[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E903-E904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO AMEND THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 TO 
  AUTHORIZE GRANTS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION SERVING ASIAN 
                    AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 22, 2002

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that would provide higher education institutions serving a significant 
population of Asian American and Pacific Islander American (AAPI) 
undergraduate students federal funding opportunities. This legislation 
would authorize the Department of Education to designate Asian American 
and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions with an undergraduate 
enrollment of at least 10 percent AAPI students to improve their 
capacity to provide higher education opportunities to these 
populations.
  Asian American and Pacific Islanders are one of the fastest growing 
minority populations in the United States, yet many are left behind in 
numerous programs which help minority students bridge the gap to higher 
education attainment. Historically Title III and Title V of the Higher 
Education Act were established to aid colleges and universities to 
expand educational opportunities for financially needy and minority 
students. Currently, the Department of Education has the authority to 
designate minority serving higher education institutions for 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving 
Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and 
Universities, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Alaska Native 
Serving Institutions, but not for Asian Americans and Pacific 
Islanders.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is long overdue and an important issue 
to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the nation. 
In the January 2001 Interim Report of the President's Advisory 
Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Commission 
recognized the need to establish a designation of Asian American and 
Pacific Islander Serving Institutions as a focus for outreach, 
employment recruitment, research, and program development.
  During a Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Summit on the 
Higher Education Status of Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders held 
on May 18, 2001, the College Board and various federal officials 
identified a deficiency in the data collection and reporting of Asian 
American and Pacific Islander students. Their statements concluded that 
when data for subpopulations are disaggregately reported, the 
disparities in educational attainment increase dramatically and reveal 
that subpopulations with higher number of low-income households indeed 
have fewer opportunities for higher education.
  My bill seeks to encourage higher education institutions to address 
this disparity by improving their capacity to serve these populations. 
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the original co-sponsors 
of this legislation, and

[[Page E904]]

I look forward to working with my colleagues on this important issue.

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