[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 131 (Thursday, September 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTION DIGITAL AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY 
                          OPPORTUNITY OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 4, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 694, the 
Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology 
Opportunity Act of 2007. Before I go any further, I want to take this 
time to personally thank my colleague, Randy Forbes of Virginia, for 
his longtime support and hard work on this bill.
  This bipartisan bill seeks to improve technology instruction and 
enhance the communication network systems of minority serving 
institutions, many of which are located in poor, rural and isolated 
areas. Further, this important legislation seeks to deal with systemic 
disenfranchisement within minority communities by providing a means for 
partnership between MSIs and K-12 schools through teacher education, 
including the provision of preservice teacher training and in-service 
professional development. Under this legislation, MSIs are given an 
opportunity to further focus on disparities in access to quality higher 
education opportunities and the communities they serve.
  Mr. Speaker, as public schools scramble to open for the fall term, 
principals and superintendents are frustrated by the stress of not 
having qualified math and science teachers. Just last week, the New 
York Times published an article entitled: Schools Scramble for Teachers 
Because of Spreading Turnover, and reported how tough it is to find 
good qualified teachers to teach science and math in low income 
neighborhoods. My bill, H.R. 694, will help to produce a new generation 
of world-class teachers of science and, mathematics and engineers.
  Minority Serving Institutions play a unique role in the education of 
our diverse American workforce. According to a July 2005 House 
Committee on Science report, 21 percent of all college degrees and 
certificates awarded to African American, American Indian and Hispanic 
students are conferred by Minority Serving Institutions. Minority 
Serving Institutions also help underrepresented students succeed in all 
disciplines, science, mathematics, and engineering in particular. For 
example, of African-Americans earning bachelor's degrees in science, 
math, engineering or the technology field in 1996, 31 percent received 
them at an HBCU. Similarly, Hispanic-Serving Institutions produced 20 
percent of science, math, engineering or technology bachelor's degrees 
awarded to Hispanics in 1996.
  Minority Serving Institutions have special skills in serving their 
communities, which include large numbers of low-income or first 
generation college students. In fact, I am a graduate of North Carolina 
A&T, as are many of my colleagues here today in support of this bill 
are graduates of HBCUs and MSIs. Unlike other, larger institutions of 
higher education, MSIs typically have small or nonexistent endowments 
and few wealthy alumni. As a result, the ability to purchase and pay 
for the upkeep of the technology that will prepare these students for 
the workforce is especially challenging for many MSI.

  Developing an educated and technologically literate workforce is an 
important part of our efforts to compete in an increasingly technology 
and information-based, global economy. Whether technology should be 
used in schools is no longer the issue. Rather, the current emphasis is 
on ensuring that technology is available and used effectively to create 
new opportunities.
  For these reasons, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 
694, the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology 
Opportunity Act.
  In closing, I want to especially thank the higher education community 
who over the past 8 years have tirelessly worked to make this bill 
become a reality. Specifically, I want to thank Dr. Michael L. Lomax of 
the United Negro College Fund, Lezli Baskerville of the National 
Association of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, Antonio Flores of 
the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Gerald E. Gipp 
of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the 
Telecommunications Industry Association, Alcatel Lucent, and the many 
other advocates who have worked on this issue.

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