[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ON BEHALF OF PEIRCE COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHAKA FATTAH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2000

  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Peirce College, a 
matchless institution of higher education located in my district of 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  Peirce College has taken great strides to bridge the digital divide 
and become an institution dedicated to providing graduates for the 
information age. In fact, Peirce recently took two significant steps 
towards this goal. First, with the opening of its state-of-the art 
alumni Hall and second, through the recent approval of its online 
degree programs.
  Despite its purely urban location, Peirce College is reaching out to 
provide competitive workforce and technology programs to individuals 
living in the more rural parts of Pennsylvania. Peirce College is well 
positioned to do this. In Fiscal Year 1999-2000 Peirce's off-site 
programs enrolled 408 students from rural and suburban areas across 
Pennsylvania. Through distance learning technologies, Peirce College 
intends to connect all of its students and programs including those in 
the rural areas of Pennsylvania.
  Pennsylvania has one of the largest rural population of any state in 
the county. To this extent, the Peirce distance learning programs can 
offer a significant opportunity for students, many of whom are adult 
learner, to gain training an education programs that are technology 
oriented and needed in today's job market.
  I support Peirce College in its effort to secure a federal 
partnership to expand its on line and distance learning programs. To 
that end, I have worked with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, ranking member 
for the House Appropriations subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, FDA and Relocated Agencies. In this year's Fiscal Year 
2001 House passed Agriculture Appropriation bill, report language was 
included to direct the Department of Agriculture to give consideration 
to the distance learning at Peirce College under the distance learning 
and telemedicine grant program.
  The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program, as authorized by the 
Food Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 and amended by the 
Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, aims to provide 
access to telecommunications services to improve rural educational 
opportunities. This program provided facilities and equipment to link 
rural education with more urban centers in order to increase 
educational opportunities for rural students. As such, I believe this 
program is well aligned with the goals and actions of Peirce College.
  I strongly support Peirce college's proposal for a distant learning 
grant and look forward to working with the Department of Agriculture 
and the Committee to insure that Peirce College proposal receives full 
and fair consideration.

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