[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 109 (Thursday, July 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5204-S5205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Mr. REED. Mr. President, twenty years ago, Brown University, located
in my home State of Rhode Island, established the Leadership Alliance,
a national academic consortium of leading research universities and
minority serving institutions with the mission to develop
underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in
academia, business, and the public sector. Brown University and its
partner institutions have continued to address this pressing national
need.
The National Research Council recently published a report titled
``Research Universities and the Future of America'' that included a
call for ten ``breakthrough actions.'' Two of these actions involve
reforming graduate education and creating pathways into the fields of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for women and
underrepresented minorities. That is what the Leadership Alliance has
been striving to do since 1992.
Through an organized program of research, networking and mentorship
at critical transitions along the entire academic training pathway, the
Leadership Alliance prepares young scientists and scholars from
underrepresented and underserved populations for graduate training and
professional apprenticeships. Leadership Alliance faculty mentors
provide high quality, cutting-edge research experiences in all academic
disciplines at the Nation's most competitive graduate training
institutions and share insights into the nature of academic careers.
In the 20 years since its establishment, the Leadership Alliance has
established a strong track record of success. More than half of the
students who participated in the Summer Research Early Identification
program enrolled in a graduate level program. Leadership Alliance
institutions graduated approximately 25 percent of all doctorates in
the biomedical sciences degrees to underrepresented minority students
between 2004 and 2008, making it a leading consortium grantor of PhD
degrees in the biomedical sciences in the United States.
Since founding the Leadership Alliance in 1992, Brown has mentored
386 scholars, of whom 35 percent have attained a graduate level degree.
Nearly half of the students who participated in its Summer Research
Early Identification program completed a graduate level degree. A
majority of the Leadership Alliance doctoral degree recipients are in
the STEM disciplines.
The Leadership Alliance is a model for identifying, training, and
mentoring underrepresented minorities who are poised to expand and
diversify the base of the 21st century workforce. I am pleased today to
recognize the importance of such efforts and acknowledge the continued
dedication of institutional leaders, faculty members, and
administrators across the United States who provide training and
mentoring of underrepresented students along the academic pathway. As
such, I congratulate and commend the Leadership Alliance, including
Brown University, for 20 years of contributing to creating a diverse
and competitive research and scholarly workforce.
Mr. CASEY: Mr. President, today I would like to acknowledge the great
work of the Leadership Alliance during its 20th anniversary. The
Leadership Alliance is a consortium of 32 leading colleges and
universities that aims to train, mentor and inspire a diverse group of
students from a wide range of backgrounds to enter competitive graduate
programs and research careers. This admirable goal of expanding access
to high-quality programs is supported by the consortium's shared
resources and vision.
I would especially like to acknowledge the program at the University
of Pennsylvania, which is one of the
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Leadership Alliance founding members and the only member in
Pennsylvania. According to the university, the Leadership Alliance
complements Penn's broader strategic vision of increasing diversity
within its graduate student body and faculty. As it seeks to prepare
leaders and role models for service in academia and the private and
public sectors, the Leadership Alliance disseminates best practices in
recruitment, mentoring and career development. With 20 years of
experience in developing and sharing these essential techniques, the
Leadership Alliance has helped to provide the Nation with a more
diverse and globally competitive workforce. I wish to congratulate the
Leadership Alliance on its 20th anniversary and thank its leaders and
scholars for their significant contributions.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I am proud to rise today to honor the
Leadership Alliance, which was founded 20 years ago in 1992 at Rhode
Island's Brown University. It has grown to become a consortium of 32 of
our country's leading higher education research and minority serving
institutions, working together to bring students from underrepresented
groups into competitive graduate programs and professional research
careers. Through training and mentorship, the Leadership Alliance opens
doors for our best and brightest young people to become the innovators
of tomorrow.
During its 20 years, the Leadership Alliance has mentored more than
2,600 undergraduates, including 43 Rhode Islanders. These students are
offered the unique and exciting opportunity, through the Summer
Research-Early Identification Program, to participate in a 9-week paid
summer internship where they work side by side with faculty in the
academic discipline of their choice at some of our leading research
institutions. They then present their research to the annual Leadership
Alliance National Symposium. This summer experience gives the students
the opportunity to expand their intellectual horizons, as well as
network with academics and their peers. The program has produced nearly
200 PhDs, the Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholars, along with
professionals in private research and academia.
It is vital for our country's continued competitiveness in the world
that we seek to inspire our young people to innovate and experiment, to
push the boundaries of our current knowledge. The Leadership Alliance
has recognized that mentoring is key in order to ensure that students
from all backgrounds feel that they have access to graduate education
and know that they have peers in research. The innovative programs the
Leadership Alliance has created over 20 years have not only allowed
these students to increase their own opportunities academically and
professionally, but allowed past students to become role models
themselves.
I congratulate the Leadership Alliance, Brown University, and the
other participating colleges and universities, as well as academics and
students, past and present, who through 20 years have shown their
commitment to American education, leadership, and innovation.
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