now must be
applied to addressing persistent disparities between the country's
rapidly growing minority populations and comparatively stagnant non-
minority populations. California, the most populous state, this year
became the first State to report no single majority population group.
Against the backdrop of these demographic changes, the bridging of the
well-documented digital divide must become a national priority.
The United States has maintained its economic stability and
international leadership by capitalizing on the technological skills
and innovation that have made information technology a critical
economic driver for growth in virtually every market sector. The
digital divide threatens to dismantle rapidly this country's
information technology advantage.
Hispanics already represent one of every three new workers joining
the U.S. labor force. By 2050, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
projects that half of all new workers joining the U.S. labor force will
be Hispanic. Failing to provide such a large part of the country's
current and future work force with technological skills integral to the
country's economic progress and stability threatens to cripple work
force productivity, impede innovation, erode the taxpayer base, and
negatively impact even national security.
The NTIA Digital Network Technology Program Act, or S. 414,
comprehensively addresses the widening ``digital divide.'' The Act
targets new funds to those institutions serving the largest
concentrations of Hispanic and other minority students from
kindergarten through graduate school in those communities with the
fastest-growing minority populations.
HISPANICS AND THE DIGITAL NETWORK TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ACT
For the nation's youngest and still fastest-growing ``minority''
population, S. 414 will prove especially beneficial as a much-needed
correction to decades of neglect in local, State and Federal spending
and support for education and training--especially in the information
technology sector.
Hispanics comprise a population that historically suffers the
lowest high school and college completion rates. As of the 2000 Census,
only 8.5 percent of Hispanics had earned a bachelor's degree among
young adults ages 25 to 34. This also is a population that suffers
disproportionately high, persistent poverty.
Hispanics comprise a population on the wrong side of the digital
divide. In the last of the series of reports titled, ``Falling Through
the Net,'' the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that in 2000 only 33.7
percent of Hispanic households owned a computer, compared to 55.7
percent for non-Hispanic whites. Only 23.6 percent of Hispanic
households had Internet access, compared to 46.1 percent for non-
Hispanic whites. The just released report on computer and Internet
usage, ``A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the
Internet,'' (U.S. Department of Commerce, February, 2002) documents the
continuing and growing divide: only 48.8 percent of Hispanics use a
personal computer at home or elsewhere, compared to 70 percent of non-
Hispanic whites.
The pattern persists for individual Internet use with only 31.6
percent of Hispanics using the Internet from any location, compared to
59.9 percent for non-Hispanic whites, nearly double the percentage.
This latest study, when reporting on the traditional college age
cohort, 18 to 24 year olds, shows that the funding provided to HSIs by
S. 414 will be put to good use. The divide continues even when focusing
on the high Internet usage group of 18-14 year olds attending school or
college: only 49.7 percent of Hispanic students use the Internet at
home, compared to 74.3 percent of non-Hispanic white students. However,
the divide lessens when comparing the outside home (primarily school or
college) Internet use of Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, 61.1
percent and 76.2 percent respectively. Money put to HSIs will help.
Nevertheless, the divide clearly persists, and the need for efforts to
bridge the gap remains.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities represents
more than 300 member colleges and universities serving the largest
concentrations of Hispanic higher education students across the country
and including Puerto Rico. These institutions include more than 200
federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions, or HSIs, which are
defined as having a full-time student population at least 25 percent
Hispanic and a total enrollment at least 50 percent low income.
The reach of HACU and HSIs extends to pre-collegiate programs and
partnerships, workforce development and lifelong education initiatives,
which impact the entire Hispanic community. Since its formation in
December 1986 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association, HACU has advocated
for increased support to the nation's HSIs because of the integral role
they play in educating a population that will have such an enormous
impact on the nation's future economic and social progress.
That S. 414 specifically identifies Minority-Serving Institutions
as eligible recipients of S. 414 funding is testament to the intent of
this Act to reap the most benefits for each dollar invested in those
institutions with the strongest expertise and widest reach to the
``have-nots'' of the digital divide.
At the same time, S. 414 specifically addresses efforts to correct
the historic underfunding of HSIs and other Minority-Serving
Institutions upon which the Nation will rely to narrow the information
technology gap. For example, in the 1995-96 school year, HSIs received
$7,300 on average per student, compared to $15,000 received by all
other degree-granting institutions, according to the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the U.S. Department of
Education.
An overriding goal of HACU and HSIs is to increase the numbers of
Hispanic college graduates with advanced skills in every discipline in
which Hispanics now are underrepresented. S. 414 promises not only to
narrow the technology training gap, but ultimately to increase college
completion rates overall by providing Minority-Serving Institutions the
tools they need to enhance pre-collegiate and on-campus student
success.
INFRASTRUCTURE, EQUIPMENT AND CAPABILITIES
S. 414 will allow HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions to
apply for grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to acquire
``equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and
software, digital network technology and infrastructure necessary to
teach students and teachers about technology in the classroom.''
Because of the persistent per-student funding disparities suffered
by HSIs, these institutions--and the students, future K-12 teachers and
larger communities served by these HSIs--clearly stand to benefit from
S. 414 investments in infrastructure, equipment, and institutional
capacity.
Most HSIs are located in major, urban areas of the country with a
comparatively higher concentration of poverty and subsequently lower
average tax base. Thus, these HSIs cannot depend on local dollars to
adequately address the digital divide. Moreover, State support for
higher education has been declining on a per-student basis in almost
every region of the country.
Because the mission of these HSIs is to promote higher education
access and success for a population that suffers chronically high
poverty rates, most HSIs have declined to increase their tuition and
fee formulas. HSIs are thus compelled to rely on the few Federal
resources now available to them. S. 414 provides HSIs and other
Minority-Serving Institutions a much-needed increase in Federal
dollars.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
S. 414 will allow HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions to
seek grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to ``develop and
provide educational services, including faculty development, to prepare
students or faculty seeking a degree or certificate that is approved by
the State, or a regional accrediting body recognized by the Secretary
of Education.''
Increasing the ranks of Hispanic and other minority teachers is of
paramount importance, not only to higher education institutions but
also to the nation's public schools. HSIs already award approximately
50 percent of all teacher education degrees earned by Hispanic higher
education students.
However, in part because of a lack of funding for teacher education
at HSIs, the shortage of Hispanic teachers is acute. While more than 15
percent of the elementary and secondary education student population is
Hispanic, only 4.3 percent of public school teachers are Hispanic,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau Digest of Education Statistics for
1998 and 1999. In higher education, only 2.4 percent of all full-time
faculty members are Hispanic (IPEDS, 1997).
Hispanics now earn master's, doctoral and professional degrees at
the rate of 2.4 percent among the adult population--compared to 6.0
percent for non-Hispanics. Hence, the numbers of Hispanics attaining
advanced degrees must more than double to achieve parity. Yet, only 20
percent of HSIs offer a master's degree. Less than 12 percent of HSIs
offer a doctoral degree. S. 414 directly addresses the need to increase
the institutional capacity of HSIs to produce more teachers with
advanced degrees.
TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
S. 414 will allow HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions to
seek grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to ``provide teacher
education, library and media specialist training and preschool and
teacher aid certification to individuals who seek to acquire or enhance
technology skills in order to use technology in the classroom or
instructional process.''
Enhancing teacher education, classroom technology use and
instructional skills will focus on expanding the only means of
technology access for many of the youngest of the ``have-nots'' of the
digital divide. The latest report from the NTIA, ``A Nation Online,''
documents the importance schools have in providing computer access to
Hispanic students. The study looks at three categories of use: students
that have access to computers only at home, those that use computers
both at home and at school, and those who use computers only at school.
Home only use accounts for 6.7 percent of 10-17 year old Hispanic
students, compared to 8.5 percent of non-Hispanic white 10-17 year
olds. When one looks at ``school and home computer use,'' the category
of use where most (71.8 percent) non-Hispanic whites fall, only 38.6
percent of Hispanic 10-17 year olds have this dual access. Most
tellingly, in the category of ``school only,'' 38.9 percent of Hispanic
teens are dependent on this sole source of computing technology,
compared to only 15.1 percent of white non-Hispanics. That the overall
gap in total computer usage is no more than 84.2 percent for Hispanic
and 95.4 percent for non-Hispanic 10-17 year olds is due to the
dramatic role played by schools in providing technology access to
Hispanic students.
The divide for these children perniciously persists when one
considers the driving force for technology today, the Internet. Overall
Internet usage, both at school and at home, is only 47.8 percent for
Hispanic 10-17 year old youngsters, compared to nearly 80 (79.7)
percent for non-Hispanic white children. In other words, more than
double the percentage of Hispanic children do not use the Internet at
all compared to non-Hispanic whites, 52.2 percent and 20.3 percent,
respectively. Clearly, money put to enhancing the technology skills of
future and current K-12 teachers is money toward closing the persistent
digital divide.
The long experience and proven expertise of HSIs in addressing
minority public school and community needs makes these institutions a
vital partner in efforts to enhance teacher technology training,
classroom and instructional skills. S. 414 capitalizes on the
geographic proximity, cultural understanding and existing community
outreach of Minority-Serving Institutions by inviting their active
participation in new technology initiatives in the nation's public
schools.
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS
S. 414 will allow HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions to
seek grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to ``implement a joint
project to provide education regarding technology in the classroom with
a State or State educational agency, local education agency, community-
based organization, national nonprofit organization, or business,
including minority business or a business located in HUB zones, as
defined by the Small Business Administration.''
Joint projects and partnerships to address classroom technology
needs in a comprehensive way are a practical, effective means to meet
the technology needs of the nation's minority communities. This
component of S. 414 encourages inclusiveness and the establishment of a
wide base of community support and expertise.
HSIs, historically hampered by funding disparities, have come to
depend on the combined strengths and added resources of such
partnerships to address issues ranging from adult workforce development
and lifelong learning to pre-collegiate preparatory programs.
For example, HSIs are actively participating in new Workforce
Investment Act initiatives in partnership with local businesses,
community-based organizations and State agencies. Several HSIs have
become partners in the HACU Proyecto Access program--a pre-collegiate
summer program for middle school students designed to enhance
technology, science and mathematics skills.
HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions already have
established the foundation for forming effective partnerships to
address technology disparities. S. 414 provides the funding and
infrastructure support to capitalize on the proven effectiveness of
such partnership approaches in addressing the digital divide.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
S. 414 also will allow HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions
to ``provide leadership development to administrators, board members
and faculty of eligible institutions with institutional responsibility
for technology education.'' Historically underfunded HSIs can readily
benefit from this investment in support of those leaders who are
charged with the strategic direction and supervision of efforts to
enhance technology infrastructure, training and outreach.
HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions recognize the critical
role of leadership development in efforts to close the digital divide.
For example, the Advanced Networking with Minority-Serving Institutions
(AN-MSI) project includes a focus on assisting campus leadership in
information technology training. AN-MSI is the result of a National
Science Foundation grant to EDUCAUSE, the premier information
technology association in higher education and now strategic partner
with MSIs. A sub-award was made to the Education, Outreach and Training
Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (EOT-PACI).
EDUCAUSE established mutually beneficial partnerships with HACU,
the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) and other
associations and councils representing Minority-Serving Institutions.
Leadership development aspects of this ongoing project have included
the involvement of administrators of HSIs and other Minority-Serving
Institutions at Seminars on Academic Computing, a recent Technology
Summit, and a Hispanic digital divide executive session for HSI
presidents at the HACU Annual conference done collaboratively with the
IBM Foundation.
The inclusion of leadership development in S. 414 is another
example of the Act's potential for success by strategically addressing
the nation's digital divide on so many fronts--from enhancing teacher
skills in the classroom to supporting administrative leadership
development on the college campus.
CONCLUSION
For 15 years, HACU has served as the nation's leading voice for
those colleges and universities serving the largest concentrations of
Hispanic higher education students. HACU also is a member of the
Alliance for Equity in Higher Education, co-founded by the American
Indian Higher Education Consortium and the National Association for
Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. The Alliance represents a new,
united front on concerns shared by all Minority-Serving Institutions--
including the effort to bridge the digital divide between minority and
non-minority populations.
Clearly, HSIs and other Minority-Serving Institutions have the
expertise and the proximity and commitment to their students and
communities to provide front-line leadership and support in the effort
to close the information technology gap. However, these institutions
cannot succeed without the support of Congress and its endorsement of a
substantial investment in Federal dollars.
S. 414 proposes a comprehensive approach to address the digital
divide aggressively, targeting potential funding to those higher
education institutions serving the largest concentrations of minority
students in those communities with the fastest-growing minority
populations. S. 414 is a strategically sound, cost-effective response
to a challenge the Nation can no longer afford to leave unanswered.
Senator Cleland. Well, thank you very much, Dr. Flores, and
we are proud to have you here. I think that is some fascinating
information you shared with us, and we look forward to getting
into questions with you.
Dr. Humphries, glad you are here. And welcome aboard. We
look forward to hearing from you.
STATEMENT OF DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES, PRESIDENT AND CEO,
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Dr. Humphries. Thank you very much, Senator Cleland.
Senator Allen and Senator Cleland, I am deeply appreciative of
the opportunity to participate in this hearing on Senate Bill
414, the National Technology Instrumentation Challenge Act.
This legislation seeks to amend the National Telecommunication
and Information Administrative Organization Act and ultimately
strengthen our Nation's digital network technology program by
providing targeted and increased Federal support to minority-
serving institutions to help close what is commonly referred to
as the digital divide.
I would like to thank you, Senator Cleland, and the
original co-sponsors for sponsoring this bill. I must
acknowledge their vision, compassion and leadership in
recognizing the need for Congress to take a giant step in
closing the digital divide, and to stimulate national awareness
and involvement in this area. This effort, including today's
hearing, truly is an historic event. And I thank you, sir, for
causing this.
A bit about NAFEO. NAFEO serves as the national umbrella
organization for a combined membership of 118 predominantly and
historically black colleges and universities: 103 historical
black colleges and universities, and 15 other predominantly
black institutions. The organization takes lead responsibility
for the development and dissemination of public policies,
programmatic efforts, and strategic and educational materials
that one, enhance the role of the historical black colleges and
universities generally and two, promote African American
students enrollment and attainment, specifically.
NAFEO is comprised of institutions of higher education that
represent a broad spectrum of interests, public and private,
large and small, urban and rural, liberal arts, agricultural,
and research. Of the HBCUs that belong to NAFEO, 46 percent are
public and 54 percent are private. The organizations membership
is comprised of 2-year and 4-year institutions as well as
schools that offer advanced and professional degrees, and they
are situated in every quarter of the country, the District of
Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. More than 300,000
undergraduate and 50,000 graduate students are enrolled in
NAFEO institutions. The HBCUs represented by NAFEO are the
largest producers of African American teachers and
baccalaureates in science and technology. A higher percentage
of black Ph.D. candidates from HBCUs complete their degrees
than those from non-HBCUs, 42 percent each year, to be exact.
We are also building our Ph.D. program to address the
undersupply of African Americans in the science and technology
field, as well as expanding our capacity in all professional
degree programs.
Despite the significance of these contributions, of
historical black colleges and universities, and other minority-
serving institutions, the students and communities we serve are
woefully at risk of getting stuck, of falling through the
cracks of our Nation's digital highway. And I would like to
come a little bit differently at this issue.
My oral comments were planned to be very much presenting
data on the differences between blacks and whites and Hispanics
and whites, and the woeful inadequacy of our infrastructure.
But I would like to say to the Subcommittee that the reason
why we are getting so far behind in this digital divide is one
of the unintended consequences of Federal funding where 80 of
the institutions in our American higher education system get 70
percent of all of the Federal dollars.
I call to your attention that that National Science
Foundation sponsored a particular program where the major
research institutions were enabled to come in for grants,
wherein they got funding from the National Science Foundation
to enhance their broadband capabilities in the country. Perhaps
you are all aware that Qwest has put a, what you would call a
major trunk broadband capability across the southern United
States, certainly through Georgia, Senator Cleland, all the way
to Wichita Falls, which will accommodate and give rise to total
digital communication, which has telecommunications
capability--as well as telecommunications capability.
There are not any historical black colleges nor any
minority-serving institutions who have connectivity to this
broadband capability. The absolute requirement for the kind of
equipment and technology you need on the local campus to be
able to connect to this broadband system is simply not within
our reach. And so we can talk about the infrastructure which
allows us on our campuses to connect the buildings, the
academic facilities, the libraries, the laboratories, the
dormitories.
That is fundamental, basic stuff.
And in the report that we talk of in the presentation that
we have given you, we have presented to you data which shows
that even at this very fundamental level, that we are woefully
inadequate in Internet connectivity.
And so when you start talking about the upper level of the
information highway, when you are talking about the advanced
technologies prevalent in the information and technology, this
thing that you speak of in terms of an aristocracy in
technology vis-a-vis the proletariat, which is the historical
black colleges and other minority-serving institutions, yes,
the gap widens and it widens because of the ability of the
major institutions to utilize resources that the Federal
Government gives through its commerce and technology, through
its Department of Energy, through the DOD research programs,
and through the National Science Foundation; that the monies
that are garnered through these grants and contracts provide to
the major institutions the wherewithal that we are asking for,
just the basic stuff that you are asking for in your bill.
So when your colleagues offer to you that you are offering
something special to us, you need to tell them about the many
dollars that this government, this agency, give to the major
institutions via grants and contracts that allows them to
expand their informational technology capabilities which we do
not compete in and which we cannot compete in. And therefore,
this bill represents an answer that allows these institutions
to at least at the basic level, have infrastructure for
technology for the thousands of students that attend our
institutions.
And yes, this Subcommittee should know that we educate poor
kids. We educate kids who come from families that make a little
bit of money. And they cannot buy all of the kind of stuff that
is available which leads to kids having some facility and some
capability in the information society.
So one of the things that we in that bill want to put on
your mind today and give to you to consider, we would like to
suggest that some way we find to fund kids to purchase
computers, particularly in the freshman year of college. We
want to suggest that those students who are fully Pell
eligible; that is, at the new level of $4,000; they are fully
Pell eligible, meaning that they are really, really poor; that
some way we include money that we can apply for that will
provide these students, freshmen at our institutions, the
ability to have a computer; that we, the institution, by
applying for a grant from one of these programs that focus on
our particular institution, that money is included in that
program.
And one of the places that we would like to suggest that
maybe you want to work with your colleagues who fund the Title
III, Title V programs, that we there some money allocated
within those dollars which would, as they are appropriated to
the institutions, which would give them the wherewithal to
respond to those students that are entering the capability of
providing a computer, so that if they enter college, they enter
with the ability to have a computer and to get hooked up to the
Internet, where we can best utilize the dollars given in this
program of Senate Bill 414.
I cannot, in my final comment to you, I cannot stress
enough to you the importance of your bill, Senator Cleland. It
is visionary thought, it is much needed thought, and it is the
kind of program, when the Internet came and the information
technology and the information highway and all these companies
got going, and then all of a sudden the Nation found that it
had a shortage of qualified people to man the new jobs that
were being created by e-commerce and the technological-driven
things, to me as a person who had been working in human
resource development for a lifetime in the minority community,
I saw this as a great opportunity for this country to help
solve the inequality in socioeconomic status by making the
corporate world work on the problem of taking from the roots of
our society and training people to take these high-paying jobs
that were created.
We responded by HB-1 visas, and 180,000 people came into
our country. September the 11th has kind of changed those
things, and now it is even more important, and a wonderful
thing, we now have the focus on developing an underdeveloped
segment of our society, which can benefit from the Cleland
bill, which empowers us to turn our competitive students. And
perhaps you on this Subcommittee can suggest to your corporate
sector friends that they must join you in helping to develop
the curriculum capability in computer science and the equipment
of these schools so that this segment of our population can
come out fortified to take these jobs, and help add to the
economic drive as the sustenance of this Nation.
So I just think you have done a wonderful job here, Senator
Cleland. I recommend that you do everything possible. And we
stand ready to do everything possible that we can to help make
this bill become a reality. It is needed and we must get it
done.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Humphries follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, President and CEO,
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
INTRODUCTION
Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the Senate Commerce,
Science and Transportation Committee and the Subcommittee on Science,
Technology and Space, I am Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, President and
Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for Equal
Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). First, I want to thank you for
the opportunity to participate in this hearing on S. 414, the National
Technology Instrumentation Challenge Act. This legislation seeks to
amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Organization Act and ultimately develop a digital network technology
program by providing targeted and increased Federal support to
Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to help close the digital divide.
Second, I would like to thank Senator Cleland and the original co-
sponsors for sponsoring this bill. Moreover, I must acknowledge their
vision, compassion, and leadership in recognizing the need for the
Congress to take a giant step in closing the digital divide and to
stimulate national awareness and involvement in this area.
This is truly an historic event. By having this hearing and
addressing the technology and digital divide issues that affect MSIs,
we are moving one step closer to closing the divide. As the CEO of
NAFEO and a former college president, I believe that this hearing is an
exemplary way to put MSIs in a leadership role--by being at the table
to help formulate policy and assist in the decisionmaking process for
issues that directly affect our institutions. Moreover, the ultimate
enactment of this legislation will put MSIs in a position to better
address national science and technology (S&T) and workforce objectives,
including engaging those communities where the digital divide is most
serious. I am sure that this hearing will hasten a dialog that is long
overdue.
BACKGROUND
NAFEO serves as the national umbrella organization for a combined
membership of 118 predominately and Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs)--103 HBCUs and 15 other predominately Black
Institutions. Our mission is to champion the interests of our member
institutions through the executive, legislative and judicial branches
of Federal and State government, and to articulate the needs for a
system of higher education where race, ethnicity, socio-economic
status, and previous educational attainment levels are not determinants
of either the quantity or quality of higher education. The organization
takes lead responsibility for the development and dissemination of
public policies, programmatic efforts, and strategic and educational
materials that: (1) enhance the role of HBCUs, generally, and (2)
promote African American student enrollment and attainment,
specifically. NAFEO is comprised of institutions of higher education
that represent a broad spectrum of interests--public and private, large
and small, urban and rural, liberal arts, agricultural, and research.
Of the HBCUs that belong to NAFEO, 46 percent are public, and 54
percent are private. The organization's membership is comprised of 2-
year and 4-year institutions, as well as schools that offer advanced
and professional degrees, and they are situated in every quarter of the
country, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands.
At the time of Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education and the end of
de jure segregation in the public schools, but not the end of racially
exclusive, whites-only systems of higher education in the South or
nearly all-white systems of higher education in the north, HBCUs were
producing more that 90 percent of all Black baccalaureates and more
than 90 percent of all Blacks who went on to become doctors, lawyers,
and PhDs. Now, HBCUs still enroll the largest concentration of both the
well and under prepared African American students, many of whom come
from high poverty school systems and low-income families. While HBCUs
enroll approximately 16 percent of all African American undergraduate
students, these institutions graduate about 30 percent of all African
Americans who complete their baccalaureate degrees annually. HBCUs are
the largest producers of African American teachers and baccalaureates
in science and technology. Additionally, a higher percentage of Black
PhD candidates from HBCUs complete their degrees than those from non-
HBCUs, 42 percent each year, to be exact. We also are building our PhD
programs to address the undersupply of African Americans in the science
and technology fields as well as expanding our capacities to offer
professional degree programs.
The enrollment and graduation rates of these institutions are most
sensitive to even the slightest shifts in State and Federal policies
affecting college admission, retention, and completion. Therefore, for
the last 40 years, HBCUs have served as the barometer that gives the
earliest and most reliable indicators of whether new educational
policies instituted by Federal, state, or private sector policymakers
will advance or retard the movement toward equality of educational
opportunity. Even with all of this, the HBCU community continues to be
under-recognized and under-funded as a national research and
development laboratory for measuring the effects of this country's
existing and evolving educational policies, particularly at the Federal
level.
S. 414 AND RECENT FINDINGS RELATED TO INTERNET TECHNOLOGY
There are two major dimensions to the digital divide: (1) providing
access to information technology (IT); and (2) expanding the
application and use of information technology. S. 414 seeks to address
both of these issues and helps to remedy the issue of the digital
divide that exists among HBCUS and other MSIs as well as the
communities they serve. The bill seeks to strengthen the institutional
capacity by providing up to $2.5 million per institution for:
1. Equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and
software, digital network technology, and the infrastructure necessary
to teach students and teachers about technology in the classroom;
2. The development of educational services, including faculty
development and student preparation;
3. Teacher education, library and media specialist training, and
preschool and teacher aid certification to individuals who seek to
acquire or enhance technology skills in order to use technology in the
classroom or instructional process;
4. The implementation of a joint project to provide education
regarding technology in the classroom with a State or local education
agency, community-based organization, national non-profit organization,
etc.; and
5. Leadership development to administrators, board members, and
faculty of eligible institutions with institutional responsibility for
technology education.
A 1999 Department of Commerce study, Falling Through the Net:
Toward Digital Inclusion, found that although more Americans than ever
before have Internet access, a ``digital divide'' exists among ``those
with different levels of income and education, different racial and
ethnic groups, old and young, single and dual-parent families, and
those with and without disabilities.'' Other national studies show
similar findings, that among MSIs, there exist serious areas of digital
divide in student Internet access, high-speed connectivity and
insufficient infrastructure.
There is a large segment of society that is cutoff from the
infinite possibilities of the Internet revolution, because they do not
have computer access and/or knowledge of web capabilities. As a result,
there is lost opportunity for this segment to secure a better
education, better employment, communication and commercial options, as
well as needed health care information and assistance.
In 2000, with the support of the Department of Commerce, NAFEO
completed a study entitled Historically Black Colleges and
Universities: An Assessment of Networking and Connectivity (see
appendix). Half of the HBCUs surveyed did not have computers available
in the location most accessible to students--their dormitories. Other
findings of this landmark study, which appear in the appendix, include
the following:
Most HBCUs do not have high-speed connectivity to the
Internet and World Wide Web. Only three percent of these colleges and
universities indicated that financial aid was available to help their
students, 75 percent of whom do not own their own computers, close the
``computer ownership gap.''
Approximately 88 percent of HBCUs have access to T-1 lines
from their local ISPs and operating companies and connect to their
networks using single or multiple T-1 lines. However, a single T-1 line
is not sufficient to provide a large campus with effective bandwidth
for 21st century connectivity. The more bandwidth capacity an HBCU has,
the more possibilities that institution may have for participation in
advanced projects such as Internet2, which may be one of the key areas
that hold back HBCUs from making the digital leap into this century.
Extensive connectivity to a global community appears to be
underutilized among HBCUs. Connectivity beyond the campus borders only
extends to regional and/or statewide networks, or in a few instances to
the Federal Government.
Out of the 80 HBCUs responding to the Commerce study, only
31 percent indicate that they network with State college systems, 13
percent network with the K-12 school districts, 20 percent with the
Federal Government, and 5 percent with commercial vendors.
Seventy-six percent of the participating schools estimate
that fewer than 25 percent, or 1 out of every 4 HBCU students,
personally own computers. This contrasts with the 1999 Campus Computing
Study, which reports that among all institutions of higher education,
49 percent, or about one out of every two students personally own their
own desktop or notebook computers.
NAFEO'S LONG TERM GOALS
Based on the findings in the HBCU Technology Assessment Study,
NAFEO's mission is to foster a positive environment for the achievement
of the following long-term goals mentioned in that study:
To strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to participate in the
national effort to improve the Nation's technology and
telecommunications infrastructure and research enterprise;
To improve the quality of education for students attending
HBCUs, by encouraging policies and leadership that support the
telecommunications infrastructure necessary for campus wide
connectivity and workforce productivity; and
To strengthen NAFEO's capabilities and role as a national
service organization that provides research, evaluation, and
dissemination of information about telecommunications and technology
infrastructure to HBCUs and minority institutions.
HBCUs have been the trailblazers and standard bearers for equal
opportunity and have been the beacons of light for African American
communities for over 150 years and they provide the optimum venue to
help this Nation remedy problems associated with the digital divide.
Without these institutions, this Nation would not have African American
participation in the professions, the military, the legislatures, and
in business. Clearly, it is in the best national interest to seize the
opportunity to more fully utilize HBCUs to address the crises of the
digital divide in African American communities and other communities of
color. As stated previously, the passage of S. 414 is a step in that
direction. This legislation will offer a significant opportunity for
those institutions serving the largest concentrations of the nation's
minority and low-income students to keep pace with the advancing
technologies of the 21st century.
Additionally, passage of S. 414 will serve as a catalyst that
promotes a technological and research trend that is so desperately
needed at these institutions. It will go a long way in promoting the
establishment of a technology-based curriculum that enables HBCUs to
recruit, retain, and graduate students who are more competitive in the
increasingly technology-based global economy and in the graduate and
professional institutions. It will allow HBCUs to have more involvement
in basic research to develop new technologies, which is the most
desirable and effective method for assuring that HBCUs have the amount
and level of technology needed for their administration, academic
programs, student usages, and community outreach. It also will assist
HBCUs in working with IT corporations and efforts to have them
``mentor'' HBCUs. For instance, consistent with provisions contained in
the measure, major companies could adopt one college and work with the
institution in assessing and implementing long-term IT strategies.
Ultimately, this funding will allow the institutions to access and
increase their individual technology needs, thereby making them more
competitive.
UNIQUE PROVISIONS AND SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF S. 414
Clearly, the provisions of S. 414 address almost all of the
technology deficiencies identified in the NAFEO study by providing
grants up to $2.5 million for each eligible institution to address
technology needs related to infrastructure, networking, faculty
development and student preparation, teacher education and media
specialist training, community outreach, and leadership development.
Such aid would not only strengthen our technological capabilities, but
also enhance our inter-institutional relationships and our community
outreach. HBCUs and other MSIs would truly become leaders in helping to
close the digital divide, which is widest in the communities we serve.
We are aware that the Commerce Department alone cannot shoulder the
responsibility for closing the digital divide, however, the enactment
of S. 414 will make an indelible and profound contribution to national
goals related to global competitiveness. Moreover, its breadth of
permissible activities serves as a model that encourages and can be
easily replicated by public and private entities that need to be
enlisted in this monumental effort.
There are two unique provisions that we think will broaden the
reach of S. 414:
1. It provides incentives for private and public contributions, and
partnerships to address the technology needs of MSIs and to improve
internet access and technology usage in the communities they serve.
MSIs should be involved in the research and development of cutting edge
technology to assure that they can secure and maintain state-of-the-art
technology. Furthermore, they should be involved in the economic
development of their communities around the new economy, including
training as well as entrepreneurial development.
2. It includes provisions for the assessment of this initiative to
ensure that the funding needs of MSIs are met and that there is an
equitable distribution of the funding. MSIs are diverse
programmatically and geographically. Also, by virtue of the populations
served, they have limited resources to stay abreast of this fast paced
technology revolution. The role of the Department of Education in
evaluating this project annually to determine its effectiveness in
meeting the goals of this legislation and to determine appropriate
levels of funding is very important. We hope, therefore, that adequate
resources will be made available to carry out this function and to
assure future support of this project.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I want to assure you that NAFEO, AIHEC, and HACU are
collaborating through the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education on
matters affecting the future of our institutions and the communities we
serve. The Alliance, with support from the Kellogg and Mott
Foundations, works to build a consensus among MSIs in order to enhance
our abilities to address common public policy issues. This year, we are
devoting much of our attention to our technology needs, and we have
formed an expert group made up of persons from our institutions to help
assess our capacities and to develop strategies for addressing them.
The Alliance, based in Washington, DC, also has submitted testimony for
the record on behalf of its members and in support of S. 414.
Additionally, we will be working collectively with the United Negro
College Fund and other supporters for passage of S. 414.
This concludes my testimony. Again, on behalf of the National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and its member
institutions, I thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today. I would be happy to answer any questions.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, Dr. Humphries. And
that is the reason we are having the hearing today, to move
this bill forward if at all possible. Thank you for your great
contribution.
Dr. Monette, welcome to the Senate here and this
Subcommittee.
STATEMENT OF DR. GERALD ``CARTY'' MONETTE, PRESIDENT, TURTLE
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE; CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT, AMERICAN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION CONSORTIUM
Dr. Monette. Actually from North Dakota, Senator.
Senator Cleland. That is what I thought. It says Turtle
Mountain Community College. You are the President of Turtle
Mountain Community College and the Chairman of the Committee on
Technology Development of the American Indian Higher Education
Consortium on Oronoco Street in Alexandria. Sorry about that.
You came from what part of North Dakota?
Dr. Monette. A place called Turtle Mountain. It is in north
central North Dakota, right up on the Canadian border.
Senator Cleland. We are glad to have you.
Dr. Monette. Thank you.
Thank you, Senator Cleland. And thank you too, Senator
Allen. I also want to thank the rest of the Subcommittee for
inviting me here to talk today. I am honored to be here as a
spokesman for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium
and also from my institution, which is the Turtle Mountain
Community College located in North Dakota on the Turtle
Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian Reservation. On behalf of the
32 Tribal Colleges and Universities, we want to express our
full support for S. 414.
I also want to thank our own North Dakota Senator, Byron
Dorgan, who was here earlier, for all the work that he does for
Indian people and for tribal colleges. And he is not here to
hear this, but Senator Dorgan of course has been a champion for
many issues. And he is always willing to take the lead and
sometimes stick his neck out for us. And we really appreciate
that, and perhaps the message will be relayed to him.
I have a full statement that has been prepared and has been
presented for the record. I also have a written statement that
I am going to refer to. It summarizes some of the main points
of the larger statement.
I want to make sure that I talk about three things. One of
them I want to tell you about is tribal colleges. I think it's
important that I take a little time to do that so that
everybody has a little bit of understanding of who we are.
Then, I want to discuss technology in Indian Country and
strategies that tribal colleges are taking to bring new
opportunities to all Indian people. And third, make a few
comments on the legislation and some other legislation.
First, tribal colleges are a fairly new movement in the
country. In the mid-1990s, the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching dubbed the American Indian Tribal
Colleges and Universities ``higher education's best kept
secret.'' And that description has stayed with us, because it
is fitting for a number of reasons.
First of all, we are very small institutions and we are
located in some of the most rural regions of the country. In
fact, I was interested in Senator Wyden's mention of a report
that he read; I believe it was in the newspapers; and also the
other studies that were actually referred to. But the new data
report that Senator Wyden had mentioned does not even include
American Indians except as a small footnote. And the reason for
that is because our population is so small, and our influence
is so small, that we rarely are included in such studies.
And what that does, the impact of us not being included in
many of the studies and initiatives that take place results in
us not having access to many of the opportunities that the rest
of America enjoy. I was interested in that study and those
comments.
We may be young, but we are also growing very fast. The
first tribal college was begun on the Navajo Nation in 1968.
Since that time, we have grown to 32 institutions spread
throughout the United States, our enrollments have increased by
more than 1,300 percent. Most of the colleges are located in
the North Central part of the country, but not all of them. We
have some in the Southwest and the Northwest and in the Great
Lakes regions of the country. All of the tribes in North Dakota
and South Dakota have colleges, as do those in Montana. The
Great Lakes tribes also have institutions. And we are expanding
into other regions. There are colleges now located in Alaska.
In only a few decades, in some cases less than 20 years, we
have made tremendous impact on Indian Country. For example, and
this is typical of all the institutions, Salish Kootenai
College, located in Montana, which is in Senator Burns' State,
also a great supporter for Indian programs and Indian people.
In Montana, in 1976, less than 30 members of the tribe had
earned a college degree. Well, since that time, Salish Kootenai
College has graduated more than 400 tribal members. And that is
a similar story throughout Indian Country.
At Turtle Mountain in 1972 we had five individuals that had
college degrees, and today there are hundreds of individuals
that have college degrees. And many of those individuals come
home. They attend our institutions, transfer to 4 year
institutions, earn a degree and come home. That is the
contribution I think tribal colleges are making to change the
infrastructure of Indian reservations.
Many of the colleges are offering bachelors' degrees today
for the first time, graduating tribal members with 4 year
degrees, mostly in education, but ready to expand into other
areas, such as technology. According to one study, 75 percent
of the tribal college graduates are employed in the local
community or go on to another institution of higher education.
And by comparison, American Indians who leave the reservation
and enroll in mainstream colleges directly from high school
have a failure rate of about 80 percent.
Yes, we have grown fairly fast over the last three decades,
but there are many serious challenges that we face. Most
pressing, we remain the most poorly funded institutions of
higher education in the country. Tribal colleges are not State
institutions; and consequently, receive little, in most cases
no State funding. Tribal governments that have chartered tribal
colleges are not the small handful of wealthy gaming tribes
located near major urban areas. Rather, our tribal governments
are of the poorest governments and are located in the poorest
areas of the country.
In fact, three of the ten poorest counties in America are
home to tribal colleges. My institution at Turtle Mountain is
located in Rolette County, which is the 31st, I believe,
poorest county in the country. So we represent some real rural,
poor areas. We are trying to make change.
The Federal Government, despite its trust responsibility
and treaty obligations, has never fully funded our
institutional operations, the Tribally Controlled College or
University Assistance Act. For fiscal year 2003, the
President's budget proposes an appropriation of slightly more
than one-half of the authorized amount, or about $3,500 per
full-time Indian student. Funding inequities in our operational
support deepens problems such as the digital divide. And until
Congress and the Administration address these shortfalls, we
cannot cross the chasm that separates us.
To be sure, gentlemen, this country suffers a serious
divide. It is a division based on race, income and location.
But to tribal colleges, information technology represents a
tremendous digital opportunity. And we are determined to move
forward, but barriers exist. Less than 50 percent of the homes
on Indian reservations have a telephone, compared to nearly 95
percent nationally. Less than 10 percent of American Indian
homes have computers.
For adequate Internet-based data and information sharing,
most universities are requiring at least DS-3 connectivity.
Only one tribal college currently has funding for high
bandwidth connectivity, and it is not in place yet. All the
tribal colleges have some degree of T-1 access, although most
have only fractional T-1 access. One of our biggest problems,
and there are many, the tribal colleges struggle to hire and
retain technicians.
We are determined to turn these statistics around. A few
years ago we committed ourself to an initiative aimed at
bringing our institutions to a circle of prosperity, a place
where tribal traditions and new technologies are woven together
to build stronger and more sustainable communities. To develop
strategies for achieving our goals, the tribal colleges
undertook a process never before attempted in Indian Country.
We asked more than 150 individuals from all sectors of
business, government, and our communities to help us develop,
plan and refine a process for bringing opportunities of
technology to Native America.
To begin our work, we used the methodology called a
Prosperity Game. It is a fast-paced, interactive simulation
developed by Sandia National Laboratory from strategic war
games and designed to help create and sustain productive change
through strategy development and negotiation. During the three-
day Prosperity Game, an outline of a plan emerged, which has
refined into the National Framework for Tribal College
Technology.
To guide this important effort, the National Framework for
Tribal College Technology, (AIHEC), the American Indian Higher
Education Consortium, has established a national coordinating
office and launched a series of activities. And I am going to
name a few.
One of them is the AIHEC virtual library program. We
partnered with the University of Michigan and others to build a
tribal college virtual library that would enhance the meager
library resources traditionally available in Indian Country.
The library, which uses open source software, has been
installed at more than 20 of the tribal colleges. And already
the virtual library has made a difference in accreditation
status of at least five tribal colleges.
Last fall, the National Science Foundation awarded AIHEC a
planning grant to begin to collaborate with NSF's National
Science Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education
Digital Library Community, with the goal of ensuring a role for
American Indians in the development of this national effort.
Another initiative is with AN-MSI. For the past few years
we have been actively involved with the Advanced Networking
with Minority-Serving Institutions Initiative, an NSF-funded
project managed by EDUCAUSE. The project is designed to improve
networking architecture and Internet connectivity in remote
areas served by MSIs. Although the funding is extremely
limited, a number of initiatives are underway and we are
actively leveraging our resources to create new opportunities.
I want to mention one of these projects, because it is
close to home. In order to provide high speed connectivity to
remote campuses we are piloting state-of-art wideband wireless
technology at four tribal colleges, including Turtle Mountain.
And through this effort, the college will weave a wireless web
of connectivity around our reservations, connecting institution
sites, tribal offices, K-12 schools to one another, and then
eventually, with other funding, to the Internet, to a high
speed backbone running between the college and existing
Internet to access points, such as our State university system.
Of course, our long-term goals are to enable each tribal
college to acquire and sustain a high speed broadband
connectivity and then to build a Tribal College/University
access grid that will weave a common web around the colleges
and Indian Country. At the same time, we will be establishing
collaborative relationships with people and institutions
worldwide.
I want to make a few comments on the legislation and some
legislative recommendations before I close here.
Senator Cleland. Dr. Monette, if you will just kind of
begin to wrap it up.
Dr. Monette. OK, very good.
The legislation proposed by Senator Cleland would enable
our progress to continue and we are looking at a few
initiatives. In addition, we have what we are calling Indians
Into Technology, and that would address the problem of
information technology individuals on the reservations and at
the colleges, and we are looking at a program that is similar,
called ``Indian Into Medicine,'' that is run by the University
of North Dakota at Grand Forks. Basically, it takes Indian
people from the elementary, middle school, secondary, and
college into the University, trains them to use technology and
then allows them to return to the reservation to work with the
tribal members.
There are other things that we are searching for. The bill,
S. 414, allows participation, as the other gentlemen have said
very strongly, whether we are seeking basic connectivity or to
upgrade existing equipment to build an access node. And
opportunities must be available to all.
In closing, Mr. Chairman, I want to reiterate our desire to
work with you as builders and users of the new digital network
technology program. We embark on new collaborations. I urge you
to trust the tribal college leadership, allowing them the
flexibility to design and develop meaningful and relevant
strategies to address the unique and special needs of Indian
communities. In so doing, we will create the kind of program
that welcomes and even encourages participation by all segments
of our diverse and rich Nation. And I thank you for your
patience and information.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Monette follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Gerald ``Carty'' Monette, President, Turtle
Mountain Community College; Chairman, Committee on Technology
Development, American Indian Higher Education Consortium
Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee, thank you
for inviting me to testify before your subcommittee today. My name is
Dr. Gerald Monette. I am honored to be here as spokesperson for the
American Indian Higher Education Consortium and as president of Turtle
Mountain Community College, which is located in north-central North
Dakota on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Reservation.
On behalf of this nation's 32 Tribal Colleges and Universities
(TCUs), I want to express our strong support for S. 414, the NTIA
Digital Network Technology Program Act. I also want to thank the
members of this subcommittee, in particular Senators Max Cleland,
Conrad Burns, and Byron Dorgan, for your efforts on behalf of tribal
colleges and all minority-serving institutions.
For this afternoon's hearing, I have organized my testimony in
three parts: (1) brief history of the tribal college movement; (2)
background on technology in Indian Country and strategies the tribal
colleges have taken to bring new technological opportunities to our
people; and (3) legislative recommendations for the subcommittee's
consideration.
THE TRIBAL COLLEGE MOVEMENT:
In the mid-1990s, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching dubbed American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities
``higher education's best kept secret.'' The title has stuck, for a
number of reasons: We are small institutions, located in some of the
most rural regions of this country. Turtle Mountain Community College,
for example, is situated along the U.S.-Canada border in a beautiful
wooded region that may have more lakes and geese than buildings and
people.
Tribal colleges are young institutions--ranging from two to 33
years in age, but we are growing rapidly. Since the first tribal
college was established on the Navajo reservation in 1968, we have
grown to 32 institutions in the U.S, and our enrollments have increased
by more than 1300 percent. Today, all seven tribes in Montana and all
five tribes in North Dakota have colleges. Tribal colleges are also
located in the southwest, the Great Lakes, and the upper Northwest. We
are expanding in all regions, including Alaska.
In only a few decades, we have made a tremendous impact on Indian
Country. For example, before 1976, when Salish Kootenai College (SKC)
was established in Senator Burns' home State of Montana, less than 30
members of the Salish and Kootenai tribes had earned a college degree.
Between 1976 and 1994, SKC graduated more than 400 tribal members.
Today, Salish Kootenai College offers a number of bachelor's degree
programs. Students around the world take SKC courses through its
Internet-based international distance education programs.
According to one study, 75 percent of tribal college graduates are
employed in the local community or go on to another institution of
higher education. By comparison, American Indians who leave the
reservation and enroll in mainstream colleges directly from high school
have a failure rate of about 80 percent.
The typical tribal college student is:
part-time, like the majority of community college
students;
an Indian woman;
about 31 years old;
single with young children; and
often dependent on welfare or her extended family for
support.
Many students are in need of basic remediation. And for many, the
next nearest college is well over 100 miles away.
Because our colleges are located primarily on rural and remote
Indian reservations, our student population is relatively small.
Collectively, we serve more than 30,000 full- and part-time students.
We offer a wide range of certificate, associate and bachelor degree
programs, tailored to meet the needs of our local communities. Two
tribal colleges offer graduate degrees. All of the tribal colleges are
fully accredited--or candidates for accreditation--by national
accrediting associations. All of the tribal colleges have articulation
agreements with 4-year institutions to ensure a seamless transition for
students interested in pursuing further degrees at other institutions.
In addition to offering general academic, basic, and remedial
education programs, an important mission for each tribal college is to
work closely with its tribe to plan for and develop reservation-based
economies and create sustainable social and economic programs for our
people. Several colleges operate ``Tribal Business Information
Centers,'' local resources for business planning and entrepenuership.
Over the past 30 years, tribal colleges have grown tremendously,
yet we face serious challenges. We remain the most poorly funded
institutions of higher education in this country:
(1) Tribal colleges are not State institutions, and consequently,
we receive little or no State funding.
(2) Tribal governments, though supportive of the colleges, are
underfunded themselves. These tribes are not the small handful of
wealthy gaming tribes located near major urban areas. Rather, they are
some of the poorest governments in the nation. In fact, three of the
five poorest counties in America are home to tribal colleges.
(3) The Federal Government, despite its trust responsibility and
treaty obligations, has, over the years, not considered funding of
American Indian higher education a priority. For fiscal year 2003, the
President's budget proposes an appropriation of slightly more than one-
half of the authorized amount, or about $3,500 per full-time Indian
student.
Through our consortium, AIHEC, we are working to address these
challenges. AIHEC's mission, in part, is to ``nurture, advocate, and
protect American Indian history, culture, art, language, and the legal
and human rights of American Indian people to their own sense of
identity and heritage. . .'' These responsibilities are carried out in
a number of ways, including through an exciting and extensive
technology initiative.
BACKGROUND ON TECHNOLOGY IN INDIAN COUNTRY
We believe that technology will help TCUs overcome current
inequities and could hold the key to our future success. To be sure,
this country suffers a serious divide, and it is a division based on
race, income, and location. But to tribal colleges, information
technology represents a tremendous ``digital opportunity.''
Today, information technology is an integral part of teaching,
learning, and research in higher education. Every college in the Nation
either has or is reassessing its role in light of the implications new
technology brings for pedagogy and research. For tribal colleges and
other minority-serving institutions--which are generally the nation's
poorest and most isolated institutions--the opportunities are nearly
endless. We can--and must--participate in the development of strategies
and technology solutions vital to ensuring that our students and
communities are fully included in this nation's prosperity.
Tribal colleges are determined to move forward, and we have made
remarkable progress, but barriers still exist. Most of the colleges and
our reservations lack basic infrastructure: reliable and high-speed
Internet connections, adequate telephone service, appropriate numbers
of credentialed personnel, and hardware and software that is taken for
granted at most mainstream institutions. For example:
Telephones: Less than 50 percent of homes on reservations
have telephones, compared to 95 percent nationally;
Computers: Less than 10 percent of American Indian
households have computers, compared to about 50 percent of white
Americans, 25.5 percent of Hispanics, and 23 percent of African
Americans;
Internet Access: No more than 8 percent of all American
Indian homes have access to the Internet;
Web sites: Only about one in five American Indian tribal
governments have web sites (558 federally recognized tribes exist in
the United States);
TCU Connectivity: For adequate Internet-based data and
information sharing, most universities require at least DS-3
connectivity. Only one tribal college currently has funding for high-
band width connectivity, but it is not in place yet. All of the tribal
colleges have some degree of T-1 access, although most have only
fractional T-1 access.
Trained Technicians: Tribal colleges struggle to hire and
retain technicians. Annual starting salaries for faculty can be as low
as $21,000; consequently, technology staffs are paid at least two times
below industry averages.
Industry Partnerships: Tribal colleges have not yet
established the kind of mutually beneficial relationships with key
industries that lead to economic opportunity, relevant academic and
training programs, and ultimately, prosperity.
Tribal colleges are determined to turn this situation around. A few
years ago, we committed ourselves to an initiative aimed at bringing
our institutions to a ``Circle of Prosperity,'' a place where tribal
traditions and new technologies are woven together to build stronger
and more sustainable communities.
First, we agreed collectively on two goals, which are the core of
the Circle of Prosperity initiative. These goals are:
(1) to enable each tribal college to improve its technology
infrastructure in a manner that fulfills its mission and objectives
related to the needs of its students and community; and
(2) to develop tribally and culturally centered applications of
information technology.
To develop the most cost-effective and locally relevant strategies
for achieving the goals, the tribal colleges undertook a process never
before attempted in Indian Country: we reached out to 11 major local,
national, and international stakeholder groups and ask more than 150
representatives to help us develop, plan, and refine a process for
bringing the opportunities of technology to Native America. To begin
our work, the colleges used a methodology called a ``Prosperity Game,''
a fast-paced, interactive simulation developed by Sandia National
Laboratory from strategic war games and designed to help create and
sustain productive change through strategy development and negotiation.
During the 3-day Prosperity Game, an outline of a plan emerged. Later,
a smaller group came together for a 2-day ``crafting circle'' event,
which helped refine strategies and action steps and laid the groundwork
for the ``National Framework for Tribal College Technology''.
To guide this important effort, AIHEC has established a national
coordinating office and launched a series of activities representing
the initial phase of the National TCU Technology Framework. These
activities include strategic technology planning, partnership building,
resource generation, policy development and development of pilot
projects among tribal colleges, Federal, state, and tribal entities,
and the private sector. Some ongoing activities, which are all part of
the larger national effort to develop a national framework for TCU
technology, include:
Distance Education: Through the Internet and other information
technology applications, many tribal colleges are already enriching
their curricula and supplementing limited learning resources. An
expanding ability to network with other colleges, universities, and
tribal institutions is enabling the colleges to share knowledge beyond
reservation boundaries and bring to their communities technology and
information that can be transferred to support community and economic
development. For example, Bay Mills Community College, located in a
refurbished fish plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is using
technology and distance learning to deliver higher education to all 11
tribes in Michigan and to people in 17 other states, from Florida to
Alaska.
Virtual Library: Through our virtual library initiative--a
partnership including AIHEC, the University of Michigan's School of
Information, IBM, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation--the tribal colleges
have developed an Internet-based library designed to enhance the meager
library resources traditionally available in Indian Country. (i.e.
http://www.bmcc.org/vlibrary/index.html). The virtual library, which
uses open source software, has been installed at more than 20 colleges.
Over the next several months, all of the colleges should be on-line
with locally controlled library web sites. These custom-tailored sites:
(1) provide student and community access to local TCU library and
curricula resources; and (2) interface with a much larger AIHEC virtual
library data base of commonly available and licensed resources (i.e.
national and international education journals)
Already, the virtual library has made a difference in the
accreditation status of at least five tribal colleges. Last fall, the
National Science Foundation awarded AIHEC a planning grant to
collaborate with NSF's National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and
Technology Education Digital Library community. This grant, like the
Kellogg-funded project, will continue our partnership with the
University of Michigan's Alliance for Community Technology
(www.communitytechnology.org).
AN-MSI: Through a $6 million 4-year grant from the National Science
Foundation to EDUCAUSE, AIHEC is partnering with other MSIs and the
extensive EDUCAUSE network on the ``Advanced Networking with Minority-
Serving Institutions'' (AN-MSI) project. (See www.anmsi.org and
attached articles, www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/
article.asp?ID=4574, and www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0112.pdf).
The project is designed to improve networking architecture, improve
Internet connectivity in remote areas served by MSIs, help college
presidents and administrators improve our knowledge of technology,
assist colleges in strategic technology planning, and improve technical
support through collaboration (i.e. remote technical support).
Through AN-MSI's limited funding, we have been able to achieve
incredible results, largely because we have worked concertedly to
develop a strong network of technical expertise within the tribal
college system and because we leverage this funding to the maximum
extent possible. A number of initiatives are currently underway, but I
will mention only one--the wireless initiative--and refer you to the
attached articles for information on other projects.
To provide high-speed connectivity to remote institutions and their
satellite campuses, we are piloting state-of-the-art wide-band wireless
technology at four tribal colleges, including Turtle Mountain Community
College. Through this effort, the colleges will weave a wireless web of
connectivity around our reservations, connecting institution sites,
tribal offices, and K-12 schools to one another, and eventually, to the
Internet through a highspeed backbone running between the college and
existing Internet2 access points or State university systems. Our goals
are to enable each TCU to acquire and sustain high-speed broadband
connectivity, and then to build a TCU access grid that will weave a
common web around all of the colleges and Indian Country. At the same
time, we will be establishing collaborative relationships with people
and institutions worldwide.
NSF-TCUP: In Fiscal Year 2001, the president and Congress created a
new $10 million program within the National Science Foundation to help
tribal colleges develop and train an American Indian IT workforce and
improve STEM programs. In the first year, 13 tribal colleges and two
Alaska Native-Serving institutions received a mix of planning and
implementation grants. We are currently in the second year of this
program, with the expectation that a handful of institutions will
receive funding later this year. We are very grateful for this
significant new opportunity, and look forward to implementing and
expanding it in the years to come.
A number of other initiatives are underway, including private
sector partnerships with IBM, Microsoft, and CISCO; partnerships with
Federal agencies such as NASA and DoD; and partnerships with other MSIs
and mainstream institutions, including an initiative to develop a web-
based Collaboratory for research and education.
Mr. Chairman, we are making progress, and we hope to work with you
to ensure that our progress continues. We want to work with you to
ensure that each and every tribal college has access to the resources
it needs to develop and use technology in a manner consistent with its
mission and tribal community. We would like you to join our effort to
construct the national framework for TCU technology--to build
partnerships, create resource opportunities, and build networks between
tribal colleges and the private sector. In short, we would like to work
together to ensure that all tribal colleges and tribal communities
reach the Circle of Prosperity.
LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Enactment and funding of the legislation proposed by Senator
Cleland and his cosponsors would help the tribal colleges turn our
goals into reality. In our view, this legislation represents an
investment--a down payment--that will pay education and economic
dividends for generations to come.
A. National TCU Technology Framework Strategies:
The legislation appears fair and well reasoned, and we believe it
is sufficiently broad to fit the 8-part strategy AIHEC is developing to
achieve our goals for the national TCU technology framework. As
outlined above, we have already begun working on some of the strategy's
action steps, but I believe a summary of each strategy will give the
subcommittee some issues to think about as the legislation is refined
and modified.
Our strategies, which we hope will fit into the final legislative
initiative, are:
Infrastructure: Ensure that resources and relationships
are in place to help develop and sustain appropriate technology-related
infrastructure at each TCU, including connectivity, facilities,
hardware, and software.
Leadership & Coordination: Facilitate the development and
continuous evaluation of individual TCU technology strategic plans;
establish a national TCU technology advisory board; and develop policy
and funding strategies.
Partnerships: Build partnerships with industry, Federal
agencies, other colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and
communities to assist TCUs and their communities in improving their
education systems, developing their economies, enriching and protecting
their heritage, and improving quality of life.
Education & Human Resources: Ensure that TCUs have
capacity to evaluate and adopt emerging technology-mediated teaching
tools and strategies; encourage development of on-line degree programs
offered individually and through consortia; assist in creating faculty
development programs to ensure that instructors are competent to teach
and use emerging technologies; increase access to online curricular
materials; create adjunct faculty resource pools that can be shared by
all TCUs; and assist TCUs in implementing student assessment
strategies.
Research & Development: Enhance TCU research capabilities
by encouraging linkages to national super-computing infrastructure
initiatives (Access Grid); participating in Internet2; establishing
local cluster computing projects; adopting low-cost Internet-based
collaborative tools (Collaboratory); creating opportunities for
research partnerships with non-TCU centers and laboratories and among
TCUs; developing research projects targeting critical areas (i.e.
health, environment, energy); and developing community-based technology
transfer programs involving TCUs and industry.
Culture: Establish an advisory group of cultural experts
from TCU communities who will assist in developing culturally
appropriate applications for the virtual library and other initiatives;
and establish and strengthen linkages with other technology-based
national and international indigenous initiatives, including
development of ongoing projects with the National Museum of the
American Indian.
B. Specific Recommendations
In addition to the broader strategy areas discussed above, we would
like to briefly mention a few specific issues and ideas for your
consideration:
1. ``Indians into Technology'' Program: In response to a critical
need for medical professionals from and in Native communities in the
mid-1970s, Congress authorized funding for an innovative educational
program at the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks (http://
www.med.und.nodak.edu/depts/inmed/). Through the ``Indians Into
Medicine'' (INMED) program, American Indian students receive vitally
needed educational and personal support from elementary through
professional school. INMED includes summer sessions for students from
elementary school through college; junior and senior high school bridge
programs; a tribal college bridge program; summer medical school
preparation program for college juniors and seniors and recent
graduates; and ongoing educational and personal support programs for
medical and graduate school students.
In recent years, INMED has expanded to other institutions of higher
education in Indian Country. Because of similarities in demographics
and need, a similar comprehensive education and support program could
significantly impact efforts to develop and maintain an American Indian
information technology workforce. We urge the Committee to consider
establishing and funding an ``Indians into Technology'' program within
the Departments of Commerce or Labor.
2. Remote Technical Support: Because the tribal colleges are small,
underfunded and geographically remote, hiring, training, and retaining
qualified information technology support staff is very difficult. We
have very good people at our schools, but often, they need a little
extra support and guidance. Targeted funding to encourage and sustain
remote technical support, training cohort programs, and student-based
IT technical support models such as the University of Wisconsin model
could be very beneficial to all minority-serving institutions.
3. Strategic IT Planning: The need for ongoing strategic planning
is paramount to any major initiative or institution. In this area, with
technology rapidly evolving and new opportunities becoming available
from all sectors, strategic planning for coordination and growth is
essential. Specifically, planning needs to be focused on the unique
nature and mission of institutions of higher education. Possible models
include the AIHEC/AN-MSI partnership currently underway to provide
technical assistance to NSF-TCUP grantees. Working closely with experts
from the tribal college and MSI communities, AIHEC and AN-MSI are
sponsoring teams that will visit colleges to: (1) document, assess,
and, if necessary, help improve current networking architecture; (2)
increase awareness of technology trends and issues among college
leadership and faculty; and (3) begin or expand the process of
community-based IT strategic planning. Funding to expand this effort
and ensure strategic IT planning, possibly through the Department of
Education's Titles III and V programs for Institutional Development, or
the National Science Foundation, could be a wise investment.
4. Opportunity Parity: An advantage to the breadth of S. 414's
language is that tribal colleges and other MSIs can compete for funding
regardless of where they are on the ``technology spectrum.'' The
language would appear to allow funding, regardless of whether the
college is seeking basic connectivity or upgrading an existing system
to build an access node. As new federally funded programs are
developed, Congress should bear in mind the degree to which
institutions vary and strive to make opportunities available to all. An
institution should not be penalized because it currently lacks basic
connectivity and e-mail service, but neither should an institution be
excluded from participation because it made investments early, before
dedicated funding existed, and now seeks upgrades or replacement for
aging equipment. All programs must address this fundamental issue of
``opportunity parity.''
5. E-rate Eligibility: The federally created E-rate program has
been tremendously successful in bringing affordable telephone and
Internet services to the nation's K-12 schools. Just last month, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs successfully completed connecting all of its
schools to the Internet, and most, if not all, of these schools receive
some level of E-rate funding. Currently, the program is not available
to tribal colleges, despite the extensive work we do with our K-12
schools. We respectfully request that the Congress consider expanding
the E-rate program to include tribal colleges.
Mr. Chairman, in closing I want to reiterate that the tribal
colleges are committed to educating and training a new workforce,
moving more people from welfare to work. We are committed to working
with private industry to bring offshore jobs back home to the United
States. We are committed to revitalizing our communities and America's
economy through entrepreneurship. And we are committed to plowing any
investment made by the Congress back into the education system in
Indian Country, building a bridge of technological opportunity across
our vast nation.
Thank you.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, Dr. Monette. We
appreciate you being here. Now I go to some questions here.
Mr. Gray, S. 414 specifically creates a new grant program
which would have a designated funding stream to be used for the
sole purpose of improving technology access and training in
minority-serving institutions. There are those, however, who
believe that we can make the best use of Federal dollars by
consolidating technology programs into a single flexible State
block grant program. Could you please compare the two
approaches, block grant versus specific targeted grant program,
in terms of effective use of Federal funds for technology
programs?
Mr. Gray. With the Federal block grant approach, what you
are really doing is giving a large portion of money to States
to make the decision at a State level on how to make the
investments. Of course, that has some appeal because you can
argue it is closer to the people and most State legislatures
will be more responsive. But I think in terms of the UNCF
experience that I would also ask my colleague, Dr. Humphries,
who is head of NAFEO, to speak on this.
I think our past history has shown that the States have not
always treated HBCUs equitably. I cannot speak for HSIs or for
our tribal colleges, but historically the block grant approach
from the States has not treated HBCUs equitably, and therefore
that is why the Federal Government starting in the 1960s
started targeting money and has continued to do so for
minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs.
Senator Cleland. Dr. Humphries, any comment on that?
Dr. Humphries. Yes, sir, I want to just tell you that I
ditto my colleague's comment and to tell you that unequivocally
the best form of making sure that the digital divide issues are
addressed via the funding of this bill is direct, targeted
grants to the individual institution. And that enjoys my
highest recommendation.
Senator Cleland. Thank you.
Dr. Flores, any comment?
Dr. Flores. On that question?
Senator Cleland. Yes, sir.
Dr. Flores. Yes, most definitely I endorse what my
colleagues have expressed and it is simply the fact that when
you disburse block grants to the States, obviously you are
delegating authority and responsibility for the application of
the funds within broad guidelines, and not always is it the
case that those in greatest need will end up getting the
support from those block grants.
In the case of responsive institutions, if you look around
the country where we have the largest concentrations of these
institutions, such as California or Texas, New Mexico and so
forth, you will find that for the most part, Hispanic-serving
institutions do not enjoy the type of support at the State
level that other institutions receive, and that goes for just
about everything that has to do with institutional capacity
building. So my sense is that these institutions will be much
better served if the funding goes directly to them as opposed
to leaving it to the discretion of the States.
Senator Cleland. Thank you.
Dr. Monette, any comment on that?
Dr. Monette. Thank you, Senator.
Briefly--of course, Indian people have this relationship
with the Federal Government that was established through the
treaty process, court decisions, legislation, Executive Orders,
and the relationship with the Federal Government is recognized
by the States and it is really difficult for us to get a fair
share, I will say, of funding once it goes into the State in
block grant form. So I would, of course, support the statements
of the gentlemen on the panel and would elevate that a little
bit because of the special relationship that Indian people
have.
Senator Cleland. Thank you all very much.
Mr. Gray, again we will start with you. S. 414 requires any
eligible institution to provide a matching amount equal to one-
fourth of the grant, or $500,000, whichever is less; however,
the match requirement is waived for any institution that has an
endowment less than $50 million.
I am told that there are only four HBCUs, two of which are
UNCF member institutions, that would have to come up with match
money. Do you believe the bill's match requirement would cause
some hardship on these four institutions?
Mr. Gray. I think that the match requirement can be a
hurdle, and a difficult one for many of these institutions
because of the nature of the institutions, the constituency
that they serve, and the fact that they do not have access to
outside resources from wealthy alumni.
Some HBCUs have experienced problems raising matching money
for Federal programs. One that I would hold up for you an
example is the Historic Preservation program of the Department
of Interior that had a match as a component. Very well-meaning
program, but it meant that colleges had to go out and raise
match money in order to save historic buildings.
I do believe, however, if you can keep the match--and if
there needs to be a match, and I can understand the pressure
for a match--if you can keep it a very low one, such as 25
percent, that might be acceptable. But once you start raising
it to 50 percent and making it a large portion, I think it
becomes very, very difficult. There are only four historically
black colleges and universities that I know of, and I do not
think any of the tribal colleges have endowments that would
even trigger the matching requirement.
Senator Cleland. Thank you.
Mr. Gray. In most black colleges, the average endowment is
somewhere around about $20 million.
Senator Cleland. Dr. Monette, the Technology Opportunities
Program, or TOP program, is a very popular program. I am told
that approximately 10 percent of TOP grants go to tribal
communities. If the TOP program is eliminated, as President
Bush has recommended in his fiscal year 2003 budget, what
impact do you believe this would have on Native Americans'
access to the information highway?
Dr. Monette. Thanks for the question. It is true that the
TOPs program has been very helpful to Indian country. There is
also a match requirement to that program, although they work
well with Indian people that work around that and that is one
of the better programs.
Some other Commerce Department grant programs require a
match that we just cannot apply for, we cannot receive, also
Department of Energy programs. But the TOPs program, you know,
we get a little bit out in Indian Country and we see some hope
and some opportunity there. And we start to develop the
technical expertise to access that money and we get the
infrastructure in place, and we get the people excited and get
the community excited, and then they take it away.
So if that program is eliminated, then it is going to have
a tremendous effect on that is going on in Indian Country
today. And, you know, even this year the President, I believe,
has cut the TOPs program, I do not know the amount, maybe $12
million or something, and that is going to have an effect on
Indian people. And I think, you know, we are at the tail end of
this technology growth in the world, and we are just now
beginning to reach a point where we can access some of these
monies and I think, you know, if program like TOPs disappear,
then it is going to have a tremendous impact.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much.
Dr. Flores, in testimony to the Congressional Web-Based
Education Commission, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and
Universities stated, and I quote: ``Hispanic-serving
institutions `can make a significant impact upon the digital
divide in the Hispanic community just like they are making upon
the overall educational success of Hispanics. They have this
special responsibility, but often do not have the funds to
implement their Hispanic targeted programs.' ''
Dr. Flores, how do you think a program like the one
envisioned in S. 414 could actually help improve both the HSIs
and the Hispanic community's access to technology?
Dr. Flores. Sure. Obviously technology is a very high-cost
item for minority-serving institutions. First the investment in
expertise to do effective planning. Second, you need to also
invest very heavily in hardware and software, all of the
aspects that go with infrastructure. You, in addition, have to
invest in faculty training and development; upgrading and
maintenance come later. So all in all, all of this enterprise
represents a major investment for an institution to do it right
and because of the lack of the resources that well-endowed
universities, large research institutions enjoy as compared to
Hispanic-serving institutions and minority-serving
institutions, quite frankly I believe this type of support will
make a tremendous difference, for all the reasons I haven't
expressed already in terms of our institution not having large
endowments, not having wealthy alumni, not having all of those
other things that go with acquiring more resources to include
themselves in their capacity.
So I believe that this would really be helpful to minority-
serving institutions for all of those reasons.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, Dr. Flores.
It has been suggested that Senator Allen and I go back and
forth and exchange questions here. So Senator Allen, it is your
turn, sir, if you would like to take it.
Senator Allen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank
each of these individuals for their outstanding testimony. In
Virginia, one has a view of Virginia, and it is great to be
here to listen to people from all over the country and
recognize the richness and the diversity of challenges and
opportunities we have all across our Nation.
Each of you made outstanding remarks. I was taking notes.
It was very inspirational. Dr. Flores and Dr. Monette,
Congressman Gray and Dr. Humphries, I guess I have got various
questions to you all.
Let me follow up on Senator Cleland's question to you, Dr.
Flores, because in listening to this, you were talking about
endowments and whether it is an Hispanic institution or whether
it is an historically black college, whether it is a tribal or
an American Indian college, a lot of the endowments of
universities are determined a great deal by the income of their
graduates. And you will find that many, in listening to this,
there are some colleges and universities in Virginia that are
pretty new, some of them historically black, others, though,
that are new and not historically black or American Indian or
Hispanic, but nevertheless they are having the same sort of
troubles because they do not have graduates who can contribute.
A lot of it is the age of the university as well as the income.
Do you see, Dr. Flores, ways that the Federal Government
can help foster, say, partnerships between HSIs and private
companies and non-profit organizations? If you would share with
us those.
Dr. Flores. Most definitely. I think the opportunity is
very clear, that corporate America I think has understood,
perhaps more readily sometimes than institutions of government,
the importance of workforce development and workforce
retraining and our high-technology-driven economy is requiring
them to be even more on top of that matter. And therefore, they
are much more willing to reach out. In fact, our association
now has partnerships with a number of corporations, including
IBM, to provide hardware and so forth and services to our
institutions at a significantly reduced cost.
We are entertaining all the possible activities, including
faculty development and the labs, internships for our students
and graduates and a host of other things, so that the models
that are already there, and I think with some encouragement
from the Federal Government, more corporations will go even
deeper into this possibility of partnering with institutions
that need to prepare larger numbers of highly qualified
employees for the new economy.
Non-profits, of course, are a very important part of our
communities and they need to be part of the solution as well
and be incorporated into partnerships of that kind.
Senator Cleland. Senator Allen, I am told by staff that
this bill actually authorizes and encourages partnerships
between businesses, including minority businesses, to partner
together for this kind of workforce development that you are
very, very much interested in. So this bill allows and
encourages partnership with the private sector.
Senator Allen. That is good, because I do find that very
important if there are any encouragements in that regard and
not just for minority businesses, but those that may be headed
by--you know, very big business, CISCO, and John Chambers is
from West Virginia and Georgia, and I think very much
appreciates the importance of education. And in listening to
Dr. Monette and you, Dr. Flores and others, what we are talking
about, it is a question of income, it is a question of
location, and some of this would fit in--now granted, they are
not minority population, but in Southwest Virginia, in the coal
fields or Appalachia, fit many of the same demographics, maybe
not the same racial, but the income and location, same sort of
challenges in some of the mountain areas of Appalachia that
have an economy based so much on coal, and coal is is not doing
as well as it had been decades ago. So many face these
challenges.
And then Dr. Monette talked about medical professionals.
Same thing, rural areas, trying to ensure that primary care
physicians and other medical professionals go into rural areas,
and not just go into the suburbs or the city areas. These are
challenges faced by many.
Dr. Humphries spoke on the H1-B visa waivers and so forth.
And I felt the same way about that years ago. I have seen it
all. And of course you are at Florida A&M. And as a young pup I
remember Willy Galimore played for my father, and unfortunately
died in a car wreck.
But while I was Governor, one of your sterling graduates,
who I took away from a historically black university to make
our Deputy Secretary of Education, Will Bryant, a great man,
and my successor made him Secretary of Education. He was at
Virginia Union, but a good Rattler graduate from Florida A&M.
At any rate, the H1-B visas for bringing in folks from
other countries fits right into what Congressman Gray was
saying. And that is, we are bringing in people to this country,
people who are technologically proficient to help our
businesses. You look at a quarter to a third of our population,
that for a variety of reasons are not being motivated and not
as a bottom line getting a good education, so that they can
seize those opportunities and those good jobs. And that is
exactly what you said, Congressman Gray or Chairman Gray. This
issue is one of the future of our society, the competitiveness
of our civilization, as well as obviously the individual
opportunities for these youngsters to seize these
opportunities.
Now, do you see that there are any barriers, Dr. Humphries,
to historically black colleges, universities, and private
companies to work together? Are there any Federal barriers
stopping you, or is it a question of coming up with new ways to
invent it?
Dr. Humphries. There aren't any barriers except the extent
or the degree to which the broad masses of universities and
colleges that have to be worked with. So I see that corporate
America certainly and private sector activities can work with
historical black colleges and universities and partner. It is
going to be difficult for them to partner with all 118 of our
institutions in regard to that.
So if we are talking about a sphere of 20 institutions,
over time I think all of them could be worked with. But time is
not our friend. So I think that you would be asking corporate
America a difficult proposition to say you have got to work
with all of these institutions to bring them up to snuff, to
help bring them up to snuff, along with our Federal program
over the period of this bill, which is up to 2000--I think 7,
that one was talking about in the bill.
And so I think every avenue ought to be used to help get us
there, and that includes partnerships with corporate America.
But I think that it is going to be difficult. It is going to be
a difficult proposition to say you bring all 114 up to snuff in
terms of this thing.
But certainly it is doable, it is desirable, and I think
that they will. So I just think the numbers represent a
challenge in going forward, but willingness and the lack, is
just terribly--I think it is there, and companies will work
with HBCUs to do that, and they will work very effectively to
do it. But I think it is going to be a challenge for everyone
to talk about 114 institutions--118 institutions being brought
up to snuff over the course of time.
Senator Allen. Putting that together with your answer, and
back to having to bring people in from other countries, and I
think that the folks that have been brought in on H1-B visas
have been very helpful and productive for our country.
Obviously, with the technology sector in a recession right now
there is not quite the same demand as there was a few years
ago.
But nevertheless, when you think of it all, and I saw when
we created a new engineering school at VCU in Richmond, in
engineering there are so few women and so few minorities that
are involved in some of these sciences to take advantage of
these jobs. Now it is remarkable the number of minorities and
women at VCU's School of Engineering. It is a new engineering
school. It is only 4 years old or so, although in
microelectronics it has the most advanced clean room for
microelectronics, thanks to Motorola's grant of several million
dollars.
Just to show how important this is, and I do not know the
answer, maybe Congressman Gray could answer it. What percentage
of students at historically black colleges and universities
graduate with science, mathematics, or computer sciences
degrees?
Mr. Gray. In terms of the historically black college
community and African Americans, the vast majority of African
Americans who get a degree in engineering or science graduate
from HBCUs to the tune of, for instance, if you take
engineering alone in all of its forms----
Senator Allen. Right.
Mr. Gray [continuing]. The top seven schools that produce
engineers in America, six of them are historically black
colleges. Only one is a majority institution, and that is
Georgia Tech. And Georgia Tech is No. 1 not only because of its
very unique recruitment program, but also because it has a
combined program with Spellman College and Morehouse College,
two of our schools.
But you have Florida A&M, you have Howard University,
Tuskegee, North Carolina, Grambling, and Prairie View. Those
seven schools graduate over 70 percent of African Americans who
will get an engineering degree this year. And you will find
that kind of pattern, HBCUs mixed with some majority
institutions.
And when you say in terms of the total numbers, African
Americans are probably, in terms of all engineers that are
graduating this year, will probably be in the single digits,
high single digits to low double digits of all of those, in
terms of just African Americans. That is not sufficient.
You have two issues that you have to address. One is a
pipeline issue, and that pipeline issue starts K through 12.
Senator Allen. Right.
Mr. Gray. But it does not have to exist only there.
The other issue is an issue in higher education, and that
is institutions developing, attracting minorities to their
engineering and their science programs. Georgia Tech has done
an unusual job. They were not even in the top ten 15 years ago.
Now they are number one. And they have developed special
recruiting, mentoring, etc.
And so you can turn those numbers around, but you have got
to do it in two places, one, at the pipeline. But not just at
the pipeline. You also have to change higher education in
America, change engineering schools, change engineering
professors who begin to believe, as Dr. Humphries used to teach
at Florida A&M, that every kid who walks through our door, even
though they may not have gone to the best math high school in a
State, we can turn them into mathematicians, we can turn them
into engineers. And guess what? In 4 years they do.
Dr. Humphries. Well, can I just comment on that? I want to
correct Bill just a moment on who is number one. Black History,
when they started reporting the degrees of engineering from the
undergraduate schools, treated the Joint College of
Engineering, Florida A&M and FSU as a single entity. And last
year they separated us, although we're just one engineering
school.
So if you look at our joint college, Florida A&M and
Florida State, as one engineering school, we are the number one
producer of African American engineers last year. Florida A&M
by itself was number three.
There were only 10 baccalaureate degrees separating Georgia
Tech and Florida A&M, but when you added in the 25 African
Americans who graduated from Florida State to the 143 that
graduated from Florida A&M, you got 168, and we surpassed
Georgia Tech. That one engineering school surpassed Georgia
Tech's one engineering school by about 15 baccalaureate
degrees. And we were rightfully number one, but Black History
did not want to give us credit for that. So I just wanted to
correct that for the record, sir, and let you know that.
And the second point I would like to make to you, which has
to do with the thoughts you had about the HB-1 visa, the Joint
College of Engineering was established in 1982. It moved from
zero baccalaureate degrees, 20 years later to being number one
in the Nation. So it is possible, if you have the capability to
produce the programs, that you can, in fact, make a significant
contribution to the under-represented areas in regard to that.
And just one piece of information for you. There are only
about 19 historical black colleges that offer computer science
programs, about 19 of the total. And so----
Senator Allen. Why?
Dr. Humphries. It is infrastructure and----
Senator Allen. I thought I knew the answer. I wanted your
testimony.
Dr. Humphries. So if you would just expand this vibrant
field, and everyone would take it with the resources to make it
possible, it would increase the enrollment and would increase
the technology person-power of the Nation going forward. So
there has got to be a new emphasis on expanding the academic
wherewithal of the historical black colleges in enabling
programs that enable you to establish computer science
programs, and so that is one answer.
And I would just like to give you one example of a
partnership between a company and a university to address this
shortage of technology, a serious problem with hiring people to
work on their computer technology side of their company. So
they made an interesting proposition to Florida Union. They
said, ``Look, we will pay for the faculty person, equip the
laboratory, what we want you to do is teach four courses. And
any student at your university, regardless of major, if they
take those four courses, we will hire them in the computer part
of our operation, and we will pay them starting salaries of
$42,000 a year. Doesn't matter whether you are a history major,
an agriculture major, or a pharmacy major, or a nursing major.
If they take these four courses and make a C average, we will
hire them.''
And so we went into a memorandum of understanding with
them. They paid for the faculty. They set up the laboratory.
They put the computers in there, and we taught the four
courses. We went out and got the enrollment for those four
courses. And they were geared toward 25 students in each one of
those courses, but you had to take all four of them. And it is
one of the most highly successful responses to the lack of
technology-driven people in our Nation.
We did something precise, pinpointed it, and it solved the
need for them, and that program continues until today providing
serious people that are computer trained that can do the job in
that company, and they make a very good salaries. They are a
plus citizen in this Nation because of the industry pinpointing
its needs, finding a partner, working together, getting it
done, and doing it.
And I think that if we take this opportunity now, knowing
that we are going to be even stronger in this as we go forward,
if we take this opportunity now, foster those relationships,
foster support from the Federal Government, we make a big dent
in improving the quality of life for a lot of minority
students, and we will get rid of some of this inequality in
socioeconomic status in our country, along with getting rid of
the technology and the digital divide proposition, too. And so
these are worthwhile activities, and we need to pursue them.
Senator Allen. Thank you, Doctor.
Mr. Gray. Let the record, Mr. Chairman, show that I stand
corrected.
Senator Allen. Well, thank you for pointing out the
company's visionary leadership. A lot of companies complain
about, ``Oh, we can't find the workers.'' That company actually
went out and thought long term.
I am also glad to see that competition in the ACC,
listening to Georgia Tech and Florida State with their sister
university, Florida A&M, and this competition that is just as
fierce in academics, and in fact it is more important than
athletics.
Dr. Humphries. It is just that Florida State won in
basketball.
Senator Allen. I am not going to get into--the Senator gets
into a lot of non-germane areas. I will not get into it. I am
an ACC fan, liking Mr. Jefferson's University the best. But
regardless, when you are talking about the pipeline in K
through 12, all of your testimony has been very, very good and
very helpful to me. And I know all who will be reading the
testimony, and obviously, I know Senator Cleland is pleased
with such reinforcing statements.
I would also hope that you would be able to support the
measure that Senator Boxer and I have introduced to encourage
computer use, with refundable tax credits for the parents of
children to get computers at home for their children, as well
as Internet access, and peripherals, and other aspects of
computers for their children, because it is important that
early on children have that technological proficiency.
It is good for the technology sector, but it is education,
and there are some software programs and so forth that are
catered directly for what that particular child needs, and go
at the speed of the child, which is also important in
education.
So I want to thank each and every one of you all,
Congressmen and doctors, for your testimony. And I relinquish
the mike back to the Chairman.
Senator Cleland. Thank you, Senator Allen, and thank you
for your contributions today. Especially your questions have
been insightful and we appreciate that very much. Panelists,
thank you so much for being here, for traveling a far distance,
and thank you for coming to be with us today. We will call our
second panel.
If the hearing can come to order, we will proceed. We have
two of our panelists today that have to catch a plane and we
will be mindful of that. Our panelists today, Dr. Juliet
Garcia, President, University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas
Southmost College; Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, President, Norfolk
State University, in Norfolk, Virginia; Mr. George Sandoval,
Network Administrator, Dine College, Tsalie, Arizona--thank you
for coming all that way. And the Honorable Louis Sullivan,
President, Morehouse School of Medicine; and Immediate Past
President, Atlanta University Center Council of Presidents in
Atlanta.
Dr. Sullivan, we will call upon you first for your
testimony. And I know you have to catch a plane, and we will go
right to the questions thereafter.
STATEMENT OF HON. LOUIS W. SULLIVAN, MD., PRESIDENT, MOREHOUSE
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE; IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN, ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
CENTER COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS
Dr. Sullivan. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Allen.
It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to appear before you,
and I thank you for your introducing bill S. 414, the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration Digital
Network Technology Program Act. This is a measure that would
provide funding for technology at minority-serving
institutions.
I am President of the Morehouse School of Medicine and
former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1989 to
1993. I appear before you today as immediate past Chairman of
the Council of Presidents of the Atlanta University Center.
The purpose of my testimony today is to discuss the
technological advances made by the Atlanta University Center
Schools, and to describe the need for funding for technology
and telecommunications infrastructure, for networking, and for
student access to computers.
Founded in 1929, the Atlanta University Center is the
Nation's oldest and largest consortium of predominantly African
American institutions of higher learning. Its six member
institutions are Clark Atlanta University, the
Interdenominational Theological Center, Morris Brown College,
Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spellman
College. These institutions share a common mission of providing
quality education for African Americans, and other students
from diverse backgrounds. These students are our leaders for
tomorrow--leaders in education, law, health care, engineering,
government, and other areas.
Mr. Chairman, all six schools recognize the importance of
staying abreast of rapidly evolving technology, and we are
regularly applying new technology in our academic offerings, in
our student living and learning environments on our respective
campuses.
For example, in the year 2000, Morehouse College received a
grant from the Department of Commerce, Economic Development
Administration for renovating and expanding a technology tower
complex which will be used, among other things, to address the
shortage of educated and trained personnel in the
telecommunications industry by providing job training and
employment for students and residents of the western community
of Atlanta where we are located.
Spellman College has begun installation of a campus
pipeline. This will provide a seamless integration of
administrative services, campus Internet offerings, web-based
e-mail, long-distance learning resources, and a virtual campus
community.
Clark Atlanta University is applying technology to address
increased student enrollment through networking and computer
training. Clark Atlanta University's distance learning
initiative allows students from across the country to take
classes and participate in lectures using a two-way interactive
telecommunications system.
Morris Brown College has implemented a technology
assessment program which consists of six levels of computer and
web-based training, allowing students to become proficient in
web-based technology.
The Interdenominational Theological Center has received
funding from the Lilly Endowment for its information technology
for its theological teaching program. This program emphasizes
faculty training for use of technology in the classroom.
This year my own institution will open its National Center
for Primary Care. This center at Morehouse School of Medicine
will be a key resource in using technology to determine how to
expand access to high quality, cost-effective health care for
under-served populations, and how to increase the proportion of
under-represented minorities in the health professions.
Despite the lack of adequate funding for technological
advancements at HBCUs, the Atlanta University Center Schools
are making significant gains in closing the digital divide.
With technology infrastructure and training in place, these
schools will be able to develop network applications that can
enhance teaching methods and educational resources, strengthen
the quality of education, promote innovations, and increase
their competitiveness.
The accomplishments of the AUC schools are illustrative of
the steps that HBCUs are taking to close the digital divide.
And while the actions described here show progress, there
remains a great need for more technology at HBCUs. A digital
divide exists between HBCUs and the Nation's majority
institutions. This divide affects the ability of minority-
serving institutions to be competitive with other institutions
or higher learning.
Further, the limited financial resources of African
American students makes it difficult for them to purchase their
own computers. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce
report released in 2000, historically black colleges and
universities and assessment of networking and connectivity,
this report shows that fewer than 25 percent of HBCU students
own their own computers, and must rely on institutional
resources to connect to the Internet, to World Wide Web, or to
other networks.
This compares to 49 percent of students at other
institutions of higher learning. This lack of modern available
computer technology affects the ability of minority-serving
institutions to be competitive with other institutions of
higher learning. Access to resources for information technology
is critical if HBCUs are to continue to prepare students to
take an active part and contribute to our country's economic
growth and prosperity.
Senators Cleland, Hollings and Stevens have taken a
significant step in narrowing the technology gap between HBCUs
and majority institutions. We applaud them for introducing a
measure that would authorize up to $250 million to create a
program to provide grants to minority-serving institutions for
technology, infrastructure, and training. This legislation
would provide funds for the acquisition of computers,
technology, and other instrumentation and software; two, the
acquisition of telecommunication systems hardware; and three,
for training of students and faculty.
But this is just the beginning. Further studies should be
conducted to provide a more detailed assessment of the extent
of the digital divide, how it affects the ability of HBCUs to
be competitive with other institutions of higher learning, and
what steps should be taken to close this gap. Measures
contained in S. 414 are vital to American higher education. So
I encourage the Congress to pass this legislation. This measure
will expand the information highway ensuring that no student is
left behind in the use of technology in the 21st century, not
left behind because of differences in income, education, and
race.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to appear
before you today. And I would be pleased to respond to any
questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Sullivan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., President,
Morehouse School of Medicine; Immediate Past Chairman,
Atlanta University Center Council of Presidents
INTRODUCTION
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to express my views on S. 414 the ``National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Digital
Network Technology Program Act'' a measure that would provide funding
for technology at minority-serving institutions.
I am Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., President of Morehouse School of
Medicine and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. I
appear before you today as immediate past President of the Council of
Presidents of the Atlanta University Center (AUC). The purpose of my
testimony today is to discuss the technological advances made by the
AUC schools and to describe the need for funding for technology and
telecommunications infrastructure, networking and student access to
computers.
HISTORY OF ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER
Founded in 1929, the AUC is the nation's oldest and largest
consortium of predominately African-American institutions of higher
learning.
Its six member institutions--Clark Atlanta University,
Interdenominational Theological Center, Morris Brown College, Morehouse
College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spellman College--share a
common mission of providing quality education for African-Americans and
other students from diverse backgrounds. These students are our leaders
for tomorrow--in education, law, health care, engineering, government
and other areas.
Mr. Chairman, all six schools recognize the importance of staying
abreast of rapidly evolving technology and we are regularly applying
new technology in our academic offerings, and our student living and
learning environments on our respective campuses.
For example, in the year 2000, Morehouse College received a grant
from the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration
for renovating and expanding a Technology Tower Complex which will be
used, among other things, to address the shortage of educated and
trained personnel in the telecommunications industry by providing job
training and employment for students and residents of the West End
community in Atlanta.
Spelman College has begun installation of a ``Campus Pipeline'',
which will provide a seamless integration of administrative services,
campus internet offerings, web-based e-mail, long-distance learning
resources and a virtual campus community.
Clark Atlanta University is applying technology to address
increased student enrollment through networking and computer training.
Clark Atlanta University's ``Distance Learning Initiative'' allows
students from across the country to take classes and participate in
lectures using a two-way interactive communications system.
Morris Brown College has implemented a Technology Assessment
Program, which consists of six levels of computer and Web-based
training, allowing students to become proficient in Web-based
technology.
The Interdenominational Theological Center has received funding
from the Lilly Endowment for its Information Technology for the
Theological Teaching Program. This program emphasizes faculty training
for use of technology in the classroom.
This year, the National Center for Primary Care will open on the
campus of Morehouse School of Medicine. This center will be a key
resource in using technology to determine how to expand access to high
quality, cost-effective healthcare for underserved populations, and how
to increase the proportion of under-represented minorities in the
health professions.
Despite the lack of adequate funding for technological advancements
at HBCUs, AUC schools are making significant gains in closing the
digital divide.
With technology infrastructure and training in place, these schools
will be able to develop network applications that can enhance teaching
methods and educational resources, strengthen the quality of education,
promote innovations and increase competitiveness.
The accomplishments of the AUC schools are illustrative of the
steps HBCUs are taking to close the digital divide. And while the
actions described here show progress, there remains a high demand for
more technology at HBCUs.
LACK OF TECHNOLOGY AT HBCUS
A digital divide exists between HBCUs and majority institutions.
This divide affects the ability of minority-serving institutions to be
competitive with other institutions of higher learning. Further, the
limited financial resources of African-American students makes it
difficult for them to purchase their own computers.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce Report released in
2000, Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Assessment of
Networking and Connectivity, fewer than 25 percent of HBCU students own
their own computers and must rely on institutional resources to connect
to the Internet, World Wide Web or other networks. This compares to 49
percent of students at other institutions of higher learning.
This lack of modern, available computer technology affects the
ability of minority-serving institutions to be competitive with other
institutions of higher learning in the information age.
Access to resources for information technology is critical if HBCUs
are to continue to prepare students to take an active part and
contribute to the country's economic growth and prosperity.
PROPOSED RESPONSE
Senators Cleland, Hollings and Stevens have taken a significant
step in narrowing the technology gap between HBCUs and majority
institutions. We applaud them for introducing a measure that would
authorize up to $250 million to create a program to provide grants to
minority-serving institutions for technology infrastructure and
training.
Specifically, this legislation would provide funds for: (1) the
acquisition of computers, technology, other instrumentation and
software; (2) the acquisition of telecommunications systems hardware;
and (3) training for students and faculty.
But this is just a beginning. Further studies should be conducted
to provide a more detailed assessment of the extent of the digital
divide, how it affects the ability of HBCUs to be competitive with
other institutions of higher learning and what steps should be taken to
close this gap.
CONCLUSION
Measures contained in S. 414 are vital to American Higher
Education. I encourage the Congress to pass the ``National
Telecommunications and Information Administration Digital Network
Program Act.'' This measure will expand the information highway,
ensuring that no student is left behind in the use of technology in the
21st century because of differences in income, education and race.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to testify today. I
would be pleased to respond to any questions that you might have.
Senator Cleland. Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
I forgot to remind all of our panelists that we have a
committee 5-minute rule, so if you could summarize your
testimony in about 5 minutes, we are going to submit your full
testimony for the record.
If there were no objection, Senator Allen, I would like to
just ask the good doctor a couple of questions. He has another
appointment, and no objection?
Senator Allen. Dr. Sullivan, you have a good, strong
statement as far as I'm concerned. Thank you, sir.
Senator Cleland. Dr. Sullivan, thank you very much.
The Administration's FY-2003 budget recommends eliminating
several technology projects, including the Technology
Opportunities Program, known as the TOP program, the Community
Technology Centers Program, and programs to help teachers learn
how to use computers in the classroom.
Just give us an indication of what impact you think the
elimination of these initiatives would have on minorities and
low-income communities?
Dr. Sullivan. I believe this would be an unfortunate
circumstance, Mr. Chairman, not only on these institutions and
the students they train, and the faculties, but frankly it
would be unfortunate for the country as a whole, because what
is intended with this legislation is not only to benefit these
institutions, but also to see that their graduates contribute
more effectively to the Nation's economy. With us competing
more and more in this world economy, we need to be sure that
all of our citizens are trained to the utmost so that each of
our citizens can contribute the maximum to our Nation. So I
think this would be really unfortunate if we were to
discontinue these programs.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much. Dr. Sullivan, I am
well aware of the quality of education provided by the six
outstanding institutions which comprise the Atlanta University
Center. In your testimony you touched on some of their
technology achievements.
What do you see as the most pressing needs of these six
institutions that you work with?
Dr. Sullivan. The most pressing need is to have the ability
to expand our technological growth. Because we have shown and
experienced thus far with the technology that we have
developed, enhancing the productivity in our instruction,
having students who are more competitive in the larger
workforce, and therefore having the ability to improve not only
their own lives but the lives of the communities in which they
reside.
So clearly, funds to support the continued information
technology capability in these institutions really is one of
our top priorities.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, and thank you for
your service to our great Nation in so many wonderful
capacities.
Senator Allen.
Senator Allen. I don't have any questions. Thank you for
your compelling testimony.
Senator Cleland. Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
Dr. Sullivan. Thank you both very much, and I very much
appreciate your understanding. And if I may be excused, I will
leave my colleagues.
Senator Cleland. You may indeed.
Dr. Juliet Garcia is with us today, and she also has a
plane to catch and we will go right to you, Dr. Garcia.
STATEMENT OF DR. JULIET V. GARCIA, PRESIDENT,
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-BROWNSVILLE
Dr. Garcia. I ask for your forgiveness ahead of time,
Senator Thank you for exiting the scene. Not to be rude, but a
5:30 flight to the southern tip of Texas is going to be my----
Senator Allen. Your flight is at 5:30?
Dr. Garcia. Yes, sir.
Senator Allen. Carry on.
Dr. Garcia. Here goes. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and
Senator Allen. I am Juliet Garcia, and I am President of The
University of Texas at Brownsville in partnership with Texas
Southmost College.
Let me begin by describing our university in partnership
with the community college. It serves over 10,000 academic
students right on the border. As a matter of fact, we are one
block from Mexico. And 10,000, in addition, continuing
education and workforce training students.
We offer everything from a certificate and associate's
degree, which are community college traditional degrees, to
baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
The partnership between University of Texas at Brownsville
and Texas Southmost College combines then the strengths of a
community college with those of an upper-level university by
increasing student access and eliminating the traditional
barriers that often exist for transfer between a community
college and a university. We are called then a community
university. We were an experiment, one that had a great deal of
difficulty getting going, just because of accreditation issues.
But after 10 years the experiment has been labeled and awarded
a success, and we now have a 99-year contract to continue the
experiment between the community college and The University of
Texas at Brownsville.
Our population is unique in a variety of ways. I mentioned
we are one block from the border. So many of our students are
bilingual, bicultural, and we are hoping to in our training
include biliteracy. That is, a student should be able to go to
our university, obtain an MBA or an engineering degree, and be
able to do that work in Monterey or in Chicago, or in some off-
country site in South America or around the world. We did not
create the world economy now that drives industry, but we are
certainly meaning to take advantage of it.
We represent a region and a community that is 90 percent
Hispanic with a median family income of $15,000. So when we are
talking about the poorest community, our community--excuse me--
the poorest county in the State of Texas, often you hear about
Hidalgo County, or Cameron County, or Starr County. It is not
the way you want to be in the news, but it is the way we are
often cited because of negative poverty statistics.
So when I see the NTIA report that the Internet divide for
Hispanic households was 4.3 percent wider in 2000 than it was
in 1998, I understand that that disparity is even greater in a
community like deep South Texas.
Let me give you an example. We are part of the University
of Texas System. We are not Longhorns. And not only are we not
Longhorns like U.T. Austin, but we are different in other ways.
There are 15 components in the University of Texas System. The
only two components that do not receive oil and gas revenue
benefits are the two Hispanic-serving institutions,
predominantly Hispanic-serving institutions, U.T. Pan American,
also in South Texas, and U.T. Brownsville.
So let me give you an example of what that means for our
students. Our library at UTB ranks among the bottom 10 percent
of the libraries in the colleges in the State of Texas. This is
not what you want to brag about as the president. In terms of
books available per student, that means that if I were a
student at U.T. Austin, I would have 146 books available to me,
and only 17 books available at the Brownsville library.
But we see digital access as a greater leveler. We have
begun to create and make available for our students a digital
library. Let me give you an example of what we have done. In 5
years we have taken what was 500 print serials or access to
serial publications, 500 in number, and expanded it to 32,000.
That is in 5 years, and it is through digital access. These
serials are available 24 hours a day, even though the library
is closed. And unlike the ones in print and in the library,
they are available to multiple users at one time, and they are
never lost or at the bindery.
This works if you have access then to Internet and to
computers. So the catch is now how do we make that accessible
to all students? Well, of course we have computer labs, but
never enough. Half of our library now looks like a computer
lab, because students do not have laptops, and may not benefit,
sir, from the tax credit, even though we would love for them
to.
If you have $15,000 income in a family, $1,000 of that
$15,000 is probably not going to go to a new laptop, even
though you are going to get a tax credit. OK, well, even so, it
would be hard for me to spend one-fifteenth of my income. And I
say that not because it is a bad idea, because certainly an
incentive to provide technology for any family or for any
student is exactly what we need. But if we believe that it is
going to target some of these students, I am afraid that we may
not be targeting the ones that, in fact, might need it the
most.
So what we need to believe is that our computer labs are
the only accessible computer for students, and if you do not
have enough computers, right away we have cut back that access.
And second, if you can only keep your computer lab open for
a certain amount of time, then students after hours, after
work, and most of our students work, do not have access to
computers either.
And I would like to respond to some of the issues that have
been raised today, because we are supportive of this bill. That
is, I am personally, and I believe that most HSIs, as Mr.
Flores has also testified, applaud the innovative, creative,
and really far-reaching benefits of the bill that you have
presented.
And so I applaud its flexibility, and I applaud the fact
that it encourages partnerships with communities, with schools,
with community-based or locally organized organizations, and
certainly with private industry.
We have a Garrett grant. As a result of that Garrett grant,
we have 7,000 students who are gearing up to come to our
university. We would hope that when they get there they are not
disappointed, that they actually would have better computers
there than they have at their own schools, or they would have
computers that often are not in the poorer schools.
I would like to respond to a couple of things that have
been brought up earlier. One is a segment that tribal colleges
are the best kept secret often left out of important studies. I
have a different kind of analogy to make. Hispanics are never
left out of studies. It is kind of hard to leave us out now
that we are so many in the United States.
But what I see in people's faces when you talk about
Hispanics is, ``Oh my God, what are we going to do with all
these Hispanics?'' There is a real concern. I do not think
people are worried about looking like Hispanics. I think what
they are worried about is the characteristics that sometimes
Hispanics have in the population: under-educated, employed at a
much lower level, and certainly not as productive members of
the society as we could be.
But imagine if we turned that around. Imagine if we said,
``Thank goodness my State has a lot of Hispanics.'' The only
way that would happen is if we took those Hispanics and trained
them, and honed their skills, and gave them those
opportunities. Not in affirmative action, but affirmative
opportunity. If you want Hispanics to do well in Texas, or in
Virginia, or in Georgia, or anywhere else, all they need is
opportunity of the same kind, of equal measure to the kind the
student does if he or she gets into U.T. Austin.
So I would applaud the recommendations that President
Humphries made about Pell-eligible students being targeted to
allow students to buy personal computers. If we can figure some
way to do that, that would reach 75 percent of the students at
this one HSI.
I also would point out that one of the reasons students go
away from school, get out of school, regardless of how valuable
working for Sears appears to be this year--and I refer not in a
negative way--but simply when that student exits school without
a degree, because they are offered a $42,000 paying job, think
about it. The family is getting $15,000 a year. All of a
sudden, I can make $42,000. You are not going to get the
college degree. You are going to get four computer courses,
which is fine to get you in the job market. But when
technology-driven industry then for some reason has to cut
workers, the first ones going to go are the ones without full-
fledged baccalaureate degrees.
We have the same problem in our institution where we start
students in computer instruction, computer information systems,
and they are offered a high-paying job immediately. And they
end up without a degree, and find themselves out of a job 2 or
3 years from now.
So my proposition is simply help us keep them in. Help us
create those partnerships with Sears and others, but as
incentives not to quit working at school while they begin
working at Sears, a partnership that is as concurrent with your
involvement at the university, that will lead you to a
baccalaureate or a master's degree.
We will provide you an internship at Sears. They have to
work anyway; most students at HBCUs and at HSIs have to work.
So help us find through partnerships ways to provide them the
money they need to work, and at the same time to continue their
education.
Two more points. One, about the number of computer
engineering graduates. I am not going to get into the Florida
fight, but I do want to provide you with an analogy of
Hispanic-serving institutions and ours is in mathematics.
We are only 10 years old, yet in the Hispanic Outlook for
Higher Education we were cited as the institution last year
that produced the most Hispanic mathematics majors in the
Nation. And you can say ``That's a wonderful job. You're doing
great,'' but I have to say, ``Then what is everybody else
doing?'' If I am able to do so well with only a 10-year-old
institution, with only 10,000 academic students, what is
everyone else--why are Hispanics not educated in mathematics at
other institutions? My point there is that we have got a long,
long way to go, and targeting HSIs and HBCUs and tribal
colleges I believe is the right direction to take.
And finally, and it has to do with potential for human
capital. I mentioned the view of what folks think about
Hispanics today. I offer you another view in addition to the
one I have already mentioned, and that is of a phenomenon that
has occurred in our community in Brownsville, and that is of
chess.
There is an infection that has occurred. Children starting
out at 5 years old are playing chess and winning State and
national tournaments. Of the five cities in the Nation that
were most represented at the National Chess Tournament,
Brownsville, Texas was one of those five.
Those children were the ones that were at risk. They came
learning English for the first time at 5 years old. Their
parents had not gone to college; they had not gone to high
school--graduated. They were on free lunch, and we can go
through all the negative criteria.
My point is that they had an opportunity. Somebody sat down
with them and said, ``I am going to teach you how to play
chess.'' And they had tremendous potential now to learn it.
They already knew two languages. One more is chess. A third one
is math. A fourth one is computer science. Once your brain gets
complicated, having learned two languages, it can learn a third
and fourth.
My point simply is we have the same opportunity in
Brownsville, or other HSIs or HBCUs, we can produce the same
kind of product as any other institution. I thank you for your
time, and I am sorry I talked in compressed paragraphs.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Garcia follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Juliet V. Garcia, President,
University of Texas-Brownsville
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee on
Science, Technology and Space of the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation.
I am Juliet Garcia, President of the University of Texas-
Brownsville. I am pleased to testify today at this hearing on the
Digital Divide, its effect on Minority-serving Institutions and the
Digital Network Technology Program Act.
Let me begin by describing our University. In partnership with
Texas Southmost College, our University serves over 10,000 students at
its campus located in Brownsville, one block from Mexico. We offer a
wide range of courses from certificate, associate, baccalaureate, and
graduate degrees as well as a growing workforce training and continuing
education program. Our mission at UTB/TSC is to provide accessible and
affordable postsecondary education of high quality, to conduct research
which expands knowledge and to present programs of continuing
education, public service, and cultural value to meet the needs of the
community. The partnership between the University and Texas Southmost
College combines the strengths of the community college and those of an
upper-level university by increasing student access and eliminating
inter-institutional barriers while fulfilling the distinctive
responsibilities of each type of institution.
At UTB/TSC, we place excellence in learning and teaching at the
core of our commitments. We seek to help students at all levels develop
the skills of critical thinking, quantitative analysis, effective
communications, and technology that will sustain lifelong learning. On
a daily basis, we serve students who are in great need of remedial work
in core areas and students who are promising research scientists with
bilingual abilities.
UTB/TSC fosters an appreciation of the unique heritage of the Lower
Rio Grande Valley, and provides academic leadership to the
intellectual, cultural, social and economic life of the bi-national
urban region it serves. That region is over 90 percent Hispanic with an
annual median family income of about $15,000 and an unemployment rate
that approaches twice the national average.
When I see in the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration's report that the Internet divide for Hispanic
households was 4.3 percent wider in 2000 than in 1998, I know that the
Brownsville Community also faces this increasing divide.
The library at UTB/TSC, in terms of books available per student,
ranks among the bottom 10 percent of the colleges in the State of
Texas. This means that at the University of Texas at Austin there are
146 books per student as compared to 17 books per student at UTB/TSC.
Digital access is a great leveler. We have begun to create and make
available to our students a digital library. Our director of library
services says that what would take a decade to build in a traditional
print library can be done in 2 years with online access. Collections
that at one time were available only to the wealthy schools are now
available to smaller institutions through the Internet.
These examples are provided because what is true for UTB/TSC
students is reflective of our region.
At UTB/TSC, we are fully aware of the singular importance of the
Digital Divide and its far reaching effects on low-income and minority
youth. We also fully embrace the imperative of better integrating
technology into the classroom, curriculum, school administration, and
community to improve student achievement through the development of
21st century skills. And, we understand that one of the most effective
ways to foster integration of technology into education at all levels
is through well-designed partnerships that cut across the divisions
that too often separate K-12 schools from colleges and universities and
too often disconnect government from its community and its citizens.
In today's knowledge-based society and economy, students require
21st century skills. More than ever before, today's students must be
able to find, analyze, synthesize, and apply information quickly and
efficiently. In conjunction with the development of strong reading,
writing, and mathematical skills, better integration of technology into
the classroom can improve both teaching and learning, making both more
student-centered and productive. Anyone who has witnessed, in the
classroom setting, the introduction of low-income and minority students
to the personal computer and wonders of the Internet can attest to how
such an experience can instantaneously propel their interest,
motivation, critical thinking, and expression. As a nation, our goal
surely ought to be to make that mind-expanding experience available to
all students as early in their educational development as possible.
Access to technology in education--and all the benefits that flow from
it--cannot be left to depend on one's income or race. It must be
guaranteed for all youth.
To fully integrate technology into our educational system and reap
the benefits of enhanced student achievement and development of 21st
century skills, requires a broad approach that encourages all of the
key players--administrators, parents, community, and government--to
integrate technology into the way we do business. Only when school
administrators use technology to manage education efficiently, only
when parents are informed about technology and are fully supportive of
its key role in the education of their children, and only when the
entire community becomes fully involved through creative partnerships
that foster the development and sharing of technology resources can the
benefits of technology to students in the classroom be maximized and
made available to all students, regardless of income or race.
Let me give you a recent example, in late January and early
February, we had more than 10,000 fifth through eighth grade students
come to our campus to participate in the live interactive viewing of
scientists at work in Alaska through the JASON PROJECT, a science based
program started by Dr. Robert Ballard. Our students used the Internet
to submit questions to the Alaska and to complete answers to questions
submitted by the scientists. One of our own students from San Benito
High School, served as host with Dr. Ballard. This young lady,
Christian Gonzalez, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley who had never even
seen real snow, who had never even imagined being on a live telecast,
much less being in Alaska with a world renowned scientist, had a
tremendous experience because technology had been used to introduce her
to the possibilities in junior high school through the JASON project.
As a nation, our goal surely ought to be to make that kind of mind-
expanding experience available to all students as early in their
educational development as possible. Access to technology in
education--and all the benefits that flow from it--cannot be left to
depend on one's income or race or happenstance of where there were born
and reared. It must be guaranteed for all youth.
In that regard, I applaud S. 414 for taking a broad approach to
fostering integration of technology in education through creation of a
flexible digital technology program. Under the proposed program, a wide
range of colleges and universities that serve low-income black,
Hispanic, and native American students can apply for a grant, contract
or cooperative agreement to support a wide range of activities that can
be designed to address the specific needs of their constituency,
including:
teaching students and teachers about technology in the
classroom;
creating and providing faculty development programs and
prepare students or faculty seeking a degree or certificate;
providing teacher education, library and media specialist
training, and preschool and teacher aid certification to enhance
technology skills in the classroom or the instructional process;
implementing a joint project to provide technology
education in the classroom; and
providing leadership development to administrators, board
members, and faculty.
Each of these activities is a critical piece of a broad,
comprehensive strategy to fully integrate technology into education and
ensure that access to such education is ensured for all low-income,
minority students.
I would also like to applaud the flexibility of the proposed
grants--permitting as they would a breadth of capacity building
expenditures: on acquisition of equipment, instrumentation, networking
capability, hardware and software, digital network technology, and
infrastructure.
Finally, I applaud the bill's encouragement of the formation of
partnerships between colleges and universities and State and local
education agencies, community-based organizations, national non-profit
organizations, and businesses, including minority businesses. The
Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a congressional
chartered panel on which I serve as Chairperson, has recommended the
expansion of partnerships to ensure that low-income students who
currently cannot afford college have access to high quality higher
education and a baccalaureate degree.
UTB/TSC has broad experience with partnerships and we have
witnessed first-hand the power of such partnerships. Our GEAR UP grant
from the U.S. Department of Education has enabled us to partner with
local schools to ensure that students learn about the possibility of
higher education as early as middle school and graduate from high
school academically prepared to enroll in college. Over 7,000
Brownsville area students are participating in the GEAR UP program. In
addition, a foundation grant has enabled us to create the ENLACE
program in which we partner with schools and community groups to
enhance the teaching of science and support community activities that
help students and parents understand and enjoy science.
I believe the proposed program, supporting varied and far-reaching
activities through partnerships would help minority-serving
institutions make great progress in closing the Digital Divide for the
benefit of the students they serve as well as the entire nation.
Senator Cleland. Dr. Garcia, that is a powerful statement
and a compelling analogy there. Thank you very much. I have no
further questions.
Does Senator Allen have any questions?
Senator Allen. No. Muchas gracias and bon voyage.
Another language in there.
[Laughter.]
You are supposed to get there supposedly, I will say, 2
hours before the plane leaves. Are you flying out of Reagan
National?
Dr. Garcia. Yes, sir.
Senator Allen. Well, that is good.
[Laughter.]
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, Dr. Garcia, for
coming to be with us. God bless you.
Dr. McDemmond, we welcome you to our hearing.
STATEMENT OF DR. MARIE V. McDEMMOND, PRESIDENT, NORFOLK STATE
UNIVERSITY
Dr. McDemmond. Well, good afternoon, Senator Cleland and
Senator Allen, who was Governor of our great Commonwealth of
Virginia. You really set an example of how to govern in the
Internet age. So we want to thank you for that.
My name is Marie McDemmond, and I am President of Norfolk
State University, a comprehensive public institution in
Norfolk, Virginia, and the largest of the five historically
black colleges and universities in the Commonwealth of Virginia
with 7,000 students. I am also proud to serve as a member of
President Bush's National Advisory Board on Historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
Since Norfolk State University opened its doors in 1935,
the university has remained steadfast in its commitment to
provide an affordable, high-quality education to an under-
served population in its community, the State, and the Nation.
Norfolk State's need-based students, 88 percent of our
population are on some form of financial aid, have an average
median family income of slightly less than $23,000 a year. We
have worked hard to ensure that our students remain eligible
for Federal financial aid, and with improved management over my
5 years have lowered our default rate from 27 percent to 5.7
percent.
I am here today to speak in support of S. 414. This
legislation would provide a new grant program for minority
serving institutions across the country to help bridge the
current inequities in computer and Internet access that is
between those with different levels of income and education in
this country, is greatly needed.
This bill is needed for minority-serving institutions,
because in time of prosperity, initiatives for equipment
upgrades, training, and innovations and renovations at MSIs get
only partial funding at best. And when revenues dwindle, like
now, so do the scarce resources of capital improvement funds
for equipment and infrastructure.
Norfolk State University currently serves a unique mission
in educating a significant number of African American
professionals in the sciences and in technology. In the last
decade Norfolk State has increased the number of students
enrolled in its fully accredited computer science program by
116 percent, and increased its numbers of students enrolled in
computer technology by 32 percent.
Norfolk State was one of the first universities in Virginia
to offer to students in the non-technical field the Internet-
based texts and exams in our own computer laboratories on
campus.
In our current efforts to bridge the digital divide here in
the ``Digital Dominion,'' Norfolk State University is
attracting new businesses to the surrounding community so that
they can take advantage of our location in an Enterprise
Community, Empowerment Zone, Hub Zone and Hope VI community,
truly a real deprived area within Norfolk, Virginia.
We are also providing, as Senator Allen mentioned earlier,
certification to CISCO Systems and their technologies through
our CISCO-sponsored lab on campus, and we are partnering with
the Small Business Administration and Empowerment 2010 in our
fully accredited School of Business's Center for
Entrepreneurship, the ability for minority-owned businesses to
absorb new technologies and the new knowhows in managing
efficiently their businesses.
Over the next three to 5 years, through a public-private
partnership, Norfolk State will lead an ambitious effort, a
very aggressive effort to construct a telecommunications
infrastructure. The Research and Innovation to Support
Empowerment, or what we're calling our ``RISE'' Center, will
support a complex technology development system within a
bridging format with broad-band framework. RISE will be a self-
sustaining facility that will promote technology, computer
services to K through 12 schools, economic development,
business formation, research opportunities, and work force
development.
With sufficient funding, this center could have its own
gigapod, could have Internet 2 access, and could really serve
as a network among other HSIs, and particularly HBCUs and their
respective communities, and aggregate their economic potential
to deal with partnerships and expand minority training in the
management of technology infrastructure.
You know, the majority of workers in the United States
today are skilled knowledge workers. Our most important
businesses and industries are not just computer and electronic
firms, but also advanced information-driven companies with an
educated and diverse work force. A work force of people who
prize their differences, and will succeed because of them.
We must educate America's own for these great
opportunities. Much of the recent growth in higher education
has been and will continue to be among historically under-
represented populations, racial and ethnic minorities, and
first-generation college students who bring a number of unique
academic and co-curricular needs to our campuses.
We need the resources to prepare these students for the
jobs of the future. The bill you are considering to establish a
$250 million pool of funds through the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration's Digital
Network Technology Program Act will fill the gap--will not fill
the gap in this access, but it is a definite step in the right
direction. This fund is an incentive for minority-serving
institutions to find efficient and effective ways to educate
our technology-proficient students.
As the President of a historically black university, I want
to ensure you that the students we are preparing today are
indeed achieving with excellence, and that each one must have
the opportunity that he or she can be the very best they can
be.
I want to thank you for your thoughtful consideration of
this legislation. The education of our next generation of
leaders has to be a team effort, and you, this Congress, are an
integral part of that team. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. McDemmond follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Marie V. McDemmond, President,
Norfolk State University
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Senate
Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space and other honorable
members of the U.S. Congress. My name is Marie V. McDemmond. I am the
President of Norfolk State University, a comprehensive public
institution of higher education in Norfolk, Virginia, and the largest
of the five Virginia historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs) with 7000 students.
Since Norfolk State University opened its doors in 1935, the
university has remained steadfast in its commitment to provide an
affordable, high-quality education to an under-served population in its
community, its State and the nation. The percentage of undergraduate
students receiving financial aid at Norfolk State University is 88
percent. These students have an average median family household income
of less than $23,000. Since my arrival at Norfolk State in mid-1997, we
have worked hard to ensure that our students remain eligible for
Federal financial aid and, with improved management, have lowered our
direct student loan default rate in 5 years from 27 percent to 5.7
percent. For the last 65 years, NSU has made every effort to provide
educational access to its culturally diverse and economically
disadvantaged student population without placing unrealistic financial
requirements upon them.
We all know that access to computers and the Internet and the
ability to use effectively these new technologies are becoming
increasingly important for full participation in America's economic,
political and social arenas. In recent years, even though nationwide
access to new technology has exploded, there is still overwhelming
evidence of an ever increasing Digital divide''--a compelling gap
between those individuals and communities that have access to these
tools and the training to use them, and those who do not.
I am here today to speak in support of legislation (S. 414),
patroned by Senator Max Cleland. This bill represents an investment in
America's most precious resource, its people. This bill would provide a
new, and badly needed, grant program for minority-serving institutions
across the country and would help eliminate the current inequities in
computer and Internet access that exist between those with different
levels of income and education. In October of 2000, the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration produced a report
called ``An Assessment of Networking and Connectivity at Historically
Black Colleges and Universities'' for the U.S. Department of Commerce,
and, as you know, that report drew everyone's attention to the
immediacy of the access problem in lower socio-economic communities and
at historically black colleges and universities. Figures released in
the last year by Access Worldwide Communications indicate that
Households with incomes of $75,000 and higher are more
than 20 times more likely to have access to the Internet than those at
the lowest income levels.
African American and Hispanic households are approximately
one-third less likely to have home Internet access as other households.
About one-third of the U.S. population uses the Internet
at home, while only 16.1 percent of Hispanics and 18.9 percent of
African Americans have Internet access at home.
Although an increasing number of African American and
Hispanic users are participating online, the overall divide is
increasing as Internet utilization among the general population has
also rapidly increased.
Over the last several decades the financing of public higher
education in the United States has been one of uncertainty. When it was
good it was very good and when it was bad, negligible funds were
available. In the case of minority-serving public institutions, our
portion of the pie has never been quite enough. The funding needed at
minority-serving institutions just to put the infrastructure in place
to accommodate the new and emerging technologies is enormous.
Investment in infrastructure is only the first step. Investment will
also need to be made to sustain as well as to renew and refresh the
technology necessary for a competitive education. And of course without
the technology infrastructure and equipment, there is no means to
train. Minority-serving institutions must play catch up, but they
continue to fall further behind as new technologies are being developed
faster than the speed of light.
Minority-serving colleges and universities across the country are
searching for funding and support from private sources that will
compliment the dwindling funding available at the State and Federal
levels of government. Most minority-serving institutions are just
emerging as comprehensive colleges and universities, and Norfolk State
is no exception. We do not have the same amount of private foundation
resources or endowments as the larger, more established, traditionally
white institutions (TWIs). We are working diligently to increase our
endowments and increase our community and alumni support, but we still
have a long way to go.
Norfolk State University currently serves a unique mission in
educating a significant number of African-American professionals in the
sciences and in technology. Within the last decade, Norfolk State
University has increased the number of students enrolled in its
computer science programs by 116 percent (from 197 to 425) and
increased the number of students enrolled in computer technology by 32
percent.
Norfolk State University was one of the first universities to offer
its students in non-technical fields the Virginia Internet-based
Tek.Xam technology assessment exam proctored in its on-campus computer
laboratories. In recent years, the number of student computers in
campus labs at NSU has jumped from 600 to over 1,400 and all students
have e-mail accounts. Every full-time faculty member has a desktop
computer and Internet access.
In conjunction with the over 100 firms associated with the Virginia
High Tech Partnership, Norfolk State is significantly increasing the
number of minority interns and permanent hires in technology related
fields of employment, having placed over 60 students in technology
internships over the past three summers.
In our current efforts to bridge the digital divide Norfolk State
University is:
Working to restructure about 30 businesses to prepare them
for the 21st century business model;
Providing certifications in CISCO systems technologies;
Partnering with the Small Business Administration and
Empowerment 2010 to strengthen the business community's capacity to
absorb new technology and know-how; and
Attracting new businesses to the surrounding community and
formulating plans to capture the economic benefits of our location in
an Enterprise Community, Empowerment Zone, HUB Zone and Hope VI
Community.
Norfolk State University must act as a catalyst to make sure the
technology infrastructure is in place not only for its faculty and
students but also for its surrounding community. Over the next two to 5
years, through a public-private partnership, Norfolk State University
will lead a large scale effort to construct a telecommunications
infrastructure--The Research and Innovation to Support Empowerment
(RISE) Center--that will support a complex technology development
system within a bridging framework. RISE will be a self-sustaining
facility that will act to spur economic development in the Enterprise
Zone, Empowerment Zone, HUB Zone area surrounding the campus and will
promote technology development, business formation, educational and
research opportunities and workforce development. In the second and
third phases of development, the RISE project includes a Science and
Math Laboratory School for students K-6 and classrooms for distance
learning programs. The private sector indicates that the RISE Center
can create a network among several HBCUs and their respective
communities and aggregate the economic potential emerging from expanded
bandwidth and access. The facility has the potential to increase
business partnerships and expand minority training in the management of
technology infrastructure.
In Virginia, our former Governor, James Gilmore, and his
predecessor, Governor George Allen, who I am happy to say is a former
chair and now a member of this Senate subcommittee, established a model
in the State for governing in the Internet age. Virginia has the first
Secretary of Technology in the nation, the first Internet policy and
was the first State to sign the Uniform Computer Information
Transaction Act. Last year, a Commonwealth Technology Research Fund was
created to help enable colleges and universities to better compete for
Federal and private research grants. As part of the Hampton Roads
Partnership, we see our city and the Hampton Roads region accommodating
the expansion of high technology businesses from Northern Virginia and
elsewhere. The vision is in place, but funding will remain a critical
issue if we are to train and educate the workforce needed in this
decade and beyond. We are confident with his experience in the
technology field, our current Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, will
continue these efforts.
Many people think the world they know will last at least throughout
their lifetime, if not forever. They believe that today's monumental
changes somehow will not affect them and that the future will continue
as the present. If you have lived in poverty and without much hope, it
has to be paramount in your mind that there is truly a way out, a way
to a better more productive life, and a way to use the brainpower you
know you have. What the minority communities need to believe is that:
Their preschool children will have safe daycare where
computers offer the same exploration to these 1 to 4 year olds as to
their middle and upper class counterparts;
Their elementary school youngsters can surf the web to
complete homework assignments and explore the challenging thoughts that
present themselves while on line;
Their traditional age students, or older, in colleges and
universities know how to use all of the search engines and research
programs available on campus, regardless of the amount of their tuition
or the size of the institution's endowments; and
Their senior citizens, often homebound, and others in
their communities who are physically challenged, have computer skills
and access to order their groceries, expand their minds or e-mail their
children and grandchildren, no matter what their socioeconomic status
or zip code.
Minorities are a vital part of the first generation of a new and
glorious millennium of growth and development for our country--a
country that needs our full participation. Minority-serving
institutions have a unique challenge in educating students with little
or no preparation for the work world they are about to enter. Many of
the simplest of tasks we take for granted in the workplace today
(making a phone call or sending a fax) are the by-products of years and
years of educational and cultural development. Each new generation has
learned how to accomplish these tasks, adapted their skills and made
their processes better and better. Today we are reorganizing and
rebuilding business and industry and even whole national economies, and
in that process we are also redistributing knowledge and the way we
communicate knowledge. There is a high demand in the United States
today for skilled, knowledgeable workers. Our most important businesses
and industries are not just computer and electronics firms, but also
advanced, information-driven companies with an educated and diverse
workforce, a workforce of people who prize their diversity and will be
successful because of it. There is a national shortage of information
and communication technology professionals, and as minority-serving
institutions we can educate our own to fill this gap. It is critical
that our government takes an active role in the installation,
development and use of information and communication technologies
across economic as well as geographic lines so that America will have
its own diverse trained workforce.
Over the course of our nation's history, the view of higher
education as a central element of our economic and social well-being
has been widely acknowledged. Thomas Jefferson wrote of this concept
when he said, ``I think by far the most important bill in our whole
code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people. No other
sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and
happiness.'' Jefferson's world, two hundred years ago, was a vastly
different place than the world today. However, our increasing
dependence on knowledge and information today continues to recognize
the importance of Mr. Jefferson's words and acknowledges the importance
of colleges and universities as the generators of that knowledge and
information.
For more than two decades, enrollment at public colleges and
universities has gradually risen; more than 77 percent of higher
education is provided in public colleges and universities today.
Projections for the coming decade show the total climbing further. Much
of the recent growth has been among historically under-served and
under-represented populations--racial and ethnic minorities, first
generation college students--who bring a number of unique academic and
co-curricular needs to our campuses. We must educate America's own to
fill the high tech jobs of this century. The future demands that we
have the technological resources to prepare these students.
The Senate bill you are considering in this subcommittee to
establish a $250 million pool of funds through the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration Digital Network
Technology Program Act will not fill the total gap in technology access
between the haves and the have-nots, but it is a critical step in the
right direction. This fund is an investment and an incentive for us all
in providing digital opportunities for the communities and the students
we serve.
As the president of a public institution of higher learning and a
historically black university, I want to ensure that the students we
serve are ``achieving with Excellence'' and that each one has the
opportunity to be the best he or she can possibly be. We must transform
the digital divide that challenges us today into the digital resources
and opportunities of tomorrow for all Americans regardless of their
heritage or socio-economic status.
I want to thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this
legislation. The education of our next generation of leaders must be a
team effort, and you are a critical part of that team.
Senator Cleland. Thank you, Doctor. I want you to know I
picked up that phrase, ``Digital Dominion.'' I got that.
Senator Allen, would you like to lead the questioning?
Senator Allen. Digital or Silicon Dominion. Dr. McDemmond
came in at Norfolk State University and faced a lot of
challenges when she came in. It was right at the end of my
administration. I have a great deal of confidence in her
ability to turn a lot of financial problems around. And it was
no small task with the student loan default rate, and
everything else that she has done at Norfolk State has just
been fantastic.
I also asked this question of the previous panel, as far as
the number of students, and percentage of students in computer
sciences, mathematics, and computer technology. Your record at
Norfolk State, the Norfolk State story about increasing the
computer sciences programs by 116 percent, and the number of
students enrolled in computer technology increased by 32
percent, I think was your testimony.
Now, what caused this increase? What was it that was able
to attract those young students?
Dr. McDemmond. Well, giving them the opportunity. One of
the things that we did was to accredit our computer science
program early. So that program was a top-notch program.
Students coming out of that program right now make around
$60,000 at top firms throughout the United States as an
undergraduate degree. Through the OCR agreement, we just
received approval to have a master's in that computer science
program. So we know that we can continue to do this.
Having the right kind of program, Senator, making sure the
students have the infrastructure, the actual wiring and
capabilities. We struggle every day to make sure that our
students have some means of computer access. Our dorms are not
wired. So if the students go back to their rooms, they have to
get up and go to the lab. But if they had a laptop right there
in their dorm, there would be so much more advantage to be able
to take full opportunity of science and technology careers.
But I think clearly, having the programs, the quality
programs, the quality that they need, and we speak to that at
Norfolk State a whole lot, the whole quality of the education.
Senator Allen. You wouldn't be one of those four
universities that I've been asking----
Dr. McDemmond. No, sir.
Senator Allen. Do you know what those four are?
Dr. McDemmond. I know Spellman, Morehouse, Clark, AU. I
used to be Vice President of Finance at Atlanta University, so
I do know that they had quite an endowment when I was there.
But we only have $7 million in our endowment at Norfolk State,
and I am working daily to increase that number. But as you can
see, a $7 million endowment does not give us much flexible
resources, not like Mr. Jefferson's university, sir.
Senator Allen. Not even like Virginia Tech, as far as the
requirement that all students have computers at Virginia Tech,
which is not your sister university. Well, I guess to some
extent, Virginia State is.
But then your testimony is that Senator Cleland's bill
would be very helpful. It is a step in the right direction. I
am going to ask, as Senator Cleland is listening to all this
testimony here, this bill, Norfolk State and Virginia State are
two State historically black universities in Virginia. We have
three independent universities or colleges: St. Paul's,
Virginia Union, and Hampton; right?
Dr. McDemmond. Right, there are three.
Senator Allen. Would these grants just go to State
colleges. Would they also be available to independent colleges
and universities?
Senator Cleland. That is correct, Senator.
Senator Allen. Well, in light of the answer to that, and
the testimony of Dr. McDemmond and others here, I would ask
you, Senator Cleland, if you need some more support on this
side of the aisle, I would be very proud to be a co-sponsor of
your legislation. I think it is a step in the right direction.
I would hope to get this measure passed this year. I think
it is important for the future of our country.
Senator Cleland. Thank you very much, Senator. We do need
support from your side of the aisle, and the fact that you are
the Ranking Member on this Subcommittee here, it would be a
great boost to the legislation. And I thank you for that.
And I have already asked my staff to check out my being a
co-sponsor to your legislation, that you and Senator Boxer
have, for a refundable tax credit for the purchase of
computers.
Senator Allen. Thank you.
Senator Cleland. I might say that our Governor in Georgia
has just put forward through the Legislature, which should pass
it soon, a tax holiday in the spring and one in the fall, and
to use part of that money to buy computers.
Senator Allen. It will work. They will sell a lot more just
over that.
Senator Cleland. Yes, sir. The four colleges that would
have to match would be Howard University, Hampton University,
and two in my state, Spellman and Morehouse. Which means we
will have to work on that section of the bill.
[Laughter.]
Senator Allen. No, no. We do not have to do that. The way I
see that is that that gives them an added incentive that for
every dollar someone gets, they get three dollars back. You can
use those sort of matching grants as an incentive for people to
be more generous.
Senator Cleland. There you go. Any further questions, sir?
Senator Allen. No, I have no further questions. If I could
be excused?
Senator Cleland. You may. You are excused.
Senator Allen. Again, thank you.
Dr. McDemmond. Thank you, Senator Allen.
Senator Cleland. Mr. Sandoval, you have been so patient.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for traveling all the way
from Arizona. And we would be glad to hear your statement.
STATEMENT OF GEORGE SANDOVAL, NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR, DINE
COLLEGE
Mr. Sandoval. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you, Senator
Allen, and thank you, Senator Cleland. I am here representing
Dine College, and we thank you for offering to let us testify.
My name is George Sandoval, and I have been employed for 5
years at the college. I serve as the Network Administrator for
Information Services. I am also a former student of the
college, and I am Navajo, and I have lived on the reservation
for most of my life.
And today I just want to discuss the current technological
state of the college, and talk about, I guess, the digital
divide that exists on the Navajo Reservation, including the
college.
The college was founded in 1968 as the first tribally
controlled college in the United States. It has since changed
its name to Dine College, and serves eight communities. The
main campuses are in Tsaile, Arizona and Shiprock, New Mexico.
The other centers are mostly just single buildings, and we have
been trying to expand our services out to those communities.
In recent years those centers have accounted for more than
half the student population. Dine College focuses on preparing
students for transfer to 4-year colleges, as well as entering
into employment.
While awarding mostly associate degrees, the college has
begun a partnership with Arizona State University, and has now
graduated several classes with bachelor's of arts degrees, and
two students have achieved their master's degrees, and these
are mostly in education.
We have just begun to offer a distance learning via two-way
video. And we are also using web applications to try to begin
distance learning. We are just at the beginning, and we have a
lot more to learn about it.
Nearly 2 years ago, on April 17th, 2000, former President
of the United States, Bill Clinton, made a historic trip to the
Navajo Reservation and Dine College. This was an exciting time
for me, because just the impact of having a President come to
the reservation. His main message at this time concerned the
digital divide and his commitment to assisting the reservation
so that they could have the same opportunities as the rest of
the country.
There were two projects that we worked on at that time. One
of them was setting up a video conference with the President
and elementary students at Lake Valley School. We worked with
various entities to get that going and to make it as optimal as
possible.
Another project that we spent a lot of time on was bringing
the Access Grid to Dine College, and we did that via the NSF-
funded Internet 2, and with efforts from the University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque, High Performance Computing Center, Oregon
National Laboratory, the Indian Health Services at Shiprock,
and the General Services Administration.
We succeeded in providing content via the access grid to
the University of New Mexico, Maui High Performance Computing
Center, Boston University, Oregon National Laboratory, and the
University of Kentucky. This was just a one-time event. And so
about a week after the President left, all the T-1 circuits and
the router that we borrowed were removed. However, it was a
good experience, and it just proved that we were capable of
doing something like that.
In the near future at Dine College we would like to offer
more distance learning opportunities, because just the distance
between communities and the various centers, we find it helpful
when we have even just two-way video and just web courses,
where students do not have to be all at one place at one time.
Some of the difficult problems that we face at the college
include faculty and staff retention, just basic housing, to
bring in staff and faculty, infrastructure. We have problems
with electrical overloads, and just bringing in data lines. It
is difficult to upgrade because of the older buildings. Of
course, we need more office space and classrooms. Sometimes
those are hard to find.
Some of the cuts that affect students are related directly
to athletics and student clubs, so the students get a lot of
cuts for their programs.
Some of our biggest strengths are Dine language programs,
the Center for Dine Studies and the Dine Teacher Education
Program. That partnership is with Arizona State University. And
we are also trying to establish partnerships with Northern
Arizona University, with their distance learning program. And
we have also worked with the University of New Mexico High
Performance Computing Center. And all those partnerships are
invaluable. We have really used them.
Some other grants that we receive have also been very
helpful. Currently we have a Title III grant, and we are funded
for 5 years. We also have a Youth Opportunity grant. And of
course there is an AIHEC grant that is working with Microsoft.
They are providing training and software for all the tribal
colleges.
Some of the donors were, of course the Department of
Commerce; we received PCs from them last year, IBM, Reebok, the
Department of Agriculture, and the International Commerce
Institute have all donated computers to the college, and we
have tried to give them directly to students.
The State of Arizona recently passed a compact that will
provide $1.75 million for 10 years. I think that is being
challenged, and I am not really sure what's happening with
that. But I think that is probably the first time that the
State has funded our college.
I would just like to conclude by saying that we are moving
at a very fast rate by our standards, but we find that we are
yet catching up to other schools that are more advanced, and
thus have more opportunities. We are working hard to provide
our students the same options that these other universities
provide, and with your help these things can happen. And thank
you for allowing us to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sandoval follows:]
Prepared Statement of George Sandoval, Network Administrator, Dine
College
INTRODUCTION
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, Dine College thanks
you for the opportunity to express its view on S. 414 the ``National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Digital
Network Technology Program Act.''
My name is George Sandoval and I work at Dine College. I have been
employed since 1996 and now serve as the Network Administrator for
Information Services. I am also a former student of the college. I am
Navajo and have lived on the Navajo Reservation most of my life. Today
I would like to discuss the current technological State of the college.
And then I would like to describe the need for additional assistance in
order to bridge the Digital Divide that exists between much of the
Navajo Reservation, including Dine College, and the world.
DINE COLLEGE FACTS
Navajo Community College was founded in 1968 as the first tribally
controlled college in the United States. The college has since changed
its name to Dine College and is located on the Navajo Reservation in
eight communities. Main campuses are located in Tsaile, AZ and
Shiprock, NM. Satellite centers in Arizona are at Chinle, Ganado,
Kayenta, Tuba City and Window Rock. Crownpoint is the other center in
New Mexico. These community centers have accounted for more than half
the student population in recent years.
Dine College focuses on preparing students for transfer to 4-year
colleges as well as for entry into employment. Developmental studies
are offered for students who need further preparation for college-level
studies. While awarding mostly Associate Degrees the college has also
begun a partnership with ASU and has now graduated several classes with
Bachelor of Arts Degrees and two students have achieved their Master's
Degrees.
We have just begun to offer distance learning via video
conferencing and web applications. We have much more to learn about
distance learning in all its various forms.
PRESIDENTIAL VISIT
Nearly 2 years ago, on April 17, 2000, former president of the
United States, Bill Clinton, made a historic trip to the Navajo
Reservation and Dine College. His visit lasted only a few hours, but
the preparation took many days. I remember the excitement and
anticipation as thousands of people awaited his arrival. The
president's message during that time concerned the Digital Divide and
his commitment to assisting those in need so that they could have the
same opportunities as the rest of the country.
I was lucky enough to witness firsthand as he talked to the
students of Lake Valley School via the Internet. The Lake Valley
School, along with the Dine College sites at Crownpoint and Window
Rock, were the recipients of a two-way satellite system donated by
Tachyon, Inc. Our techs, as well as techs and engineers from Tachyon
worked long hours to ensure that the video conference transmission
could be as optimal as possible. The work paid off as the conference
demonstrated.
Another project that we spent time on and that we thought was just
as important was bringing the Access Grid to Dine College Shiprock via
the NSF funded Internet 2. This endeavor was only possible with the
collaborative effort of the University of New Mexico Albuquerque High
Performance Computing Center, the Argonne National Laboratory, the
Indian Health Services at Shiprock and the General Services
Administration. We succeeded in providing content via the Access Grid
to the University of New Mexico, Maui High Performance Computing
Center, Boston University, Argonne National Laboratory, and the
University of Kentucky. Unfortunately, the funding to sustain this
endeavor was not available and so the six T1 circuits and router
borrowed from the various participants were removed. The effort had
proven that the technology is accessible.
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY AT DINE COLLEGE
In the near future we would like to offer more Distance Learning
opportunities via video conferencing and web courses. We also will
continue to work with nearby Universities and College in order to share
resources and extend accessibility to all students. We have plans to
offer web registration and student data via the web. As you know, these
options are, and have been, available at other colleges and
universities.
UNIQUE OR SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS (OUR STRENGTHS)
Some of our biggest strengths include our Center for Dine Studies
and our Dine Teacher Education Program. There is discussion on the
possibility of offering these Navajo Language course via two-way video
and other means. The partnerships that exist with Arizona State
University, Northern Arizona University, the University of New Mexico
High Performance Computing Center and other schools have proven
invaluable.
GRANTS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS
We have been the recipients of various grants funded by
governmental agencies. Some of these grants include the Navajo Learning
Network, the American Indian Network Information Center, the
Information Engineering Technology Program and the Visualization Lab.
These grants have been completed and were very beneficial to Dine
College.
Our current grants are Title III (funded October 1, 2000 for 5
years), the Youth Opportunity Grant (funded for 5 years), and the
Microsoft AISTEC grant (managed by New Mexico Highlands University;
provides training and software for Tribal Colleges).
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium provides various
opportunities for Tribal Colleges. They host an Information Technology
conference annually. They have also contributed other services to the
college including a Y2K assessment in 1999.
We were very appreciative of donations by the following entities:
The Dept. Of Commerce, IBM, Reebok, the Dept. of Agriculture and the
International Commerce Institute. These entities provided our students
with greater computer access. We were able to give more than 60
students computers for their personal use.
The State of Arizona will provide $1.75 million per year for 10
years for maintenance, renewal and capital expenses. This is from
Transaction Privilege Tax revenues.
OPPORTUNITIES
There are other endeavors that we continue to pursue such as the
partnership with the IHS Consortium. This will allow us more bandwidth
to the Internet. Northern Arizona University has offered to relocate
one of their underused studios to Dine College. This will include other
benefits such as experience and expertise from NAU Net which has been
operating two-way video conferencing in and around the reservation for
many years.
We are now working with the General Services Administration and
their ANSWER contract. They will provide us with Project Management and
other expertise to solve some of our most daunting tasks.
PROBLEMS
Some of the more difficult problems that we face include Faculty
Retention, housing (for staff and faculty), infrastructure (electrical,
data network, have both become outdated and are difficult to upgrade,
dorms/housing for students should be upgraded, and more office space
and classrooms are needed). Some of the programs that are affected by
budget cuts are directly student related such as Athletics and Student
Clubs.
Conclusion
We are moving at a very fast rate at Dine College by our standards.
In the 5 years that I have been at Dine College we have installed and
implemented various technologies funded by various means. However we
find that we are yet catching up to other schools that are more
advanced technologically and thus have more opportunities. Dine College
is working hard to provide our students the same options that many
other universities provide. With your help and the continued hard work
of staff and faculty, many of these advances can happen. Thank you for
the opportunity to testify today.
Senator Cleland. Thank you, Mr. Sandoval. What a great
testimony and a great story. I would like to ask you a
question, Mr. Sandoval. According to the Federal Communication
Commission, only a little more than 18 percent of individuals
living on the Navajo Reservation, on which Dine College is
located, have access to telephones, 18 percent.
How much of a help do you believe this legislation can be
in helping to connect not just tribal colleges like Dine, but
ultimately the communities in which they are located?
Mr. Sandoval. I'm not sure how it can directly help, I
guess the rural population, but I know at the college we strive
to help the community out as much as we can. I am not exactly
sure how they can help with getting phones to, I guess, people
that are not involved with the college. But we try to provide
for the community.
Senator Cleland. Well, thank you very much, and thank you,
Doctor, for coming. You all have added greatly to our body of
testimony. And as we have just heard, Senator Allen is going to
be a co-sponsor of our legislation, obviously, persuaded by Dr.
McDemmond and others.
I would like to thank the staff for putting this hearing
together. The hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:31 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Prepared Statement of The Advanced Networking With Minority-Serving
Institutions Project on S. 414, the NTIA Digital Network
Technology Program Act
The Advanced Networking With Minority-Serving Institutions (``AN-
MSI'') Project strongly supports the S. 414 legislation to establish a
digital network technology program. AN-MSI applauds the Committee and
the sponsors of S. 414 for undertaking this very critical initiative to
help minority-serving institutions (``MSIs'') strengthen their digital
network technology capabilities. AN-MSI also supports the testimonies
and recommendations of our Minority-Serving Institution partners who
have already testified before the Senate Commerce Committee.
WHAT IS AN-MSI?
The Advanced Networking With Minority-Serving Institutions Project
is a 4-year initiative funded under a grant from the National Science
Foundation to EDUCAUSE, an association of 1800 colleges, universities
and companies dedicated to improving higher education through the
intelligent use of information technology. AN-MSI assists MSIs to plan
and deploy network systems to fulfill their educational goals and to
use digital technologies to manage their institutions. By attaining
network systems that meet their needs, MSIs and their students can more
fully participate and compete in the ``information age.''
Approximately 100 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (``HSIs''),
Historic Black Colleges and Universities (``HBCUs'') and Tribal
Colleges and Universities (``TCUs'') in 31 states, as well as in Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands, are members of the AN-MSI consortium.
Current partners in AN-MSI include such minority higher education
consortiums as: the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and the United
Negro College Fund.
WHAT TYPE OF ACTIVITIES DOES AN-MSI SUPPORT?
AN-MSI offers a comprehensive array of technical assistance and
services to support minority-serving institutions' efforts to develop
state-of-the-art networks and network applications. Key principles
guiding AN-MSI's efforts are: helping consortium institutions to plan
and determine their own network needs; training institutions and key
staff to train other staff and institutions; using alliances among
higher education institutions to support their digital technology needs
and promoting collaborations to help MSIs to support themselves; and,
providing resources and information to help them to implement their
advanced networking projects.
AN-MSI services and products supporting advanced networking
include:
Assessing individual campus needs and capabilities
Working with institutions to develop strategic plans to
improve campus networks and Internet connectivity
Supporting institutions to apply network tools with which
to teach, learn, research and collaborate
Assisting institutions to deploy network security and
monitoring systems
Providing training for administration and maintenance of
networks
Consulting on campus IT and networking system architecture
and implementation
Establishing remote technical support for networks
Developing and mentoring student-managed technical
services
Increasing the capacity of and sustaining networking
efforts
Helping institutions develop funding models and plans to
pay for networks
Expanding and educating faculty, students and staff on
campus network services
Evaluating networking efforts
LESSONS LEARNED BY AN-MSI
For over 2 years, AN-MSI has embarked on the mission of helping
MSIs attain digital network technology equality. Minority-serving
institutions have worked diligently with very dedicated staff to
provide the best networking services to their students and faculty that
their small staff and meager technology budgets can afford. There
simply is not enough money. This is an area where the under-funding of
minority-serving institutions clearly shows. While each minority-
serving institution has its own technology needs and issues, one of the
profound lessons learned by the AN-MSI project serving over 100
institutions is that so many MSIs are not fully ``network ready'' for
their students. Campuses often lack a number of critical items: current
technologies and capacity, the necessary staffing skills and support
mechanisms to manage their technology systems, knowledge of their IT
structure and capabilities, sense of their IT needs, a strategic IT
plan, the resources to deploy a network to meet their educational and
administrative needs, and the additional resources later to refresh
their digital technologies.
MSIs' Capacity to Support Digital Technologies:
Based on these realities, we recommend that the proposed NTIA
Digital Network Technology Program be expanded to reflect a broader
range of MSIs' technology needs. The proposed authorization language in
Section 171 reads: ``to strengthen the capacity of eligible
institutions to provide instruction in digital network technologies. .
.'' Section 172(1) authorizes a range of acquisitions necessary ``to
teach students and teachers about technology in the classroom.'' Beyond
instruction in digital network technologies, a concerted focus needs to
be directed at MSIs to provide instruction with digital technology;
that is to enhance their capacity to carry out their overall teaching
and learning mission. Without funding the institutional capacity to
support digital network technologies, a greater MSI need will be
overlooked. Put another way, without the basic capacity to sustain
campus digital networks, and without teaching by example, little can be
derived from classroom instruction on digital network technologies.
MSIs' Need for Technical Support and Collaborative Strategies:
Given these ``resource'' challenges at Minority-Serving
Institutions, AN-MSI has applied its limited funding to support
innovative and cost-efficient strategies to meet their networking
needs. AN-MSI has co-sponsored IT training and produced a campus
network architecture guideline document for use by campus network
technicians. AN-MSI is disseminating background information on IT
issues; has created a website with resource information and links
providing practical information on how to plan for campus IT
deployment; and will be developing an inventory of effective IT
practices deployed by other MSIs and EDUCAUSE institutions. AN-MSI has
sponsored technical assistance site visits to MSI campuses to help them
with their network documentation, systems assessment, IT planning,
leadership education and involvement, technology options, and teaching
applications. AN-MSI also supported the development of key
collaborations with other MSIs, private sector partners and resource
service providers to help them with their digital technology
deployment.
Dr. Gerald Monette, President of Turtle Mountain Community College
and Chairman of the Technology and Infrastructure Development Committee
of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium testified before you
on February 27th. He recommended including provisions in S. 414 to
support strategic IT planning. ``Specifically, planning needs to be
focused on the unique nature and mission of institutions of higher
education. Possible models include the AIHEC/AN-MSI partnership
currently underway to provide technical assistance to NSF-TCUP
grantees.''
The strategic support and intervention developed by AN-MSI is
essential for the success of MSIs in building their digital network
systems and in developing new and innovative digital learning
applications. Mr. Monette further stated: ``funding to expand this
effort and ensure strategic IT planning, possibly through the
Department of Education's Titles III and V programs for Institutional
Development, or the National Science Foundation, could be a wise
investment.'' AN-MSI concurs with AIHEC's recommendations on the vital
importance of investing in strategic planning to support MSI digital
deployment. To accomplish this effectively, AN-MSI recommends that
collaborative digital technology projects supporting MSIs, be directly
eligible to receive funding for technical services to MSIs. The Act
strongly encourages and supports activities to implement joint projects
regarding technology in Section 172(4). However, funding for eligible
non-profit MSI collaborative organizations is only referenced in
Section 3(6)(1)'s definition for HBCUs, as ``a consortium of
institutions described in this subparagraph.'' The Act should make more
explicit that all national non-profit MSI consortiums are eligible for
direct funding.
A Need to Test New Services and Technologies and to Share the Knowledge
In his testimony before the Subcommittee, Dr. Fred Humphries,
President & CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in
Higher Education, emphasized in his recommendations: ``MSIs should be
involved in the research and development of cutting edge technology to
assure that they can secure and maintain state-of-the-art technology.
Furthermore, they should be involved in the economic development of
their communities around the new economy, including training as well as
entrepreneurial development.'' We support Dr. Humphries'
recommendation.
AN-MSI, cognizant of the uniqueness of MSIs, has seeded pilot
projects to develop digital network solutions, services and
applications that can be used by all MSIs. AN-MSI has funded a wireless
broadband infrastructure project to provide multi-media access to rural
tribal colleges; a network security collaborative project with HSIs; a
network system monitoring and reporting project with HBCUs; is
assisting the development of a pilot project to build a collaborative
IT human resource knowledge base among HBCUs in North Carolina; and
funded the deployment of a cutting-edge video-conference collaborative
curriculum on IT teaching and learning applications. Through its grant
partner, EOT-PACI, MSIs are participating in workshops on developing
research clusters and are involved in activities and conferences to
learn about and to implement advanced computational research
infrastructures and partnerships.
Authorizing collaborative pilot projects to develop new services,
applications and technologies for use by all MSIs will strengthen the
bill.
Importance of Knowledge and Resource Bases
Dr. Antonio Flores, President & CEO of the Hispanic Association of
Colleges and Universities, emphasized in his testimony before the
Subcommittee: ``. . . the social and economic impact of the digital
divide relates to more than just physical access. It also involves
skill in the use of information technology, especially in ways that
help one to learn, gather information, critically analyze data, and
generate new knowledge and understanding.'' AN-MSI fully concurs with
Dr. Flores.
A key component often overlooked in the deployment of digital
technologies is the development of the ``human network'' and
``knowledge-network'' that is essential to bridging the digital divide
alluded to by Dr. Flores. AN-MSI has embraced this policy by supporting
unique collaborations among MSIs and with private sector partners. AN-
MSI has also funded the dissemination of vital knowledge through
training partnerships with the NSF, EDUCAUSE, the NSF-funded
Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure, Internet 2, and
others. AN-MSI is also developing a resource base of knowledge to help
MSIs replicate the digital deployment efforts of other MSIs and
institutions in EDUCAUSE.
Collaborations, training and knowledge bases should also be
explicitly funded under S. 414. The building and use of knowledge bases
and networks is essential to the deployment of digital network
technologies.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Support the use of digital technologies to teach by clarifying
the authorization under the Act to include ``strengthen the capacity of
eligible institutions to provide instruction in and using digital
network technologies by providing grants to, or executing contracts or
cooperative agreements with, those institutions to provide such
instruction and strengthen their digital network technology capacity''
(Sec. 171, modifications in bold italics);
2. Further support the use of digital technologies to teach with by
adding in Section 172(1) support for activities to include acquiring
``. . . digital technology, and infrastructure necessary to teach
students and teachers about technology in the classroom or to teach
with.'' (Modification in bold italics);
3. Permit use of funds for digital technology strategic planning by
the institution and by non-profit MSI collaborative organizations with
expertise to assist campuses with their digital technology strategic
planning or render other technical assistance to implement digital
network technologies; (Sec. 172(2) add-in, or add Sec. 172(6) to
activities supported);
4. Permit use of funds to implement a joint project with other
institutions, non-profit MSI collaborative organizations, or
collaborative partners to provide education regarding technology in the
classroom or technology for the institution. (Sec. 172(4),
modifications in bold italics);
5. Permit the use of funds to support or develop a collaborative
resource network or data base to support the development of digital
technology by MSIs. (Add Sec. 172(7));
6. Permit consortiums of institutions collaborating under the Act
or non-profit MSI collaborative associations to be eligible for funding
to assist MSIs to develop, enhance and support digital technology
systems, and to receive and provide training for digital network
technologies. (Sec. 102(a)(6), add ``(G)'' to definitions of
eligibility.)
CONCLUSION:
The time is very late for minority students and institutions trying
to compete in a new technology marketplace. Not only is digital
technology an important subject matter to teach and to learn, it is an
essential means of learning and teaching. AN-MSI supports the Senate's
effort to strengthen the digital technology capacity of MSIs and stands
ready to assist the Committee and Congress in any manner you deem
necessary. Thank you for accepting AN-MSI's testimony.