[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO JOHN W. BURKHART: CHAMPION FOR INCREASED EDUCATIONAL 
                             OPPORTUNITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARK E. SOUDER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 1999

  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that education is the great 
equalizer. No one can deny that an education unlocks the doors of 
opportunity. Few have unlocked and held open the doors of higher 
education more than John W. Burkhart of Indianapolis, Indiana. 
Burkhart, who died in Indianapolis last month, was a true pioneer in 
opening up access to higher education.
  In 1960--five years before the Federal student loan program was 
established as part of the Federal Higher Education Act--John Burkhart 
organized USA Funds to privately guarantee student loans. USA Funds 
later became USA Group, which is now the nation's largest student loan 
guarantor and administrator. Through USA Funds' and USA Group's loan 
guarantees, students who would normally be unable to afford high 
education, can now receive a higher education on credit. The concept of 
``college on credit,'' pioneered by Burkhart and other visionaries like 
him, has spurred a substantial increase in the number of Americans with 
access to higher education. In 1965, only 1.5 million students entered 
institutions of higher education. That number increased to an 
impressive 2.2 million students by 1996. Certainly there are a variety 
of factors which contribute to such an increase, but the efforts of 
John Burkhart in fostering educational opportunity cannot be 
discounted.
  Burkhart's vision helped pave the way for thousands of college 
students to improve the quality of their lives. Indeed, as domestic and 
global economic competition grow, America will greatly benefit from the 
increased rolls of highly educated Americans. John W. Burkhart not only 
unlocked the doors of opportunity to higher education for generations 
of Americans, but he also raised the expectation that future 
generations might also pass over the door's threshold.

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