[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9693-S9694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       NATIONAL HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WEEK

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, this week, from September 14-20, 
has been designated National Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities Week, and I am pleased to take this opportunity to 
recognize the achievements of these fine institutions of higher 
education.
  For more than 150 years, the 116 historically black colleges and 
universities [HBCU's] throughout our Nation have played a vital role in 
providing students with an exceptional education. These institutions 
have significantly increased educational access for thousands of 
economically and socially disadvantaged Americans, particularly young 
African-Americans. In turn, armed with this educational opportunity, 
these young people have risen to the challenges of our time and have 
become leaders not only of their own communities, but of our Nation as 
well.
  While constituting only 3 percent of the Nation's colleges, HBCU's 
enroll 16 percent of all African-Americans students in higher 
education. Each year they award approximately 28 percent of all 
baccalaureate degrees earned by African-Americans nationwide and they 
continue to graduate the majority of African-Americans who go on to 
earn advanced degrees, including 75 percent of all African-American 
PhD's, 50 percent of all African-American attorneys, and 75 percent of 
all African-American military officers. The success of these 
institutions in providing educational opportunities for African-
Americans in unparalleled.
  My own State of Maryland is privileged to be served by four 
outstanding historically black colleges and universities: Bowie State 
University, Coppin State College, Morgan State University, and the 
University of Maryland Eastern Shore. These four institutions, all of 
which have undergone dramatic growth in recent years, have contributed 
significantly to the higher education system in Maryland.
  Bowie State, one of the oldest black universities in the United 
States, is the Nation's first historically African-American institution 
to offer graduate programs in Europe. While providing high quality 
education to thousands of African-Americans, Coppin State has uniquely 
focused on serving the residents of inner-city Baltimore for almost 100 
years. Morgan State annually ranks among the top 10 public campuses 
nationally in the number of baccalaureate recipients who pursue 
doctorate degrees. The University of

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Maryland Eastern Shore, which celebrates its 111th anniversary this 
week, commits itself to combining an excellent education with an 
emphasis on meeting the needs of the region by providing a doctorate in 
marine-estuarine-environmental science and toxicology. These are just a 
few examples of the strong commitment HBCU's have demonstrated 
throughout the years in preparing our young people for the increasingly 
technological and global economy.
  The extraordinary contributions of historically black colleges and 
universities in educating African-American students cannot be 
overstated. They are a valuable national resource which are being 
rightly honored for their exemplary tradition in the area of higher 
education. I am very pleased to join with them and citizens throughout 
the Nation in celebrating National Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities Week.

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