[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 68 (Friday, May 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ANTIGUA FOR ITS LEADERSHIP AND 
                            INNOVATIVE IDEAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2006

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring to the attention 
of my colleagues a very innovative educational program which is helping 
to address the need for doctors and other trained medical 
professionals. As a member of the House Education and the Workforce 
Committee, I am supportive of expanding educational opportunities for 
students interested in medical training.
  Last year I had the opportunity to visit the American University of 
Antigua and to meet with students from my home State of New Jersey who 
are enrolled there. This school was founded only a few years ago and 
has already had an immense impact on the surrounding community, as well 
as the lives and careers of medical students around the world. Its 
founder, Neal S. Simon should be commended for establishing a quality 
medical education program that accommodates the need for diversity in 
medical education.
  As part of a new and exciting partnership, the American University of 
Antigua is now cooperating with Tuskegee University, a Historically 
Black College, to explore developing a veterinary school at its campus 
in Antigua. Officials from Tuskegee University were happy to offer 
ideas and advice. This would be an important educational development 
for American University of Antigua and the community, due to the severe 
need for trained veterinarians in the Caribbean.
  The students at American University of Antigua, while primarily 
American citizens, hail from all over the world. They are committed to 
a high standard of learning and achievement. The faculty of the AUA is 
comprised of distinguished scholars who have mostly worked in American 
and European medical schools. The school has also enhanced the 
surrounding community by providing doctors, nurses and other medical 
professionals. The American students attend the university and receive 
training at an academic standard equal to what they would receive in 
the U.S. and are then able to obtain medical license in the United 
States where they contribute to easing the physician shortage that the 
United States is experiencing. Medical and nursing schools are running 
at full capacity in the United States, and AUA helps the American 
medical system fill its need for trained professionals.
  The willingness of this university to work with other schools, such 
as Tuskegee, to improve its programs is commendable. The ability of 
this university to provide a world class education to a diverse group 
of students while adding much needed resources to the American and 
Caribbean community should be applauded. The ability to attract a 
qualified diverse student population is something that many United 
States schools can learn from. I hope that we will see more 
partnerships of this type in the future, and again, I commend the 
school for its leadership and innovative ideas.

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